PRE-READING:

Look at the title and predict the main ideas of the article. Then, write down three wh-questions about the text.

Ex: What are personal transit pods?

WHILE READING:

Set a time limit to read this article. An average reader can read at the speed of 250 words per minute. Note down your reading speed regularly to check your progress.

SKIMMING:

Within the time limit, read and summarize the main ideas of the paragraphs in your own words. Do not worry about unfamiliar vocabulary.

HEATHROW’S PERSONAL TRANSIT PODS

This week, Heathrow Airport introduced a new form of transport that will look familiar to fans of mid-century science fiction: emission-free, battery operated personal transit pods.

Instead of waiting for an airport shuttle, Heathrow passengers can hop in one of the pods that arrive every 34 seconds and travel along tracks between the terminals and car parks.

Passengers use a touch screen to choose their destination and the 21 pods, which carry up to four passengers and their luggage, are laser-guided and take an average of ten minutes less than the airport buses, mainly by avoiding traffic on the roads around Heathrow.

Designed and manufactured by ULTra (whose president is a former NASA engineer), the personal rapid transit (PRT) system cost £30 million and is expected to eliminate 50,000 bus journeys.

While this is ULTra’s first working system, they are in talks with the Indian state governments to bring a similar system to Delhi and Amritsar. PRT systems may also be constructed in the city of Raleigh, North Carolina and at the new Norman Foster-designed Apple campus in Cupertino, California. Foster + Partners also designed the eco-tropolis Masdar City where PRTs have been proposed.

According to an ULTra spokeswoman, the company will be announcing the location for the next PRT system in early October.

Word count: 218 words

Source: http://www.bbc.com/travel/blog/20110922-the-futurist-heathrows-personal-transit-pods

SCANNING:

Use your notes to identify where you can find the answers to the questions you made in the pre-reading stage.

UNDERSTANDING DATA: Use the reading to complete the table below:

POST-READING:

Glossary:

Pay attention to how the word is combined with other words in context. Do not learn the meaning of the word without sentences. Vietnamese should be the last resort after you have tried all the learning strategies.

• Emission-free (adj.) = no fumes or smoke is released into the atmosphere (Không có khí thải)

• Laser-guided pods (n.) = pods that follow a trail of laser lights (Phương tiện vận chuyển hình cái kén được vận hành theo ánh sánh la-de)

• To eliminate (v.) = to get rid of; to remove (Loại bỏ)

• To manufacture (v.) = to make (Sản xuất)

• In talks (exp.) = in discussion to reach a deal or negotiation (Đang đàm phán)

• To hop in (v.) (informal): to get on a transport (Nhảy lên xe, tàu)

• Touch screen (n.): a computer screen which allows you to give instructions to the computer or the machine by touching areas on it (Màn hình cảm ứng)

Discussion: Ask and answer the following questions with a speaking partner:

1. What advantages and disadvantages do you think the PRTs will bring to Heathrow’s transport system?

2. How much do you think a trip on the PRTs would cost?

3. Do you think PRTs are the future mode of transport in all airports in the world? Why or why not?

Answers:

UNDERSTANDING DATA

This material is provided by the Australian Centre for Education and Training (ACET).