Vocabulary in context 6
COOL
GADGETS
Reading
Everyday technology Describing technology Operating technology 1 speaking
4b Read a text about the object in 4a and complete it with the correct form of these words. charge/recharge • c onnect • insert • plug in • press • run out • select • swipe • switch/turn • tap • unplug 41 Operating technology
News Sport Television Technology World More
A We live in an age where it seems that new smart gadgets are being created every day. A few may become essential parts of our lives and we’ll wonder how we ever lived without them. Others? Well, time will tell. Take a look at these recent inventions and decide for yourself if you think they’ll sink or swim. B The Hushme Voice Mask has been created by a team of inventors from Ukraine. At first the mask looks like a pair of headphones, but you put it around your mouth, not your ears. The mask uses insulation so your voice won’t be heard by others. There are two main reasons why the mask is used. Firstly, because you’re thinking of others and don’t want to disturb them when you’re speaking on your phone in a public place. Secondly, because you’re interested in private conversations remaining private. They’ve even added sounds to the mask so that, instead of you, people hear another sound, for example a monkey! So you don’t only look strange, but you sound strange, too. C The first TV remote control was invented in 1950, although it was actually connected to the TV by a cable. Today we have a battery-operated Remote Control Cushion. It has the advantage that it’s more difficult to lose than a normal remote control. But who knows what will happen if you sit on it by mistake? Or imagine that you fall asleep, move your head, and accidentally turn the volume all the way to the top!
D Everyday inventions are usually designed to save us time and/or energy. Take the vacuum cleaner for example. Well, now we have vacuum shoes. The idea is you clean the floor while you walk. A Japanese company called Denso organised a competition to find the best new design concept. The competition was won by these vacuum shoes. Some people who have worn the shoes say they’re heavy and not particularly attractive. The big problem is that they don’t really work unless you keep stepping in the same place for a while. That means you don’t get very far wearing these shoes. E Sometimes when a new invention appears it can take a while before people get used to it, and before the price becomes more accessible. Maybe one day Laundroids will be found in every home. The Laundroid is a large rectangular box, a bit like a wardrobe or giant fridge. At the bottom is a smaller Insert Box. This is where you throw in the clothes you’ve just washed and dried. The Laundroid learns to fold each different item of clothing. Thanks to Artificial Intelligence, it will also learn which member of the family the clothes belong to and will then separate them onto different shelves. But get ready to pay around $16,000! F There are lots more smart gadgets appearing every day. Examples include smart toasters that learn how you like your toast (can’t you just select your favourite setting already?), smart water bottles that tell you when you’re thirsty (don’t you know that already?), and selfie-stick spoons so you can take photos of yourself eating your favourite cereal in the morning (but … why?!). Some smart gadgets don’t always seem that smart. Lorem ipsum
In which place(s) do you normally
find these objects? Use a dictionary if necessary.
Tech World New posts
39 Everyday technology
air-conditioner • c ooker • dishwasher • electric toothbrush • fan • fridge-freezer • games console • heater • microwave oven • remote control • satnav • smart speaker • smart TV • sound system • toaster • vacuum cleaner • washing machine
About
Archives
More
MP3 players Digital media players have many advantages over phones when it comes to listening to music. They’re usually cheaper, lighter, better for sport and they save your phone’s storage and battery. Getting started Just follow these simple steps to start using one! First, (a) the charger to the mains (the electrical power in your house). (b) the charger to the MP3 player in order to (c) the battery. When this has finished, (d) the MP3 player from the charger. (e) your headphones or earphones into the correct socket. (f ) the MP3 player on if it hasn’t come on automatically (this depends on the model). You might need to (g) a button on the side or in the centre of the MP3 player to do this. Sometimes there are pre-installed songs on the MP3 player. (h) the song you want to listen to. To do this, (i) the screen up and down to see all of your songs and ( j) on the song you want. When you’ve finished, remember to (k) the MP3 player off so that the battery doesn’t (l) .
Separate these words into the three
2
speaking
categories below.
aluminium • b utton • ceramic • curved • glass • gold • hole • leather • metal • plastic • rectangular • round • rubber • silver • slot • socket • square • steel • straight • strap 40 Describing technology
Shape
Material
Feature
speaking With your partner, take it in turns to describe an object in 1 using words in 2. Say where you usually find the object and what you can do with it. Can your partner identify the word? It’s big and rectangular. It’s often white, but not always. It’s made of metal and plastic. You find it in the kitchen and you use it to keep food cold.
speaking Look at the inventions in the photos above. Describe them and say what you think they are for.
3 43 Which paragraph (A–F) tells us about … 1 an invention that helps you clean the house? 2 inventions that leave the writer very confused? 3 the fact that the future use of new inventions is not always guaranteed? 4 an invention that can help you to be good to others? 5 technology that gives us information we don’t really need? 6 an invention that might bring you problems if you don’t use it carefully? 7 an invention that could save you time and energy, but not money? 4 What do the underlined words in the text mean? Guess and then check in your dictionary. Critical thinkers 5 In your opinion, which are the most and least useful inventions in the text? What makes you say that? Use ideas in the text and/or other facts, opinions and experiences to justify your opinion. Then share your ideas with a partner.
3
1
2 Read the text and check your ideas in 1. What would be a good title for the text?
42 Listen and check your answers. Use it … don’t lose it!
4c
A fridge-freezer.
Exam tip
You are going to do a matching activity. In this type of activity, you say which text or part of a text contains a specific piece of information. After reading the text once quickly to get a general idea, what should you do next?
speaking Ask and answer the questions. 1 Which of the inventions in 1 do you use the most and the least (or never)? Why? 2 How do you operate one of the inventions you chose in 1? Use as many words from 4b as possible to explain it to your partner. 3 If you could only have five of the inventions in 1, which would you choose and why?
5
4a Look at the photo below and describe the object. Do you know what it is or what it’s for?
Reach higher
page 138
Reach higher
page 138
70
Unit 6
Unit 6
71
Made with FlippingBook Publishing Software