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Module code: 2097
Building Tomorrow's Airport

📐 Positional language (foreground, top left corner, in the distance…) is the same on every image lesson — see Where things are at the end.

A Terminal Takes Shape

In this lesson, you will look at a photograph of an airport terminal that is under construction. Study the key words below, then listen to the descriptions. Each task builds on the one before, so the language you learn first will help you with the tasks that come later.

📚 Key Vocabulary

These words appear in the descriptions — learn them before you listen.

facade — the front face of a buildingscaffolding — metal tubes that support workers at heighttower crane — a tall machine that lifts heavy materialscement mixer — a machine that mixes concrete on sitehigh-visibility vest — bright vest so workers are easily seenhard hat — protective helmet worn on construction sitespaving slab — flat concrete piece used to make a floor or pathpallet — flat wooden frame used to stack and move materialshoarding — a barrier or board around a construction siteapron — the paved area at an airport where aircraft parkjet bridge — a covered walkway connecting a plane to the terminalexpansion — making something larger than it was before

🎧 Listen and read

Before: Before you listen, look at the key words above and think about what you might hear.

While listening: As you listen, notice the names of the machines and materials you can hear.

After: After listening, check which key words from the list you heard in the descriptions.

💡 Press play, then scroll back up to the photo. If the photo is off-screen, a copy floats at the bottom — tap it to enlarge.

🎧 1 · Short description
0:00 / 0:42

📖 1 · Short description — read along

🎧 2 · Full description
0:00 / 1:29

📖 2 · Full description — read along

🎧 3 · The story behind the picture
0:00 / 0:38

📖 3 · The story behind the picture — read along

🧰 Your word bank

All the target words for this picture.

📚 Word bank

Now it's your turn

🖼️Task 1 · What Can You See? Name the EquipmentVocabulary
Look at the construction site in the image. Write the names of eight pieces of equipment or machinery that you can see. Write one item on each line. Do not write sentences — just the names.
Language focus: construction equipment vocabulary
0 items
1Describing Colour and Material→ Task 2

Step 1 · Describing Colour and Material

🔧 Grammar — present simple passive: is made of

To do this task, you need to describe what something looks like and what it is made of. Use the present simple passive form ‘is made of’ or ‘are made of’. This form tells us about the material without saying who made it. The colour adjective comes before the noun. The material comes after ‘made of’. Look at the objects carefully. The tower cranes are orange-yellow and they are made of painted steel lattice. The scaffolding is silver-grey and it is made of galvanised steel tubes. The paving slabs are grey and they are made of concrete. Notice: do not say ‘are made from steel lattice painted’ — the adjective must come before the noun. Open the ‘Materials’ and ‘Palette’ toggles to find the correct colours and materials for each object. Then write one sentence for each of the four objects in the task.

The [object] is [colour] and it is made of [material]. / The [objects] are [colour] and they are made of [material].
  • The tower cranes are orange-yellow and they are made of painted steel lattice.
  • The scaffolding is silver-grey and it is made of galvanised steel tubes.
  • The paving slabs are grey and they are made of concrete.
⚠️ Watch out: The scissor lift is made of red painted steel. → The scissor lift is red and it is made of painted steel. — the colour describes the object, not the material — keep them in separate parts of the sentence

🧰 Open the 'Materials' and 'Palette' toggles to find the exact colours and materials for each object.

→ Now write one sentence for each of the four objects, using the sentence frame given.

🧱 Colours and materials

🎨 Language palette

🖼️Task 2 · Colours and Materials: Describe What You SeeVocabulary
Look at four objects in the image. For each one, write one sentence that describes its colour and what it is made of or what it looks like. Use the frame below for each sentence.

Frame: The [object] is [colour] and it is made of [material] / it looks [adjective].

Describe these four objects:
1. The tower cranes
2. The scissor lift
3. The scaffolding
4. The paving slabs

Write one sentence for each object.
  1. The tower cranes are ___ and they are made of ___.
  2. The scissor lift is ___ and it is made of ___.
  3. The scaffolding is ___ and it is made of ___.
  4. The paving slabs are ___ and they are made of ___.
Language focus: colour and material adjective-noun collocations
0 words / ~50 target
2Describing What Has Been Done and What Is Happening Now→ Task 3

Step 2 · Describing What Has Been Done and What Is Happening Now

🔧 Grammar — present perfect passive and present continuous passive

To do this task, you need two passive forms. Use the present perfect passive — ‘has been’ or ‘have been’ — to describe things that are already finished. Use the present continuous passive — ‘is being’ or ‘are being’ — to describe work that is happening right now. Look at the building. The large glass panels have already been installed across the upper storey — use ‘have been installed’. The silver-grey scaffolding has been erected around the incomplete sections — use ‘has been erected’. At the same time, some work is still continuing — the concrete columns are being built and materials are being moved. Be careful: do not mix up the two forms. ‘Has been installed’ means the work is finished. ‘Is being installed’ means the work is still going on. Open the ‘Materials’ toggle for useful vocabulary. Now write your paragraph using at least four passive forms.

finished: has been / have been + past participle | in progress: is being / are being + past participle
  • Large glass panels have been installed across the upper storey of the facade.
  • Multi-level scaffolding has been erected around the sections that are still incomplete.
  • Concrete columns are being built at regular intervals along the ground floor.
⚠️ Watch out: The scaffolding has erected around the building. → The scaffolding has been erected around the building. — the passive always needs 'been' between the auxiliary verb and the past participle

🧰 Open the 'Materials' toggle to find the names of building materials and useful construction verbs.

→ Now write your paragraph of 60–80 words describing what has already been done and what is still in progress.

🧱 Colours and materials

🖼️Task 3 · What Has Been Done? Describing the Construction ProgressGrammar
Look at the construction site. Some parts of the terminal building are finished. Other parts are still being worked on. Write a short paragraph of 60–80 words describing what has already been done on the site. Use the present perfect passive (has been / have been) and the present continuous passive (is being / are being) to describe the current state of the building and the work in progress. Try to use at least four different passive forms in your paragraph.
Language focus: present perfect passive and present continuous passive
0 words / ~70 target
3Predicting What the Terminal Will Be Like→ Task 4

Step 3 · Predicting What the Terminal Will Be Like

🔧 Grammar — future speculation

To do this task, you need to make predictions about the future. Use ‘will’ when you are certain about something. Use ‘might’ or ‘could’ when you are less certain — when something is possible but not definite. Look at what you can already see. The facade already has large reflective glass panels, so you can be certain: the terminal will have a modern glass facade. You can also see the operational airport apron behind the hoarding, so passengers will probably use jet bridges to board their aircraft. For less certain ideas, use ‘might’ or ‘could’: the terminal could have a large baggage reclaim area, or it might include a control tower. Do not use ‘will’ for ideas you are guessing — save it for things the image clearly supports. Open the ‘Look Closer’ and ‘People’ toggles for ideas. Now write your paragraph of 70–90 words.

certain: will + base verb | possible: might / could + base verb
  • The terminal will have a modern glass facade because large reflective panels are already installed.
  • Passengers will use jet bridges to board their aircraft, like those visible at the existing terminal.
  • The building could become one of the largest terminals at the airport when the expansion is complete.
⚠️ Watch out: The terminal might will have a glass facade. → The terminal might have a glass facade. — never use two modal verbs together — choose either 'will' or 'might', not both

🧰 Open the 'Look Closer' and 'People' toggles for details about the building and the workers that can inspire your predictions.

→ Now write your paragraph, making at least two certain predictions with 'will' and at least two less certain predictions with 'might' or 'could'.

👁️ Look closer: how the picture is built

🧍 Who is doing what

🖼️Task 4 · When It's Finished: Predicting the Completed TerminalGrammar
Think about what the finished airport terminal will look like and how it will be used. Write a paragraph of 70–90 words predicting what the completed terminal will be like. Use future forms — will, might, and could — to make your predictions. You should make at least two certain predictions (will) and at least two less certain predictions (might or could). Base your predictions on what you can see in the image.
Language focus: future speculation with will, might, and could
0 words / ~80 target

💬 Discussion

• Would you like to work on a large construction site like this one? Why or why not?

• Airport expansion projects can be very expensive. Do you think it is important to build new terminals? Give a reason.

• The hoarding says 'Building Tomorrow's Journeys'. What do you think the finished terminal will offer to passengers that the old one does not?

🔒

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📐 Where things are — positional language for images