Unit 4 innovation

An artist’s impression of the Shweeb urban transport

system of the future

F E AT u R E S 1 1.19 Work in pairs. Look at the picture and caption

and discuss how this transport system works and what its
46 The mother of advantages are. Then listen to an extract from Science Today
invention and check your answers.

What drives new 2 1.19 Complete the summary using one word in each space.
discoveries Then listen to the radio programme again and check.
The original idea for putting a bicycle on 1 so that
48 Fold everything
it could run more 2 appeared in the 1800s. The idea
The art of origami was updated by a company called Shweeb for an 3
engineering park. 4 have now invested money to develop it
into an urban transport system. Drivers sit in pods hanging
50 The shoe giver from a monorail, and 5 while almost lying down.
The story of a successful They travel 6 the traffic. It is a solution with many
social entrepreneur advantages: it is green, convenient, cheap and 7 .

54 Ethical ocean 3 Match the two halves of the collocations. Discuss what they
mean.
A video about a social
enterprise 1 have a a need
2 make b a breakthrough
3 spot c (an idea) one stage further
4 take d a bright idea
5 fill e the wheel
6 reinvent f a trend

4 Work in groups. Each describe an innovation or invention

from the last 100 years. Which innovation had more impact?

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LIFE ADVANCED.indb 45 13/12/2012 11:51

 listening the inspiration for inventions • vocabulary phrasal verb come • language focus past modals •
pronunciation weak forms • speaking what you can’t live without

4a The mother of invention

Listening
1 Work in pairs. Look at the saying below.
Discuss what it means and if it is always
true.
Necessity is the mother of invention.

2 Look at the photo and the caption. What

adjectives would you use to describe
this invention? What other inventions
have you seen that fit that description?

3 1.20 Listen to an interview about

what inspires inventions. Choose the
statement that best summarises the
speaker’s view.
a Most inventions are an answer to an
urgent need.
b Most inventions are things that we
didn’t imagine we needed until we
became used to them.
c Most inventions come from
companies who want to make a
commercial profit.

4 1.20 Listen to the interview again

and choose the correct option to Charles Steinlauf’s invention: a four-position
complete the sentences. bicycle which also contains a built-in sewing machine

1 People in their teens or twenties

probably can’t imagine doing Vocabulary phrasal verb come
research / following the news without
the Internet. 6 Look at the sentences from the interview (1–3) which use
2 Martha Kay is a business woman / an phrasal verbs with come. Choose the correct meaning (a–c).
academic. Then do the same for the other phrasal verbs (4–6).
3 A British parliamentary committee 1 But how do such inventions come about?
said the telephone was too expensive / a succeed b happen c work
of little use. 2 Entrepreneurs often come up with ideas that will make
4 The presenter uses the telephone as our lives a little more convenient …
an example of a case where a need a think of b ignore c search for
was filled / didn’t exist before. 3 What it comes down to in the end is wants rather than
5 Most innovations make our lives needs.
richer / easier. a relies on b emphasises c is a question of
6 The presenter suggests that women 4 A researcher came across the material for sticking post-it
in the 1960s liked going out to shop / notes when looking for a new kind of glue.
staying in the house. a thought of b found by chance c stole
7 The mobile phone and the computer 5 People’s early experiments with flying didn’t really come
are examples of innovations that off.
were very expensive at first / seen as a succeed b get noticed
unnecessary. c get taken seriously
8 Literary Digest predicted that the 6 Perrelet was so respected that when other watchmakers
motor car would remain a luxury / go came up against a problem, they would consult him.
out of fashion. a solved b encountered c analysed
5 What fact or point of view did you find 7 Work in pairs. Write three sentences using the phrasal verbs
most interesting? Why? Discuss with in Exercise 6. Then read your sentences to your partner
your partner. omitting the verb and see if they can guess the missing verb.

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 Unit 4 Innovation

Language focus past modals 10 Pronunciation weak forms

8 Look at the sentences from the interview (1–4) which use past a 1.21 Circle the weak forms (not
modal verbs. Match each sentence with the function of the stressed) in these phrases using past
modal verb (a–d). modals. Then listen and check.

1 It’s difficult to imagine what life must have been like before 1 You should have told me.
the invention of certain things. 2 Did you have to wait?
2 In 1878, a British parliamentary committee had to comment 3 He must have forgotten.
on the usefulness of the telephone. 4 You needn’t have worried.
3 Perhaps they should have been more open-minded. 5 She may have left already.
4 But in 1878 people didn’t need to have phones. 6 I didn’t need to be there.

a to talk about obligation b 1.22 Work in pairs. Listen to how

b to talk about necessity / lack of necessity these phrases are pronounced and
c to speculate about the past underline the stressed words. What
d to say what was advisable/inadvisable is the difference in meaning in each
one?
 past modals
1 a You might have told me.
Obligation
b You might have told me.
They had to patent the product before trying to sell it.
2 a You shouldn’t have waited.
Necessity
b Flowers? Oh, you shouldn’t
They needed to have a way to communicate more quickly.
have.
They didn’t need to / have to make the instructions very complicated.
They needn’t have made the instructions so complicated.
11 Work in groups. Use past modals to
Speculation speculate on the answers to these
He must have realised it was an important discovery. questions.
He may/might/could have wanted to keep it a secret.
It can’t/couldn’t have been easy to convince people of the idea. How did people:
Advisability • wake up in time before there
They should have included more safety features. were alarm clocks?
They ought to have tested it properly first. • keep money safe before savings
Note: needn’t have done means it wasn’t necessary but they did it banks existed?
anyway; with didn’t need to do we don’t know if they did it or not. • amuse themselves in the
evenings without electricity?
For further information and practice, see page 160.
• deal with pains and aches
without medicines?
9 Look at the language box and complete the sentences using past • contact each other in an
modals. Sometimes more than one answer is possible. emergency before the telephone
1 Before cars were invented, it (not / be) easy to existed?
take your family for a weekend outing. • light candles before matches were
2 In the 1940s, people (not / own) a television, invented?
because they could get news and entertainment from their • find out if bones were broken
radios. before x-rays existed?
3 Before satellite navigation in cars, people
(depend) on a passenger for directions. Speaking
4 Some people (drive) with the steering wheel in
one hand and a map in the other. 12 Work in pairs. Think of two
5 I (buy) this microwave oven. I never use it. commonly used inventions: one that
6 Before we all had digital cameras, it (be) you couldn’t live without and one
expensive to keep buying film for your camera. that you find unnecessary. Discuss
7 The electric spaghetti fork is a useless invention. The the inventions with your partner
inventor really (bother). and the reasons why you chose
8 The inventor of ‘cats eyes’ in the road (be given) them.
a medal. They have saved so many lives.
9 When James Watt invented the steam engine, he
(realise) that the railway locomotive would follow.
10 Who knows what inventions people like Leonardo da
Vinci (come) up with if they had had modern
technology!

talk about  WHAT YOU CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT  ORIGAMI ideas   BEING ON THE SPOT  MAKING A SHORT PITCH      47
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 reading origami engineering • idioms partitives • language focus probability • speaking origami ideas

4b Fold everything
Reading 3 Read the rest of the article and
find the following.
1 Look at the picture of a horse made using origami, the traditional
1 two things used in space
Japanese art of paper folding. Answer the questions.
exploration that are folded
1 Do you do any kind of hand crafts? What are they? using origami techniques
2 Have you ever tried origami? What did you make? 2 two origami-inspired devices
that help to save lives
2 Work in pairs. What are the basic principles of origami? Are these 3 a use of origami that seems
sentences true (T) or false (F)? Read the first paragraph of the article like a fantasy
and check your answers. 4 a use of origami that can
1 You need more than one piece of paper. make machines more
2 The paper should be square. powerful
3 You mustn’t use scissors.
4 Sometimes you need to use glue.

FoldEVERYTHING
Almost certainly you have at one time in your life
practised origami, even if it was just making a paper
aeroplane. Perhaps it was something more sophisticated
like a paper crane. The chances are that as you did
it, you reflected on how ingenious this traditional
Japanese art is. Animals, boxes, flowers, boats – all can
be created from a single square or rectangular sheet of
paper simply by folding it – no cutting, no pasting.
But did you ever stop to think how the same techniques
might be applied to engineer equipment that could
be of real practical use? In fact, origami-inspired
creations have already flown in space; in 1995, Japanese
engineers launched a satellite with solar panels that
folded like a map. And very soon origami engineering
may well be seen in a host of other applications.
‘It’s now mathematically proven that you can pretty There’s no doubt that saving space has become
much fold anything,’ says physicist Robert J. Lang, who important in our world, as the search for ever smaller
quit his engineering job in California eight years ago to electronic components shows. But origami also meets
fold things full-time. Lang, an origami enthusiast since the demand for things which need to be small when
the age of six, advised a well-known car manufacturer transported and large when they arrive, like the
on the best way to fold an airbag into a dashboard. He everyday umbrella.
is currently working on a space telescope lens that, if all Applications for origami engineering go further than
goes to plan, should be able to unfold to the size of a many of us might imagine. ‘Some day,’ says MIT’s* Erik
football pitch. Demaine, ‘we’ll build reconfigurable robots that can
At the other end of the scale, researchers are also fold on their own from one thing into another,’ like
working on tiny folding devices that could lead to Transformers. Too much like science fiction to be true?
breakthroughs in medicine and computing.These Maybe; though you certainly wouldn’t bet against it.
include origami stents that are inserted into arteries * MIT = Massachusetts Institute of Technology
and open up to keep the blood flowing. Computers of
the future are likely to contain tiny, folded motors or crane (n) /kreɪn/ a large bird with long legs
capacitors, which will mean faster processing and better ingenious (adj) /ɪnˈdʒiːnɪəs/ very clever
memory storage. stent (n) /stent/ a thin rod used in medicine to support a
cavity in the body

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 Unit 4 Innovation

4 Work in pairs. Explain the following terms and 8 Look at the sentences and say whether they use
expressions from the article. a verb, an adverb, an adjective or a noun phrase
to express probability. Is there any difference in
1 How is a paper crane ‘more sophisticated’
meaning or register between them?
than an aeroplane? (para 1)
2 What is meant by ‘applications’? (para 2) 1 He probably won’t come with us.
3 What ‘plan’ is referred to in the phrase 2 It’s unlikely that he’ll come with us.
‘if all goes to plan’? (para 3) 3 He may (well) not come with us.
4 What scale is referred to in the phrase 4 The chances are that he won’t come with us.
‘At the other end of the scale’? (para 4)
5 What does ‘it’ mean in the phrase  PROBABILITY
‘you wouldn’t bet against it’? (para 6) Modal verbs
may/could/might; should
 WORDBUILDING past participles as adjectives Origami may (well) be the answer.
We often use past participles as adjectives. The telescope should help us to explore the universe.
a well-known car manufacturer, tiny folded motors Adverbs
In a few cases, the adjective form is different from the perhaps; maybe; probably; almost certainly
past participle. Perhaps one day they will invent foldable robots.
It has been proved. A proven method. The adjective (un)likely
For further information and practice, see Workbook It’s (un)likely that this technology will be used in computers.
page 35. This technology is (un)likely to be used in computers.
Noun phrases
The likelihood is; The chances are; There is a good chance
Idioms partitives The chances are that it will be used in robot design.
Note: should is not used for the probability of something
5 Compare these two expressions. Which bad happening.
expression means ‘some’ or ‘a piece of’ and
which means ‘a small piece’? For further information and practice, see page 161.

1 a sheet of paper
2 a scrap of paper
9 Look at the language box. Then rewrite the sentences
in the text using the words given.
6 Look at the partitive expressions in bold and say The grocery shopping bag of the future 1 will perhaps
which mean ‘some’ and which ‘a small piece or be made of steel (could). The folding steel bag,
amount’. invented by Dr Zhong You from Oxford University,
1 I’m really thirsty. I haven’t had a drop of
2
will probably inspire other packaging solutions too
water all day. (likely to). Flat-pack boxes used by industry these
2 It was a stroke of luck getting those tickets. days have to be fastened at the bottom. But with Dr
They were the last two available. You’s origami design 3 you can make boxes with a fixed
3 There’s not a shred of evidence to suggest base (possible). 4 This is likely to save industry a lot of
that there is life on other planets. time and money (should).
4 The latest figures offer a glimmer of hope Dr You thinks that if this process works for steel,
that the recession is coming to an end. 5
it will probably work for a range of other materials (the
5 She had a flash of inspiration. Why not use chances). Origami engineers hope that 6 one day
the principles of origami to make foldable perhaps it will be possible to build houses from flat-pack
furniture? materials (might). In ten years’ time, 7 it’s very possible
6 There was a hint of disappointment in his that we will be folding away our kitchen counters or table
voice, but he took the news very well. (may well). 8 The likelihood is that we won’t have foldable
TVs or cars (unlikely), but who knows?
Language focus probability
7 Work in pairs. How many examples of the Speaking
following can you find in the article? Compare 10 Work in pairs. Think of three more ideas for how
your answers with your partner. origami methods could be used to help save space
1 phrases that say something is possible in the modern home. Then present your ideas to
2 phrases that say something is probable another pair.
3 phrases that say something is more or less
sure
Example:
1 Perhaps it was … (paragraph 1)

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 reading a social entrepreneur • critical thinking finding counter arguments • word focus give •
speaking being on the spot

4c The shoe giver

Reading 5 Work in pairs. Compare your answers from
Exercise 4. Then write some questions for Blake
1 Read the definition of social entrepreneurship and Mycoskie that would challenge him on these
say which of the examples (a–c) fit the definition points.
and why. How would you describe the other
operations?
Word focus give
Social entrepreneurship is the art of creating a socially 6 Work in pairs. Find these expressions with give in
responsible business that aims to generate profit the article and discuss what they mean.
while solving social and environmental problems.
give it a break   ​give it some thought
a An organisation which collects food near its
sell-by date from supermarkets and distributes 7 Complete the expressions with give using these
it free to homeless people. words. Discuss what each expression means.
b An organisation which sells gardening services
to companies. The people it employs are best   ​break   ​
go   ​
go ahead   ​
thought   ​time
all long-term unemployed people who get
training, work experience and a small salary. 1 There’s no need to tell me your answer now.
c An organisation that collects old clothes that Give it some and then let me know.
people are throwing out and recycles the 2 Don’t worry if you don’t win: just give it your
material to make new clothes which it sells. .
3 I wasn’t actually expecting him to like our
2 Read the article on page 51. In what ways does business proposal, but he gave us the .
TOMS fit the definition of social entrepreneurship 4 Give him a . He’s only been doing
given in Exercise 1? Why? / Why not? the job two months. He can’t be expected to
3 Read the article again. Are the sentences true (T) or know everything.
false (F)? 5 It’s difficult to be in a new environment, but
give it some and you’ll feel more at
1 Mycoskie’s early career was characterised by home.
establishing and then selling companies. 6 The only way to find out if you can mend it
2 Mycoskie immediately saw the Argentinian yourself is to give it a .
children’s shoe problem as another business
challenge. 8 Match these expressions with a similar expression
3 The main advantage of the one-for-one scheme from Exercise 7.
is that each child is given one pair of shoes.
4 Podioconiosis is a disease that affects a chance   ​consideration   ​
the green light   ​
children in developed countries as much as in a try   ​a while   ​
your all
developing countries.
5 The author suggests that, in business, energy
and enthusiasm are as important as knowledge.
Speaking
6 Any business could profit from making a 9 Work in pairs. You are going to act out an
similar one-for-one offer to its customers. interview between a journalist for an ecology
magazine and Blake Mycoskie. Take turns to
Critical thinking finding counter play the roles of interviewer (the journalist) and
interviewee (Blake Mycoskie). Think about the
arguments questions that were raised about the shoe-giving
4 The author presents a positive picture of TOMS, initiative in Exercise 5.
but there are suggestions that there are also Student A: You are the journalist. Focus on the
arguments against the initiative. Find possible possible problems with the one-for-one shoe
criticisms in the text in these areas. giving business and ask questions that test
a the price and quality of the product Mycoskie to defend it.
b buying shoes as a way of giving to charity Student B: You are Blake Mycoskie. Defend your
c the business model business and its philosophy.

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 Unit 4 Innovation

Blake Mycoskie is a self-confessed serial entrepreneur. parts of the world where foot diseases are a problem. In
He set up his first business, EZ Laundry, a door-to-door southern Ethiopia, a high concentration of silicone in the
laundry service for students, when he was still at college. soil can cause podoconiosis, a disease which severely
Having grown the company to service seven colleges swells the feet. The shocking appearance of the disease
in the south-west of the uSA, he sold his share to his means sufferers are often ostracised from society. 300,000
business partner and moved on to a media advertising people in Ethiopia suffer from it simply because they
business in nashville. This again he sold on to Clear have no shoes. The same silicone-rich soil exists in parts
Channel, one of the industry’s leading companies. of France and Hawaii, where people wear shoes and are
Three more businesses later, still only 29 years old, and not affected.
feeling a bit ‘burned out’ from work, Mycoskie decided to Mycoskie had no experience of manufacturing – let
give it a break for a while and headed down to Argentina alone shoe manufacturing – but he understood that he
for some rest and relaxation. But rest isn’t really part of had to learn fast. For the first eighteen months, by his
an entrepreneur’s make-up. It’s in their nature to keep own admission, he made ‘a poor job of making shoes’,
having good business ideas, and it wasn’t long before but since then he has brought in help from people
Mycoskie had hit upon the one that would come to define with experience in the industry. The vital element
him as a social entrepreneur. that Mycoskie added was his

shoe
On a visit to a village outside own passion. It is a passion he
Buenos Aires, he was shocked to The wants others to share with him.

giver
see that many of the children didn’t One criticism of initiatives like
have any shoes or, if they did, the TOMS is that the money spent by
shoes were ill-fitting and badly customers might otherwise have
worn. Since shoes – particularly been used to make direct charitable
the local farmers’ canvas shoe, donations. So Mycoskie encourages
the algarparta – can be bought his customers to become more
relatively cheaply in Argentina, involved with TOMS by inviting
Mycoskie’s first instinct was to set up a charity to donate them to volunteer to hand-deliver the shoes to the
shoes to the children. But after giving it some thought, children in need. It’s an intimate giving experience and he
he realised that this was not a model that would work. hopes it might inspire some of the volunteers to develop
One pair of shoes per child would not make that much similar projects.
difference, because they wear out. And if he asked people But is the one-for-one model one that can be repeated
to donate repeatedly – to provide new shoes for the same with other products? Mycoskie is doubtful. TOMS is a
child every six months – the donors’ sympathy for the for-profit business, but does not yet make a profit. He
cause might also wear out pretty quickly. says one-for-one is not an offer that you can just add to
Instead he came up with the idea of ‘TOMS: one-for- your existing business model; you have to build it in
one shoes’. He would take the algaparta to America, from the beginning.
manufacture it and sell it as a high end fashion item Some would also argue that the charity aspect is just a
at around uS$50 a pair. (A pair of similar shoes with a marketing tool, but in the end does that matter? TOMS
well-known brand name costs around $30.) For each is making a real difference to poor children all over the
pair he sold he would donate one pair to shoeless village world and Mycoskie
children. That way he could guarantee a continual supply. is enjoying being an make-up (n) /meɪk ʌp/ composition,
character
Also, rather than running a charity – something he had no entrepreneur more
ostracise (v) /ˈɒstrəsaɪz/ to refuse to
real experience of – he could run the project as a business. than ever.
allow someone to take part in a
Several years on, the business is thriving, supplying social group
shoes not only to children in Argentina but also other self-confessed (adj) /self-kənˈfest/
the person admits this themselves
swell (v) /swel/ to grow larger

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 real life making a short pitch • speaking skill using rhetorical questions • pronunciation long and short vowels

4d An elevator pitch
Real life making a short
pitch
1 Work in pairs. Look at the advice
about public speaking. Discuss with
your partner what it means.
Be sincere, be brief, be seated.
Franklin D. Roosevelt, former US President

2 Do you know what an elevator pitch is?

Read the text quickly. Then cover the
page and summarise the key points.

The principle of an elevator pitch is 5 Speaking skill using rhetorical questions

really like that of a TV commercial.
You’re trying to sell an idea to someone 1.23 Look at the box. The speaker used rhetorical
whose attention you have for a limited questions. Listen again and tick (✓) the phrases you hear.
amount of time – 30 seconds to a minute Then try to recall what he said directly after each question.
before they get out of the elevator. Just
as with a TV commercial, the idea is to
 USING RHEToRICAL QUESTIoNS
get the person in front of you interested What is it? ‘So what?’ I hear you say.
How does it work? Isn’t it going to be expensive?
enough to come back and have another
Why is it necessary? So, how do we achieve this?
look. So the key things to convey are: What does it do exactly? What’s our ambition for …?

the problem that your idea solves 6 Pronunciation long and short vowels
the uniqueness or freshness of
your idea a 1.24 Work in pairs. Listen to the questions in the box and
say if the stressed syllables in these words contain a long or
That’s all. It’s not about selling yourself short vowel sound. Then practise saying them.
at this point – talking about your own
achievements and experience – and it’s is work necessary do what expensive
not about criticising the competition. achieve ambition

b underline the word in each pair that contains a long vowel

sound. Then practise saying the words.
3 You are going to listen to a business
proposal based on the idea of 1 look loop 5 bottle both
doing voluntary work in the local 2 scheme skim 6 interactive internal
community. Before you listen, discuss 3 father fatter 7 forward foreign
the questions with your partner. 4 training treasure

1 What motivates people to do 7 Work in groups of three. You are each going to present your
voluntary work? own elevator pitch for a new social enterprise. Follow the
2 What kind of things might people steps below.
volunteer to do? Student A: Turn to page 153 and read the notes.
4 1.23 Listen to the proposal and Student B: Turn to page 154 and read the notes.
answer the questions.
Student C: Turn to page 155 and read the notes.
1 What is the unique idea that the
speaker describes? • Prepare your pitch carefully. Use the guidelines in Exercise
2 What problem(s) does it solve? 2 and the language in the box to help with the structure.
3 What phrases does the speaker • Speak for no more than a minute.
repeat often? • Write down the main message of each pitch and at the end
compare your answers.
• Vote on who you think gave the most persuasive pitch.

52 TALk AboUT  WHAT YoU CAN’T LIVE WITHoUT  oRIGAMI IDEAS  bEING oN THE SPoT  MAkING A SHoRT PITCH
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writing describing how things work • writing skill punctuation Unit 4 Innovation

4e Volunteer planner
Writing describing how things work 2 How is the description organised to
make it easier for the reader to follow?
1 Work in pairs. Read the description of ‘Volunteer Planner’, Did you find these features helpful?
a phone app to encourage volunteering in the community.
Answer the questions. 3 Writing skill punctuation
1 Who is this description written for? a Find examples of these punctuation
2 Which of the adjectives best describe this piece of writing? marks in the description of ‘Volunteer
a friendly b factual c technical d analytical Planner’.
a colon :

Volunteer Planner b semi-colon ;

c dash –

b Match the punctuation marks in

Overview Exercise 3a (a–c) with their correct
uses (1–5).
Volunteer Planner is an easy-to-use tool that makes
volunteering simpler. The application can be downloaded 1 to separate items in lists where
from the website www.volunteero.com and set up quickly: commas would be confusing
in five minutes or less. It consists of two main components: 2 to explain the idea in a preceding
a database of volunteers and organisations; and the clause or sentence
planner itself. 3 in place of parentheses ( ) to give
extra information
4 to introduce a list
5 to separate two very strongly
The database connected ideas
For each geographical area, there is a register or database
of both volunteers and organisations. c Punctuate this passage correctly. use
For each volunteer, details are listed of:
a colon, two semi-colons and two
dashes.
• their general availability e.g. one afternoon per week
• their contact number
• a brief description of qualifications (e.g. driving licence) The three good reasons to use
and skills the Volunteer Planner are to help
you to plan your volunteering to
For each organisation, details are given of:
help the organisation and this is
• the type of activity and skills needed
our sincere hope to increase the
• any special conditions relating to the work
number of volunteers.
• its precise location

4 Write a description of how something

The planner works for a potential investor.
use the idea that you presented in
The planner allows volunteers and organisations to fill slots Exercise 7 on page 52 or another
for volunteers in a real time calendar through their smart idea. Remember to organise your
phones. When a volunteer enters their name in a slot, the description using subheadings and
organisation is alerted automatically by a text message, bullet points.
inviting them to confirm the offer. By selecting ‘accept’
on the calendar, the organisation automatically sends 5 Exchange descriptions with your
confirmation to the volunteer. If the volunteer is forced partner. use these questions to check
to cancel this slot at a later date, they select ‘cancel’ on your descriptions.
the calendar. A message is then sent automatically to the
• Have they written a clear, factual
organisation; it is also sent to all the other volunteers who
description?
are eligible to work for it, inviting them to fill the slot.
• Have they organised the
description using subheadings and
bullet points?
• Have they used punctuation
correctly?

TALk AboUT  WHAT YoU CAN’T LIVE WITHoUT  oRIGAMI IDEAS  bEING oN THE SPoT  MAkING A SHoRT PITCH 53
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 4f Ethical Ocean
Ethical Ocean, a social enterprise

54
 Unit 4 Innovation

before you watch 8 Work in groups. Discuss what you think of David
Damberger’s social enterprise idea, Ethical Ocean.
1 Work in pairs. What does a social entrepreneur do?
Discuss with your partner.
After you watch
2 David Damberger is a social entrepreneur and 9 Work in pairs. Look at these products and the list
winner of a scholarship at the Skoll Centre for
of ethical criteria (a–g). Which criteria are relevant
Social Entrepreneurship in Oxford. Look at the
to each product? Which do you actually consider
photo. What kind of activities do you think Ethical
when buying these products?
Ocean is involved with? Discuss with your partner.
car clothes cosmetics electronic equipment
While you watch fruit and vegetables furniture stationery toys

3 Watch the interview and check your ideas from a Are the materials used from sustainable
Exercise 2. sources?
b Was a lot of energy consumed to make this
4 Read these sentences about David Damberger’s product?
background. Then watch the first part of the c Where has it been transported from?
video (to 01.23) and choose the correct option to d Did the maker have good working conditions?
complete the sentences. e Did the maker receive a fair proportion of the
1 David Damberger is from Canada / Colorado. selling price?
2 He helped start an enterprise called Engineers f If it is a food product, is it organic (grown
Without Borders / With Ideas. without the use of chemicals)?
3 Their idea was to help people in poor countries g Will the product biodegrade or be recycled
to improve walls / wells or bridges. when it is finished with?
4 They realised that the problem was not a lack
of technology or engineers / know-how. 10 Roleplay a product pitch
5 The problem was too much bureaucracy / a lack of
Work in pairs.
business ability.
Student A: Imagine you are a representative from a
5 Watch the second part of the video (01.24 to 02.06). company who is going to pitch a product to Ethical
Complete the table about Ethical Ocean. Ocean to sell through their website. Look at these
points and prepare your pitch.
1 Type of An e- for ethical • think what your product is
business: goods • think about what its ethical credentials are
2 Description: A one- shop for • prepare to sell its benefits
everything ethical Student B: Imagine you are a representative from
3 Categories , fair trade, Ethical Ocean. Look at these points and prepare
of goods: friendly, sweat-shop your questions.
labour • think about the questions you will ask (price,
4 Product clothing, , home ethical criteria, product benefits, etc.)
range: products Act out the conversation. Then change roles and
act out the conversation again with a different
6 Watch the third part of the video (02.07 to 03.12). product.
Look at these words and listen to how Ethical
Ocean ensures the companies on the site are
ethical. Then summarise this to your partner.
1 certification 2 story 3 vote

7 Watch the fourth part of the video (03.13 to end)

and answer the questions. accessory (n) /əkˈsesəri/ an extra, supplementary item
1 What category do the majority of products on bunch (n) /bʌntʃ/ a group
the website fall into? credentials (n) /krəˈdenʃls/ qualifications, proof of a thing’s
suitability
detergent (n) /dɪˈtəːdʒənt/ washing powder or liquid
2 What particularly successful product does
naively (adv) /naɪˈiːvli/ making a judgment that’s too simple
David Damberger mention? because you lack experience
sweat shop (n) /ˈswet ʃɒp/ a workplace where people work
3 What are the advantages of this product? for very low wages

55
 Unit 4 Review
Grammar Vocabulary
1 Read the article and complete it with these words. 4 Complete the idiomatic expressions. The first letter
has been given for you.
chances   ​could   ​likelihood   ​likely   ​might   ​
1 I’m not expecting you to produce an idea right
must   ​
need   ​probably   ​should   ​unlikely   ​
now. Just give it some t and see what
you come u with.
2 Answer the questions according to the author.
2 There’s not a s of evidence to suggest
1 What is the problem with most innovations? that this is going to work, but you can give it a
2 What is the answer to our future energy needs? g anyway.
3 Is the writer optimistic or pessimistic about 3 I came a some old plans for an
finding alternative ways of generating power? extension to the house. It was a real s
of luck, because I was about to employ an
architect to do some drawings.
4 For a long time they were making no progress.
Then Natalia had a f of inspiration
and suggested using hydrogen. It was then that
they made the b .
5 I don’t really understand how the invention of
the television came a . It didn’t really
f a particular need that people had.

5 Work in pairs. Have you ever had any experiences

of the following? Discuss with your partner.
What is the 1
that in fifteen years’ time • an idea which needed some thought
we will still be burning fossil fuels like coal and gas • a flash of inspiration
and driving petrol-powered cars? Looking at the • a stroke of luck
progress that has been made with alternative forms of • an invention that didn’t fill a particular need
energy, the 2 are pretty high. The problem
I CAN
with innovation, especially green innovation, is that
each time you think you 3 have found the use idioms
answer, you also find a catch. Wind turbines only work talk about inventions and innovations
when the wind blows. The inventors 4 have
realised that, surely? Hydrogen is a clean alternative
to petrol, but it is highly explosive and when the first
Real life
accident happens, there is 5 to be a strong 6 Look at the statements from a short product pitch.
public reaction against it. Write a rhetorical question before each one.
The real innovation in energy 6 will not 1 ? It’s a vacuum cleaner that can
come from a new means of power generation, but clean any type of floor surface.
in how the energy network is organised. Advances 2 ? Because there’s no other
in IT mean that rather than connecting big power machine that can perform all these functions.
stations to a network that delivers electricity to 3 ? At the base, there’s a rotary
homes, factories and public buildings, in the future brush which cleans as it sucks up the dirt.
all these places 7 be able to generate small 4 ? Despite its sophistication, we’re
amounts of energy, which they 8 either use hoping to keep the cost down.
themselves or put back into the network for others 5 ? By making it in China, where
to use. The question is: can we make that change? manufacturing costs are much lower.
Some say that because it is not in the interest of big
business, it is 9 to happen any time soon. But 7 Work in pairs. Think of a product that you use
look what happened to the music business. We didn’t frequently. Present it to your partner as if it was a
10
to change from a system of buying CDs to new product. Use at least three rhetorical questions.
sharing music online. But that is what happened. I CAN
give a short presentation for a new product
3 Work in pairs. Are you optimistic about finding a
different way to manage our energy needs? Why? use rhetorical questions in a presentation

I CAN
express obligation and necessity, speculate and give
Speaking
advice in the past (past modals)
8 Work in pairs. Discuss what device or technological
talk about the probability of things happening gadget would most improve your life.

56