This page has been downloaded from www.macmillanglobal.com It is photocopiable, but all copies must be complete pages. Copyright © Macmillan Publishers Limited 2013.

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Where on earth are we?

These days, how do you know where you are? Many of us will probably know our geographical location through what has become the most common navigational instrument of our time; the Global Positioning System or as we know it, GPS.

GPS was developed in the 1970s for the United States’ military. The satellites for GPS were sent into space and have ever since travelled around the earth twice each day at about 7,000 miles an hour. At first, civilians weren’t allowed to access GPS signals but this changed in the 1980s.

One benefit of GPS is that all signals received are free so your only expense is the GPS device you decide to buy. With GPS you can work out where you are anywhere on earth, at any time and in any weather. This makes it very useful for both work and leisure, especially as a precise time and location are given. GPS can tell runners how fast they have run and the distance they have travelled; it can help motorists drive from one place to another without a map and it can help pilots and sailors navigate their way through the air or at sea.

But how did people use to get from A to B before this technology existed? Well, over time maps and charts were drawn; compasses and sextants created, but before this people used nature to find their way. Some used the skies and followed the stars. Others, like the ancient Polynesians living in the Pacific Ocean, created stick charts. These rather unique navigational charts were made from natural materials – sticks, twigs and shells – and were designed to represent the ocean and islands around them. Straight lines showed currents under the water, curved lines showed swells made by the wind above and shells marked where islands were located.

Unlike GPS, maps and other technical navigational instruments which can be used by anyone, stick charts relied on the person who made them. Another unusual feature of stick charts was that they were not taken on boat trips. Instead, the information they showed was memorised by their creator and the precious charts were left somewhere safe. These navigators did not just use their memory though and often used their senses to direct them, lying in their canoe so they could feel how the waves and swells moved it. The skills and knowledge needed to make and use these charts effectively was so special that it was only ever passed from father to son.

1 Read the article and decide if the sentences are true (T) or false (F). Circle the correct statements and correct those that are false.

1 Civilians have only recently been able to use GPS. T/F 2 There is no charge for receiving GPS signals. T/F 3 GPS can show your location but can’t give the speed you have travelled at. T/F 4 The compass and sextant were used to help people find their way in the past. T/F 5 Polynesian people used the stars in the skies to navigate. T/F 6 If you see a shell in a stick chart, this shows where an island is. T/F 7 Stick charts were not easy for everyone to use. T/F

2 Match the meanings below to the following words from the text.

ancient compass current feature precise precious unique

1 very old __________ 2 of great value __________ 3 exact or accurate __________ 4 an important part of something __________ 5 a thing with a needle that shows where north is __________ 6 a flow of water, for example, in an ocean or sea __________ 7 not the same as anything else __________

This page has been downloaded from www.macmillanglobal.com It is photocopiable, but all copies must be complete pages. Copyright © Macmillan Publishers Limited 2013.

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3 Complete the questions with one word from exercise 2. Then ask your partner the questions.

1 Which is more __________ to you? Money or happiness? 2 What’s __________ or special about the place where you live? 3 Which __________ civilisation you do find the most interesting? 4 How often do you use a __________ to work out where you are? 5 Are you a strong enough swimmer to swim against a __________? 6 What __________ on your mobile phone could you not live without? 7 If you arrange to meet a friend, do you usually arrive at the __________ time arranged or

a bit later?

4 Complete the sentences below in the simple past passive (was / were + past participle) using the verbs given.

1 The sextant _______________ (invent) in the early 18th century and quickly became a

popular navigational instrument. 2 The North Star, a fixed star, _______________ (use) in the past to help sailors navigate

the seas. 3 Stick charts the earliest form of navigational maps, _______________ (make) by the

Polynesians. 4 The compass _______________ (design) to mark north, west, east and south. 5 Lighthouses _______________ (build) to show sailors where land was and help them

guide their ships to safety at night.

5 Regular -ed ending past participles have three different ending sounds as given below. Decide which word from each group does not have the ending sound given and what ending it does have.

1 /d/ allowed created travelled received 2 /t/ marked followed helped passed

3 /ɪd/ existed located needed developed

6 Discuss these questions with your partner(s).

– What did you find interesting or surprising about the text? – How do people in your country generally find their way around? Is it different in the city to

the countryside? – Do you think maps are old fashioned and have no use in this day and age? – What other uses might GPS have in the future?

Glossary chart (noun) – a map of the sea that sailors use civilian (noun) – a person who is not a soldier creator (noun) – a person who makes something new curved (adjective) – bent and not in a straight line device (noun) – a tool or machine you use for doing a special job instrument (noun) – a thing you use for doing a special job memorise(verb) – learn something so you can remember it navigation (noun) – skill of choosing a path in order to go in a particular direction, especially by using maps or instruments (adjective) navigational navigator (noun) – person who finds which way a ship or other vehicle should go Polynesian (noun) – people from a group of islands in the Pacific Ocean represent (verb) – to be a sign for something sextant (noun) – an instrument used to give location (using latitude and longitude) at sea signal (noun) – an electrical effect that gives information stick (noun) – a long thin piece of wood swell (noun) – a rising wave in the sea twig (noun) – a small thin branch of a tree