Unit 3: What Will Be, Will Be

A. Dr. Gray has written a novel about the future. Mr. Ruiz is interviewing him for a television show.
Complete the conversation with will and the words in parentheses. Use Of course or I hope not where needed.

Mr. Ruiz: Your new novel is very interesting. You did a lot of research. (1) (tell) Will you tell our viewers about life in the future?
Dr. Gray: (2) Of course. I (3) (be) will be happy to answer your questions.
Mr. Ruiz: (4) (work) Will people work longer hours in the future than they do now?
Dr. Gray: (5) I hope not! In the future we probably (6) (not / work) won't work as much. We (7) (have) will have much more leisure time.
Mr. Ruiz: I’ve heard about smart cars—cars that do all the driving. (8) (spend) Will we spend a lot of our leisure time going places in these cars?
Dr. Gray: (9) I hope not. We (10) (not / need) won't need our smart cars to go places. We (11) (live) will live in smart houses. And thanks to virtual reality we (12) (be able to) will be able talk to people anywhere in the world, and it (13) (feel) will feel like they’re in the room with us.

B. Now Mr. Ruiz asks Dr. Gray about robots in the future. Complete the interview with be going to and the words in parentheses. Use I think so or I don’t think so where needed.

Mr. Ruiz: In your novel, your main character is a robot. (1) (become) Are robots going to become part of our lives anytime soon?
Dr. Gray: (2) I think so. In a few years, stores (3) (sell) are going to sell robots to clean your rugs and cut your grass.
Mr. Ruiz: (4) (be) Are robots going to be smart enough to be companions to people?
Dr. Gray: Actually, in this century, robots (5) (pass) are going to pass humans in intelligence. And people (6) (have) are going to have robots as co-workers.
Mr. Ruiz: I (7) (go) am going to go back to school then! If I don’t,
I (8) (not / know) am not going to know what to say to them!

C. Look at the picture. Write six sentences with will, won’t, or be going to to make predictions about cities of the future.

1. Cities of the future will have flying cars.
2. We are going to have many robots in the future.
3. Robots will do many things.
4. There will be fast trains in the future.
5. Houses and schools will be different in the future.
6. Cars are not going to have wheels in the future.

D. Read the conversation. Choose will or be going to. Use will for predictions and going to for plans. Sometimes either one is correct.

Mr. Huston: Tell me, Adnan, what are your plans for next year, after you graduate.
Adnan: Well, I (1) will travel / am going to travel in the summer. Probably, I (2) will visit / am going to visit India and China.
Mr. Huston: That’s exciting. (3) Will you go / Are you going to go with friends?
Adnan: I am not sure. Probably I (4) will spend / am going to spend some time traveling. If my friends want to come along, that’ll be great!
Mr. Huston: (5) Are you going to stay / Will you stay with friends?
Adnan: I hope so.

E. Fadwa is writing an email to her friend Nawal, and Nawal sends an email back. Complete their emails using will or be going to. Use will for predictions and be going to for plans. Sometimes either one is correct.

Hi Nawal,
I have awesome news to tell you. Next week I (1) (fly) am going to fly to Turkey. I (2) (go) am going to go with my family, and we (3) (spend) are going to spend the whole month of June there! Probably it (4) (take) will take 20 hours to travel there.
Not fun! Oh, no! I don’t have anything to read on the plane.
Maybe I (5) (buy) will buy a big novel at the airport. Have fun at work next week!
Fadwa

Hi Fadwa,
You are so lucky! I think work (6) (be) will be busy next week and during all of June. Maybe I (7) (go) will go with you to Turkey. Have fun!
Nawal

F. What about you? Answer the questions using the future progressive.

1. What will you be doing next week?

I'll be studying for my English test.

2. What will you be doing this summer?

I'll be travelling to Egypt.

3. What are you going to be doing in five years?

I'm going to be studying at university.

4. What are you going to be doing in 10 years?

I'm going to be working as a teacher.

G. Look at the photos. Answer the questions. Use the future progressive and short answers.

1. Will Diana still be reading that novel next week?

Yes, she will.

2. Will they be seeing any whales on their vacation?

Yes, they will.

3. Are we going to be diving in a submarine?

No, I'm not. I'm going to be flying in a plane.

4. Are Khaled and his wife going to be taking the high-speed train to Paris?

Yes, they are.

5. Will you be playing video games tomorrow?

No, I won't. I will be launching a rocket.

H. READING

Read the article. Answer the questions.

1. Find one prediction that did not come true.

There is no reason that anyone want a computer their home.

2. What did Arthur C. Clarke accurately predict?

He predicted a moon landing.

3. What is another prediction that Clarke has made?

He predicted that space travel will soon become common.

4. What is one thing about the future that we can be sure of?

Science and technology will affect our future in very powerful ways.

5. Will science and technology have a positive or negative effect on the future?

It may have a positive or negative effect; it depends on how we decide to use technology.

I. Predict your best friend’s future. Use the words in the box or your own ideas.

1. He will travel to Egypt to live with his parents.
2. He will move to new house.
3. He won't go on vacation this summer. He will work.
4. He will get high marks in English. He likes English.
5. He will find new friends. He is sociable.

J. What are your plans for the weekend? Think about things that you have planned and are sure about and some things you are thinking of doing but are not certain. Write about Friday and Saturday.

• On Friday, I'm going to the mall with my family. We are going to buy some items.
• After that we're going to visit my grandparents. Probably we will have dinner in a restaurant.
• On Saturday, I'm going to play football with my friends.
• In the afternoon we're going to play computer games.
• Probably we will hang out in the evening.

K. Look at the two pictures A and B. Answer the questions below.

1. How are these two buildings the same?

Both of them are towers.

2. How are these buildings different?

The building in picture A is modern. It's made of cement and glass. While the building in picture B is ancient. It's made of brick.

3. How will the buildings change in 50 years?

The ancient tower will probably be restored by archaeologists. The modern one will be much more modern.

L. WRITING

Get a picture of your town or city in Saudi Arabia. Complete the chart below and use it to write what your town or city will be like in the future.

The Future As I See It

• This is my city Riyadh. It's a modern city which has many skyscrapers, nice hotels and beautiful streets.
• I can see the Kingdom Tower in the picture. As I see in the future my city will be much modern. There will be new projects, and building will increase.
• There will be more schools, universities, entertainment places. There will be more bridges to get red of the traffic jam. It will be more high-tech and up-to-date.
• I love my city.

M. Choose the correct verb for each sentence.

1. _____ to the exhibition with me tomorrow?

a. Do you come

b. You come

c. Are you coming

2. Ned is from New York. He _____ English in Riyadh at the moment.

a. teaches

b. is teaching

c. teach

3. When _____ his new books coming out?

a. are

b. do

c. is

4. Researchers _____ the cause of the illness.

a. aren’t understanding

b. not understands

c. don’t understand

5. Press this switch. It _____ the robot.

a. activates

b. is activating

c. activates

6. Hussain is a pilot, but he _____ today.

a. isn’t flying

b. flies not

c. aren’t flying

7. _____ his car to college every day?

a. Does Ali drive

b. Ali drives

c. Is Ali driving

8. Nice car! _____ on clean fuel?

a. Does it run

b. Runs

c. Is it running

N. Read the statements and questions. Match the responses.

1. f Let’s design a class website.
2. c What are you going to do tomorrow?
3. a Are you going to the school Science Fair next week?
4. d How about making a science fiction film?
5. e Will your father help us with the school project?
6. b Why don’t we enter the school technology competition?

O. Answer the questions. Use probably or maybe and a future tense.

1. What are you going to do on your next vacation?

I'm going to play football.

2. Where will you go?

Probably I will go to the park.

3. How will you get there?

Maybe I will go by bus.

P. Complete the tag questions. Then complete the responses.

1. A: Your parents don’t speak English, do they?
B: No, they don't. They speak Arabic.

2. A: The school will close for the vacations soon, won't it?
B: Yes, they will.

3. A: It doesn’t rain often in Saudi Arabia, does it?
B: No, it doesn't. It rarely rains.

4. A: Your friends are not all scientists, are they?
B: No, they aren't. Some are doctors.

5. A: The weather usually gets extremely hot here in the summer, doesn't it?
B: Yes, it does.

6. A: We won’t drive the same kind of cars in the future, will we?
B: No, we won't. We will drive different kinds of cars.

7. A: Your mother isn’t from Jeddah, Is she?
B: No, isn't. She's from Riyadh.

8. A: You’re going to study in the United States next year, are you?
B: No, I'm not. I'm going to study in England.