Unit 05

Unit 5 Page 48 READING Exercise 3 A DIGITAL detox On average, we look at our phones 200 times a day. That's more than 12 times for every hour we're awake! A quarter of all people spend more time on their phone than they do asleep in bed. Nearly three-quarters of teenagers prefer texting to actually speaking with other people and, presumably, most of those teens also think that having a good wireless router in the house is more important than having a fridge. On average, a teenager will send 3,400 messages from their bed each month! These are just a few of the frightening statistics that show how addicted we have become to technology. And the effects of this are just as scary. Research has shown that our intensive phone usage means we are finding it harder to get a good night's sleep. Our addiction to social media means we are becoming more self-absorbed and screens are making our children less caring people, as they are less likely to think about the impact of what they might post on social media. Clearly, we must do something about this. But what? More and more experts are recommending a digital detox – an amount of time every day when we don't allow ourselves to look at our phones and other screens. Most people would probably agree this is a good idea, but putting it into practice is not that easy. That's why we've come up with a seven-step plan to help you put away your phone and get back to the business of living your life. 1 Make a list Write down all the things that you like doing but never find the time to do. By cutting down your online activity you will start to free up some time to do these things. 2 Be realistic Don't expect to be able to just put down your phone and never touch it again. Instead give yourself a time limit of how long you can use it each day. Even better, say exactly when you will allow yourself to use it and stick to that plan. 3 One goal at a time Decide on one change you want to make. Always leave your charger at home, So that you have to use your phone less to save the battery, and work towards achieving this. When you're comfortable with that change, move onto another. 4 Focus on others When you're with others, you should always give them your attention. If you keep looking at your phone, then you are not. This is a sign that it's time to start putting your phone away. 5 It's easier with a friend Find someone to start your detox with. That way, you can offer each other support and help each other through those difficult times. And if you need help, try and talk to them face to face rather than via text or video calls. 6 Leave your phone at home It's simple. If you haven't got your phone with you, then you can't use it. Don't be scared – you'll soon find lots of other things to do. You may even start to notice things you never noticed before. 7 Let others know about your plans Tell friends and family members what you're doing. Let them know you won't always be answering their messages the minute you get them. Who knows – they might even be tempted to join you.

Page 51 LISTENING Exercise 8 & 9 And now here with this week's latest tech news is Sian. Sian what have you got for us this week? Well, I think I have something you will absolutely love. Why's that? I think it's fair to say that you, Aaron, are a man of fashion. But you also have a terrible sense of direction. Unfortunately, that is true. So what you need is this pair of stylish shoes that tell you exactly in which direction to walk. Tell me more. These shoes are the invention of a man called Dominic Wilcox and he was inspired by the film The Wizard of Oz. In that film, the heroine, Dorothy, had a pair of red shoes and whenever she wanted to go home, she just clicked the heels together and her shoes magically took her there. So Dominic decided to design a pair of shoes to take you wherever you want to go. Wow. So, how do they work? Well, first you need to plug a USB cable into the heel of the left shoe where the GPS is located and upload your destination using specially designed mapping software. Then click your shoes together, just like Dorothy, and the shoes will show you where you need to go. They're so simple to use that I didn't need to read the manual. And how do they do that? Well, the left shoe has a circle of small lights on the top of it. There are eight of these lights in total and they act as a sort of compass. The light shows you the direction you need to go. I'm not sure I understand. OK, so if you need to go straight on, then the light at the top of the circle will light up. If you need to turn left then the light on the left-hand side lights up, and so on. So if I'm going completely the wrong way then the light at the bottom of the circle will light up and tell me to turn around. Exactly. Brilliant. Isn't it? But that's not all. On top of the right shoe there is a straight line of five small lights. These lights are a sort of progress bar. They show you how close you are to your destination. The more lights that are lit, the closer you are to where you want to go. But how does it do that if the GPS is in the left shoe? The GPS transmits this information using wireless technology. Wow, these shoes really are high tech. I don't need to worry about ever getting lost again. No, you don't! So I needn't have downloaded that GPS app for my phone. I should have just got a pair of these shoes instead. Absolutely. Page 51 PRONUNCIATION Exercise 1 Thank you for calling the Computer Now Helpline. To find out how to zip a file, upgrade a system or stream a video, press 1. To learn how to connect to wifi, browse the internet or post an update, press 2. For all other enquiries, press 3. Page 51 PRONUNCIATION Exercise 2 Thank you for calling the Computer Now Helpline. To find out how to zip a file, upgrade a system or stream a video, press 1. To learn how to connect to wifi, browse the internet or post an update, press 2. For all other enquiries, press 3.

Page 52 READING Exercise 3 Great success for teenage teachers – when silver surfers get connected A new documentary called Silver Surfers shows the inspiring story of a group of teens helping elderly people to improve the quality of their lives by teaching them how to make use of the internet. The people were aged between 76 and 93. Rosemary Raynes, the director of the documentary, got the idea for the film while talking to her sisters Poppy and Amy about a project the two of them had started several years before in Kingston, Canada. The two teenagers and a group of friends had a clear goal: they wanted to help elderly people to feel more connected to other people, through the use of the internet. They started the project after witnessing how the internet had changed their own grandparents lives. Their grandparents could use the internet at a basic level, but wanted to become more proficient. After the two girls had given them a few basic IT lessons, they were able to use the computer confidently, and became enthusiastic users of Skype, Facebook and email. The two students were so motivated by that success that they got several of their friends to join them. Together, they started to visit a local home for elderly people. Many of the people there couldn't even switch on a computer without help. But the young people were amazed by how much they had learned after only a few lessons. It's fascinating to see how the silver surfers featured in the film all had very different interests. Some of them wanted to use Facebook to stay in touch with family members who had emigrated to countries as far away as Australia. Others were keen to get ideas for travelling, learning how to play an instrument or cooking. The outcomes of the project were amazing: 89-year old Sheila, together with a friend, managed to create a YouTube cooking tutorial; 93-year-old Marilyn succeeded in making a rap video; Albert, 89, initially wanted to learn how to use the web to find old friends, and in doing so he was struck by how easy it was to reconnect online with people he hadn't seen in decades. He even managed to use his newly acquired skills to reunite with his daughter, who he had lost touch with. The documentary has been met with great enthusiasm in several countries, and a number of follow-up projects have been launched. They are all aimed at helping elderly people to explore the benefits of technology, have fun and stay in touch with others – thanks to a wonderful initiative by two teenage girls.

Page 54 Culture Exercise 2 FOUR OF THE SMARTEST CITIES SINGAPORE – AN EYE ON EVERYTHING Singapore has plans to become the world's first smart country and it is already a nation of sensors. They are everywhere. One area that is highly controlled by the sensors is transport. They are on all buses, trains and taxis and are used to help make sure the traffic runs smoothly. They can also predict where accidents are likely to happen. But the sensors are also used to monitor other areas of Singaporean life. For example, they can detect if someone is dropping litter or smoking in a public place. And for those who are worried about their privacy, the government has promised to make most of the data it collects open to the public, meaning you will be able to access the footage yourself. SAN FRANCISCO – KEEPING THE TRAFFIC FLOWING It's not surprising that the new 'capital' of Silicon Valley is also one of the US's smartest cities and it has implemented a number of impressive technologies to make life easier, such as an app that will guide motorists in the city to the nearest free parking spot. This app can detect how many people are in the car and charge accordingly. The more passengers, the cheaper it is. As a result of the tech boom, San Francisco has also seen a big rise in traffic congestion, as more and more people are coming to the city to work. Smart transportation is now a top priority for city planners as they hope to free up their highways and get their citizens moving around more freely. BARCELONA – GOING GREEN Barcelona prides itself on being a hub for environmentally-friendly smart technology. It has sensors to help monitor the levels of air and noise pollution and to turn on and off its street lighting, making sure no energy goes to waste. But where Barcelona is really leading the way is with its green technology and measures for reducing carbon emissions. For example, it has a system which checks the water levels in the ground and predicts future rainfall, which allows it to control the city's water consumption more effectively. It also has a smart waste disposal system. Citizens throw their waste into special bins from which it is sucked into underground storage. Here it is sorted and recycled, and some is burned, producing energy for heating systems. OSLO – TAKING CARE OF THE ELDERLY Oslo is another city with big green ambitions and it plans to be 95 percent carbon neutral by 2030. However, it also uses smart technology to help take care of its aging population as efficiently as possible. For example, it has installed sensors in the homes of citizens suffering from Alzheimer's disease. The technology allows carers to check in regularly with their patients to make sure all is well. It also reminds the patients of daily tasks, such as taking their medicine, via spoken messages. Motion sensors can also detect whether the patient has left the oven on or left a front door open and send out a warning alarm if the person is in danger. Such technology means more elderly people can continue living in their own homes for longer.