Unit 11.
Question 1:
Prepare an oral presentation on one or more of the following
types of bridge (4 minutes to prepare).
Talk about…
…use (type of traffic: cars, pedestrians, trains)
…obstacles (over roads, rivers, gorges, ocean straits?)
…the materials used and why they’re used.
…possible engineering or maintenance problems and
solutions.
…your own ideas.
Question 2:
Prepare an oral presentation on road construction:
(4 minutes to prepare).
Here are some ideas:
What materials are used in the different layers and why?
What do these terms mean and why are they important in
road building?
Penetration value cutback porosity
noise reduction
reflection cure glare
aquaplaning
(See page 10, unit 4. Properties of Materials, English for
construction Pearson 2 for reference.)
What’s your opinion of the road network where you live and
how could it be improved?
Questions 3-4:
Oral presentation (4 minutes to prepare).
Imagine a contractor’s engineering, design and architecture
departments are working together on the design, planning and
construction of a primary or secondary/high school and you are
working in that team. Talk about the type of school you would
build:
You could talk about…
…the layout
…green areas and playing fields
…different classrooms
…construction materials
…architectural design and aesthetics
…design features necessary for the physical and emotional
wellbeing of pupils and teachers (ergonomics, health and
safety, fire safety, painting of walls, artwork, furniture,
etc.)
…plumbing and electrical facilities
…surrounding infrastructure, transport links and town
planning
…budget constraints
…the planning, design and construction timeline and the
different milestones along the way
…subcontractors, suppliers and other collaborators
…international, EU and Spanish construction standards and
health and safety
What’s your opinion of how schools are designed, laid out and
constructed in your area, region or country? How could they be
improved?
Questions 5-6:
Oral presentation (4 minutes to prepare).
Imagine a contractor’s engineering, design and architecture
departments are working together on the design, planning and
construction of an airport and you are working in that team. Talk
about the type of airport you would build:
You could talk about…
…the layout
…the location and size of the airport, and the catchment
area
…different areas and features (check-in, security, stairs,
lifts, escalators, duty-free, boarding gates, food halls,
travelators, smoking areas, etc.)
…construction materials
…architectural design and aesthetics
…plumbing and electrical facilities
…surrounding infrastructure, transport links and town
planning
…budget constraints
…the planning, design and construction timeline and the
different milestones along the way
…subcontractors, suppliers and other collaborators
…international, EU and Spanish construction standards and
health and safety
What’s your opinion of how airports are designed, laid out and
constructed in your area, region, country or elsewhere? How could
they be improved?
Question 7:
Oral presentation (4 minutes to prepare).
Imagine a contractor’s engineering, design and architecture
departments are working together on the design, planning and
construction of a public park and you are working in that team.
Talk about the type of park you would build:
You could talk about…
…the layout
…the location and size of the park
…different areas and features (green areas, lawns, play
areas, a boating lake, a duck pond, trees, paths, plants and
flowerbeds, basketball or tennis courts, etc.)
…construction materials
…earthworks and landscaping
…architectural design and aesthetics
…surrounding infrastructure, transport links and town
planning
…budget constraints
…the planning, design and construction timeline and the
different milestones along the way
…subcontractors, suppliers and other collaborators
…international, EU and Spanish construction standards and
health and safety
What’s your opinion of how airports are designed, laid out and
constructed in your area, region, country or elsewhere? How could
they be improved?
