Technology
Before you start ...
- What's your favorite film? Talk about it.
- What's you favorite form of entertainment? Why?
Listen, read and talk about ...
- high tech gadgets
- electronic equipment & problems
- inventions
- temperature
- alternative energy
Learn how to ...
- report technical problems & respond
- make polite requests
Practice ...
- reported speech
- reported questions
- relative clauses
- phrasal verbs: bring
- words often confused: learned / taught, reason / cause, problem / trouble, discovered / invented
- word formation (en–, –ise, –en)
Write / give ...
- an article about your favorite gadgets
- an email to your pen-friend about a faulty gadget you bought
- a short description of a journey back in time
- an opinion essay
- a short text about an inventor
- short text about different types of thermometers
- a two-minute talk on alternative energy
8a. Reading skills
Vocabulary
- mobile phone
- video camera
- camera
- MP3 player
- CD player
- laptop
- printer
- headphones
- TV
1a. What does each of the above do? Which one(s) would you use to:
- record your lesson at school?
- tell the time?
- send a picture message to a friend?
- film a friend's birthday party?
- listen to music?
- send emails?
- keep a record of your spending?
- do some internet research on a project?
- listen to the news?
- plan your day or week?
1b. What kind of high tech gadgets do you have?
E.g. iPod, Play Station, mobile phone, etc? What do you use them for?
- I've got a smartphone. I mainly use it to plan my week or keep a record of my spendings.
- I've got a smartphone too, which I mainly use to look up things on internet.
Reading
2. Look at the profiles of the three people
What interests and hobbies do they have? What gadgets do you think the couldn't live without? Listen, read and say.
I'm not really into computers, gadgets and things like that, but I have to admit I really can't imagine life without my iPod! It's amazing being able to store the whole of your music collection on a tiny device. I like to listen to it when I'm walking to and from school.
Also, I'd find it almost impossible to be without my mobile phone. I just couldn't organise my social life without it, and my parents only allow me to stay out late on Saturday if I keep calling them. They want to know where I am.
I've just bought a digital camera with my birthday money. It's fantastic! I've taken so many photos of my friends. In fact, I'm even considering a career as a photographer.
I'm a complete geek, so it's hard to pick just three things I couldn't live without!
Firstly, though, I guess no one these days can survive without their mobile. Mins has got quite a good voice recorder on it so I often use it to record my university lectures so that I can listen to them again at home. It's really handy.
The second thing I really love is the portable DVD player that I won in a competition last year. I's studying at a university far away from my home town so it's really nice to be able to put my headphones and watch movies on the long bus journey back.
I'm a bit ashamed to admit, but I'm totally hooked on my PlayStation. I know I'm 19, but I'm still very keen on it. I can play for hours!
I'm a businesswoman so I suppose it goes without saying that I really couldn't live without my laptop and smartphone.
I'm not a naturally organised person so my smartphone in particular really helps me out. I use it as a diary, I change documents on it when I'm on the move and yes, I even play games on it on the underground on my way to work! It keeps my whole life together to the extent that I would feel quite lost without it!
And my laptop allows me to store all the information my clients need. I don't have to carry lot's of heavy files when I visit them.
Apart from work, I've alway had a passion for photography, so my absolute favourite gadget at the moment is my new camera. I'm having so much fun making home movies. I edit them using software on my laptop. It's a great pastime!
3a. Read the text again. Who (Andy, Tina or Sarah):
- needs a particular gadget for his / her hobby?
- values something that they didn't buy themselves?
- isn't very keen on technology?
- uses a gadget to help with his / her studies?
- would feel disorganised without a particular gadget?
- feels embarrassed about something he / she likes?
- is allowed more freedom because of a gadget?