UNITS

1–2 CLIL

Film studies
1 Read the text. Why is it important that the screenplay is different from the novel in a
film adaptation?

FILMS AND CINEMA: FROM PAGE TO SCREEN

The Martian is a science fiction film from 2015. The famous Hollywood
actor Matt Damon plays Mark Watney, an astronaut. On a space mission
to Mars, there is a sandstorm. The crew think that Watney (Damon)
is dead, and they leave without him. But Watney survives. He now
needs to stay alive, and NASA (the US National Aeronautics and Space
Administration) needs to rescue him.
Like many popular films, The Martian started life as a novel, by author
Andy Weir. A film company bought the rights, and Drew Goddard, a
successful screenwriter, adapted the book for the cinema. This is called
writing a screenplay. A screenplay is very different from a book. In a book,
the author usually describes the characters and the story – or plot – in
detail. A screenplay needs to be visual and dramatic, but it’s important
not to lose the main story.
Drew Goddard made some important changes in his screenplay for
The Martian. In the book, most of the plot happens on Mars, with just one
character. But in the film, the action changes from Mars to NASA, where
we see some different characters. In the film, Watney writes a diary to communicate. But in the book, he
makes a video diary. Changes like this are important when a screenwriter adapts a book. There is more
dialogue, and the result is a fast-paced, exciting film for the audience to enjoy at the cinema.

2 Read the text again. Then read the sentences and write B (book) or S (screenplay).
1 An author writes it. B/S
2 A screenwriter writes it. B/S
3 People speak more in it. B/S
4 It has more detailed information on plot and characters. B/S
5 It’s important not to lose the main story.  B/S

3 Read the names and definitions and write the correct words from the box.

actor • ​audience • ​author • ​novel • ​plot • ​science fiction • ​

screenwriter • ​
character

1 people who watch a film audience

2 Mark Watney
3 about space, the future, etc.
4 An astronaut needs to survive on Mars.
5 Drew Goddard
6 The Martian
7 Andy Weir
8 Matt Damon
Work in pairs and discuss the questions.
4 
1 F ilms don’t only use novels for their stories. What other types of books and what other
ideas do filmmakers use to create films?
2 What is the difference between an adapted screenplay and an original screenplay?

Influence 2 · © Macmillan Education Limited 2020 · Your Influence A2+

 UNITS

3–4 CLIL

Business and economics

1 Read the text. Why do you think consumers are attracted to these companies?

COPLEY PARK SCHOOL BUSINESS STUDIES PROJECT

GLOBAL ONLINE RETAILERS
Project 1: ASOS.com Project 2: Amazon.com
ASOS is a London-based online Amazon is the number one global
clothes company. It’s one of the online retailer and one of the
largest fashion retailers in the world’s most famous internet
world. It sells over 850 brands of companies. It started life in 1994
clothes and accessories, and it in the USA as an online bookshop,
targets the young adult consumer. but today it sells everything from
ASOS started in 1999 as ‘As seen electronic goods to jewellery.
on screen’. Nick Robertson, one of Nick Robertson One reason for Amazon’s Jeff Bezos
its co-founders, wanted to create a extraordinary success is its wide
clothes company where people could buy fashionable range of products. Customers can find almost
items like the ones which their favourite TV and film anything and if you subscribe to the Amazon Prime
stars wore. loyalty scheme, you also receive free postage.
It’s now a global e-commerce site with separate Amazon Prime also offers another important product:
websites for a lot of different countries, including a video streaming service for TV shows and films. It’s
the UK, the USA, Australia, France, Spain, Russia now one of the world’s most popular companies for
and China. It employs more than 4,000 people and visual entertainment in the home.
attracts millions of visitors a month. According to Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s founder, what’s
Like a lot of companies, ASOS’s app is becoming good for the customer is good for the business.
more important every year. People now spend more The company is going from strength to strength
money on their phone using the ASOS app than on because it continues to meet consumer demand.
the company’s website. by Marcus
by Jenny

2 Read the text again. Then match the words in the box with the definitions (1–6).
accessories • ​
consumer • ​e-commerce • ​
electronic goods • ​
online retailer • ​subscribe

1 items like hats, scarves and belts

2 a shop that sells on the internet
3 someone who spends money
4 items like tablets, smartphones and satnavs
5 buying and selling products on the internet
6 pay money regularly for a product or service
3 Read the text again and answer the questions.
1  hat type of person is a typical ASOS consumer?
W
2 Where do people often see clothes before they buy them at ASOS?
3 What do most people use to buy clothes at ASOS?
4 What product did Amazon only sell in the past?
5 How much do Amazon Prime subscribers pay for postage?
6 What can you watch at home on Amazon Prime?
Work in pairs and discuss the questions
4 
1 D oes your family prefer shopping online or visiting real shops? What kinds of things do
you buy on the internet?
2 Why do you think more and more people are shopping online nowadays?
3 Are the online retailers in the text available in your country? If not, are there websites offering
the same kind of services?

Influence 2 · © Macmillan Education Limited 2020 · Your Influence A2+

 UNITS

5–6 CLIL

Science
1 Read the text. List four ways in which these buildings are friendly to the environment.

LET’S GO GREEN!
Nowadays, architects are building more and more eco-friendly buildings in the UK for people to live,
work and study in. Let’s find out how an eco-home in Wales and an award-winning school in England
are making our future greener.

The Hobbit House

If you go to Crymych in the west of Wales, you’ll find a house that looks just like the
home of the famous hobbit, Bilbo Baggins!
The Hobbit House uses natural and recycled materials, like wood, stone and mud.
Plastic sheets and mud on the roof keep people dry if it rains. The roof has grass, too,
which keeps the building warm in winter and cool in summer. It has solar panels to provide energy and
skylights to bring in natural daylight, too. In the kitchen, there’s even a fridge that uses cold air from
under the house. Hopefully, there will be a lot more hobbit houses in the future!

The eco-friendly school

Howe Dell Primary School in Hatfield is one of the greenest schools in the world.
The school’s design includes thick walls to reduce heat loss and large windows to
bring in lots of light. Solar panels heat the water in the bathrooms and canteen,
and a wind turbine provides electricity. The roof has plants for insulation, and it’s
also a living classroom for students to study the natural habitat of insects.
But that’s not all! There are toilets that use rainwater, sinks made from recycled plastic yoghurt pots and
desks made of drainpipes! If we all make small changes like these, our planet might have a better future.

2 Read the text again. Then read the sentences and decide which building(s) they describe.
Choose H (eco-home), S (eco-school) or B (both).
1 Plants on the roof insulate the building. H/S/B
2 This building uses natural materials like stone and mud.  H/S/B
3 There are solar panels to provide energy. H/S/B
4 Wind energy provides power. H/S/B
5 Natural daylight is important in this building. H/S/B
6 This building uses recycled rainwater. H/S/B
3 Match the features in the box with their purpose (1–5).

desks made from drainpipes • ​grass • ​large windows • ​mud • ​solar panels
 ​plastic sheets • ​rainwater • ​
skylights • ​thick walls • ​wind turbines​

1 provide energy solar panels

2 provide insulation
3 stop rain from entering
4 use recycled materials
5 provide natural light
Work in pairs and discuss the questions
4 
1 D o you know any eco-friendly buildings in your town or city? If so, what types of buildings
are they? Describe them.
2 Do you think eco-buildings are a good idea? Why/Why not?

Influence 2 · © Macmillan Education Limited 2020 · Your Influence A2+

 UNITS

7–8 CLIL

Science and technology

1 Read the text quickly. Which statement best describes what it is about?
a We can now wear clothes that help the environment.
b New technology in clothes is useful and fun.
c Scientists are helping athletes.

Smartclothes
Amazing technology has been part of our lives for years. Now it’s even
changing our clothes. Athletes wear devices on their wrists that can track
sleep, heart rate and blood pressure. You can even buy a GPS-based cat collar
that tells you the location and health of your pet.
There are clothes and bags with flexible solar panels that charge devices while you are wearing them. You
have to be in the sun for one hour to charge a smartphone to 50% power.
How will technology combine with clothes in the future? Let’s look at some exciting designs that might be
in the shops soon.
Dresses that move when someone looks at them
Designer Ying Gao has used technology to make some incredible dresses. She’s designed dresses that
respond when someone is looking at them. Eye-tracking technology activates tiny motors inside the fabric.
These motors move to make the dress move and change shape. Others use fingerprint technology. If a
stranger touches the dresses, they move. But if you touch them twice, they “recognise” you and don’t move.

Anti-pollution bracelet
The Hand Tree is a new kind of bracelet. Just like a tree, it takes polluted
air from around you and cleans it. Trees use photosynthesis to turn carbon
dioxide into oxygen, and the Hand Tree uses a carbon filter. It processes
smoke, bad smells and chemicals in the air and recycles the air back into the
atmosphere. Its designer wants to develop more accessories which do the
same thing. Will all our clothes be environmentally friendly in the future?

2 Match 1–5 with a–e to make sentences.

1 You can buy a bag that a can move.
2 A device for athletes b tracks your heart rate.
3 The Hand Tree c it doesn’t move.
4 Ying Gao’s dresses d charges your phone.
5 If the dress recognises your fingerprint, e cleans the air like a tree.

3 Complete the sentences.

1 There are devices which track our blood .
2 You can charge your smartphone 50% if you are in the sun for .
3 Ying Dao’s dresses have very small inside them.
4 The dresses don’t move if someone touches them more than .
5 The Hand Tree doesn’t use photosynthesis to clean the air; it uses a .
Work in pairs and discuss the questions.
4 
1 W hich of the inventions in the text do you think is the most useful? Why?
2 Do you or does a person you know have any clothes or accessories that use technology?
What do the devices do?

Influence 2 · © Macmillan Education Limited 2020 · Your Influence A2+