Network

Concise
CLIL Lessons

Contents
CLIL 1 Geography • New Zealand

CLIL 2 Geography • India

CLIL 3 Earth Sciences • The Water Cycle

CLIL 4 Geography • Rivers

CLIL 5 History • Democracy in Ancient Greece

CLIL 6 History • The Norman Conquest

CLIL 7 History • The City of York

CLIL 8 History of Art • Kouros and Kore

CLIL 9 History of Art • Roman mosaics in Britain

CLIL 10 Literature • Ovid and Virgil

CLIL 11 Literature • The Novel

CLIL 12 Biology • The Eye

CLIL 13 Physics • Measuring Temperature

CLIL 14 Chemistry • Penicillin

CLIL 15 PE • Rugby

CLIL 16 Biology • Extinction

CLIL 17 Geography • European Contrasts

CLIL 18 Maths • Measurements: metric vs. imperial

CLIL 19 Maths • Algebra: word problems

CLIL 20 Physics • Black Holes

1
 CLIL • Geography lesson
1
Developed country – New Zealand
1 How much do you know about New Zealand?
True or False? Write T or F.
1 New Zealand is in the South Pacific Ocean.
2 The capital city is Auckland.
3 The native people are called Aborigines.
4 New Zealand is a republic.
5 10 million people live in New Zealand.
6 The weather is very cold.
2 Read the text about New Zealand and check your
answers to Ex.1. Correct the false sentences.

New Zealand is in the South Pacific Ocean. There are two New Zealand is famous for its sports and leisure
islands, North and South. The capital city is Wellington, but activities, especially rugby. It is also famous for its
the largest city is Auckland, with 1.3 million people. The beautiful countryside, as seen in films such as The
population of New Zealand is 4.2 million. Lord of the Rings.
New Zealand is a multicultural society, with a mix of The weather in New Zealand is very diverse. In
Polynesian, Asian, and European cultures. The first people the north it is often warm and humid, but the south
to live there were the Maori, who arrived from Polynesia in is near the Antarctic and the weather can be very
about 800 AD. In 1642, a European explorer, Abel Janzoon cold.
Tasman from Holland, navigated around the islands, but 100
This climate makes New Zealand one of the
years passed before the next Europeans arrived.
most fascinating countries in the world – snowy
In 1840 the Maori signed a treaty with the British, and Queen mountains, tropical rainforests, and beautiful
Victoria became New Zealand’s queen. Today, New Zealand golden beaches, all in one place!
is a constitutional monarchy and Queen Elizabeth II is the
head of state. Glossary:   native – indigeno   explorer – esploratore   
New Zealand is 12 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean navigated – navigò   treaty – trattato, patto   
Time, so it is one of the first countries in the world to constitutional monarchy – monarchia costituzionale   
celebrate New Year’s Day each year! leisure activities – attività del tempo libero   diverse – vario

3 What do these numbers in the text refer to? Mini-project

a 1.3 million d 100 years Imagine you are on holiday in New Zealand. Do some
b 800 AD e 1840 research and write an email to a friend describing your
c 1642 f 12 hours holiday. Include information about:
• the places you are visiting
What do you think? • what the weather is like
• what sort of activities you are doing
Would you like to visit New Zealand? Why? / Why not?

1 Network Concise • CLIL Lessons © OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS • PHOTOCOPIABLE

 CLIL • Geography lesson
2
Developing country – India
1 Put these countries in order of geographical
size (1–8), starting with the largest (1).
India    Russia   
China    United States
Canada    Brazil   
Italy    Australia
What is the smallest country in the world?
2 Read the text about India and complete the fact file.

Fact File: India

• Capital:
.........................................
• Population:
......................................... India is the seventh
largest country in the

AN
ST
NEP
• Main religion(s): world, but it is the AL

KI
PA
......................................... second largest in terms •
New Delhi
• Language(s): of population, with
more than 1.1 billion
......................................... BANGLADESH
people. It will overtake
• System of government: China as the country
......................................... with the biggest Bangalore
•
population by 2050.
• Climate: SRI
The capital city is New LANKA
.........................................
Delhi. The biggest
• Currency: religions are Hinduism
......................................... and Islam. The main languages
are Hindi and English, but there are 14
• Mobile phone users:
other official languages!
.........................................
India became independent from Britain in
• Internet users: August 1947, and it is now a federal republic
......................................... and the world’s largest democracy.
The climate varies, with tropical monsoons
3 Read the text again. True or false? Write T or F. in the south to a more temperate climate in
Correct the false sentences. the north. The currency is the Indian rupee.
India is a country of extremes. Approximately
1  India is the seventh largest country in terms
50% of people work in agriculture, but industry
of population in the world.
and services are rapidly developing. For example,
2  There are 19 official languages in India.
Bangalore is famous for its computer industry and
3  India is a monarchy.
is known as India’s ‘Silicon Valley’. It is India’s fifth
4  The climate is the same all over India.
largest city and the fastest growing city in Asia.
5  New Delhi is famous for its computer industry.
6  Bangalore is the fastest growing city in Asia. In India, 670 million people have mobile phones
7  670 million people use the Internet in India. and 61 million use the Internet. Although India is
8  India is a developed country. developing quickly, there are still a lot of problems:
overpopulation, ethnic conflict, environmental
pollution, and poverty (one third of the world’s
Mini-project total poor people live in India).
Look at the information about India again.
Prepare a similar fact file about Italy. Use the Internet, Glossary:   billion – miliardo   
magazine or newspaper articles to find the information. overtake – superare   main – principale   
Then using the information in your fact file, write a monsoon – monsone   currency – valuta   
short text about Italy. develop – sviluppare   conflict – conflitto   
environmental pollution – inquinamento ambientale

2 Network Concise • CLIL Lessons © OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS • PHOTOCOPIABLE

 CLIL • Earth Sciences lesson
3
The water cycle
1 Choose the correct words to make 5 sentences.
1 Clouds
Water
The water cycle is the continuous movement of water
2 Lakes on on, above, and below the surface of the Earth. As the
is the surface of name suggests, it has no beginning or end. Water can
3 Wells below
are the earth. change states from liquid to vapour to solid during
4 Ice caps above the cycle, but the quantity of water on Earth remains
5 Groundwater constant over time.
This is how it works: the sun heats water in the
2 Read the text about the water cycle and check your seas and oceans and causes plants to transpire on
answers to Ex.1. the land. The water evaporates into the air as water
vapour, and then condenses into water droplets
3 Read the text again. True or False? Write T or F. inside the clouds. As air currents move the clouds,
Correct the false sentences. the water droplets collide, grow, and fall out of the
1  The total amount of water in the cycle sky as precipitation in the form of ice and snow
changes. crystals, or rain. Some snow stays as ice caps and
2  Human actions have created changes in the glaciers on mountains but most precipitation falls
water cycle. back into the sea and onto the land, where it enters
3  Clean water is fundamental for good health. the ground. Some water stays under the ground and
4  The water cycle does not change naturally. in lakes, but eventually, by flowing from springs and
5  Many water problems are caused by nature. along rivers in valleys, the water always returns to
the ocean, where the water cycle started.
4 Choose the correct alternative: a, b or c.
Natural changes occur in the water cycle, but many of
1 The water cycle the changes we see today – for example melting ice
a moves very quickly. b never stops. caps, droughts and floods – are the result of human
c starts in the oceans and finishes in the rivers. activities. We now have a global water crisis caused
2 Most precipitation by agriculture, industry, the alteration of the chemical
a forms glaciers. b evaporates. composition of the atmosphere, the construction
c flows back into the sea. of dams, deforestation, the removal of too much
3 We have a water crisis because groundwater from wells, taking water from rivers,
a there are so many diseases. and urbanization. There is now too much human
b we use too much water. demand for usable (fresh) water and a lot of our water
c it doesn’t rain enough. is polluted. Many people today still do not have access
4 Desalination to safe water for drinking and washing, and this is the
a is a simple process. cause of about 88 percent of all diseases!
b costs a lot of money. Where can we find more water? Ironically, two thirds
c is the only solution to our water problems. of the Earth’s surface is covered in water, but the
5 It is important to change our lifestyles because water in the oceans is full of salt and can only be used
a there is enough water. after desalination – a very complicated and expensive
b if everyone does something small, process.
it can have a big positive impact. According to the United Nations there is enough
c one person can change everything. water for everyone, but water problems are often
the result of bad management, corruption and poor
What do you think? regulation by governments. But one thing is certain –
1 How much water do you use in a day? we have to change our habits! So next time you brush
What do you use water for? your teeth, don’t forget to turn off the tap while you
2 Do you think water should be free? are doing it. Water is precious, and small changes can
make a big difference!

Glossary:   above – sopra   below – sotto

Mini-project droplet – gocciolina   cloud – nuvola
collide – scontrarsi   ice cap – calotta glaciale
Find out some information about the water situation in
flowing – scorrendo   spring – sorgente
your region. Where does the local water supply come
melt – sciogliersi   drought – siccità
from? Is the quality good? Are there ever any problems
with the water supply? Write a short text about it. flood – inondazione   dam – diga
well – pozzo   tap – rubinetto

3 Network Concise • CLIL Lessons © OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS • PHOTOCOPIABLE

 CLIL • Geography lesson
4
Rivers
1 Match the words (1–4) to the definitions (a–d).
1  river a the side of a river
2  river bank b the place where a river
3  ford meets the sea
4  river mouth c water that flows to the sea
d part of a river where it’s
possible to cross
2 Read the text about rivers. Why have rivers been
important?
3 Read the text again. True or false? Write T or F.
Rivers of life
Correct the false sentences.
1  Many people in Britain like rivers. If you go to Britain in the summer, you will almost certainly
2  In Oxford it wasn’t possible to cross the river. see hundreds of people walking and lying by the riverside,
3  All places with the word ‘mouth’ in their name trying to get a suntan or relaxing on little boats. Rivers are
are inland. very popular, and they always have been, but for lots of
4  Rivers were once important for transport. different reasons. Since the beginning of time, man has
5  Polluted rivers are a resource for agriculture. used them to find fresh water for drinking, irrigating and
cleaning. After man invented the boat, rivers also became a
4 Choose the correct alternative: a, b or c. fundamental resource for transport. It is not surprising then
that over time, lots of towns and cities developed along
1 Many cities developed on rivers because the banks of navigable rivers.
a it was easy to transport goods on boats.
Britain is a country with a particularly high number of
b you could get a suntan. rivers (and later canals, which were developed on an earlier
c they are a relaxing place. Roman system), and the names of many cities reveal
2 The canal system in Britain their connection with water. A city with the name ‘ford’
a has given the names to lots of cities. for example (Oxford, Stratford, etc) was certainly founded
b was first created by the Romans. on a river at a point where the water was low and it was
c developed very late. possible to cross (at Oxford, people could take their oxen
across). A place name including the word ‘bridge’ will
3 A lot of towns and cities
obviously also indicate the presence of a river (Cambridge,
a have strange names. Trowbridge, etc) and a city ending in ‘mouth’ (Portsmouth,
b have meeting places around a river. Exmouth, Bournemouth) was built at the mouth of a river,
c include a word in their names related to rivers. where it meets the sea. River life has also influenced the
4 In the past rivers and canals were especially language in other ways. For example, in old English a ‘rival’
important was someone who took water from the other side of the
a for producing raw materials. river bank from you.
b for the development of the industrial system. In Britain the river and canal system played a vital role in
c to use water for pottery. the development of the Industrial Revolution by allowing
‘mass’ transit of raw materials and finished products
5 Today rivers
(for example, coal and pottery). Unfortunately, lots of
a are still useful. our rivers became so polluted that they were more of a
b are not used anymore. problem for agriculture than a resource, but today many
c cannot be a resource anymore. of them are clean again, so they can be a valuable part of
our environment once more. Today rivers are no longer
What do you think? used much for the transport of goods, but they are still
1 Do you live near water (a river, lake or the sea)? important for giving us water for irrigation, for fishing and
of course, for having fun.
2 What types of activities do people do on the water
near where you live?

Mini-project Glossary:   riverside – lungofiume   

suntan – abbronzatura   developed – sviluppati   
Think of a big river in your country, and find out some founded – fondata  low – basso   
information about it. Write a short text, including any cross – attraversare    oxen – (parola antica) buoi
information about the influence it had on the economy river bank– argine del fiume   
and lifestyle of the local people in the past. raw materials – materie prime
coal – carbone   pottery – ceramiche
valuable – prezioso   environment – ambiente
goods – merci   

4 Network Concise • CLIL Lessons © OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS • PHOTOCOPIABLE

 CLIL • History lesson
5
Democracy in Ancient Greece
1 What do you know about politics and democracy?
Match the words (1–4) to the definitions (a–d).
1  elect a to have the same opinion as another person
2 citizen b a person legally belonging to a country or state
3 slaves c to choose a government or public figure by voting
4 agree d people who are forced to work without pay

2 Read about democracy in Ancient Greece. How was it different

from modern democracies?

The birthplace of democracy

Democracy and democratic are two of the most used
words in contemporary politics, but do we all know what 3 Read the text again. True or false? Write T or F.
they really mean? Correct the false sentences.
The origin of the word democracy is Greek. It simply means 1  In Athens all citizens were part of the
‘the people’s government’ and it is exactly what happened in government.
Attica, the region of Athens, around the 4th century BC. 2  Women could participate in government.
Athens’ democracy was direct, so all citizens participated in 3  The government had an opposition.
the government personally and not through representatives, 4  The pebbles system was more precise.
as we do today. However, it was only open to men over 30 and 5  There weren’t any elected public officials.
they had to complete their military service before they could
have a role in public life. This obviously excluded younger 4 Choose the correct alternative: a, b or c.
men, women, slaves and foreigners. 1 You could not have a role in public life if
In Ancient Greece there was not a government and an a you did not finish military training.
opposition. Each individual had the opportunity to propose b you were 35.   c you had children.
a law and the Assembly voted using a simple majority 2 Proposing a law was
system. Usually the Assembly voted by show of hands, but for a open only to the majority.
important votes they introduced the pebbles system. Each b open only to some people.
voter could use a white pebble to agree with the law and a c open only to the government.
black pebble to disagree. This practice made counting the 3 Voting by show of hands was
votes more accurate – it was easier to count pebbles rather a restricted to special occasions.
than the hands of hundreds of people! b a very unpopular system.
Public administrators were not elected or nominated, but c difficult to count.
selected by a lottery system. This was a guarantee against 4 Some officials were elected from rich
ambition and greed. Of course, not all citizens had the families because
right qualities for the different tasks, but they solved the a rich people did not need to steal.
problem by creating groups of people who worked together b they needed experience with money.
and learned from each other. The only elected people were
c they knew the right strategies.
officials with two specific positions: those managing large
5 ‘Idiots’
sums of money and the generals of the army. The first group
a were stupid people.
came from the richest families, an effective strategy to stop
b weren’t interested in participating in
people stealing public money; the second came from military
public life.
ranks because they needed specific experience.
c were not very interesting.
It is interesting to note that our word ‘idiot’ comes from
the Greek word ‘idiotes’, meaning a private person, someone
What do you think?
who was not interested in politics, and it became an insult
because these people were not respected by other citizens. 1 Is politics a subject you are interested in?
Why? / Why not?
2 Imagine you are the Prime Minister of Italy.
Glossary:   citizen – cittadino   belong to – appartenere a What are the first three things you will change?
slave – schiavo   through – tramite   
Mini-project
representative – rappresentante   law – legge   
pebble – sasso   guarantee – garanzia   greed – avidità    How does the democratic system work in Italy? Find out
task – compito   army – esercito   steal – rubare some information about Italian institutions and write a
short text about it.

5 Network Concise • CLIL Lessons © OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS • PHOTOCOPIABLE

 CLIL • History lesson
6
The Norman Conquest
1 Describe what you can see in the picture.
Which period of history do you think it is?

1066
The Bayeux Tapestry is displayed in Bayeux,
in Normandy, France. It shows the Norman
Conquest of England and the events that
happened before and after the Battle of
Hastings in 1066, one of the most famous
battles ever fought in Britain.
1066 was the year in which England had three
kings! When Edward the Confessor died in
January, it wasn’t clear who should become
the next king. Harold Godwinson, an English
nobleman, declared himself king. Harald
Hardrada, the Viking King of Denmark, also
thought he should be king. In September he
invaded the north of England with his army. The
two sides fought each other at the Battle of
Stamford Bridge, and Harold Godwinson won.
Duke William of Normandy also wanted to be
king. He invaded England at the same time and
landed with his army near Hastings on the south
2 Read the text and put the sentences (a–d) in coast. Harold and his tired army had to march
chronological order (1–4).
250 miles in 9 days to fight them.
a  Harald Hardrada invaded England. On the 14th October 1066, the two armies
b  The Normans won the Battle of Hastings. fought the Battle of Hastings. Harold was killed,
c  Edward the Confessor died. the English lost the battle, and William the
d  Harold Godwinson became king. Conqueror became King of England.
3 Answer the questions. The Normans brought the French language and
1 What does the Bayeux Tapestry illustrate? French customs to England, which changed its
language, culture, and society forever.
2 Who were the three kings of England in 1066?
William introduced the feudal system. He divided
3 Who fought the battle of Stamford Bridge?
England’s land and castles between his Norman
4 Where did William’s army land? barons. The people who worked on the land paid
5 How did William keep control of England after taxes to the barons, and the barons paid the
the Battle of Hastings? king. In this way, William kept control with fewer
6 What changes did the Norman Conquest bring than 20,000 men in a hostile country of more
to England? than 1.5 million people.
Since the Norman Conquest, England has never
What do you think? been successfully invaded again.
1 Why do you think Harold lost the Battle of Hastings?
2 Do you think the feudal system was popular with the
English? Glossary:   tapestry – arazzo   displayed – esposto
conquest – conquista   event – avvenimento
Mini-project battle – battaglia   fought – combattuto
Think of an event that significantly changed the history nobleman – nobile   declared – dichiarò
of Italy. Write a brief description of the event. Include Viking – vichingo   army – esercito   landed – sbarcò   
information about: march – marciare   feudal system – sistema feudale
• dates  • people involved  • places taxes – imposte, tasse  kept – mantenne

6 Network Concise • CLIL Lessons © OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS • PHOTOCOPIABLE

 CLIL • History lesson
7
The City of York
1 How old is the town or city where you live? 3 Answer the questions.
What do you know about its history? 1 Who called the city Jorvik?
2 What are the names of York’s rivers?
2 Read the text about York and number the
3 How did William the Conqueror destroy York?
historical periods in chronological order (1–7).
4 What was the main industry in medieval times?
 iking
V Anglo-Saxon 5 How did the city grow during the Georgian period?
Victorian  Medieval 6 How many tourists visit York each year?
Georgian  Roman
Norman What do you think?
1 King George VI said ‘The history of York is the history
of England.’ What do you think he meant by this?

Welcome to York! 2 Which Italian city most reflects the history of Italy?

The city of York in the

north of England is
nearly 2,000 years old.
The Romans built a
fortress there in 71AD
and called it Eboracum.
It was one of the most
important cities in the
Roman Empire. After the
Roman armies left in 410,
the Anglo-Saxons invaded
Britain. They changed York’s name to Eoferwic,
and it became an important religious centre with
the spread of Christianity.
In 866, Vikings captured the city and made it their
capital, renaming it Jorvik. The city was a major
river port on the Viking trade network because of its
position next to two rivers, the Ouse and the Foss.
William the Conqueror came to York in 1069, after
the Norman invasion of England. He caused a lot
of destruction, killing lots of people and burning
the land.
The city slowly recovered, and by the Middle Ages
it was a profitable centre of trade, particularly for
wool. The people of York rebuilt the cathedral, York
Minster, and the defensive stone walls around the
city, which still exist today. York was the second
biggest medieval city in England, and many kings
and queens visited it.
York became a social and cultural centre in the
Georgian period, with the construction of its Mini-project
racecourse, public meeting places, and many elegant Choose an Italian city and write a similar short text. Include
houses. Its development continued with the growth information about its history, development and monuments.
of factories, banks, and offices during the Victoria
era, and it became a famous railway centre. Over
5,500 people worked on the railway there at the Glossary:   built – costruirono   fortress – fortezza
end of the 19th century. major – importante   trade network – rete di commercio
In 1968, the city’s historic centre was designated burning – incendiando   recovered – si riprese
a conservation area. Today it is a major tourist profitable – proficuo, lucroso   trade – commercio
destination and attracts more than 7 million wool – lana   stone wall – muro di pietra
racecourse – ippodromo   development – sviluppo
visitors each year.
factories – fabbriche   railway – ferrovia

7 Network Concise • CLIL Lessons © OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS • PHOTOCOPIABLE

 CLIL • History of Art lesson
8
Kouros and Kore
1 Put the words in the box in the correct columns.
clay   thin   healthy   metal   statue
sporty   stone   sculptor   model

KOUROS and KORE:

musculature   anatomy   anorexic

The human body Sculpture human perfection

The civilization of the ancient Greeks is the basis of all
Western culture. The Greeks created images of human
perfection in clay, metal, stone, and paint, and they have
remained an inspiration and a model for later Western art.
From the seventh century to the end of the sixth century
BC, monumental sculptures were in the form of the Kouros,
a nude boy, and Kore, a girl wearing the typical short, Greek
2 Read the text about the Greek sculptures called dress. When they first found these statues, archeologists
Kouros and Kore. What did they represent? thought that they represented Gods. We now know that
they represent proud, confident, smiling mortals. This
3 Read the text again. True or false? Write T or F. demonstrates the fundamentally human orientation
Correct the false sentences. of Greek art: ‘Although there are many marvels in this
world,’ wrote Sophocles in Antigone, ‘the greatest marvel
1 Greek art has not always been an inspiration of all is man.’
for Western art.
2 Kouros and Kore represented Gods. The first Korai (Greek plural) were not very accurate
anatomically, and the impression you get when looking
3 The first Korai bodies were not very realistic.
at these statues is one of absolute immobility. In later
4 Later human figures were more realistic.
periods of Greek art, human figures became more
5 Modern models of beauty are similar to realistic. Sculptors observed real human forms to better
ancient Greek models. understand anatomy and they introduced small variations
in pose and musculature in the kouros figures, to create
4 Choose the correct alternative: a, b or c.
a more convincing human figure.
1 The Kore
The Kouros and Kore have continued
a were naked.   b were enormous. to be models of human proportion
c wore a short dress. and beauty for thousands of
2 Archeologists now say that Korai are the image of years and today we still admire
a deities.   b young people.   c older people. the perfection of their forms.
3 In later statues Greek sculptors changed the However, a lot has changed in
a pose and muscles.   b smile.   c clothes. our concept of what a beautiful
4 For thousands of years Greek sculptures have been young person looks like. Today’s
a considered too thin.   b ignored. models are characteristically
c a model for artists. very thin, almost anorexic, and
5 Today’s fashion requires teenagers find it difficult to
copy them and eat healthily.
a a healthy look.   b an excessively thin body.
Instead of trying to become
c an athletic body.
like today’s models on a
catwalk, perhaps we should
What do you think? start looking at Greek
1 Who is your idea of a perfectly beautiful person? models again, and follow
2 Does ‘objective’ beauty exist? a healthier and sportier
3 How important is beauty to you? lifestyle.

Mini-project
Beauty is not only associated with people. Think of an
object or animal that you find beautiful and describe it.
Add a photo if you can. Glossary:   clay – argilla   healthy – sano
stone – pietra   civilization – civiltà
proud – fiero   confident – sicuro di sé
smiling – sorridente   marvel – meraviglia
beauty – bellezza   catwalk – passerella

8 Network Concise • CLIL Lessons © OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS • PHOTOCOPIABLE

 CLIL • History of Art lesson
9
Roman mosaics in Britain
1 What different kinds of Roman art can you think of?
2 Read the text about Fishbourne Roman Palace in
England and write the paragraph headings in the
box in the correct spaces (1–4).

Mosaics   Education   History   Size

Fishbourne Roman Palace

roman
1 ___________ The Romans built the palace
around 80 AD on the site of a military base in
Sussex, England. It was rediscovered in 1960.
2 ___________ It is the biggest single building
ever found by archaeologists in Britain. It covered
an area the size of Buckingham Palace and had
mosaics
Romans used mosaics to decorate the floors and
approximately 100 rooms. Today, it is possible to
walls of their villas. Personalized designs were very
visit parts of the original palace, the museum, and
expensive and were situated in the main room
gardens.
of the house, where guests could see them and
3 ___________ Most of the rooms in the palace had comment on them.
mosaic floors, built at the time of the palace’s
The creation of a mosaic was slow and
construction. Visitors can still see some of
complicated. A similar process is used today. First,
the original mosaics. The mosaic collection at
an artist draws the design. Then he passes it to
Fishbourne is famous because it is one of the
the craftsman who produces the individual pieces,
largest and oldest in Britain.
called tesserae, to make the design. In Roman
4 ___________ The palace is open to school groups Britain, common materials used for this were
all year. During school holidays, students can chalk, limestone, and slate. Next, the craftsman
participate in workshops such as Roman Textiles, prepares the surface with cement, limestone, and
Making Mosaics and Roman Plants and Gardens. water. Finally, he lays the mosaic in position and
finishes it with a border.
3 Now read the text about Roman mosaics. What is the The most famous mosaic at Fishbourne Roman
most famous mosaic at Fishbourne? Palace is Cupid on a Dolphin. It is 8.32m x 8.75m
and contains approximately 360,000 tesserae!
4 Match the words (1–6) to the definitions (a–f).
Artists usually write their name on their work,
1  process a a person who makes things by hand but Roman mosaic artists used a special symbol
2  tesserae b a strip around the edge of a picture instead. In Cupid on a Dolphin this symbol is a
3  craftsman c a method of doing or making small black bird.
4  limestone something
5  slate d a type of dark grey stone
6  border e a type of soft, white stone used to Glossary:   built – costruirono   building – costruzione
make cement found – trovato   size – grandezza, dimensioni
decorate – decorare   guests – ospiti
f the individual pieces in a mosaic
draw – disegnare   craftsman – artigiano
5 Answer the questions. chalk – gesso   limestone – calcare   slate – ardesia
surface – superficie   lay – disporre   border – bordo
1 Which parts of their villas did Romans decorate
with mosaics?
2 Why were personalized mosaics situated in the Mini-project
main room of the villa?
Roman mosaics often contained scenes of everyday
3 What materials did the craftsman use to prepare the domestic life, such as people and animals. Battles,
surface? religious subjects, and geometric designs were also
4 When did the craftsman lay the border? popular.
5 How many tesserae are there in the Cupid on a Design a 21st century mosaic for your home. Write
Dolphin mosaic? a brief description of it and include the following
6 How did the Roman artists personalize their work? information:
• subject   • materials   • colours   • location

9 Network Concise • CLIL Lessons © OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS • PHOTOCOPIABLE

 CLIL • Literature lesson
10
Ovid and Virgil
1 Match these historical figures (1–5) to their descriptions (a–e). 3 Read the text again. True or false?
1  Ovid and Virgil a Queen of Egypt Write T or F. Correct the false
2  Brutus b poets sentences.
3  Octavianus Augustus c General and dictator 1  Antony and Cleopatra won the
4  Julius Caesar d Emperor battle against Augustus.
5  Cleopatra e adopted son of Julius Caesar 2 Ovid’s parents weren’t poor.
3  Ovid and Virgil studied law
2 Read the text about Ovid and Virgil. What was the main difference
together.
between the later years of their lives?
4 Ovid never married.

Back to a time…
5 Virgil loved the countryside.
4 Choose the correct alternative: a, b
or c.
1 Ovid and Virgil have in common the
Do you enjoy books with a lot of family, and died alone and unhappy,
fact that
action, battles, love stories and aged 60. His most famous works are
memorable heroes? If the answer the Amores and the Metamorphoses. a they had lots of students.
is yes, then Latin literature is for Virgil, born to a family which b they worked together.
you. Let’s go back to a time of owned land around Mantua, was c they wrote in the same period.
great political and social change, interested in philosophy and poetry. 2 Ovid
sometimes violent and shocking, a His love of nature and the simple a studied law.
time when men of incredible will life of the countryside was the b was a middle child.
and talent fought to achieve power inspiration for his first important c was very polite.
and fame. Go back to Julius Caesar, works, the Bucolics and the
killed by his own son Brutus, to 3 Ovid was exiled
Georgics, which immediately made
Antony and Cleopatra, losing their a with his family.
him famous. But his most exciting
final battle against Octavianus work is the Aeneid, a story about b for unknown reasons.
Augustus, to a time when Imperial the terrible war of Troy. Aeneas, the c three times.
Rome started to expand rapidly. hero, runs away from his destroyed 4 Virgil’s family
It is in this period that two of the city to an epic destiny in Italy. a was interested in philosophy.
greatest Roman poets lived and There are many other fascinating b had property in the countryside.
worked: Ovid and Virgil. characters, including Dido, a c owned a lot of books about
Ovid was born into a middle- beautiful woman who commits
nature.
class family and studied to be a suicide for love, and Lavinia, the
lawyer, but he had different ideas princess who will marry the hero. 5 The Aeneid is a book about
and became a writer instead. He In the book Virgil also wrote that a a hero escaping from a war.
wrote about love, seduction and the Emperor Augustus was a direct b life in the countryside.
mythological transformation, descendant of the hero Aeneas, and c the Emperor Augustus.
producing some of the most imitated not surprisingly, the Emperor was
verses of western literature. Like a so happy that he became his friend What do you think?
celebrity today, he was married three and admirer. Virgil died of an illness
1 Do you read a lot?
times and divorced twice before he during a trip with the Emperor, at
was thirty. But he was mysteriously the age of 51. 2 What kind of books do you like?
exiled to a city on the 3 Which don’t you like?
Black Sea by the Emperor
Augustus. He never returned Mini-project
to Rome and to his friends and
The poet Horace wrote in the same
period as Ovid and Virgil. Find out some
information about his life and write a
short biography.

Glossary:   battle – battaglia   
hero – eroe   will – volontà   
fought – combatterono   achieve – ottenere
lawyer – avvocato   seduction – seduzione   
imitated – copiati   verses – versi   
exiled – esiliato   owned – possedeva   
characters – personaggi   trip – viaggio

10 Network Concise • CLIL Lessons © OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS • PHOTOCOPIABLE

 CLIL • Literature lesson
11
The novel – War of the Worlds
er me. There was a
A sudden chill came ov
n behind. I half turned,
loud shriek from a woma
on the cylinder still, from
keeping my eyes fixed up
re now projecting,
which other tentacles we
y back from the edge
and began pushing my wa
hment giving place to
of the pit. I saw astonis
people about me. I
horror on the faces of the
mations on all sides.
heard inarticulate excla
vement backwards. I
There was a general mo
ling still on the edge of
saw the shopman strugg
ne, and saw the people
the pit. I found myself alo
pit running off, Stent
on the other side of the
ain at the cylinder, and
among them. I looked ag d
ipped me. I stood petrifie
ungovernable terror gr
ter 4)
and staring. (War of the Worlds, Chap

1 Do you believe in aliens? Is this your idea of what an 3 Now read the extract above from War of the Worlds
alien might look like? and answer the questions.
2 Read the introduction to War of the Worlds and 1 What is the narrator looking at?
complete the factfile. 2 How many people does the narrator mention in
the passage?
3 What do the people on the other side of the pit do?
H.G. Wells wrote the science fiction novel 4 How does the narrator feel?
War of the Worlds in 1898. The novel tells 4 Underline 5 words in the extract connected
the story of a Martian invasion of the Earth with fear.
at the end of the 19th century. The Martians
land in England inside metal cylinders, What do you think?
which create deep pits in the ground with
their impact. They build war machines to 1 Can you think of books or films in which aliens
attack buildings and humans. The army are friendly?
tries to retaliate, but the Martians are too 2 Would humans be friendly if they visited other
powerful and cause devastation to towns and planets?
countryside. In the end, the Martians are
killed by tiny microbes because they have no Mini-project
immunity to terrestrial diseases. Imagine there is an alien invasion of a city in Italy. Write a
brief newspaper article describing the event. Include the
following information:
• when?   • where?   
Factfile: War of the Worlds • description of the aliens   • damage?

• Author:
......................................... Glossary:   science fiction – fantascienza   
novel – romanzo   land – atterrare   
• Published: deep pits – fosse profonde   ground – terra   
......................................... buildings – edifici   army – esercito   retaliate – reagire   
immunity – immunità   diseases – malattie   
• Genre:
setting – scenario   sudden – all’improviso   
......................................... chill – brivido   shriek – grido   turned – girai   
fixed – fissati   tentacles – tentacoli   
Setting: projecting – sporgendo  edge – bordo, estremità   
• Where? astonishment – stupore   backwards – all’indietro   
......................................... shopman – commesso   struggling – muovendosi con fatica   
Stent (nome di un personaggio)
• When? ungovernable terror – terrore sfrenato   gripped – colpì
......................................... staring – fissando

11 Network Concise • CLIL Lessons © OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS • PHOTOCOPIABLE

 CLIL • Biology lesson
12
The Eye
1 Match the senses (1–5) to the parts of
the body (a–e).
Sense Part of the body
1 sight a ears
2 hearing b eyes
3 taste c nose
4 touch d tongue
5 smell e skin
Which sense do you think is the most
A window on the Universe
important? Why? A sunset on a mountain lake. Leaves changing colour in autumn.
A rainbow over the sea. A sky full of stars.
2 Read the text. Which are the four most
We can admire these marvels of nature because we have eyesight.
important parts of your eye? What gives
our eyes their colour? But how does the eye work?
The human eye is composed of four major parts: the cornea, the lens,
3 Read the text again. True or false? Write the retina and the iris.
T or F. Correct the false sentences. The cornea is the clear, round-shaped surface that covers the front of
1  he cornea is the most internal
T the eye. It helps to protect the rest of the eye from germs and dust. It is
part of the eye. like a window that controls and focuses the entry of light into the eye.
2 The iris regulates the light that When light strikes the cornea it bends the light to focus it onto the
comes into the eye. retina.
3 With myopia you can’t see close to The lens helps the light to be focused on the retina by changing
you. shape so that it can focus on objects at various distances and create
4 With hyperopia the light stops in sharp images. It works just like a camera lens.
front of the retina. The retina converts the light rays into impulses that the optic nerve
5 With astigmatism you cannot focus then sends to the brain, which interprets them as images.
properly. The iris is the coloured part of the eye. The round opening in the
4 Answer the questions. centre of the iris is called the pupil. If there is too much light, the muscles
of the iris make the opening smaller to limit the light entering the eye.
1 What are the two main functions of the
Exactly the opposite happens when there is not enough light. The iris
cornea?
is also responsible for the colour of our eyes. It contains melanin, which
2 What does the retina do to light rays?
reflects the colour brown. When there is insufficient melanin, the iris
3 Why are the muscles of the iris so
reflects the colour blue.
important?
Sometimes the incredible mechanism of the human eye does not work
4 Why are the eyes sometimes blue?
5 What are the most common eye properly. The most common eye problems are:
problems? myopia (short sightedness): light entering the eye is focussed in front of
the retina, and not directly on it. People with myopia have problems
What do you think? seeing in the distance.

1 What is your eyesight like? hyperopia (long sightedness): light entering the eye is focussed behind
2 Why do so many people wear glasses the retina, instead of directly on it. Those with hyperopia usually have
today? problems seeing at a short distance, but sometimes also far away.
3 Which activities are bad for your eyes? astigmatism: light focuses on more than one point in the eye, causing
4 What did people with bad eyesight do in blurred vision.
the past?
People who have these problems wear optical glasses to correct them.
However, thanks to scientific progress, it is now possible for many people
Mini-project
to have an operation to solve the problem permanently.
Animals see differently from humans. Do
some research on the eyesight of dogs. How
is their eyesight better than ours? And how Glossary:   taste – gusto   sunset – tramonto   
is it worse? leaves – foglie   rainbow – arcobaleno   marvels – meraviglie   
eyesight, sight – vista   lens – lente   iris – iride   
dust – polvere   strike – colpire   bend – piegare   
focus – focalizzare   shape – forma   rays – raggi   
melanin – melanina   blurred – sfuocato

12 Network Concise • CLIL Lessons © OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS • PHOTOCOPIABLE

 CLIL • Physics lesson
13
Physics • Measuring Temperature
1 How many systems are there for
measuring how hot or cold something
is? What are these systems called?
Same temperature,
2 Read the text and check your answer
to Ex.1.
different scales
Imagine you are in the USA. You wake up in the morning and hear
3 Read the text again. True or false? on the radio that the temperature is going to be 23° today. How do
Write T or F. Correct the false you decide to dress? If you go out in shorts and a T-shirt, then you will
sentences. get a shock. In the USA they use the Fahrenheit scale to calculate
temperature, and 23° Fahrenheit is –9° Celsius. You are going to be
1 23° F is warm. very cold!
2  There are different But why do we have different ways of measuring temperature?
temperature measurement And how did they develop? Only 300 years ago, it wasn’t possible to
scales in the world. measure temperature with any accuracy. Then scientists invented
3  The first person to invent an devices that could do this, so they had to invent a temperature scale
international temperature too, and different people developed different systems.
scale was Anders Celsius. In the early years of the eighteenth century, Gabriel Fahrenheit
4  The system used in science is (1686–1736) created the Fahrenheit scale. He set the freezing point
the Celsius scale. of water at 32 degrees and the boiling point at 212 degrees. These
two points formed the anchors for his scale.
5  Today the Fahrenheit scale is
Later in that century, around 1743, Anders Celsius (1701–1744)
only used in the USA.
invented the Celsius scale. Using the same anchor points, he
4 Answer the questions. determined the freezing temperature for water to be 0 degrees
and the boiling temperature 100 degrees. This is why we also use
1 Should you wear a T-shirt, a jacket the word ‘centigrade’ when we describe temperature. Today the
or a pullover at 100° F? Celsius scale is known as a Universal System Unit, and it is the
2 What are the two anchors of standard in science and in most countries. Until the 1960’s and 70’s
temperature scales? most English-speaking countries used the Fahrenheit
3 What are the boiling points of the scale, but now, apart from the USA, only a few
Fahrenheit and Celsius scales? countries, such as Jamaica and Belize, still
4 Why do we use the word use it in everyday life.
‘centigrade’ when we measure To avoid the thermal shock we mentioned
temperature? before, here is a useful conversion table
between Celsius and Fahrenheit.
5 What is the temperature on a mild
day in the USA and in Italy?
°C °F Example
What do you think? –18 0
1 What is the normal body temperature 0 32 freezing point of water
of a human being? How much higher
15 59 a mild day
can it go before you think you are ill?
2 What is the hottest temperature you 20 68 a warm spring day
have experienced? And the coldest? 38 100
Where were you?
75 152

Mini-project 100 212 boiling point of water

130 250
There is also a third scale for measuring
temperature, called the Kelvin scale. 200 392 inside a hot oven
Do some research and find out how it is
different from the other two scales, how So if you want to make some bread and your
it works, why it was developed and who American recipe book tells you to ‘Bake at 390ºF’,
developed it. don’t worry, you don’t need a special oven. Just
set the one you have to 200ºC, and bon appétit!

Glossary:   scale – scala   accuracy – esattezza   device – strumento   

set – stabilì   freezing – congelamento   degree – grado   
boiling – ebollizione   anchor – punto fermo   recipe – ricetta   oven – forno   

13 Network Concise • CLIL Lessons © OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS • PHOTOCOPIABLE

 CLIL • Chemistry lesson
14
Penicillin
1 Match the inventions (1–6) to the person who
invented them (a–f).
1 Electricity a John Logie Baird
2 Radio b Orville and Wilbur Wright
3 Telephone c Thomas Edison
4 Television d Tim Berners-Lee
5 Aeroplane e Antonio Meucci
6 World Wide Web f Guglielmo Marconi
2 Read the text about penicillin and answer these
questions.
1 Who discovered penicillin?
2 Why was penicillin an important discovery?
3 The following sentences (1–5) are missing from the
the text. Where do they go? Label them with the
correct position (A–E).
1  For example, simply cutting your hand could

e r !
be fatal!

Lif e s aV
2  He named this substance penicillin.
3  Fleming was a bacteriologist working at St.
Mary’s Hospital in London.
4  An antibiotic can attack, kill, and prevent
these bacteria from multiplying.
5  During the Second World War, the medical
industries in the USA and Great Britain Penicillin was the first antibiotic used to treat
worked together to produce large quantities bacterial infections successfully. A bacterial
of penicillin. infection is caused when bacteria multiply in
4 Complete the sentences with words from the text. the body. (A)
1 Fleming observed a blue-green ____________ , Before the discovery of penicillin, many people
which destroyed bacteria. suffered and died from bacterial infections that
are not considered dangerous today.
2 __________ create infection, which penicillin can
(B)
kill.
Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin in 1928.
3 __________ was important in saving the lives of
(C) He noticed that a blue-
soldiers.
green mould was growing on a plate culture of
4 Penicillin is an important ______________ .
the bacteria, Staphylococcus. The mould was
What do you think? dissolving bacteria around the plate. He decided
to grow the mould and found that it produced a
1 Which of the inventions in Ex.1 do you think was the substance which could kill bacteria.
most important? Why? (D)
In 1939, a group of scientists at Oxford University
Mini-project
developed Fleming’s research and realized the
Think of another discovery or invention and find out more importance of penicillin as a life-saving drug.
about it using the Internet. Write a short text about it. (E) Penicillin made a
Include information on:
• when?   • who?   • where?   • why?
big difference in the number of deaths and
amputations caused by infection. In 1945
Alexander Fleming was awarded the Nobel Prize
for his discovery.

Glossary:   cut – tagliare   prevent – prevenire

treat – curare   multiply – moltiplicarsi
mould – muffa   plate culture – coltura
dissolve – disciogliere

14 Network Concise • CLIL Lessons © OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS • PHOTOCOPIABLE

 CLIL • PE lesson
15
Rugby
1 What do you know about the game of
rugby? Answer the questions.
1 What are some of the differences
between rugby and football?
2 Have you ever watched a game?
3 Do you know anyone who plays it?
4 Do you know the names of any
Italian players?
2 Read the text. What physical and
mental characteristics do you need
to play the game?
3 Read the text again. True or false?
Write T or F. Correct the false
sentences.
1  The game was invented at
a school.
2  In rugby you can pick up
the ball and run with it.
3  You have to be big to play
rugby.
Rugby was invented ‘accidentally’ in the 19th century, at Rugby
4  Rugby is not a professional
School in England, when a schoolboy called William Webb Ellis
game.
picked up the ball in a game of football and ran with it. It is now
5  The Six Nations tournament
one of the most popular contact sports in the world. In a great
is played every year.
6  New Zealand won the World game of rugby you can see fast running, courageous tackling,
Cup in 2000. players passing the ball quickly in every direction, and lots of
points – it is quite common for there to be more than 50 points
4 Answer the questions. scored in a game.
1 When was rugby invented? You may think that rugby is only for enormous, strong men, but in
2 Name two types of positions in a fact anybody can play the game because you need different skills
rugby team. for different types of play and positions. The ‘forwards’ must be
3 What is important to be a strong and determined, the ‘backs’ have to be fast at running and
successful team? changing direction rapidly. However, there are no real ‘stars’ like in
4 Why is it so important to respect other sports, the secret to winning is ‘team spirit’. Part of this spirit
the rules? is respect for the rules of the game. This is especially important
5 What are the All Blacks famous for? because rugby can be dangerous.
What do you think? The sport is now played all over the world by men and women,
amateurs and professionals, and new exciting national teams are
1 Why do you think rugby is becoming
now emerging. The Italian team, for example, joined the famous
more popular?
2 At which sports events do you think Six Nations annual championship since in 2000. But the most
the atmosphere is friendly? At which famous team in the world is probably the New Zealand All Blacks.
do you think it is aggressive? They are famous for performing the ‘haka’ before each match,
3 Which sports do you like watching? and they won the Rugby World Cup in 2011.
Why? Which sports do you hate The atmosphere at international rugby matches is fantastic. They
watching? Why? are happy occasions for all the family, and fans from both sides are
always friendly to each other.
Mini-project So next time you are in the park with your friends, instead of the
Make a poster about 2 or 3 national usual game of football, pick up the ball and run with it like William
rugby teams, showing their names, Webb Ellis did nearly 200 years ago! But watch out for tackles!
their nicknames, their national symbols,
and the colours they play in. Write a
paragraph next to each team with any Glossary:   picked up – prese in mano   tackling – placcaggio
other interesting information about them. skills – abilità   amateur – dilettante   watch out – fare attenzione a

15 Network Concise • CLIL Lessons © OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS • PHOTOCOPIABLE

 CLIL • Biology lesson
16
Extinction
1 How many extinct species can you think of? Do you know how to say
them in English?
2 Read the text about extinction and write the questions in the correct
spaces (1–4).

How do we know about species which no longer exist?

What is extinction?
What causes extinction?
What do we mean by ‘occasional catastrophes’?

Going, going, gone!

Life first appeared on the Earth 3 billion years
ago. Of all the species that have lived on the
Earth since then, only about one in a thousand
is still living today. All the others are extinct.
(1) __________________________________________
It is when a plant, an animal, or a way of life stops existing.
(2) __________________________________________
Scientists are divided on this question. Some think
extinction is a natural part of the evolution process
and that all species will become extinct one day.
Others think occasional catastrophes cause extinction.
(3) __________________________________________
• Environmental change due to factors such as the
climate, urbanization, and mining. When habitat
conditions change quickly, it is difficult for some The Dodo
species to adapt and survive. When a species can’t
evolve quickly enough, it becomes extinct.
(4) ______________________________
• Overexploitation of resources can cause extinction,
Thanks to fossils! Fossils are the
such as too much fishing in the sea or hunting.
preserved remains of creatures
• Disease that existed long ago. They can be
• Collision of comets or asteroids with the Earth millions of years old, and they can
can cause very sudden extinctions. tell us a lot about extinct species.

3 Answer the questions.

Glossary:   no longer – non più
1 What are the different scientific opinions on the causes of extinction? occasional – occasionale, sporadico
2 What environmental factors can cause extinction? appeared – comparve
3 Why do some species survive when habitat conditions change? billion – miliardi
4 What can cause very sudden extinctions? mining – estrazione dei minerali
5 What are fossils? adapt – adattarsi
survive – sopravvivere
Mini-project overexploitation – ipersfruttamento,
depauperamento
Think of an animal that is in danger of becoming extinct. Do some
hunting – caccia
research and write a short text about it. Answer these questions:
disease – malattie
• Why is the animal at risk?
sudden – improvvise
• What are the environmental factors affecting it? remains – resti
• Can anything save the animal from becoming extinct?

16 Network Concise • CLIL Lessons © OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS • PHOTOCOPIABLE

 CLIL • Geography lesson
17
European Contrasts
1 Match the words (1–7) to the definitions (a–g). 4 Answer the questions.
1 hill a a piece of land surrounded by water 1 Which is the oldest part of Elba?
2 wood b a high area of rock with a vertical side 2 What is the name of the highest mountain?
3 cliff c a very high part of the Earth’s surface 3 Why did Napoleon go to the island?
4 mountain d a small river 4 What are the economic resources of the
5 stream e an area of land covered with trees Shetland Islands?
6 loch  f an area of land higher than the 5 What is the most famous product of the
surrounding land Shetland Islands?
7 island g a Scottish lake
What do you think?
2 Read the text about two archipelagos. Where are the
1 Have you visited any places in Europe
Arcipelago Toscano and the Shetland Islands?
(including in Italy), that were very different
3 Read the text again. True or false? Write T or F. from each other?
Correct the false sentences. 2 What were the biggest differences you found?
1 Europe is bigger than the other four continents.
Mini-project
2 An archipelago is a group of islands.
3 Once Italy and Corsica were on the same land. Choose two more regions in very different parts of
4  In the Shetland Islands only a few islands have Europe and find some information about them. Write
people on them. a short text comparing their populations, places of
interest, economies and climate.
5 The sea around the Shetlands is lovely to swim in.

A Tale of Two Archipelagos

Comparing the five continents of our planet, you can see that Europe is
the smallest by far. However, if you travel from north to south, or from
east to west, you will find enormous differences in landscape, climate and
culture. Looking at two archipelagos, one off the west coast of central Italy
and one off the north coast of Scotland, we can see an excellent example
of this diversity: the Arcipelago Toscano and the Shetland Islands.
The Arcipelago Toscano is made up of six islands. The biggest and most Shetland Islands
important is the Isola d’Elba. Geologically, Elba is what remains of a long
stretch of land which connected Italy and Corsica. The oldest part, 400
million years old, is in the east, where the hills are rich in iron, once the main
resource of the island. The west is the most recent part, and includes the
highest mountain, Monte Capanne. In the centre there is a flat area where
we find the most important towns. The island has a source of fresh water
named after Napoleone Bonaparte, exiled there in 1814. The white sandy
beaches, the Mediterranean climate and the delicious local Aleatico wine Arcipelago Toscano
are irresistible tourist attractions.
The Shetland archipelago is made up of more than a hundred islands,
but only fifteen are inhabited. Very few trees grow here because the Glossary:   hill – collina   cliff – scogliera
wind always blows. Hills covered in heather overlook rocky crags, cliffs stream – ruscello   surrounded – circondato
and pebble beaches, where you can see seals and otters. Fishing has rock – roccia   side – lato   surface – superficie
been the main resource of the island for a long time, but the discovery covered – ricoperta   lake – lago
comparing – confrontando   by far – di gran lunga
of North Sea oil in the 1970s changed the economy. Tourism is also
landscape – paesaggio   made up of – composto di
very important and more than half of the population depend on it for
stretch – distesa   iron – ferro   main – principale
their jobs. The breeding of Shetland ponies, sheep farming, and the
flat – pianeggiante, basso   source – sorgente
production and transformation of the world-famous Shetland wool are
exiled – esiliato   blows – soffia
other economic activities. The weather is very cold in winter and cool in heather – erica   overlook – sovrastano
the summer: the beaches are fabulous, but don’t expect to swim there crag – dirupo   pebble beaches – spiagge di sassolini   
because in the summer the water is only 14°C! seal – foca   otter – lontr   oil – petrolio
breeding – allevamento    wool – lana

17 Network Concise • CLIL Lessons © OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS • PHOTOCOPIABLE

 CLIL • Maths lesson
18
Measurements: metric vs. imperial

50
Most countries in the world use the metric system of measurement.
In the past, the United Kingdom used the imperial system. British
people still use some imperial measurements today, such as miles to
express distance, and pints to express capacity.

1 Write the Italian translations of these units of measurement.

foot (ft) pound (lb)
gram (g) centimetre (cm)
kilogram (kg) litre (l)
mile (m) centilitre (cl)

80
kilometre (km) pint (pt)
inch (in) gallon (gal)
metre (m)
2 Now write the units of measurement from Ex.1 in the correct column.

METRIC IMPERIAL
LENGTH

WEIGHT
Doing conversions
CAPACITY 1 km = 0.625 mile
30.5 cm = 1 foot
2.54 cm = 1 inch
1 kg = 2.2lb
3 Which units would you use to describe the following?
4.5 litres = 1 gallon
Give each answer in both metric and imperial.
1 litre = 1.75 pints
1 the distance from Rome to Florence
2 a bag of flour Example:
3 a bottle of milk 1 foot = 30.5 cm
4 the size of your computer screen
To convert from feet to centimetres,
5 the size of your bedroom
we multiply by 30.5
6 your height
e.g. 2 feet = 2 × 30.5 = 61 cm
4 Read the conversion rules. True or false? Write T or F.
To convert from centimetres to feet,
Correct the false sentences.
we divide by 30.5
1 To convert from pounds to kilograms, we multiply by 2.2 e.g. 885 cm = 885 ÷ 30.5 = 29 feet
2 To convert from litres to pints, we divide by 1.75
3 To convert from litres to gallons, we divide by 4.5
4 To convert from inches to centimetres, we multiply by 2.54
5 To convert from miles to kilometres, we divide by 1.6 Mini-project

5 Now do the conversion exercises. Write 6 similar conversion exercises

to those in Ex.5. Write the solutions.
1 Rob is 5.5 feet tall. What is his height in metres? In pairs. Swap your conversions
2 Susan’s son weighs 30 kilograms. What is his weight exercises and try to solve them.
in pounds?
3 Helen runs 3.5 miles every day. How far does she run
in kilometres? Glossary:   measurements – misure
4 I drink 2 litres of water a day. How much do I drink in metric system of measurement –
pints? sistema metrico decimale
5 We’ve got a 32-inch television screen. What is its size length – lunghezza    weight – peso
flour – farina    height – altezza
in centimetres?
fuel tank – serbatoio del carburante
6 The car’s fuel tank capacity is 56 litres. How many hold – contenere
gallons can it hold?

18 Network Concise • CLIL Lessons © OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS • PHOTOCOPIABLE

 CLIL • Maths lesson
19
Algebra: word problems
1 Word problems can be solved by changing them into equations.
‘Key’ words can help you understand which operation to use:
addition (+), multiplication (×), subtraction (−) or division (÷).
1 Match the key words underlined in the table below to the type of
operation they represent, and then write them as equations.
2 Now solve the equations in the table. How old is Jon?

 Key word = Operation Equation

a The sum of Jon’s age and
sum = addition x + 15 = 29
15 equals 29.

b Three times Jon’s age is 42.

c The difference between Jon’s

age and the age of his younger
brother, who is 10, is 4 years.
d The product of Jon’s age
and 12 is 168.

e Six less than Jon’s age is 8.

f 23 more than Jon’s age

equals 37.

2 Solve these word problems using equations to help you.

1 The sum of two numbers is 41. The larger number is 1 more than
4 times the smaller number. What are these numbers?
2 The sum of two numbers is 4 times their difference. If one exceeds
the other by 8, what are the numbers?
3 Now see if you can solve these word problems about time and distance.

REEE
EEER
1 At the same moment, two trains leave Edinburgh and London.
They move towards each other with constant speeds. The train
from Edinburgh is moving at a speed of 60 miles per hour, and
the train from London is moving at a speed of 40 miles per hour.
Mini-project

U
The distance between Edinburgh and London is 350 miles. How
long after their departure will they meet? Write a similar word problem.
In pairs. Swap your problems
and try to solve them.

Glossary:   solved – risolti
equation – equazione
sum – somma    less – meno
more – più    speed – velocità
2 A boat has a speed over water of 8 miles per hour. A river flows departure – partenza
downstream at a speed of 2 miles per hour. How long will it take flows – scorre  
the boat to go from point A to point B upstream, and then back, downstream – lungo la corrente
if the distance from A to B is 24 miles? upstream – controcorrente

19 Network Concise • CLIL Lessons © OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS • PHOTOCOPIABLE

 CLIL • Physics lesson
20
Black Holes
1 Do you know what a black hole is? Are black holes
1 The history of black hole theory
a reality or theory?

2 What is a black hole?

3 What is escape velocity?
4 How a black hole works
5 Do black holes really exist?
(a) _________________________________
A black hole is an area in space that nothing can escape from,
because gravity (the force that pulls objects in space towards each
other) is so strong there. Not even light has enough escape velocity
to get out of a black hole.

(b) _________________________________
If you throw a ball into the air, the harder you throw it, the faster
it travels and the higher it will go before coming back down. If you
threw it hard enough, it could escape the Earth’s gravity completely.
The speed with which you need to throw the ball in order for this
to happen is called the escape velocity, and for the Earth, it is about
11.2 km per second (40,000 km/h). The escape velocity depends on
the planet’s mass, not its size: small but very heavy objects have
large escape velocities.

(c) _________________________________
Scientists think that a black hole is a very small object with an
enormous mass and an escape velocity that is faster than the speed
of light. As nothing can go faster than light, nothing can escape the
object’s gravity. This means it is a black hole.

(d) _________________________________
2 Read the text about black holes and write the
The British astronomer, John Michell, was the first person to think
paragraph headings (1–5) in the correct spaces (a–e).
about the theory of black holes, in 1783. In 1796, the Frenchman,
3 Answer the questions. Pierre Laplace, proposed similar ideas to those of Michell. Using
Newton’s theory of gravity, Laplace calculated that if an object is
1 Why can’t light escape from a black hole?
compressed into a small enough radius, then the escape velocity
2 What is the escape velocity for the Earth?
of that object would be faster than the speed of light.
3 Who first thought about black holes?
4 Who developed the theory of gravity?
(e) _________________________________
5 Why can’t you see a black hole?
It is impossible to see black holes directly because no light can
escape from them; they are black. But there are good reasons to
Mini-project think they exist.
Sir Isaac Newton was a famous mathematician and
physicist. Do some research on him and write a short text
about his life and how he developed his theory of gravity.
Include the following information: Glossary:   black hole – buco nero
escape – sfuggire, uscire fuori    throw – lanciare
• when/where he was born/died
harder – più forte    speed – velocità
• when/how he developed his theory of gravity
in order for – affinché    heavy – pesante
• other achievements in his life
compressed – compresso    radius – raggio

20 Network Concise • CLIL Lessons © OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS • PHOTOCOPIABLE