Unit 8: Pin rides his bike

Pin is a blue little monster and he is 11 years old. He has got a lot of friends at school: Sam, Cheek, Lyn...

One day of January, Pin wakes up and while he is having his breakfast, he watches TV with his mum:

“For nearly a billion years, the ozone layer has protected life on Earth from the effects of ultraviolet radiation from the Sun. This radiation is very dangerous for human beings and plants. Moreover, human activity is contributing to the deterioration of the ozone layer”.

-  Oh, my god, mum! Our world is in danger and it is our fault! Why?

-  Well, we use many CFCs.

-  What is that, mum?

-  CFCs are chemical compounds which contain chlorine, fluorine and carbon. You can find them in cleaning products, so we should not use them because CFCs destroy the ozone layer.

-  I can see. So how should we protect the ozone layer?

-  Well, we should use energy-saving light bulbs, called LEDS, we should check that our fridges and air conditioners don’t have leaks and we should use environmentally-friendly fertilizers.

-  OK... And what about the gases that the means of transport emit?

-  Well, that is another story. Ideally, we should avoid to use the car.

-  But how can we go to school then?

-  Come on Pin, you have many options. You can take the bus, you can go on foot and you can even ride your bike. Your school is just fifteen minutes on foot!

-  Yes, you are right. And to go on holiday, we can use public transports, like the plane, a boat, the train or a bus. What public transport do you prefer?

-  Um, let me think… I prefer the train to the bus.

-  Why?

-  Because there is more space and you can sit back. In my opinion, trains are more comfortable than buses. What about you?

-  Well, I love travelling by boat, but it is very polluting, so my favourite public means of transport is the plane because it is safe and I think that it is less polluting than the boat.

-  I agree with you. And what should we do if we need the car for a long journey?

-  In that case, we should check the shortest way to reduce pollution.

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After that mature conversation, Pin decides to ride his bike to go to school because he believes that a bike is the cheapest, the healthiest and the most environmentally-friendly means of transport. When he arrives at school, he enters the English classroom.

-  Good morning, boys and girls. Today, we have to talk about a very important topic. Do you use public transports?

-  I don’t like public transports. I always have to wait at the bus stop.

-  So why don’t you download the app of the bus company to check the timetable of your bus?

-  Well, I have not thought about it. That is a great idea!

-  Excuse me, Miss, I don’t like public transports because people often talk too loudly and that gets on my nerves!

-  And why don’t you ask them to talk more softly?

-  Sure, you are right.

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When the lesson finishes, Pin comes back home. While he is riding his bike, he is distracted, so he gets lost and arrives at a strange forest, so he starts to cry.

-  Oh, my god! Where am I?

Luckily, he finds a woman in the forest.

-  Hello, gentleman. Why are you crying?

-  I have been distracted, so I am lost. Is this the way to my house?

-  Where do you live?

-  I live in Park Avenue, next to the hospital.

-  So this is not the way to your house. Follow me. I can give you a lift on my car.

-  OK. Thank you very much.

-  No worries.

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While the woman and Pin are in the car, Pin recognises a park and a supermarket, so he discovers that they are not going in the right direction. He listens to the woman talking to another person on the phone.

-  Yes, I am with the boy. He has believed me and thinks that I am bringing him home.

Pin starts to feel frightened. Pin doesn’t trust that woman and when she stops the car in a petrol station, Pin decides to ride his bike very quickly and to ask for help to a young man:

-  Please, can you help me? I am lost and I think that a woman has tried to kidnap me.

-  Of course. Where do you live?

-  I live in Park Avenue.

-  OK. Go straight on, turn right at the third street. Then, go straight on 200 metres. Later, stop and turn left. Your house is next to the hospital.

-  Yes, it is! Thank you very much!

-  You’re welcome. Be careful!

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When Pin arrives home, he turns on the TV:

“The police has arrested a woman for kidnapping three children in the centre of London. Luckily, every child is safe…”

When Pin’s mum arrives home, she finds Pin crying.

-  What is wrong?

-  A woman has almost kidnapped me today! I have been very scared!

-  Oh my god! You shouldn’t trust strangers, Pin!

-  I know mum. I am sorry…

At the end of the day, he has learned that we should use public transports and ride our bikes to protect the environment and that we should not trust strangers, even if we are lost in the forest.

THE END