The Reading / Listening - Google Earth - Level 2

Google will make its flight simulator available to the public. The simulator was first released in 2007, but has only been on desktop versions of Google Earth. People had to download and install it. The new version is browser-based. Anyone can access it on a web browser. 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. Google said people may experience 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" in the top right corner. This takes you to a page with a picture of Earth against the black of space. You then choose where you want to fly around by typing your desired location in the search bar. To start flying, you need to click on "Tools" in the menu bar and then select "Flight simulator" from the drop-down menu. CNET.com wrote: "Google Earth's flight simulator has access to 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 1   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. make its flight simulator available
  2. The simulator was first
  3. The new version is browser-
  4. There is no need to
  5. You will be able to
  6. people may experience
  7. when flying near ground
  8. in regions below
  1. released in 2007
  2. level
  3. fly anywhere
  4. sea level
  5. based
  6. to the public
  7. issues
  8. install anything

Paragraph 2

  1. need to
  2. in the top
  3. a page with a picture
  4. against the black of
  5. You then choose where
  6. typing your desired location
  7. the drop-
  8. check out various
  1. space
  2. in the search bar
  3. landmarks
  4. of Earth
  5. down menu
  6. open Google Earth
  7. you want to fly
  8. right corner

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Google (1) _________________________________________________ flight simulator available to the public. The simulator was (2) _________________________________________________ 2007, but has only been on desktop versions of Google Earth. People had to download (3) _________________________________________________. The new version is browser-based. Anyone can access it on (4) _________________________________________________. There is no need to install anything. Google said: "The flight simulator is designed for casual exploration." You will be able (5) _________________________________________________ using Google's maps. Google said people may experience issues "when flying near ground level in regions (6) _________________________________________________".

To use the flight simulator, you (7) _________________________________________________ Google Earth and click on "Explore Earth" in the top right corner. This takes you to a page with (8) _________________________________________________ Earth against the black of space. You then choose where you want to fly around (9) _________________________________________________ desired location in the search bar. To start flying, you need to click on "Tools" in the menu bar (10) _________________________________________________ "Flight simulator" from the drop-down menu. CNET.com wrote: "Google Earth's flight simulator has access (11) _________________________________________________ Google Earth database, so you can fly to almost anywhere on Earth (12) _________________________________________________ various landmarks."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Googlewillmakeitsflightsimulatoravailabletothepublic.Thesimulator
wasfirstreleasedin2007,buthasonlybeenondesktopversionsofGoogl
eEarth.Peoplehadtodownloadandinstallit.Thenewversionisbrowser-
based.Anyonecanaccessitonawebbrowser.Thereisnoneedtoinstalla
nything.Googlesaid:"Theflightsimulatorisdesignedforcasualexplora
tion."YouwillbeabletoflyanywhereusingGoogle'smaps.Googlesaidpe
oplemayexperienceissues"whenflyingneargroundlevelinregionsbel
owsealevel".Tousetheflightsimulator,youneedtoopenGoogleEartha
ndclickon"ExploreEarth"inthetoprightcorner.Thistakesyoutoapage
withapictureofEarthagainsttheblackofspace.Youthenchoosewherey
ouwanttoflyaroundbytypingyourdesiredlocationinthesearchbar.Tos
tartflying,youneedtoclickon"Tools"inthemenubarandthenselect"Flig
htsimulator"fromthedrop-downmenu.CNET.comwrote:"GoogleEart
h'sflightsimulatorhasaccesstotheentireGoogleEarthdatabase,soyou
canflytoalmostanywhereonEarthandcheckoutvariouslandmarks."

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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_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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