The audio files are available on the student companion website.

Also includes communication activities, grammar reference and audioscripts at the back of the student book.

"National Geographic Learning brings the world to your classroom with Life, a six-level integrated-skills series that develops fluency in American English. Through an exploration of real world content from National Geographic presented through stunning images, text, and video, learners will strengthen their existing global connections while learning the English skills needed for communication in the 21st century.

To encourage a generation of informed decision-makers, Life prepares learners to think critically while teaching the English skills needed communicate effectively through:

Information-rich topics that naturally promote curiosity and challenge learners to understand the themes In English on a deeper level.

Developing the 21st century skills needed in a technology-rich environment, like questioning authors and using visually literacy skills to infer meaning.

Explicit 'Critical Thinking' sections that take language learners from understanding, to evaluating, and finally to creating their own texts in English." (Publisher's Website)

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Unit 1 - Lessons for life
Language Focus: time phrases; the perfect aspect
Vocabulary: Wordbuilding: suffix -ness; idioms: irreversible word pairs; word focus: life
Real Life (Functions): presenting yourself; speaking skill: keeping going
Pronunciation: content words
Listening: a talk by a sociologist about defining who you are
Reading: an article about the lessons we learn from the past; an article about the language of Shakespeare
Critical Thinking: developing an argument
Speaking: your favorite saying; personality types; call my bluff
Writing: a cover letter
Writing skill: fixed expressions
Video: Arctic wisdom
Review

Unit 2 - More than a job
Language Focus: the continuous aspect; present and perfect participles Vocabulary: phrasal verb get; wordbuilding: phrases with do; idioms: health and safety; word focus: foot Real Life (Functions): giving a talk; speaking skill: keeping people's attention Pronunciation: checking specific words Listening: an interview with a woman firefighter Reading: an article about the Moken people of Myanmar; an article about rock climbing in Yosemite Critical Thinking: using contrasts Speaking: work as a way of life; health and safety issues; your comfort zone Writing: taking notes Writing skill: Abbreviations Video: Climbing Yosemite Review

Unit 3 - Four walls Language Focus: intensifying adverbs; emphatic structures Vocabulary: adverb and adjective collocations; towns; wordbuilding: suffix -able; word focus: wall Real Life (Functions): making recommendations; speaking skill: making a case Pronunciation: stress in intensifying adverbs; linking Listening: an interview with an architect about small homes Reading: an article about two model towns; an article about the architect Zana Hadid Critical Thinking: fact or opinion Speaking: your ideal home; town planning; how spaces affect you Writing: an opinion essay Writing skill: Linking devices Video: Denmark bridge Review

Unit 4 - Innovation Language Focus: past modals; probability Vocabulary: Phrasal verb come; idioms: partitives; wordbuilding: past participles as adjectives; word focus: give Real Life (Functions): making a short pitch; speaking skill: Using rhetorical questions Pronunciation: weak forms; long and short vowels Listening: an interview about the inspiration for inventions Reading: an article about origami engineering; an article about a social entrepreneur Critical Thinking: finding counter arguments Speaking: what you can't live without; origami ideas; being on the spot Writing: describing how things work writing skill: Punctuation
Video: Ethical Ocean
Review

Unit 5 - The writer's journey
Language Focus: substitution; nominalization
Vocabulary: Wordbuilding: -ing adjectives; roads and ways; a good read; idioms: rhyming expressions; word focus: cast
Real Life (Functions): reading aloud; speaking skill: engaging your audience
Pronunciation: intonation in short responses
Listening: part of a radio show about an extraordinary journey into the Himalayas
Reading: an article about the graphic novel; a passage from the book In Patagonia
Critical Thinking: Analyzing descriptive language
Speaking: a good read; speech bubbles; describing impressions
Writing: a book review
writing skill: Descriptive words
Video: On the road: Andrew McCarthy
Review

Unit 6 - Body matters
Language Focus: phrasal verbs; verb patterns
Vocabulary: wordbuilding: off and up; injuries; idioms: health; word focus: face
Real Life (Functions): discussing proposals; speaking skill: Conceding a point
Pronunciation: toning down negative statements
Listening: an interview with an ultrarunner about sports injuries
Reading: an article about different exercise regimes; an article about beauty
Critical Thinking: identifying aims
Speaking: exercise trends; describing and injury; does beauty sell?
Writing: a formal report
writing skill: linking adverbs and adverbial phrases
Video: Palestinian free running
Review

Unit 7 - Stories from history Language Focus: linking words; subordinate clauses
Vocabulary: wordbuilding: noun formation; stories from history; idioms: luck; word focus: bear
Real Life (Functions): asking for confirmation and clarification; speaking skill: prefacing a question and seeking clarification
Pronunciation: intonation in subordinate clauses; intonation in questions
Listening: a radio interview about an archaeological find
Reading: an article about Herodotus and the story of the Persian invasion of Greece; a story about hidden treasure
Critical Thinking: fact or conjecture
Speaking: stories from history; social history; historical irony
Writing: describing a past event
writing skill: sequencing events
Video: Collecting the past
Review

Unit 8 - Digital media Language Focus: passive reporting verbs; expressions with no
Vocabulary: wordbuilding: compound nouns; idioms: business buzz words; word focus: break
Real Life (Functions): making a podcast; speaking skill: hedging language
Pronunciation: word stress
Listening: an interview about social media marketing
Reading: a photographer's blog about sinkholes; an article about a day at a hacker's conference
Critical Thinking: identifying personal opinions
Speaking: blogging; using social media; IT security
Writing: an online news report
writing skills: cautious language
Video: Talking dictionaries
Review

Unit 9 - The music in us Language Focus: the adverb just; expressing purpose
Vocabulary: themes of songs; wordbuilding: negative prefixes; idioms: music; word focus: hit
Real Life (Functions): your favourite music: speaking skill: responding to difficult questions
Pronunciation: word stress: just; intonation to express uncertainty
Listening: a talk by a neuroscientist about music therapy
Reading: an interview with a musician about music and culture; a review of a documentary about Bob Marley
Critical Thinking: identifying text types
Speaking: themes of songs; mood music; a charity concert
Writing: a description
writing skill: parallel structures
Video: A biopic page Review

Unit 10 - Social living
Language Focus: tag questions; adverbs
Vocabulary: wordbuilding: compound adjectives; idioms: animal verbs; word focus: free
Real Life (Functions): making conversation; speaking skill: showing interest
Pronunciation: tag questions
Listening: an interview with a sociologist about citizenship education
Reading: an article about ant society; an article about the Hazda of Tanzania
Critical Thinking: reading between the lines
Speaking: civic duties; social animals; a conservation project
Writing: a discursive essay
writing skill: critical thinking in writing
Video: Initiation with ants Review

Unit 11 - Reason and emotion Language Focus: unreal past; inversion in conditionals
Vocabulary: idioms: feelings; wordbuilding: heteronyms; word focus: move
Real Life (Functions): recognizing feelings; speaking skill: Recognizing others' feelings
Pronunciation: heteronyms; Adjectives ending in -ed
Listening: an interview with a psychologist about understanding emotions
Reading: an article about irrational thinking; an article about the new generation of robots
Critical Thinking: understanding style
Speaking: modern life; mind games; technology ethics
Writing: an email message
writing skill: avoiding misunderstandings
Video: Self-teaching robots Review

Unit 12 - Landscapes Language Focus: approximation; qualifiers

Vocabulary: idioms: adjective collocations; wordbuilding: suffix -ity; word focus: space and room
Real Life (Functions): a debate; speaking skill: Interrupting
Pronunciation: intonation in interruptions
Listening: part of a radio show about the Japanese poet Basho
Reading: an article about William Allard's American West; an article about a camera obscura
Critical Thinking: identifying aims
Speaking: special places; events in nature; explaining a technique
Writing: Haiku; a speculative letter
writing skill: persuasive language
Video: Canada oil sands Review

Communication Activities

Grammar Reference

Audioscripts

For advanced (C1 - CEFR) ESL learners.