The Reading / Listening - Electric Scooters - Level 4

Electric scooters are all the rage nowadays. The two-wheelers help people zip through traffic to get about town. However, there are safety concerns. Many scooter riders ignore road rules and traffic lights, and ride on sidewalks. A scooter maker has made a speaker that will alert pedestrians of a scooter's presence. Segway is selling a speaker that can add V12 engine noises to its scooters. The rider can also plug in a device to play their favourite music.

Segway's $150 Engine Speaker can play music or sounds for 23 hours. It syncs with the accelerator. The revving sound gets louder the faster the scooter goes. The speaker will warn anyone in earshot that a scooter is coming. Road safety analysts believe the speaker could cut the number of traffic accidents. However, critics worry about noise pollution. They say the beauty of electric engines is their silence and that a simple beeping sound is enough.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Electric Scooters - Level 5 or  Electric Scooters - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.theverge.com/2022/4/14/23025585/segway-ninebot-engine-wireless-speaker-engine-noise-v8
  • https://gizmodo.com/segways-strap-on-speaker-makes-your-scooter-sound-like-1848783531
  • https://hiconsumption.com/segway-superscooter/


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. Electric scooters are all the
  2. help people zip
  3. ignore road rules
  4. ride on
  5. A scooter maker has
  6. alert pedestrians of a
  7. add V12 engine noises to
  8. The rider can also plug
  1. made a speaker
  2. its scooters
  3. rage nowadays
  4. in a device
  5. through traffic
  6. sidewalks
  7. scooter's presence
  8. and traffic  lights

Paragraph 2

  1. It syncs
  2. The revving sound
  3. warn anyone in
  4. Road safety
  5. cut the number of traffic
  6. critics worry about noise
  7. the beauty of electric engines
  8. a simple beeping
  1. analysts
  2. is their silence
  3. gets louder
  4. sound
  5. earshot
  6. accidents
  7. with the accelerator
  8. pollution

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Electric scooters are all (1) ___________________. The two-wheelers help people (2) ___________________ to get about town. However, there are safety concerns. Many scooter riders (3) ___________________ and traffic lights, and ride on sidewalks. A scooter maker has made a speaker (4) ___________________ pedestrians of a scooter's presence. Segway is selling a speaker that can add (5) ___________________ to its scooters. The rider can also plug in a (6) ___________________ their favourite music.

Segway's $150 Engine Speaker can play (7) ___________________ for 23 hours. It syncs with the accelerator. The (8) ___________________ louder the faster the scooter goes. The speaker will warn (9) ___________________ that a scooter is coming. Road safety analysts believe the speaker could cut the number (10) ___________________. However, critics worry (11) ___________________. They say the beauty of electric engines is their silence and that a (12) ___________________ is enough.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Electricscootersarealltheragenowadays.Thetwo-wheelershelppeopl
ezipthroughtraffictogetabouttown.However,therearesafetyconcern
s.Manyscooterridersignoreroadrulesandtrafficlights,andrideonside
walks.Ascootermakerhasmadeaspeakerthatwillalertpedestriansofa
scooter'spresence.SegwayissellingaspeakerthatcanaddV12enginen
oisestoitsscooters.Theridercanalsopluginadevicetoplaytheirfavourit
emusic.Segway's$150EngineSpeakercanplaymusicorsoundsfor23h
ours.Itsyncswiththeaccelerator.Therevvingsoundgetslouderthefast
erthescootergoes.Thespeakerwillwarnanyoneinearshotthatascoote
riscoming.Roadsafetyanalystsbelievethespeakercouldcutthenumbe
roftrafficaccidents.However,criticsworryaboutnoisepollution.Theys
aythebeautyofelectricenginesistheirsilenceandthatasimplebeeping
soundisenough.

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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