The Reading / Listening - Google Earth - Level 1

Google is making its flight simulator available to everyone. It was first released in 2007, but only for desktop versions of Google Earth. People had to download it. The new version is browser-based. There is no need to install anything. Google said: "The flight simulator is designed for casual exploration." You will be able to fly anywhere using Google's maps. People may have issues "when flying near ground level in regions below sea level".

To use the flight simulator, you need to open Google Earth and click on "Explore Earth". This takes you to a page with a picture of Earth. You then type where you want to fly to in the search bar. Then, you click on "Tools" in the menu bar and select "Flight simulator" from the drop-down menu. CNET.com wrote people can access "the entire Google Earth database, so you can fly to almost anywhere on Earth and check out various landmarks".

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Google Earth - Level 0 Google Earth - Level 2   or  Google Earth - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.cnet.com/tech/gaming/google-earths-flight-simulator-is-now-on-browsers-heres-how-to-play/
  • https://www.theverge.com/tech/949749/google-earth-flight-simulator-browser-experimental
  • https://developers.google.com/maps/documentation/earth/flight-simulator


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. making its flight simulator available
  2. It was first
  3. only for desktop
  4. People had to
  5. The new version is browser-
  6. There is no need
  7. have issues "when flying near
  8. in regions below sea
  1. ground level
  2. versions
  3. based
  4. to everyone
  5. to install anything
  6. level
  7. released in 2007
  8. download it

Paragraph 2

  1. a page with a picture
  2. You then type where you
  3. in the search
  4. you click on "Tools" in
  5. from the drop-
  6. access the entire Google Earth
  7. you can fly to almost
  8. check out various
  1. want to fly to
  2. the menu bar
  3. landmarks
  4. down menu
  5. anywhere on Earth
  6. bar
  7. database
  8. of Earth

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Google (1) _________________________________________________ flight simulator available to everyone. It (2) _________________________________________________ in 2007, but only for desktop versions of Google Earth. People had (3) _________________________________________________. The new version is browser-based. There is no need (4) _________________________________________________. Google said: "The flight simulator is designed for casual exploration." You will be able (5) _________________________________________________ using Google's maps. People may have issues "when flying near ground (6) _________________________________________________ below sea level".

To use the flight simulator, you (7) _________________________________________________ Google Earth and click on "Explore Earth". This takes you to a page (8) _________________________________________________ of Earth. You then type where you want to (9) _________________________________________________ the search bar. Then, you click on "Tools" in the menu (10) _________________________________________________ "Flight simulator" from the drop-down menu. CNET.com wrote people can (11) _________________________________________________ Google Earth database, so you can fly to almost anywhere on Earth and (12) _________________________________________________ landmarks".

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Googleismakingitsflightsimulatoravailabletoeveryone.Itwasfirstrel
easedin2007,butonlyfordesktopversionsofGoogleEarth.Peoplehadt
odownloadit.Thenewversionisbrowser-based.Thereisnoneedtoinsta
llanything.Googlesaid:"Theflightsimulatorisdesignedforcasualexplo
ration."YouwillbeabletoflyanywhereusingGoogle'smaps.Peoplemay
haveissues"whenflyingneargroundlevelinregionsbelowsealevel".To
usetheflightsimulator,youneedtoopenGoogleEarthandclickon"Explo
reEarth".ThistakesyoutoapagewithapictureofEarth.Youthentypewh
ereyouwanttoflytointhesearchbar.Then,youclickon"Tools"inthemen
ubarandselect"Flightsimulator"fromthedrop-downmenu.CNET.co
mwrotepeoplecanaccess"theentireGoogleEarthdatabase,soyoucanf
lytoalmostanywhereonEarthandcheckoutvariouslandmarks".

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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