PRE - READING: 1. Look at the following terms and expressions, coming from the text you’re about to read : A. DIGITAL GAMING PLATFORM B. VR (VIRTUAL REALITY) C. LAUNCH INTO A GAME D. AVATAR E. ONLINE COMMUNITY F. CYBERBULLYING G. METAVERSE Explain their meaning and d ecid e what semantic field/ what subject these expressions come from. If you don’t know them, together with the teacher look them up in a dictionary and then decide what the subject is. EXTENSIVE READING : 2. Read the following text : What is the Metaverse? tfk timeforkids.com 3 min (1) When Cathy Hackl’s son wanted a party for his ninth birthday, he didn’t ask for party favors or decorations. He asked if he could hold the celebration on Roblox, a digital platform where users can play and create games. He and his friends wouldn’t meet in person: their virtual avatars would attend the party online. “They hung out and played and they went to other different games together,” Hackl says. “Just because it happens in a virtual space doesn’t make it less real. It’s very real to my son.” (2) Roblox is a digital gaming platform. Every day, it’s used by more than 43 million players. Roblox is part of the metaverse, a “place” parallel to the physical world. The term has lately entered the mainstream, as millions of people s pend hours a day in virtual spaces like Roblox. Other kinds of virtual platforms are growing too, for things like video - based education and hybrid workplaces. For better or worse, we’re spending more of our lives in digital spaces. (3) The word metaverse is often traced to a science - fiction book published in the 1990s. But the metaverse is far from the stuff of sci - fi. It’s not even new. Online communities have existed since the 1980s. Today, logging into Roblox, joining a chat with friends, and launching into a game with them is just as social an experience as most real - world interactio ns. (4) We enter the metaverse through virtual reality (VR) and augmented augmented reality (AR), or simply on a screen. These experiences allow a greater blending of our digital and physical lives. But these two worlds are already interwoven, no headset requ ired. Think about the Uber app. It uses location data to tell riders how far away the car is. Or think about how Netflix keeps track of what you’ve watched in order to make suggestions. NEW REALITY VR experiences like this one, at an amusement park in Japan, blend the digital and physical worlds. (5) At its core, the metaverse is an expansion of the Internet. And there are plenty of Internet problems to solve already, such as hacking and cyberbullying. These suggest how challenging a future in t he metaverse could be. But many people believe the metaverse has real benefits. Among other things, they say it can expand social networks and improve mental health. Hackl is a metaverse expert. She’s also Latina. As the technology develops, she sees opportunities for the metaverse to be more inclusive. “ I believe w e need to see people like me in these public - facing roles,” she says. “You can inspire a lot more people to join and say, ‘He y, I am welcome in this metaverse world. I can build.’” For those who are already spending part of their life in the metaverse, that building has begun. (6) Carrie Tatsu runs a business in the metaverse. But she wants her kids to spend as much time as possi ble in the real world. “It’s so important for humans to be with humans in real life,” she says. “I think that as kids grow up in this space, there will have to be outlets for [them] to engage, go smell a flower here, walk on a trail, have a real conversati on with [a] friend. . . . Even though you can simulate that, the simulation is not the same.” IMMERSIVE ART In Hong Kong, people explore a digital work of art. More and more, our lives are spent in digital spaces. What do you think? ............................................................................................................................. .......................... Now decide which of the following sentences gives the best summary of the ideas expressed in the paragra phs (1) First Paragraph : A. A Gamer’s birthday B. A Birthday Party Online x C.What is an Avatar? (2) Second paragraph A. What is Roblox? x B. What are online games? C. M eeting friends in the Metaverse (3) Third Paragraph A. W hen was the metaverse created? B. W hat is the metaverse? C. Origin s of the t erm (4) Fourth Paragraph A. Examples of websites. B . How can we enter the metaverse? x C. What is VR? (5) Fifth Paragraph A. What is the metaverse? B. Pros and cons of the Metaverse C. Expert’s opinion (6) Sixth Paragraph A. Reality Check B. Cons of the metaverse C. Side effects of meeting in the metaverse... 3. Read the questions below and think about your answers. Who do you think this text is aimed at? What things does the metaverse allow us to do? Can metaverse be dangerous? Will it replace interacting in the real world? POST - READING: 4. Check your s tylistic awareness: Look at the text and write down 2 examples of sentences expressing facts. ................................................................................................................. ................................................................................................................. .............................. .............................................. ................................................................................................................. ................................................................................................................. .............................. .............................................. 2 examples of sentences expressing opinions. ................................................................................................................. ................................................................................................................. .............................. .............................................. ................................................................................................................. ................................................................................................ ................. ............................................................................ OPEN CLOZE EXERCISE : 5. Read the gapped text Complete the gaps with the missing sentence s which have been marked with letters (A – E ) Be careful! One sentence does not fit any of the gap s Hi Jane. How are you? (1) Would you like to come? It is easy to get there. It will take place online on the gaming platform roblox.com . You can't miss it! Here’s the link to my party: roblox.com/marksparty1010 The party starts at 7 o'clock. A lot of guests are coming, some are my friends from school and others are my friends from the game. You don't have to (5) . , just be there a nd let’s hang out! We are going to play a lot of mini games such as: scavenger hunt or mafia and we will talk using our webcams and microphones. (5) . , because it is a safe way to meet during the covid outbreak and because this way i can invite friends from all around the world. Apart from that, I hope you can come . S ee you there, Mark A. I’m a massive fan of online gaming and so are all my friends. B. buy me any gifts C. come to the party D. I decided to host a party online E. I’m having a birthday party next Friday. HOMEWORK: 6. You are organizing a birthday party in the metaverse using your favorite digital gaming platform. In an e - mail to a friend from England: • invite him/her to the party • describe who else will be present at the party and what you will be doing in the game • write why you decided to celebrate your birthday this way. Your word limit is 100 - 150 words. Organizujesz przyjęcie urodzinowe w metaverse na ulubionej platformie gamingowej . W e - mailu do kolegi/ koleżanki z Anglii: • zaproś go/ją na przyjęcie • opisz, kto jeszcze pojawi się na przyjęciu i co będziecie robić w grze• wyjaśnij dlaczego zdecydowałeś się na taką, a nie inną formę świętowania. Wypowiedź powinna zawierać 100 - 150 słów. Hi ............. , ............................................................................................................................. ................. ................................................................................................................ .............................. ............................................................................................................................. ................. .................................................................................. ............................................................ ............................................................................................................................. ................. .................................................... .......................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................. ................. ...................... ........................................................................................................................ ............................................................................................................................. .......... ....... ............................................................................................................................. ................. ......................................................................................................... ..................................... ............................................................................................................................. ................. ........................................................................... ................................................................... ............................................................................................................................. ................. ............................................. ................................................................................................. ............................................................................................................................. ................. ............... ............................................................................................................................. .. ............................................................................................................................. ... .............. ............................................................................................................................. ................. .................................................................................................. ............................................ ............................................................................................................................. ................. .................................................................... .......................................................................... ............................................................................................................................. ................. ...................................... ........................................................................................................ ............................................................................................................................. ................. ........ ............................................................................................................................. ......... ......................................................................................................................... ..................... ............................................................................................................................. ................. ........................................................................................... ................................................... ............................................................................................................................. ................. ............................................................. ................................................................................. ............................................................................................................................. ................. ............................... ............................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................. ................. I hope you can come. See you there, XYZ Author: Maryla Niedzielska Target group: 8th g rade of primary school Source: https://www.timeforkids.com/g56/what - is - the - metaverse/?rl=en - 860&utm_source=pocket_mylist