Homes of the Future

Homes don't always seem hi-tech, but Amandeep finds that some of the latest innovations in house design and furniture are space-age!

Preparation

Before you watch

Think about the following questions:

  • What's the most modern home you know?
  • How do homes in your country compare with homes in the UK?

Now watch to find out about the future of homes.

Transcript

Good morning. Today I'll be experiencing a taste of the future.

From the latest in home design to incredible gadgets, I’ll be looking at how we could be living in the future.

A hot shower is a great start to the day, but this is no ordinary shower. It’s using rain water collected from the roof and heated by solar energy, or heat from the sun.

I’m surrounded by some of the most modern houses in the world. Each one has been built as an experiment; designed to test the latest technology and ideas for living.

Some of these houses can evolve as people’s lives change. Thinking of having more housemates? Just add on another layer - like children’s building blocks.

Peter White is the Marketing Manager of the Innovation Park, where the houses are built.

…..

Amandeep: Peter, are these houses really a glimpse of the future?

Peter White: They are. In the next few years, we’ll be living in houses that look like this.

Amandeep: Just how much do they vary from ordinary houses?

Peter White: In some ways they’re very similar. The kitchen, the bathrooms, the televisions are just like now but the technology in the houses makes them much more energy efficient.

…..

You may have seen the next invention in the movies, and it could mean no more lost keys in the future. It’s called fingerprint recognition technology. And it lets you back in.

Now this control panel is the brain of the house. You can set the temperature, and the shutters close automatically when it’s hot outside. And this is one of my favourites: you get to control the music in every part of the house. So how about a bit of this... Or... maybe we should go for this...

Now, can you guess what this is? It redefines the simple... chair. This rocks - literally. And it’s a library as well. So I can grab my favourite book and just sit back and relax. I think I could spend some time here. So would you mind coming back a little later?

…..

I asked some people who are interested in house design what they would like to see in the house of the future.

Woman 1: I would love a self-cleaning house.

Man 1: I'd like an eco-house that uses renewable energy and doesn't impact on the environment.

Woman 2: I’d like a device that could carry me up to bed when I feel tired.

Man 2: I’d like a house where I could watch the football in every room.

Woman 3: In my house of the future, I’d like a robot man that I can turn off.

…..

It’s time to relax, and my favourite programme, Word on the Street, is about to start - and on a solar-powered TV!

Task 1

Choose the 5 things you see in the video.

Exercise

 

Task 2

Which sentences are true, and which are false?

Exercise

 

Task 3

Can you complete the collocations using the words given?

Exercise

 

Download
Average: 4.5 (2 votes)
Do you need to improve your English?
Join thousands of learners from around the world who are making great progress with their English level with our online courses.

Submitted by Alice Luther on Tue, 23/01/2024 - 05:37

Permalink

In my future house, I'm willing to take a hot shower with rain water..In addition, I love to try control panel as I love chilling by music.

Submitted by zinmarlynn on Tue, 23/01/2024 - 05:37

Permalink

I would like to have self cleaning house, hot shower and control panel that I can listen to music for my future house.

Submitted by zinmarlynn on Tue, 23/01/2024 - 05:37

Permalink

I would like to have self cleaning house, hot shower and control panel that I can listen to music for my future house.

Submitted by Main Main on Tue, 23/01/2024 - 05:37

Permalink

I would like to have finger print for accessing of entry in my future house.

Submitted by inescosta_10k on Tue, 14/04/2020 - 09:35

Permalink
In the future I would like to have a robot that would cook me dinner every night, and I would like to have a floating bed, so I could feel like I am in the clouds while sleeping.
Profile picture for user Veny

Submitted by Veny on Mon, 07/01/2019 - 04:47

Permalink
What is the meaning of hi-tech? "Homes don't always seem hi-tech"

Hello Veny,

To look up individual words or phrases you can use any of the online dictionaries. Just do a seach for 'hi-tech dictionary' and you'll see definitions and examples, as well as grammatical information and pronunciation guidance:

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hi-tech

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/high-tech

 

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

Submitted by elainef on Thu, 27/09/2018 - 20:10

Permalink
I would like to live in this house because it is very practical and easy.

Submitted by Nathanael Oliveira on Thu, 27/09/2018 - 19:30

Permalink
I liked the video because it shows a lot of technology and I work with IT.

Submitted by rodrigoferreira23 on Thu, 27/09/2018 - 19:19

Permalink
I'd like to live in a technological home, where I could control all eletronic devices in the same place, reuse the rain water and use renewable and clean energy.