Analytical

Reading
and
Effective
Writing

Baku – 2019
 Compilers:
PhD, senior lecturer, Hajiyeva Konul Khanlar
Lecturer, Aghayeva Sevil Ismet
Senior Lecturer, Monsumova Naile Ismayil
Lecturer, Yusifova Zeynab Ogtay

Approved by the decision

of the Scientific Committee meeting
dated to 8 June, 2019 (Minutes 29).

Editor:
PhD, assoc., prof., A.M. Bayramova
Reviewers:
DS, assoc., prof., L. Jafarova
PhD, assoc., prof., A. Mammadova
PhD, assoc., prof., A. Safiyev
PhD, N. Adilov

Analytical Reading and Effective Writing. “Neshriyyat”, Baku, 2019, 164 p.

ISBN...............................

У Hajiyeva K., Aghayeva S.,

Monsumova N., Yusifova Z., 2019
 Contents

Unit 1
What is Smart Thinking? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Unit 2
Society and Social Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Unit 3
Science, Technology and Medicine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Unit 4
Lifestyle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Unit 5
The News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

Unit 6
Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

Unit 7
Inequality, Wealth and Happiness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119

Unit 8
Design and Productivity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145

References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161

3
 Introduction

This book is compiled for students at Higher

Education Institutions where English is a medium
of instruction and is intended for higher interme-
diate to advanced level learners. Analytical
Reading and Effective Writing is designed to
expose students to a number of academic texts on
a variety of subject areas. The topics vary from
social issues, technology, medicine, happiness
and many more. The texts are taken from The Art of
Critical Reading and EAP Now, English for Aca-
demic Purposes, websites and other resources.
Analytical Reading and Effective Writing aims to help students become better
learners by reflecting on their study skills. In the meantime, it is expected to promote
self-awareness by prompting students on self-questioning. The main focus of this book
is to get students acquainted with the academic requirements when writing a paper and
the skills of a successful reader. To achieve the intended outcome this book provides a
number of techniques and strategies that can facilitate the process of approaching the
text with a critical eye. This publication is more than just a compilation of exercises that
check reading comprehension, but its target is to develop students' critical and
analytical thinking with the emphasis on high order thinking skills.
This book comprises some aspects of smart thinking, enables students to boost
critical and analytical reading skills, exposes learners' to idea generation phenomenon
within the given content and, lastly, exploits a series of language patterns which are
accountable in academic writing.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

This book has developed out of series of resources on Critical Reading and English for Academic
Purposes. It is dedicated to our students and colleagues who strive to enhance their academic reading
skills and learn how to analyze, evaluate and synthesize the abstract concepts from different
perspectives. Compilation of this book took two years since the selection process of the tasks and
exercises should reflect college students’ needs and interests in an academic context.
We would like to include a special note to the head of the department of Innovations in Education
PhD, associate professor Aytan Bayramova for her encouragement and support. She continually and
persuasively conveyed a spirit of inspiration regarding our textbook. Her constant supervision and
motivation enabled us to pursue the process of publication.
Secondly, we feel indebted to our dearest friend and designer at Azerbaijan Publication agency
Mohubbet Orujov who works for closely following our textbook compilation from the beginning up to the
completion. We highly appreciate his contribution to the book design and grateful to his hard work.

4
 What is Smart
1 Thinking?

5
 UNIT
1 What is smart thinking?

There are many words associated

with what is termed 'thinking'. We are
often told to 'think about the issues', to
'analyze in more depth', to 'use
reasoning', or to 'be rational'. Often
students are told that they must think
'critically' if they are to succeed. When
people write essays or reports, they
are usually advised to make sure that
they have a good 'argument' or that
they 'explain in detail'. But do
students (and lecturers) really know
what these words and phrases mean?
Can we actually identify the key skills
and underlying techniques that allow
us to think be er? The answer is Yes.

Smart thinking means knowing how to:

w work out and express your main ideas
w plan your communication of ideas so that they can be clearly understood
w check to see if you have covered all the important parts of your topic
w establish a framework or structure in which your basic facts and evidence
make sense
w present ideas by linking them together to convince readers of your conclusion

Task A
Look at the four actions listed below and, writing on a piece of paper, list some
examples in your own life of when you have successfully done these actions and
why you did them.
w Ask questions (of ourselves and others)
w Seek out information
w Make connections
w Interpret and evaluate

6
Unit 1 What is Smart Thinking?
Thinking about thinking

Reasoning is something we already do: all of us have learnt, in one

way or another, to think and to reason, to make connections and see
relationships between various events and a itudes in our world. So,
being a smart thinker is not about becoming a different sort of per-
son, but about improving skills that you already have. The way to
achieve this goal is to become explicitly aware of analytical processes
involved in reasoning. If you do, then you will be able to analyze
complex issues more deeply, understand and process information
more effectively, and communicate your ideas convincingly.
Critical thinking skills truly ma er in learning. Why? Because they
are life skills, we use every day of our lives. Consciously developing
critical thinking skills takes thought-provoking discussion, and the
best questions to get it going. Begin right here with the Critical
Thinking Skills Cheat sheet.

With this Cheatsheet you can: Ø Shift responsibility for learning

Ø Build strong critical thinking habits Ø Encourage curiosity and creative
Ø Develop lifelong learning mindsets thought
Ø Engage students/teachers in Ø Make learning a rewarding
discussion and collaboration journey

... benefits from this? ... have you also heard discuss this?
... is this harmful to? ... would be the best person to consult?
Who ... makes decisions about this? ... will be the key people in this?
... is most directly affected? ... deserves recognition for this?

... are the strengths/weaknesses? ... is the best/worst case scenario?

... is another perspective? ... is most/least important?
What ... is another alternative? ... can we do to make a positive change?
... would be a counterargument? ... is getting in the way of our action?
whenever you discover or discuss new information. These are
broad and versatile questions that have limitless applications!
Want to exercise critical thinking skills? Ask these questions

... would we see this in the real world? ... can we get more information?
Critical Thinking

... are there similar concepts/situations? ... do we go for help with this?
Where ... is there the most need for this? ... will this idea take us?
The Ultimate Cheatsheet tor

... in the world would this be a problem? ... are the areas for improvement?

... is this acceptable/unacceptable? ... will we know we've succeeded?

... would this benefit our society? ... has this played a part in our history?
Where ... would this cause a problem? ... can we expect this to change?
citizen foundation

... is the best time to take action? ... should we ask for help with this?
global digital

... is this a problem/challenge? ... should people know about this?

... is it relevant to me/others? ... has it been this way for so long?
Where ... is this the best/worst scenario? ... have we allowed this to happen?
... are people influenced by this? ... is there a need for this today?

... is this similar to? ... does this benefit us/others?

... does this disrupt things? ... does this harm us/others?
Where ... do we know the truth about this? ... do we see this in the future?
... will we approach this safely? ... can we change this for our good?

7
What is Critical Reading?
Everyone knows what reading is, but what is critical reading? What does critical
really mean? It can mean several things; take a few minutes and brainstorm how
many uses of the word critical you can think of. You might come up with examples
similar to these:
Ø You may know that to be critical of someone or something is to “disapprove
of” or to “have a negative response to” that person or thing.
Example: Some people are critical of the government's economic policies.
Ø You may also know that critical can mean “very important”, rather like crucial
or vital.
Example: Today's meeting is critical to the future of the project.
Ø You may refer to a situation as critical, meaning that the situation is very
serious.
Example: The situation in the Middle East has reached a critical point.
Ø If a patient in a hospital is in critical condition, you can guess that things are
not looking good for him or her.
Example: The survivors of the plane crash are in critical condition in the
hospital.

These are all useful meanings of the word critical, but none of these explains
what we mean by critical reading. There is another meaning of the word critical.
Think about the word critic. What does a movie critic do? He or she watches a
movie-often a newly released movie- and writes a review of the movie. This review
might include comments about the acting, the plot, the directing, the soundtrack, the
special effects and more. This report might be negative, or it could just as easily be
positive; no matter what, it expresses a judgment about the quality of the movie.

Be careful!
You probably know the verb to criticize (=say something negative
about a person or situation). Don't let this confuse you; critical
reading does not have to be negative. Your critical analysis of a
text might actually be quite positive!

The key word here is judgment. When you read critically, you do similar things to
those a movie critic does. In your case, you do not notice or comment on actors or
special effects; you notice and comment on the text you are reading. Specifically,
Ø You analyze the circumstances of the publication of a piece of writing: who
wrote it, when, and where it was published and why it was written;
Ø You question how the author reaches his or her conclusions and on what
evidence these are based; you evaluate any original research the author
might have done, as well as any other sources the author uses to support
his or her points;

8
Unit 1 What is Smart Thinking?
 Ø You compare and contrast this piece of writing what you already know
about the topic; you consider whether it supports what others have written
or whether it presents a new opinion;
Ø You assess the strengths, weaknesses and
general validity of a piece of writing, based
on your careful reading of it. Your response
may be positive, or it may be negative; your
evaluation of a text is your own, and it may
not be the same as that of your friend, your
classmate or even your teacher.

Be careful!
A critical response is not an emotional response. There are some
topics that people will always have very strong feelings about;
these feelings are sometimes based on religious or political beliefs.
You may read an article in which the author presents an opinion
very different from your own. It is easy to become angry with the
writer and to dismiss the text as nonsense. Instead, you need to
look objectively at the author's argument. Come to a reasoned
analysis, not an emotional reaction.

Task B
Read the text and answer the following questions.
The first Moon Landing
On July 20, 1969, two Americans named Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin
did what no other humans had ever done: they walked on the moon. They had tra-
velled to the moon in the Apollo 11 spacecraft; attached to Apollo 11 was a smaller
Lunar Module, which made the landing. A third team member, Michael Collins,
piloted the main spacecraft and did not walk on the moon.
Armstrong stepped onto the surface of the moon and made his famous statement
that the moon landing was “one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.”
The 1969 moon landing was a key event in twentieth-century history. This was the
era of the Cold War, and the USA and USSR were engaged in a “space race” to
achieve supremacy in space exploration. In 1957, the Russian satellite Sputnik 1
had orbited the earth; however, by landing on the moon on that July evening, the
Americans claimed victory in the intense competition.
w Who first walked on the moon?
w What were the first words spoken on the moon?
w When was the first moon landing?
w Where did the astronauts come from?
w How did they get to the moon?
w Why was this event important?

9
 You read this information, and if you trust the author, you accept it. Your goal is to
learn the facts, not to question them.
However, as you read more, you might learn that not everyone accepts the moon
landing as the truth. Some people believe it never happened and that it was filmed
on a movie set or in the desert of the western USA.
What evidence do they put forward to support their claim? Here are some points:
w First, the astronauts who landed on the moon took a photograph. The flag in
this photograph appears to be waving in the wind; There is no wind on the
moon.
w Second, no stars are visible in any of the pictures taken on the moon, even
though the pictures were taken in space.
w Third, close examination of the pictures and footage from the moon landing
appears to show everyday items. There is a rock with the letter C on it (which
suggests it may be a film prop). A woman in Australia claimed to see a Coca-
Cola bottle roll across the ground as she was watching the footage on
television.

Task C
Read the events in recent history which have attracted similar controversy.
In pairs, discuss if the author has a good point and whether this argument is
strong.
w Some people think the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in No-
vember 1963 was not the work of a single gunman but was part of a larger
plot.
w Some people think the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1997 was not an
accident and that she was murdered by representatives of the British
government or royal family.
w Some people think the American government knew in advance about the
terrorist attacks in New York and Washington on September 11, 2001.

Why Critical Reading is important

Critical readers go beyond reading as information gathering to

reading as an active process where the reader interrogates,
analyzes, and evaluates texts. In your course at university, you
might be asked to respond critically to a wri en article, a video, a
website or a piece of art. Your instructor will want to see that you
have not only understood the work but that you can respond to it,
discuss its strengths and weaknesses and make your own decision
about the merit of the work. Critical readers do not blindly accept
information they read. Instead, critical readers employ critical
reading strategies that allow them to evaluate whether they want
to accept the information presented in texts (Benner, 2009).

10
Unit 1 What is Smart Thinking?
Look at the table below and compare them.

Non-Critical Reading Critical Reading

Passive reading of text Active, analytic reading of text
Recognizing what a text says about a Rereading to identify patterns and
topic analyze how the text is written
Goal is to make sense out of text, Goal is to interpret information,
understand information, ideas and assumptions, and language; dig into the
opinions underlying meaning of the text

Your university professor will be looking for evidence of critical analysis when
they evaluate your work, so don't be afraid to show your own thoughts on a topic or
a reading.
Why do students need to become Critical Readers?
There are numerous reasons why students need to become critical readers.
Critical reading supports academic success and content acquisition at the college
level, is a needed life skill for an increasingly complex world, and creates more
thoughtful and informed participants in society (Benner, 2009).
New Generation of Critical Readers
Academic Societal Life Skills
w Reading and the w Reading makes us w The world is becoming
growth of the mind a more thoughtful and more complex
mind are related are informed participants in
related our governments
w Reading supports being w Reading develops our w Readers need to
prepared to learn understanding of other navigate a wider variety
w Active, critical readers culture of texts today: written
are stronger writers and w Reading develops our texts, visual texts, and
more critical thinkers understanding of other auditory texts
w Being a critical reader cultures w Readers are bombar-
will help students to be w Reading “arms us ded by messages from
successful with any against oppression” media: politicians, news
course across any (Gallagher, 2003) outlets, business,
discipline-critical bloggers, etc.
reading is a w Today's students need
transferrable skill. to be prepared for
careers that change
drastically in the coming
years and for careers
that do not yet exist

11
Questions to consider
Before you read the text, think about these questions.
Ø Where was this text published? Was it published in a peer-reviewed academic
journal, or somewhere else? How can you tell? Why does it matter?
Ø When was this text published? Is the publication date important? Is the
material still relevant?
Ø Who wrote the text? What do we know about this person? What credentials
might this author have? What biases might he or she have?
Ø What is the author's opinion of the topic being discussed? Why did the
author write this text? Who is the text intended for? What does the author
want the reader to do as a result of reading thus text?

As you read the text

Ø Is this a purely factual piece, or does the author present a personal opinion
here? How can you tell what is the fact and what is an opinion?
Ø Does the text present a convincing argument about the topic in question? Has
the author done empirical research, how are the author's points supported?
Are there statistics? If so, where from? How about quotations from others?
Does the writer rely on anecdotes? If so, are these convincing?
Ø How do you respond to a text that has no supporting evidence at all, but is
simply a well-written presentation of the author's own opinion?

After you read the text

Ø What is the larger context of this work? How does the text support or
contradict other opinions on this topic? Who might agree with this text? Who
might disagree? What should you do if a text presents an opinion that is very
different from those presented in other articles you have read on the same
topic? Should you ignore it, or should you consider it?
Ø How does the text compare with your own experiences and opinions? Does it
support your own experiences, or does it contradict them?

Task D
Discuss the following questions with your group.
1. A website from the United Nations, Scientific and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO) gives some statistics about the level of education reached by
young women in Indonesia. Is this a reliable source?
2. You find an interesting article about addiction to online gambling. The article
has some interesting statistics, but it was published ten years ago. Is it worth
using?
3. You find a book about World War II that presents a different opinion from your
other sources. What would you like to know about the author before you
decide whether or not to take him seriously?

12
Unit 1 What is Smart Thinking?
4. An article tells you that research exploration is a waste of money. Do you think
this article is presenting facts or opinions? How can you tell? What might you
look for in the article?
5. You have read nine different articles that tell you that there is no connection
between wealth and happiness. The tenth article gives the opposite opinion:
rich people are happier than those who are poor. What questions would you
ask yourself about this article before you decide whether or not to consider it?
6. A newspaper article tells you about human rights abuses in a certain country.
The writer of this article has never visited the country in question; his claims
are based on interviews with other people. How would you evaluate his
information?
7. You find two websites about the use of seaweed as a source of energy. One is
full of long words and complicated sentences; the other uses simple, clear
language. Is the first one a more reliable source?

13
 Society and
2 Social issues

“A Nation's greatness is measured by how it treats its weakest members”

Mahatma Ghandi

15
 UNIT
2 Society and Social issues?

OUTCOME
In this unit, you will look at several aspects of society including families and
social issues. You will acquire basic reading techniques and strategies such as
scanning, skimning, reading in detail, and will also look at how to use collocations to
make your English sound natural and fluent. Finally, You will get involved in
discussions in which you signpost your ideas clearly, give supporting information
and avoid overgeneralisation.
By the end of this unit, You should:
Ÿ have gained confidence in discussing issues around society;
Ÿ be able to quickly find the main ideas in text by skimming;
Ÿ be able to scan the text to find detailed information;
Ÿ be aware of the importance of using collocations;
Ÿ be able to take part in discussions by justifying supporting information and
avoiding over-generalisation;
Ÿ have learned the diffrerense between weak and strong.

Task A | Discussion and vocabulary about social issues

1) Discuss these points:
a) what aspects/features of society do you know?
b) what can give people advantage in society?
c) what can cause social disadvantage?
2) In groups, give your impressions about the points listed under the 'Features of
societies' on the next page, using the questions as a guide.

16
Unit 2 Society and Social issues
Features of societies
leisure time immigration disposable income
the wealth divide equality discrimination
crime poverty life expectancy
infant mortality household size welfare

[a] Which of the points are positive, which are negative and which are neutral?
Or does your answer depend on the context? If so, in what way?
[b] Are any of these serious issues in your country? Or are they discussed a lot
in the media?
[c] What can governments do to help deal with the negative issues to encourage
the positive issues?
[d] For each of the issues, has the trend been upwards or downwards since your
grandparents' time? If you're not sure, speculate. Give reasons.

Vocabulary
immigration (n) moving to another country to live; to migrate (v)
diversity (n) including many different types of people (or things); diverse
(adj); diversify (v)
leisure time (n) free time
equality (n) being treated equally; having the same rights and
responsibilities as other people
discrimination (n) being treated differently in an unfair way, sex, religion
usually because of things you can't control, such as skin
colour or where your family is from (examples are sexism
and racism); discriminate (v)
poverty (n) the state of being being poor
life expectancy (n) the average period that a person may expect to live
infant mortality (n) the number of babies who die in every 1000 that are born
the wealth divide (n) if a country has a large wealth divide, there is a big difference
between the rich and poor in that country.
a household (n) the people who live in the same house
a trend (n) the general way in which something is changing with time,
e.g. In the last century, there has been an upward trend in the
amount of leisure time that people have
welfare (n) money paid by the government, usually to people who don't
have enough money to look after themselves, e.g.
unemployment benefit

(3) Look at the quotation at the beginning of this unit.

17
 Do you agree with it? Why? Discuss with your group.

TASK B | Collocations
Collocations

Notice the words 'life expectancy' in the vocabulary box in

Task A. Now, 'lifespan' means 'how long a person lives'. So, why
don't we say 'lifespan expectancy'?
The answer is that the words 'life' and 'expectancy' form a
collocation. A collocation is a combination of words that just-fit
together. We can say that 'life' collocates with 'expectancy', There
is often no special reason that they fit together; it's just that they
are very frequently used together by speakers of English. Using
word combinations that don't collocate, such as 'lifespan
expectancy', sounds strange.
Using collocations will help your English sound natural. Try to
notice collocations and use them – this is one of the best ways to
make your English sound natural.
If you're not sure whether words collocate, you can ask your
teacher:
– is xxx xxx a good collocation?
– ones xxx xxx sound natural?

1. Work in small groups. In each of the following, cross out one that doesn't
collocate. Using your experience of English and each other's knowledge will help.

[a] have dinner [e] considerable advantages

eat dinner considerable good points
prepare dinner considerable benefits
[b] members of the family [f] friend support
members of the company government support
members of the group family support
[c] high quality [g] do a crime
top quality commit a crime
large quality [h] migrate in Australia
[d] have contact with migrate to Australia
do contact with
made contact with

18
Unit 2 Society and Social issues
 2. Match the two parts of these collocations.
1. apply for a) wife 6. distant f) separation
2. get b) your family 7. set up g) children
3. estranged c) custody 8. trial h) relative
4. nuclear d) a divorce 9. bring up I) cousin
5. provide for e) family 10. blood j) home

3. As you work through the rest of this unit, make a list of collocations that you come
across. You will compare lists at the end of this unit.

TASK C | Skimming
1. Imagine you have to read a chapter of a book about sociology of the family.
Match the techniques to the Tasks listed. Discuss the answers with a partner.
Tasks – you want to: The best reading technique is ... :
1. find the average number of a. read the whole chapter carefully,
members of a household in UK in one sentence after the next
2010 b. read sub-headings, topic sentence
2. understand just the main points and captions only, missing out the
made in the chapter bits in between
3. thoroughly understand each major c. look quickly through each page,
point looking only for small numbers

Reading many pages quickly

You will have a lot of reading to do at university – maybe hundreds of

pages every week. It is not possible to read every word. Thus, it's
important to think carefully about how you will approach each text.
One of these approaches is skimming. You skim when you are
looking at a text quickly to find out only the author's main points. You
only spend a few seconds on each page, without reading every word.
When you skim, it is useful to pay a ention to:
Ø introductions
Ø the beginning of a paragraph, where the theme or topic sentence is
usually found
Ø titles and captions of pictures and diagrams, etc.
Ø heading and titles
Ø words in bold or italics: these are often key words.
Skimming is sometimes called reading for gist. If someone asks you to read
just for the main ideas, skimming will help you do this.

19
Some examples of when you might skim include:
w when you first see a text (e.g. an article or a book chapter on your reading list, or
something you have to read, in an exam)
w to decide whether a text might contain useful information for your assignment
w when you have a lot of reading to do, skimming can help you find the most important
parts of a text to focus on and read in more detail.
Another approach is scanning. Scanning is a reading method where you look over a
text and search for certain and specific information. You do not try to read every word.
You scan for the words you need.
2. The table below shows some differences between skimming, scanning and
reading in detail. Work in pairs.
Tick the best column(s) for each row. More than one answer is possible for each row.
READING SKIMMING SCANNING
IN DETAIL ü = YES ü = YES
ü = YES
This technique
I … need more time than the others
I … is very quickI … helps you understand
a text thoroughly
… helps you efficiently get just the
information you need
use technique, you need to
… know which word or idea you're looking
for before you begin reading
… read very word of the text
… look for main ideas only
… look for specific information, such as
numbers, dates or specific facts
… focus on topic sentences, summary
sentences, introductions abstracts and
conclusions

3. In the following situations, which technique would you use: skimming,

scanning or reading in detail? Why? Sometimes, you may be able to justify more
than one answer.
Discuss with your partner, then write the answers you decide.
[a] Reading the TV guide/TV times pages of a website to find when a particular
programme is on.

20
Unit 2 Society and Social issues
 ________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
[b] Reading a film review to decide whether it's generally good, OK or bad.
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
[c] Reading the blurb on the back cover of a book to find out whether it is useful for
beginning students in a particular field.
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
[d] Reading the contents page of a book to decide whether it covers the area you're
looking for.
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
[e] Reading an article to find the percentage of people who said that they believe TV
violence affects children negatively.
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
[f] Reading an index to find the pages on which something called the demographic
time bomb is mentioned.
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
[g] Reading a chapter of a book to find out whether it mentions Yang Tingzhong
(a sociologist).
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
[h] Reading a journal article to decide whether it might contain information useful to
your research project.
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

TASK D | Reading introducing the topic and vocabulary

1. Imagine your friend has an elderly grandparent who lives many hours away
from their children. The grandparent is struggling to look after themselves.
Which of the decisions below do you think is best? Work with a partner to number
them in an approximate order of preference. What factors might affect your decision?
_____ Invite their grandparent to live with them.
_____ Do nothing, because older people prefer to live independently.
_____ Look for government-run retirement home nearby – these are paid for by the
person's government pension, and in some cases government subsidies also help.
_____ Look for a private retirement home nearby – usually these provide more
attractive accommodation and may have a better staff-resident ratio, but are much more
expensive than a government retirement home.

21
Vocabulary
a childcare center (n) a place where very young children are looked after while
their parents work
a retirement home (n) a place where old people who can't look after themselves
are cared for
private (adj) operated by a company or similar organisation; can be
for-profit or non-profit. Also privately-run (adj). The
alternative is government (adj) or government-run (adj)
an extended family (n) a family group that includes more than just the parents
and children; may include grandparents, aunts, cousins
etc.
a pension (n) money that people receive when they are retired
a profit (n) money that a company has after paying its expenses
a subsidy(n) money (usually from the government) to reduce the cost
of something; subsidies (v)

2. Work in pairs.
[a] Discuss why people might or might not want to live in extended families.
Complete the table over the page with as many ideas as you can. Think about three
generations: children, parents and grandparents. Use notes: don't write sentences. Try
to use vocabulary from the box in your discussion.

REASONS WHY PEOPLE MIGHT WANT REASONS PEOPLE MIGHT NOT WANT
TO LIVE IN EXTENDED FAMILIES TO LIVE IN EXTENDED FAMILIES

Which reasons can you relate to? Which are more difficult relate to?

TASK E | Skimming, scanning and reading in detail

I. Skimming race. Read the questions below. Then skim the text Extended
families in Western society on page 24.

1. Which organizational pattern does the text follow?

22
Unit 2 Society and Social issues
 [i] Introduction
Reasons for living in extended families
More reasons for living in extended families
[ii] Introduction
Reasons why some people don't live in extended families
Reasons for living in extended families
[iii] Introduction
Reasons for living in extended families
Reasons why some people don't live in extended families
2. How are paragraphs 2 to 4 organised?
[i] by order of importance
[ii] by generation
[iii] from easiest to most difficult to understand
[iv] no particular order

II. [a] Scanning race. Scan the text for paraphrases of the following statements.
Write the paragraph number next to each statement.
Who will be the first? Put your hand up when you finish.
[i] Government retirement homes __________
[ii] Experience in bringing up children __________
[iii] Child care centres __________
[iv] Family size __________
[v] Health problems __________
[vi] Feeling in control __________
[vii] Number of houses __________

[b] Did you skim to help you scan? If so, how did it help you? Discuss with a
partner.
III. Look at the statements below. Read in detail around the part of the text. Then
mark them either T (true), F (false) or NE (no evidence given) according to the text.
Compare your answers with your partner's.
[i] Government retirement homes are very professional __________
[ii] Children gain in extended families because grandparents
have lots of experience in bringing up children __________
[iii] Child care centres are definitely good for children __________
[iv] Families in developed countries are getting smaller __________
[v] Older people who look after children might get sick more
easily __________
[vi] Living independently helps some older people to feel in
control of their lives __________
[vii] If people live in extended families, fewer houses are
needed __________

23
 Tip for reading exams
As you noticed in question 3, scanning is a very useful technique for answering
exam-type questions. Just scan for the key ideas in the question.
Read the whole text quickly for a sense of the main ideas. Then work with a
partner and answer these questions.
[a] Which of the ideas you spoke about in Task B are mentioned in the text?
[b] Add to the table any ideas in the text that you didn't speak about before. Keep
your notes short - don't quote from the text.
[c] What other arguments are presented?
[d] Which arguments do you agree with? Disagree with? Tell a partner.

Extended families in 'Western' society

1. There is a clear trend in developed countries towards smaller families (eg
Salcedo etal, 2009). The typical household nowadays comprises only parents and
children, while grandparents tend to live elsewhere. Exceptions to this do exist, of
course, including single people, single-parent families and blended families, but it is
rare for a married couple to live with either of their parents. So, what are some of the
factors causing this phenomenon. In order to examine this, we will look at the effect
on each generation in turn.
2. From the grandparents' point of view, extended families can provide enjoyment
and stimulation that improves their old age. Most grandparents and great-
grandparents enjoy spending time with their grandchildren-it is common to hear
them say that having children around them makes them feel younger. Further, the
kind of stimulation that children automatically provide, with their energy and
eagerness to talk and to find out about the world, has been shown to have positive
health benefits for older people.
3. Parents may benefit as well from living in an extended family, possibly more than
the other generations. Research in Australia and the USA has made it clear that
working hours are increasing in those countries. It is likely that the same is true in
other developed countries. This, together with the fact that it is now common for both
parents to be working, means that people of working age are becoming increasingly
time-poor, Grandparents at home mean that the expense of childcare may not be
necessary.
4. Potential benefits for the children are numerous. Many people sat that family
care is of higher quality, on average, than in childcare centres. It will be better tuned
in to the children's needs because the family members know their children better
and because there are fewer children to look after than in a childcare centre. In
addition, families generally have greater emotional involvement in a child's
development than people who are looking after the child as a job. More time spent
together can also strengthen family bonds. More practically, grandparents are likely
to bring a great deal of experience of child-reading, from the years spend raising
their own children. This isn't to say that childcare centers don't have some role to

24
Unit 2 Society and Social issues
 play, though – their staff are professionally trained and may have knowledge and
skills that parents don't have. Furthermore, external child care, in many cases,
provides greater opportunities for social interaction with other children than home-
based child care.
5. There also some valid reasons why extended families benefit society as a whole.
As countries develop and their health care systems improve, people live longer and
the onion of older people increases. The result is that public services for looking
after the elderly, such as retirement homes, are under increasing strain. Where
older people live with their children, they are less likely to need to use such facilities,
thus saving money for the government and helping to keep tax under control.
6. Extended families also help to reduce the use of resources. When more people live
in the same house, not only does it mean that fewer houses are necessary, but also
the amount of energy used for such things as heating and air conditioning is reduced.
7. Looking at the points above, it would appear that the advantages of extended
families are overwhelming. So, why aren't they much more popular then they aret
There are several factors that may help to explain this.
8. Often it is die elderly themselves who are reluctant to live with dieir children. One
reason is that many want to keep their independence. They want to be able to come
and go as they please, and to be able to live their lives in their own way and not have
to fit in with other people, even if they are family. When living with their family, they
often feel that they have lost some control over their own lives, even if the alternative
is to rely on support services such as visits from nurses or Meals on Wheels
services. Secondly, many elderly people are proud of being able to look after
themselves and would feel shame to be looked after by anyone else, even close
family members. They don't want to be a burden on other people.
9. Also, some parents are reluctant for their parents to look after their children,
because doing so reduces their leisure time at a time in tiieir life when they have
earned the right to enjoy themselves. Parents also worry that having the
grandparents look after children might affect the grandparents' health. However,
Mary Hughes, Linda Waite and colleagues (Hughes et al, 2007) have found that
looking after grandchildren does not lead to health problems in older people.
10. In other cases, the middle generation may have had to move to a distant city for
work or other reasons. Their parents might not want to leave the house and the
place they have lived all their lives, leaving behind all their friends and neighbours,
to join their children in a city or town that is strange to them.
11. It is quite possible that greater wealth has made it easier for families to live apart,
but it is unlikely that money alone was the deciding factor. Social factors are also
likely to have a strong role to play. Culture may be a powerful factor - it will be
interesting to see what will happen in those countries where it was traditional for
grandparents to move in with their children as personal wealth increases. There is
some evidence that the same trend is happening in at least three Mediterranean
countries, and it is thought that it is the growing middle class that is driving this trend
in those countries (Addato et al, 2007).

25
References
Ÿ Addato, AVD, Vignoli D & Yavuz S (2007) 'Towards smaller family size in Egypt,
Morocco and Turkey: Overall change over time or socio-economic compositional
effect' MPIDR Working Paper \X/P2007-0'IZ. Rostock: Max Planck Institute for
Demographic Research.
Ÿ Hughes, ME, Waite, LJ, LaPierre, TA & Luo, Y (2007) 'All in the family: The impact
of caring for grandchildren on grandparents' health'. Journal of Gerontology: Social
Science Vol 62B, No 2, pp SI08-119.
Ÿ Salcedo, A, Schoellman, T & Tertilt, M (2009) Families as roommates: Changes in
U.S. Household Size from 1850 to 2000. SIEPR Discussion Paper No 09-01.
Stanford: Stanford University Press.

TASK C | Finding meaning from the context

(1) Scan and mark in the previous text the words in the boxes below.

external tuned in (to) exception

factor potential a burden
reluctant (to) involvement resource
tax facility potential
stimulation phenomenon comprise
strain bond rear
social interaction overwhelming valid

(2) Mark the words that you already know the meanings of. Explain their
meanings to a partner if he or she doesn't already know them.

(3) Using context, match the words with the closest meanings below, writing them
in the gaps.
[a] resource things that people use
[b] ______________ possible in the future
[c] ______________ reasonable and sensible
[d] ______________ very, very strong; having a strong effect; much stronger
than the alternatives
[e] ______________ something different from the previous statement, idea, or
something different from the usual rule
[f] ______________ aware of other people's thoughts and feelings; aware of
what is happening in a particular situation
[g] ______________ something that encourages you to do things or think in new
ways; something that keeps you or your mind active
[h] ______________ talking with other people
[I] _______ _______ taking part in something; being part of something

26
Unit 2 Society and Social issues
 [j] _____ _________ outside
[k] ______________ something that happens or exists in society, science etc,
especially something that is studied academically
[l] ______________ something that causes something else to happen; reason
that something happens
[m] ______ _______ something difficult or worrying that you are responsible for
[n] ______________ not really wanting to do something; doing something only if
you have to, not because you want to
[o] ______________ something that makes people feel close to each other
[p] ______________ rooms, equipment or services for a particular purpose
[q] ______________ possible in the future
[r] ______________ difficulty, pressure
[s] ______________ be made of; consist of
[t] ______________ helping children develop into adults
[u] ______________ money that the government collects from people

(4) Explain your answers to a partner and discuss any differences. Also, discuss
how you found the meanings. For example, which words could you find just from the
sentences before and after the word? For 1 which words did you have to read large
parts of the text to find their meaning?

TASK D | Critical thinking - Differentiating between weak and strong evidence

Look at the following points. Which opinions do you find easier to believe? Which
ones are you more sceptical about? Why? Discuss with a partner. Use the 'useful
expressions' in the box and the vocabulary where you can.
[a] TakeAcheGone! Headaches will never again slow you down! [advertisement]
[b] Statistics clearly show that people in most Western countries are spending
longer in retirement than the previous generation (Anderson, 2010). [academic paper]
[c] Childhood is the best time of life [conversation]
[d] People are clearly living more healthily and for longer. My grandmother is still
alive at age 85, but my great-grandmother died when she was 64. [conversation]
[e] I believe that the best time of life is after retirement. [conversation]
[f] The early years of retirement are, for many people, a very enjoyable time.
Responsibilities such as work and looking after children have gone. And most
people of this age are still healthy enough to do what they enjoy. [textbook]
[g] Nurse: I think it's a good idea for your mother to go into a retirement home. If she
stays living by herself, she might have a serious accident. [conversation]
[h] My grandmother likes living alone. I've never actually asked her about it, but
she's never complained about it. [conversation]

27
Useful expressions: Evaluating evidence
w I'm a bit skeptical about this one, because ...
w I don't think that claim has much credibility, because ...
w That sounds like a reasonable justification, because ...
w I think there might be some bias behind that claim, because ...
w That sounds logical, because ...
w That looks as though it's only a personal opinion, because ...
w He's making an assumption here.

Supporting ideas

One of the most important things to think about when reading

(and when listening to lectures) is the support for each point.
You have to ask yourself all the time:
● What support is given?
● How strong is the support?
Also, every time you think about something in your studies,
try to also remember what evidence there is for the point – even
if it's something your university lecturer said or something you
have read in a well-known book. This is more important than
memorising the facts.

Vocabulary
evidence (n) – information that helps to show that something is true
sceptical (adj) – not being confident that something is true; scepticism (n);
sceptic (n-person)
claim (v) – to say something as if it's true; a claim (n)
credible (adj) – able to be believed; credibility (n)
justify (v) – to give a good reason (or good evidence) for something;
justification (n)
biased (v) – having a reason to hold a particular opinion, eg because of a job
or money; bias (adj)
a logical argument (n) – thinking in a step-by-step way, like a police detective or
a scientist; also logical reasoning
assume (v) – to make a guess that something is correct, usually without
thinking about it much or without collecting evidence;
assumption (n)

28
Unit 2 Society and Social issues
 With a partner, put the types of supporting ideas onto the scale below.
[a] references to other people's ideas and research
[b] no explanation
[c] logical reasoning (explanation)
[d] only personal opinion
[e] one parson's experiences
[f] explanation of other people's research without references
[g] assumptions

signs of strong support signs of weaker support

3. For each of the points from the reading (given below), how strong is the
evidence provided in the text?
Discuss with your partner. Give reasons for your answers.
[a] 'extended families can provide enjoyment and stimulation that improves their
old age'
[b] 'parents may benefit as well from living in an extended family'
[c] 'potential benefits for the children are numerous'
[d] 'extended families 'benefit society as a whole'
[e] 'extended families... help to reduce the use of resources'
[f] 'often it is the elderly themselves who are reluctant to live with their children'
[g] 'some parents are reluctant for their parents to look after their children'.

4. Follow these instructions with a partner.

[a] Find two medium-length newspaper articles (your teacher will tell you more
about this).
[b] Find the main points made in each.
[c] Decide how strongly the main points are supported.
[d] Meet with another pair. Explain your article and the strength of support. Do
your new partners agree with you?

TASK E | Discussion
1. Discuss these questions in small groups.
[a] Could some of the benefits of extended families be obtained simply from
grandparents living separately but visiting?
[b] Which of the points presented in the textbook extract (Extended families in
'Western1 society) can you relate to the most easily? Which (if any) feel
uncomfortable?
[c] Thinking about your own situation, who will look after your parents when they
grow old? How?

29
Speaking
TASK A | Signposting in talks
Signaling transitions between ideas

Lecturers often signal the stages of their lectures by using

signposting expressions. These are similar to the topic sentences
that are used in writing (see Unit 1), but in spoken English these
transitions are often longer and more conversational in style.
Often, they are whole sentences.
For example, the following expressions show that the speaker is
moving to the next point:
● Now, let's move on to …
● Next, we're going to look at …
Sometimes, questions are used. The speaker will ask a question,
and then answer it. The audience is not expects to answer.
Questions like this are called rhetorical questions.
Discourses signals such as those showing contrast between
ideas that we saw in this unit (page 38) can also have a similar
function. For example, the following indicate that the speaker is
about to talk about the opposite point to the previous one:
However, …
Conversely …

1. Work with a partner. Write the signposting expressions on page 31 against the
function you think they best represent.

Function Signposting expression

To indicate:
... a new main idea ____________________________
____________________________
____________________________
... an additional idea (similar to previous idea) ____________________________
... opposing idea (opposite to previous idea) ____________________________
____________________________
____________________________
... an example ____________________________
____________________________

30
Unit 2 Society and Social issues
SIGNPOSTING EXPRESSIONS

As for ... Let's look first at ...

For instance, ... But, ...
On the contrary, ... Similarly, ...
So, what evidence is there that ... ..., such as ...

(2) Work with a partner. Prepare and give very short talks to each other on any of
the following topics. Use signposting expressions to signal your main will ideas. Your
partner will count how many times you use each function by marking in the table.
w My family
w Why I want to study [name of subject you want to to study]
w Why I want to study in/at [name of country, city, or university]
w Why tourists should visit my home town

SUPPORTING FUNCTION TALK 1 TALK 2

... a new main idea
... an additional idea (similar to previous idea)
... opposing idea (opposite to previous idea)
... an example

TASK B | Short presentations with strong supporting evidence

You are going to prepare, give and refine short talks incorporating using
supporting evidence. Follow these steps:
(1) In small groups, think of as many supporting ideas as you can for each of
these topics.
w Is it better to live in an extended family or a nuclear family? Give reasons for
your opinion.
w Should the government provide social services such as for the elderly? Justify
your opinion.
w Consider crime in an area you know (such as your home city or country).
What, in your opinion, can be done to control it? Argue for your position.
(2) Choose one of the topics above and prepare a talk on it, in which you state a
point of view and justify it with evidence. While preparing see the checklist below.

w (3) Deliver your talk to another group. While listening, the other students
should complete this checklist and write comments.

31
 INCLUDED? COMMENTS
ü = YES
General statement introduces the topic
Thesis is clear
Preview/Scope clearly indicates what is coming in
the body
Each main idea is clearly signposted
Discourse signals clearly show relationships
between ideas
Main ideas have strong, logical support
Over-generalisations are avoided
Conclusion includes a summary and a
recommendation

(4) After all members of the group have made their presentations, discuss each.
What worked well? How could you improve them? Focus on the areas in the table in
question 3.
(5) Refine your presentation in the light of your discussion
(6) Change groups. Give your presentation to another group. While listening, take
notes using one of the formats you looked at in the listening section.
(7) When finished, compare notes. Which ideas were easiest for the audience to
catch? Which appeared t be more difficult?
Presentations at university
When you prepare presentations at university, it's often a good idea to brainstorm
and practise your presentation with other students. The feedback they give you can
help you to make your presentation better.

Consolidation
TASK A | Another look at supporting evidence
(1) Look at the following extracts from texts and then:
[a] Underline the evidence in each.
[b] Decide which evidence is strong and which is weak. Think about your reasons.
[c] With other students, compare your answers and discuss your reasons.
[I] Another reason that women are better than men at raising children is that they
are kinder. My mother was a good example. She did many kind things not only for me
but also for many other people she met, including strangers.
[ii] Living costs are also increasing in the area of housing affordability. In a recent
survey, 68% of people said that they found it more difficult to pay their rent or housing
loan than last year.

32
Unit 2 Society and Social issues
 [iii] The decline in the fertility rate is a further reason that immigration will become
more and more important.According to Weston (2001), the fertility rate in this country
has fallen from 3.5 live births per woman in 1961 to its lowest level ever, 1.8 babies
per woman, in 1999 and 2000. This trend looks set to continue into the future. Weston
(2001) also states that the minimum fertility rate necessary to sustain a population at
a constant level is 2.1 births per female. Therefore, unless this trend reverses,
immigration is necessary to sustain the population.
[iv] No evidence has yet been found of a direct link between this particular
product and heart disease or other illnesses. Therefore, we would conclude that it is
perfectly safe for people of all ages to take it.
[v] It appears for the moment that there is unlikely to be a connection between
eating this product and ability to concentrate, despite the claims made by the
manufacturer. Despite extensive research focused on investigating this link, such as
Crumlin (2000) and Gandiger-Hertzog (2002), no evidenceg yet been found.
[vi] People from Govirmda can no longer be trusted. This conclusion stems from
the fact that two tourists from that country were recently convicted of murder while
visiting this country. Also, the Prime Minister of Govirmda has declared that he will
search any fishing boats from our country if his police suspect them of carrying illegal
drugs, which is obviously a ridiculous accusation. Any country that does clearly does
not respect our national sovereignty.
[vii] Despite popular myths, chocolate contains little that is bad for the skin. The
Confederation of Chocolate Product Manufacturers report of 2002 states that 'Our
research demonstrates there is no direct link between chocolate consumption and
teenage acne' (page 35).

(2) What traps should you avoid?Add to this list.

● over-generalisation________________________
● ________________________________________
● ________________________________________
● ________________________________________
(3) Complete these sentences with an appropriate word or phrase fromA, B or C.
1. Mr. and Mrs. Smith live at home with their two children. They are a typical example
of a modern ………………… family.
A. extended B. nuclear C. compact
2. Mr. and Mrs. Popatlal live at home with their aged parents, children and
grandchildren. They are a typical example of a traditional ………………… family.
A. nuclear B. enlarged C. extended
3. Mrs. Jones lives on her own and has to look after her two children. There are a lot
of ………………… families like hers.
A. single-parent B. mother-only C. mono-parent
4. Some parents need to ………………… their children more strictly.
A. bring down B. bring about C. bring up
33
 5. When I was a child, I had a very turbulent …………………
A. upbringing B. upraising C uplifting
6. Mrs. Kelly is …… and finds it difficult to look after her children on her own.
A. divorced B. divided C. diverged
7. Many men believe that ………………… is the responsibility of a woman.
A. childhelp B. childcare C. childaid
8. ………………… is a particularly difficult time of life for a child.
A. Convalescence B.Adolescence C. Convergence
9.Aperson's behavior can sometimes be traced back to his/her ………………
A. creative years B. formulating years C. formative years
10. The country has seen a sharp drop in the …………… in the last few years.
A. birth rate B. baby rate C. born rate
11. She has five ………………… who rely on her to look after them.
A. dependants B. dependers C. dependents
12. ………………… crime is on the rise, with over 30 per cent of thefts being
committed by young people under the age of eighteen.
A. Junior B. Juvenile C. Children

(4) Match sentences 1-12 with a second sentence A - M. Use the key words and
phrases in bold to help you.
1. Mr. and Mrs. White are very authoritarian parents,
2. Mr. Bowles is considered to be too lenient.
3. Mr. and Mrs Harris lead separate lives.
4. Billy is a well-adjusted kid.
5. The Mannings are not very responsible parents.
6. My parents are separated.
7. Parents must look after their children, but they shouldn't be over-protective.
8. Professor Maynard has made a study of the cognitive processes of young children.
9. I'm afraid my youngest child running wild.
10. She looks quite different from all her siblings.
11. There are several different and distinct stages of development in a child's life.
12. Tony was raised by a foster family when his own parents died.
A. They don't look after their children very well.
B. He is fascinated by the way they learn new things.
C. He very rarely punishes his children.
D. I live with my mother and visit my father at weekends.
E. He never listens to a word I say, and is always playing truant from school.
F. Brothers and sisters usually bear some resemblance to one another.
G.Although they are married and live together, they rarely speak to each other.
H. They are very strict with their children.
I. Of all of these, the teenage years are the most difficult.
J. Children need the freedom to get out and experience the world around them.
K. He's happy at home and is doing well at school.
L. Many families take in children who are not their own.

34
Unit 2 Society and Social issues
 Science,
3 Technology
and
Medicine

Say not, “I have found the truth”, but rather, “I have found a truth”.
Kahlil Gibran

35
 UNIT
3 Science, Technology
and Medicine

In this unit, you will look at several aspects of science, technology and medicine.
You will have a further look at different topics and be able to identify location of the main
idea and supporting details. You will have the opportunity to practise the reading skills
learned earlier in this book. Finally, you will use a range of discourse signals while
practising in tutorial discussions, in which you suggest ideas, accept and reject other
ideas.
By the end of this unit, you should:
● have gained confidence in discussing issues around science, technology and
medicine;
● have practised identifying main ideas and supporting details;
● have practised recognising transitions between ideas;
● have developed skills at interrupting as well as suggesting accepting and
rejecting ideas in tutorial – style discussions.

Speaking
TASK A | Discussing science, technology and medicine
1. Work with a partner. Choose an item of technology that has had a big impact
on your life. Answer these questions:
w What would your life be like without it?
w How has it improved your life? What positive effect has it had on society? On
companies?
w What disadvantages or negative effects has it had for you? What negative
impacts has it had on society?

36
Unit 3 Science, Technology and Medicine
 2. With a partner:
[a] Write the examples next to the appropriate category in the bubbles (some
examples may match more than one category).
[b] Add other examples for each concept. Which pair can think of the most
examples?
Examples
w astronomy w mobile phones
w electric cars w nanotechnology
w genetics w research into curing genetic disorders
w gravity w space travel
w heart transplants w planets that go around other stars

science vs technology
pure science vs applied science
invention vs discovery

Vocabulary
pure (adj) focused on increasing knowledge, rather than using
knowledge for practical purposes
applied (adj) used for practical; application (n)
an invention (n) making a new thing for the first time; invent (v);
inventor (n-person)
a discovery (n) finding or understand something for the first time;
discover (v)
astronomy (n) research into the stars, etc; astronomer (n-person)
gravity (n) the force that makes things fall to the ground;
gravitational (adj)
nanotechnology (n) the development of very small machines, up to about
100 nanometres in size; there are a million nanometres
in a- millimetre
a planet (n) a large, natural object, such as Earth, which goes around
a star
genetics (n) the study of the parts of a living thing's cells, containing
DNA, that control what the living thing looks like, does,
etc; gene (n); genetic (adj)

37
 3. Look at the statements below and decide what your opinions are about
them. Take three minutes to prepare your thoughts. Then, explain your opinions
to your partner, giving your reasons. Feel free to agree, disagree and/or question
your partner.
– We don't need to worry too much about things like environmental problems
... if the need to solve a problem is great enough, scientists will manage to solve it.
– We should be grateful to scientists the technology provided by their insights and
discoveries is the reason for the high standard of living that we have now.
– There are some areas that should be off-limits to scientific research, such as
research involving human embryos or weapons of mass destruction.
– New developments in science often cause more problems than they solve.
– It's better to spend money on solving major problems like shortage of food than on
useless things like space travel.

4. Match a word from box A with a word from box B and use the compound
words to complete the sentences below.
A automatic cyber labor B chip connection control
remote silicon wireless pilot saving space

1. I can access the Internet from anywhere in my house because my laptop has a
………… .
2. The invention of the ……………… made watching television an even more
passive experience.
3. In my view the dishwasher is one of the greatest ……………… devices.
4. People often talk about emails and text messages being lost in ……………… as if
it were a real place.
5. Even flying a plane has been automated now. The ……………… is used for most
of the flight.
6. The invention of the ……………… meant that computers could be much smaller.

5. Correct the mistakes in the text. Use ONE WORD only. Hyphenated words
(e.g. state-of-the-art) count as one word.
Today's 1advance technology has brought many benefits. For example, nowadays
we have many 2small tools that can save time in the home and, if you have access 3with
a computer and a telephone 4connect then you can work almost anywhere you choose.
What is more, modern software 5programmes are so user-friendly that you don't even
need a great deal of computer knowledge to be able to 6play them.
However, there are some disadvantages to the 7technology era. For example,
people today want to have the very 8last technology but, as new technology dates very
quickly, an increasing amount of computer hardware is being dumped. This adds to our
already serious pollution problems. Furthermore, 9computerise has led to fewer jobs
and less human contact as many everyday transactions are now done 10with computer
rather than manually.
38
Unit 3 Science, Technology and Medicine
1 advanced 6 ……………………..……………
2 ……………………..……………… 7 ……………………..……………
3 ……………………..……………… 8 ……………………..……………
4 ……………………..……………… 9 ……………………..……………
5 ……………………..……………… 10 …………….……..……………

Error warning!
Note the following spellings of the word program: computer
program (UK and US spelling), television programme (UK spelling
only). Note the different forms of computer: computerise (verb);
computerisation (noun); computerised (adj): We use a computerised
system. NOT a computorise system. Automated can be used in a
similar way, but includes machines as well as computers: Our
processing system is fully automated. We talk about the computer era,
the digital era or the technological era. NOT the technology are.

Reading 1
TASK A | Following the stages of a written text

'Moves' within a text

Texts generally consist of 'moves', which are sections of text which
have a particular purpose. Together, the sequence of moves achie-
ves the overall purpose of the text, such as explaining a natural
process or arguing for a particular opinion.
Each move might be one paragraph, or several paragraphs.
When reading a text for the first time, it can help to think about the
moves. This is like skimming: you do not need to read every word,
and focusing on headings and topic sentences can help.
Exam tip
When you first see a text, try to quickly get a 'map' of the text in
your mind – that is, a map of where the moves are. Then, when you
look at the questions, you will be able to quickly go to the part of the
text that most likely has the answer.

39
READING 1
TASK A | Identifying main ideas
1. With a partner, discuss these questions:
[a] What kinds of food (crops) are grown in your country?
[b] How are they planted? Harvested?
[c] Has planting and harvesting always been done this way?
[d] If there has been a change, what advantages of the change can you think of?
What disadvantages? If there hasn't been a change, what changes might occur in the
future? What advantages and disadvantages would this change bring?

2. Read the student essay The mechanisation of agriculture and its effect on
quality of life.
[a] What is the main issue?
[b] Does it look at one side or two sides of the issue'

(3) Put these moves in the order they occur in the essay by writing 1, 2, 3 or 4 before
each.
………………… advantages
………………… disadvantages
………………… conclusion
………………… introduction

Vocabulary
mechanisation (n) changing to make use of machines, instead of
doing things by hand; mechanise (v)
extensive (adj) used a lot
output (n) the things that are made; output (v)
phenomenal (adj) surprisingly more than expected, impressive
contribute (v) assist or help; contribution (n)
a proponent person who supports the idea mentioned (n-
people)
inevitably (adv) certain to happen; inevitable (adj)
a habitat (n) the trees, plants, rivers etc where a particular
animal usually lives
facing (adj) if you are facing something, it will happen to you
soon in the future; face (v)
extinction (n) when a particular type of plant or animal dies
out completely and there are none left; extinct
(adj); become extinct (collocation)
unsound (adj) bad or negative

40
Unit 3 Science, Technology and Medicine
TASK B | Topic, main idea and supporting details.

Most paragraphs are about a particular topic or subject. The topic is

usually a single word or phrase and is often the noun that is men-
tioned most frequently in a paragraph. We can identify the topic by
asking ourselves, “What is this all about?” or “Who is this all about?”
Paragraphs are supposed to be organized around a main idea with
all sentences supporting this main idea, or key point, of the paragraph.
The main idea can be identified by asking, “What key point does the
author want me to know about the topic?”
The main idea may be directly stated in a paragraph – usually, but
not always, in the first or last sentence – or it can be implied. When
trying to find a main idea that is directly stated, it helps to remember
that you are looking for a general statement, not a specific one. When
main ideas are implied, you, the reader, are responsible for coming up
with a general statement that unites the author's key details. This
general statement should be no more than one sentence long.
Details are supporting sentences that reinforce the main idea.
While the main idea is a general statement, supporting details
provide specific information, such as facts, examples, or reasons,
that explain or elaborate on the main idea.

The mechanisation of agriculture and its effect on quality of life

1. Major developments have taken place in agriculture during the last century, one
of the most important of which has been the introduction and extensive use of
machinery. This has had great effects on the environment and on the lives of millions
of people around the world. For the purposes of this essay, we will take the
mechanisation of agriculture to mean the use of any device that is powered by
anything other than humans or animals, on a farm. Careful consideration of some of
the effects of agricultural mechanisation, both positive and negative, is essential for
any country currently experiencing an increase in the use of such machines.
2. The vast increase in agricultural output that has been made possible by more use
of mechanisation is probably the most important positive effect of this process. The
speed of planting crops, spreading fertilisers and pesticides, and harvesting, is
phenomenal. All three of these processes contribute to equally enormous increases
in food production. Mechanisation has improved production and has helped to feed
the increasing world population.
3. Increased use of farm machinery has also generally led to a decrease in costs.
This may seem surprising when the high price of initial purchase of equipment is
considered (this may be tens of thousands of dollars for a tractor, or hundreds of
thousands of dollars for a large piece of equipment like a combine harvester).
41
 However, a tractor enables one person to perform so much more work that the extra
profit, made from having more crop to sell, more than covers the purchase and
running costs of the machine. Through similar savings using other pieces of
equipment, costs per hectare of food production have fallen significantly.
4. Despite these highly positive results of mechanisation, there are also several
negative factors that aren't always considered by the proponents of this process.
One of the most important of these is employment. As in all other fields of life, the
increasing use of machines inevitably results in the same work being done by fewer
people. It can be argued that some positions are created in designing and
maintaining the machines, but almost always more jobs are lost than created, and
in addition the people whose jobs are lost often do not have the skills to undertake
the newly created jobs. Therefore many jobs have to go, leading to a variety of social
problems in rural communities.
5. One of these problems is that the unemployed of the countryside have to go
elsewhere to find work - the obvious places to look are the larger cities, where further
problems occur. Thus the increasing use of machinery leads to an explosion in the
urban population. In many countries, the people moving to the cities are often poor.
This causes problems of sub-standard housing, transport problems and urban
poverty, as there are not necessarily more jobs' available in the city than there were
in the countryside. Also, the movement of people to the cities often means that
families are split up, and villages which were once strong communities become too
small to support essential services such as post offices and public transport. This
leads to the irreversible break-up of these communities as people move to the cities.
6. In addition, the use of machinery on farms contributes to environmental
destruction. Machines allow larger areas to be cultivated, thus leading to loss of the
habitat in which wildlife lives. For example, in England, the increasing use of
machines has made it easy for farmers to remove the hedges that used to separate
fields. Thus many species of butterfly are now facing extinction because they have
nowhere to live and breed. In Australia, over-use of the land by machines has
resulted in many farms becoming like deserts.
7. Furthermore, the energy that agricultural machines use is mostly produced from
the burning of diesel, which causes pollution as well as adding to global warming.
Electricity that is sometimes used to power farm machinery is also usually produced
in environmentally unsound ways.
8. In summary, there are many disadvantages to the mechanisation of agriculture
as well as advantages. With the increasing population of the world, most
governments consider that expanding mechanisation is the only way to feed the
additional hungry mouths. However, it would be sensible for governments to take
steps to minimise the disadvantages of this process. Developed countries
experienced these disadvantages some time ago, and while many of them have
been overcome, a significant number of mistakes were made. It would be wise for
countries currently undergoing mechanisation to study these mistakes carefully and
to avoid making the same ones themselves.

42
Unit 3 Science, Technology and Medicine
 [b] Summarise the main ideas of the essay by completing the table. Then, compare
and discuss your answer with another student.

ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES
________________________________ ________________________________
________________________________ ________________________________
________________________________ ________________________________
________________________________ ________________________________
________________________________ ________________________________
________________________________ ________________________________

(4) Discuss with another student:

[a] What was the most surprising point from this essay?
[b] Which are stronger, the advantages or disadvantages?
[c] What is more important, the number or the strength of the items of supporting
evidence?

TASK C | Locating Main Ideas in Textbook Material

Locate the main idea sentence of each paragraph. The main idea can be identified
by asking the question “What key point does the author want me to know about the
topic?”
1. We infer our emotions by observing our bodies and our behaviors. For example, a
stimulus such as a growling bear confronts a woman in the forest. She tenses, her
heartbeat increases, adrenaline flows, and she runs away. Observing all this, she then
experiences fear. At a college where l am to lecture, I awake before dawn and am
unable to get back to sleep. Noting my wakefulness, I conclude that I must be anxious.

Main idea: _______________________________________________________

2. James Laird instructed college students to pull their brows together and frown
while experimenters attached electrodes to their faces. The act of maintaining a frown
caused students to report feeling angry. Those students induced to make a smiling face
reported feeling happier and found cartoons more humorous. We have all experienced
this phenomenon. We're feeling crabby, but then the phone rings or someone comes to
the door and elicits from us warm, polite behavior. “How's everything?” “Just fine,
thanks. How are things with you?” “Oh, not bad…” If our feelings are not too intense, this
warm behavior may change our whole attitude. It's tough to smile and feel grouchy.
When Miss Universe parades her smile, she may, after all, be helping herself feel
happy. Going through the motions can trigger the emotions.

Main idea: _______________________________________________________

43
 3. Your gait can affect how you feel. When you get up from reading this chapter, walk
for a minute taking short, shuffling steps with eyes downcast. It's a great way to feel
depressed. Want to feel better? Walk for a minute taking long strides with your arms
swinging and your eyes straight ahead. Can you feel the difference?

Main idea: _______________________________________________________

4. It appears that unnecessary rewards sometimes have a hidden cost. Rewarding

people for doing what they already enjoy may lead them to attribute their doing it to the
reward. This undermines their self-perception that they do it because they like it. If you
pay people for playing with puzzles, they will later play with the puzzles less than those
who play without being paid. If you promise children a reward for doing what they
intrinsically enjoy (for example playing with magic markers) then you will turn their play
into work.

Main idea: _______________________________________________________

5. An old man lived alone on a street where boys played noisily every afternoon. The
din annoyed him, so one day he called the boys to his door. He told them he loved the
cheerful sound of children's voices and promised them each 50 cents if they would
return the next day. Next afternoon the youngsters raced back and played more lustily
than ever. The old man paid them and promised another reward the next day.Again they
returned, whooping it up, and the man again paid them; this time 25 cents. The following
day they got only 15 cents, and the man explained that his meager resources were
being exhausted. "Please, though, would you come to play for 10 cents tomorrow?" The
disappointed boys told the man they would not be back. It wasn't worth the effort, they
said, to play all afternoon at his house for only 10 cents. This folk tale illustrates the
result of bribing people to do what they already like doing; they may then see their action
as externally controlled rather than intrinsically appealing.

Main idea: _______________________________________________________

TASK D | Locating Supporting Details in Textbook Material

In previous exercises, we have seen that the main idea in a

paragraph is frequently located at either the beginning or end of
the paragraph. However, the main idea may also appear in other
locations within a paragraph, such as in the middle or at both the
beginning and the end. Wherever the main idea is located, it must
be supported by details. Most authors provide examples,
illustrations, major points, reasons, or facts and statistics to
È
44
Unit 3 Science, Technology and Medicine
Æ develop their main idea. While a main idea can be either directly
stated somewhere in the paragraph or implied, supporting details
are always directly stated. The ability to recognize supporting
details is of crucial importance in the reading process. Locating
supporting details will tell you whether you have correctly
identified the main idea.
For those of you who are visual learners, diagrams showing the
development of a paragraph and the position of the main idea and
supporting details might be helpful. The topic of each of the
following paragraphs is perceptual organization.

After reading the explanation for each type of paragraph, write several key
supporting details on the line provided.

Main idea sentence 1. Much of perception is based on prior experience. For

instance, Colin Turnbull tells of the time he took a Pygmy from
the dense rain forests of Africa to the vast African plains. The
Pygmy had never before seen objects at a great distance.
Hence, the first time he saw a herd of buffalo in the distance, he
thought it was a swarm of insects. Imagine his confusion when
he was driven toward the animals. He concluded that he was
being fooled by witchcraft because the “insects” seemed to
Details grow into buffalo before his eyes.
In paragraph 1, the main idea is stated in the first sentence.
The author states the main idea and then provides an example
to illustrate it. A diagram of this type of paragraph would be a
triangle with the point aiming downward. The main idea is
represented by the horizontal line at the top.
Supporting details: ______________________________
_______________________________________________
2. A college professor was attacked by an actor in a staged
Details assault. Immediately after the event, 141 witnesses were
questioned in detail. Their descriptions were then compared to
a videotape of the staged “crime”. The total accuracy score for
the group (on features such as appearance, age, weight, and
height of the assailant) was only 25 percent of the maximum
possible. This incident dramatically demonstrates why
witnesses to crimes so often disagree. As you can see,
impressions formed when a person is surprised, threatened, or
Main idea sentence under stress are especially prone to distortion.

45
 In paragraph 2, the author gives an example at the
beginning and uses the main point to draw a conclusion. A
diagram for this type of paragraph places the main idea at the
bottom of the triangle.
Supporting details: ______________________________
_______________________________________________
3. Harness yourself to a hang glider, step off a cliff, and soar.
No matter how exhilarating, your flight still wouldn't provide a
Details true “bird's eye” view. Many birds see the world in ways that
would seem strange to a human. For example, pigeons, ducks,
Main idea sentence

and humming-birds can see ultraviolet light, which adds an

extra color to their visual palette. Homing pigeons and many
migrating birds perceive polarized light, which aids them in
navigation. The American woodcock can survey a 360-degree
panorama without moving its eyes or head.
In paragraph 3, the author begins with an example, states
the main idea, and then concludes with additional examples.
Details Because the main idea is in the middle, the diagram resembles
a diamond.
Supporting details: ______________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
4. Psychologists are gradually convincing lawyers, judges,
and police officers of the fallibility of eyewitness testimony. In
Main idea sentence one typical court case, a police officer testified that he saw the
defendant shoot the victim as both stood in a doorway 120 feet
away. Measurements made by a psychologist showed that at
that distance light from the dimly lit doorway was extremely
weak – less than a fifth of that from a candle. To further show
Details that identification was improbable, a juror stood in the doorway
under identical lighting conditions. None of the other jurors
could identify him. The defendant was acquitted. Even in broad
daylight, eyewitness testimony is untrustworthy.After a horrible
DC-10 airliner crash in Chicago in 1979, 84 pilots who saw the
accident were interviewed. Forty-two said the DC-10's landing
Main idea sentence gear was up, and 42 said it was down! As one investigator
commented, the best witness may be a “kid under 12 years old
who doesn't have his parents around.” These and other inci-
dents are being used by psychologists to demonstrate to legal
professionals the unpredictability of eyewitness testimony.
In paragraph 4, the author begins with the main idea,
provides detailed illustrations of it, and concludes with a res-
tatement of the main idea. A diagram of this type of paragraph
would have an hourglass shape.
46
Unit 3 Science, Technology and Medicine
 Supporting details: ______________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
Main idea not 5. Remember Evan, that bully from your elementary
directly stated school? He made your nine- year-old life a total misery –
constantly looking for opportunities to poke fun at you and beat
you up. Now, when you meet someone named Evan, you
notice that your initial reaction is negative and that it takes a
while before you warm up to him. Why?
In paragraph 5, the main idea is not stated in any specific
sentence. Instead, all of the sentences are working together to
create a word picture in your mind. Because no one sentence
is clearly the main idea, a diagram of this paragraph might
resemble a square or a rectangle.
Now practice what you have learned. Identify the main idea
in the paragraphs below. Then draw a diagram of the pa-
ragraph and list some supporting details.
6. In a literal sense, language may color how we see the
world. Researchers Berlin and Kay have noted that humans
possess the physical ability to make millions of color
distinctions, yet languages differ in the number of colors that
are recognized. The English language distinguishes between
yellow and orange, but some other languages do not. In the
Dugum Dani language of New Guinea's West Highlands, there
are only two basic color terms – modla for “white” and mili for
“black”. By contrast, there are 11 basic terms in English. Rus-
sian and Hungarian, though, have 12 color terms. Russians
have terms for light blue and dark blue, while Hungarians have
terms for two different shades of red.
Diagram: _____________________________________
Main idea: ____________________________________
Supporting details: ______________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________

LANGUAGE
TASK A | Cohesion through discourse signals of deduction,
example and summation
Cohesion
Cohesion within a text means that the text makes sense.Atext with good cohesion is
sensible, not nonsense. Cohesion comes about in a text through choice of vocabulary
or grammar. One way of providing cohesion is to refer to the same idea using different
words.Another way is to use discourse markers.

47
 (1) Function. In the table below, place the words (discourse signals) under
their correct function. The first line has been done for you.
Discourse signals
in summary whereas therefore
on the other hand however on the contrary
thus in addition additionally
such as ...not only...but also in conclusion
though to summarise moreover
and but for example

ADD CONTRAST SUMMARISE REASON GIVE

INFORMA- /CONCLUDE /RESULT/ EXAMPLE
TION CAUSE/
EFFECT
and but to summarise therefore for example

2. [a] Return to the texts The mechanisation of agriculture and its effect on the
quality of life. Mark every discourse signal you can find. Add them to the table in
question 1.
[b] Look also at other texts that you have read. Add discourse signals from those to
the table.
(3) [a] Look at the following two examples. What is the difference between them?
Ø Mechanisation can help to feed additional hungry mouths. However, it would be
sensible to minimise the disadvantages in this process.
Ø Mechanisation can help to feed additional hungry mouths, but it would be
sensible to minimise the disadvantages in this process.
[b] Complete the table below to show how these discourse signals are used in the
texts in which you found them in question 2. The same word can go in more than one
column.

Sentence starter words and sentence joiner words

'However' contrasts ideas in different sentences, compared with 'but' which
contrasts ideas in the same sentence. In formal written English, the followings are
considered incorrect (though they are OK in informal situations).
Ø Mechanisation can help to feed additional hungry mouths, however, it would
be sensible to minimise to disadvantages in this process.
È
48
Unit 3 Science, Technology and Medicine
È
Ø Mechanisation can help to feed additional hungry mouths. But it would be
sensible to minimise the disadvantages in this process.
In other words, if you use 'however, you need a new sentence.
This rule also applies to other discourse signals. In addition, some discourse
markers can only be used with noun groups.
Ø Mechanisation can help to feed additional hungry mouths, however, it
would be sensible to minimise to disadvantages in this process.
Ø Mechanisation can help to feed additional hungry mouths. But it would be
sensible to minimise the disadvantages in this process.
In other words, if you use 'however, you need a new sentence.
This rule also applies to other discourse signals. In addition, some discourse
markers can only be used with noun groups.

CONNECT IDEAS IN CONNECT IDEAS IN CONNECT IDEAS IN

DIFFERENT THE SAME SENTENCE THE SAME SEN-
SENTENCES (FOLLOWED BY A TENCE (FOLLOWED
(FOLLOWED BY A CLAUSE) BY A NOUN GROUP)
addition
In addition, … … and … …, as well as …

contrast

summary

reason/result/cause/effect

example

(4) Put appropriate discourse signals in the gaps below. Use the punctuation
around the gaps and the table on the previous page to help you. Then, compare
your answers with a partner's.
[a] There are two reasons for supporting pure scientific research. Firstly, it satisfies
humans' natural curiosity about the universe in which they live. Secondly, technological
advances that followed on from pure scientific research have led to improvements in our
lives.
_______________, the non-stick coating on saucepans has made washing the
dishes so much easier. _______________, improved aeroplane materials have made
flying faster, quieter and cheaper. _______________, we should be grateful for pure
scientific research.
49
 [b] Exploration of space has resulted in improved understanding about weather
systems on other planets and moons in our solar system. _______________ , we have
an improved understanding of the Earth's weather systems _______________ the
consequences of future changes such as global warming.
[c] Scientific advances can easily cause problems. _______________, nuclear
energy sounded wonderful when it was first developed, _______________ of its
expected low cost _______________ lack of pollution. Safety was a concern and was
taken seriously _______________ careful precautions were usually taken, and in most
cases these did actually result in a low chance of an accident. _______________,
nothing is perfect, including safety systems, and when problems do happen, the
consequences are extremely serious. _______________, although actual operation of
a nuclear reactor produces little visible pollution, disposal of the radioactive materials
that are produced is extremely difficult and expensive, _______________
consequently nuclear power is now considered too expensive in many countries.
_______________, many governments have stopped planning to build more nuclear
reactors. This example clearly shows that the miracle of yesterday may become the
disaster of tomorrow. Not every scientific advance has the expected result.

SPEAKING 2
TASK A | Expressions for interrupting, suggesting, accepting and rejecting ideas
Tutorial discussions
At university or college, you are likely to take part in discussions. These may happen
during tutorials; they may even happen in lectures if the class is small. You may be given
a mark for your participation in such discussions, so it is important to make a
contribution.
In these discussions, you will have to put forward your own ideas, with support. You
will also have to comment on other people's ideas, with reasons. In this section, you will
practise some expressions for doing this politely.
(1) With a partner, write the phrases into the correct column of the table.
(2)Add any others you or your partner know or can think of.

Useful expressions
Yes, but on the other hand … Could I just say …
I'm afraid I disagree with that idea … What about the fact that … ?
I agree with you to some extent, but … No, I don't agree …
Well yes, however … Hang on …
My view is that … That may be so, but …
Well, I think … How about …
Well, you may have a point there, but …

50
Unit 3 Science, Technology and Medicine
INTERRUPTING TO SUGGESTING REJECTING ACCEPTING AN IDEA
MAKE A RELEVANT AN IDEA AN IDEA BUT PUTTING YOUR
POINT OWN VIEW FORWARD
_________________ _____________ _____________ _________________
_________________ _____________ _____________ _________________
_________________ _____________ _____________ _________________
_________________ _____________ _____________ _________________
_________________ _____________ _____________ _________________
_________________ _____________ _____________ _________________
_________________ _____________ _____________ _________________
_________________ _____________ _____________ _________________

Task B | Discussion
(3) Make a list of scientific technological or medical issues that have recently been in
the news.
(4) Discuss these issues, trying to use as many of these expressions as possible. To
encourage you to use the new expressions, do this as a game. In this, one person
should be a monitor, counting how many times each person uses one of the
expressions. Whoever uses the largest number is the winner. Change monitor every
time you move to a new issue.

Follow up
TASK A | Identifying Main and Supporting Ideas and Diagramming Paragraphs in
Textbook Material
The main idea sentence appears at different locations in the following paragraphs.
Write the number of the main idea sentence on the line. Then draw a diagram of the
paragraph and list numbers of the supporting detail sentences.
A. (1) A person with high self-esteem is more likely to think well of others. (2)
Someone with low self-esteem is more likely to have a poor opinion of others. (3) Your
own experience may bear this out: Persons with low self-esteem are often cynical and
quick to ascribe the worst possible motives to others, whereas those who feel good
about themselves are disposed to think favorably about the people they encounter. (4)
As one writer put it, “What we find 'out there' is what we put there with our unconscious
projections. (5) When we think we are looking out a window, it may be, more often than
we realize, that we are really gazing into a looking glass.” (6) Our self concepts
influence how we think about ourselves and interact with others.

Main idea sentence: ___________________ Diagram: _____________________

Supporting details: _________________________________________________

51
 B. (1) We often judge ourselves more charitably than we do others. (2) When others
suffer, we often blame the problem on their personal qualities. (3) On the other hand,
when we're the victims, we find explanations outside ourselves. (4) Consider a few
examples. (5) When they botch a job, we might think they weren't listening well or trying
hard enough; when we make the mistake, the problem was unclear directions or not
enough time. (6) When he lashes out angrily, we say he's being moody or too sensitive;
when we blow off steam, it's because of the pressure we've been under. (7) When she
gets caught speeding, we say she should have been more careful; when we get the
ticket, we deny we were driving too fast or say, “Everybody does it.”

Main idea sentence: ___________________ Diagram: _____________________

Supporting details: _________________________________________________

C. (1) At one time or another you've probably seen photos of sights invisible to the
unaided eye: perhaps an infrared photo of a familiar area or the vastly enlarged image of
a minute object taken by an electron microscope. (2) You've also noticed how certain
animals are able to hear sounds and smell odors that are not apparent to humans. (3)
Experiences like these remind us that there is much more going on in the world than we
are able to experience with our limited senses; in fact, we're only aware of a small part of
what is going on around us. (4) For instance, most people who live in large cities find that
the noises of traffic, people, and construction soon fade out of their awareness. (5)
Others can take a walk through the forest without distinguishing one bird's call from
another or noticing the differences among various types of vegetation. (6) On a
personal level, we've all had the experience of failing to notice something unusual about
a friend – perhaps a new hairstyle or a sad expression – until it's called to our attention.

Main idea sentence: ___________________ Diagram: _____________________

Supporting details: _________________________________________________

D. (1) The kind of work we do often influences our view of the world. (2) Imagine five
people taking a walk through the park. (3) One, a botanist, is fascinated by the variety of
trees and plants. (4) The zoologist is looking for interesting animals. (5) The third, a
meteorologist, keeps an eye on the sky, noticing changes in the weather. (6) The fourth
companion, a psychologist, is totally unaware of nature, instead concentrating on the
interaction among the people in the park. (7) The fifth person, being a pickpocket,
quickly takes advantage of the others' absorption to make some money. (8) Our
occupational roles shape our perceptions.

Main idea sentence: ___________________ Diagram: _____________________

Supporting details: _________________________________________________

52
Unit 3 Science, Technology and Medicine
TASK B
1. Replace the words and phrases in bold in the sentences with a suitable alternative
from the box.

Advances, analysed, breakthrough, combined, cybernetics,

development, discovered, experimented, genetic engineering,
innovations, invented, life expectancy, molecular biology, nuclear
engineering, proliferated, react, research, safeguards, a technophile,
a technophobe

1. The company is carrying out scientific study to find a cure for AIDS.
……………………………
2. The planning and production of the new computer system will take some time.
……………………………
3. Modern home entertainment systems and other modern inventions are
changing everyone's lives. ……………………………
4. Some elements change their chemical composition when mixed with water.
……………………………
5. The scientists have created a new machine to automate the process. …………
6. Who was the person who found penicillin? ……………………………
7. When the food was examined closely and scientifically, it was found to contain
harmful bacteria. ……………………………
8. Rain joined together with CO2 gases produces acid rain. ……………………
9. Ron is terrified of modern technology. ……………………………
10. Geoff is very interested in modern technology. ……………………………
11. Protection against accidents in this laboratory are minimal. ………………
12. The companies performed scientific tests with different types of glue before
they found one that worked properly. ……………………………
13. Brian is studying the techniques used to change the genetic composition of
a cell so as to change certain characteristics which can be inherited.
………………
14. Sarah is studying the things which form the structure of living matter.
……………………………
15. Christine is studying how information is communicated in machines and
electronic devices in comparison with how it is communicated in the brain and
nervous system. ……………………………

53
 16. Neil is studying the different ways of extracting and controlling energy from
atomic particles. ……………………………
17. There has been a sudden success in the search for a cure for cancer.
……………………………
18. The number of years a person is likely to live has increased a great deal
thanks to modern medicine and technology. ……………………………
19. The number of schools offering computer programming courses has quickly
increased in the last ten years. ……………………………
20. In spite of all the progress it has made in the last 50 years or so, medical
science still knows little about the brain. ……………………………

2. The person describing their computer in this passage is not very familiar with
computer terminology. Replace the phrases in bold with more appropriate words and
phrases from the box.

base unit, chatrooms, components, crashed, download, email, files,

gaming, hardware, internet, keyboard, laptop, load, log on, monitor,
mouse, PC, printer, scanner, software, stream, virus, websites,
wireless

OK, here's my new desktop computer which has been designed to be used by
just one person. (1) …………………………… . As you can see, it has five parts which
make up the whole thing (2) …………………………… . Now, the large box with the
slots and sliding disc carrier (3) …………………………… is the most important part.
It carries all the stuff that makes the computer work (4) …………………………… .
You can also put in (5) …………………………… your own games and other programs
used by computers for doing particular jobs (6) ……………………………, like
photo processing and office suites. Next to it there is the thing that looks like a small
television (7) …………………………… so you can see what the computer is doing. To
the right of that, there is the machine that lets you make colour copies of the
documents and other things that you create on the computer (8)
…………………………… (this particular one incorporates a machine you can use to
copy pictures on to your computer, a bit like a photocopier one (9)
……………………………). You control the computer using the rectangular flat thing
with all the letters and numbers on (10) ……………………………, or the object with
the little wheel on the top which you can move across the desk (11)

54
Unit 3 Science, Technology and Medicine
…………………………… These usually have a lead connecting them to the computer,
but as you can see, mine is not physically connected to the computer and instead
sends electronic signals through the air (12) …………………………….
It's a very useful machine, of course. Once you start using it by entering a
password (13) ……………………………, you can create information that you store
under a particular name (14) …………………………… and documents, move
(15)…………….. pictures from your camera and, well, loads of things really. The best
thing, however, is that you can access the thing that links computers from around
the world (16) …………………………… . You can check out millions of special
computer pages created by companies, organisations and individuals all over the
world (17) ……………………………, go shopping, play games (I really enjoy playing
games on my computer (18) ……………………………), play (19) ………………
…………… music and videos, and send electronic letters to (20) …………………
………… your friends and family. It's also great for contacting people using online
places where people communicate with each other in real time (21)
…………………………… and other social networking sites.
Unfortunately, I can't let you use it at the moment because it stopped working (22)
…………………………… at the weekend, and I can't get it to work again. I'm rather
worried that it's got a technical fault that someone created on purpose to affect my
computer (23) …………………………… . However, you can have a go on my small
computer that I can carry around with me (24) …………………………… if you like. If
I can find it. The last time I remember seeing it was last night on the bus, when I was
coming home from my office at the Ministry of Defence.

55
 4 Lifestyle

The healthy life. It's not just about losing the weight; it's about losing
the lifestyle and the mindset that got you there.
Dr. Steve Maraboli

57
 UNIT
4 Lifestyle

In this unit, you will look at a topic dealing with different kinds of eating habits. You
will also study basic features of academic and non-academic texts, and learn steps of a
peer-review process. Finally, you will keep in steps of paraphrasing and summarising
by doing practice activities. By the end of unit, you should:
w have gained confidence in discussing issues around healthy lifestyle;
w be able to differentiate between academic and non-academic text;
w have known how the peer-review-process works;
w be able to summarise and paraphrase in an academic context.

TASK A | Discussion vocabulary about healthy lifestyle.

(1) Discuss these points:
a) Do you think people work too much nowadays?
b) What do you do to relax?
c) How would you describe your attitude to life?
d) What kind of foods would you find in these categories: proteins, carbohydrates,
fats?
e) Which way of eating do you think is healthiest – a diet based on meat or one
based on vegetables? Why?
f) Where do you get information about food and nutrition? If you need dietary advice,
what kinds of publications do you prefer to look at? Why?

58
Unit 4 Lifestyle
Vocabulary
perishable (adj),
ant. imperisable food which goes bad quickly, ex. cheese, fish
processed food foods which are changed or treated as a part of industrial
operation
food additives substances added to food to improve its taste or
appearance or to preserve it
GM foods genetically modified foods
nutrition (n) the process of providing or obtaining the food necessary
for heath and growth
obesity (n) a state of being fat or overweight
stamina (n) the ability to sustain prolonged physical or mental
effort

TASK B | Collocations

* We say international food/cuisine, NOT worldwide food/cuisine. A

Chinese/Mexican/ French meal is what you eat in a restaurant. When
referring in general to the food of a country or culture we say
Chinese/Mexican/French food/cooking/cuisine.
Note that health is a noun and healthy is the adjective. We write or
talk about education and health or mental health. NOT education
and healthy or mental healthy. We say someone is strong and healthy
NOT strong and health.
The following words are often used with the word health.
Nouns: health benefits, health risks, health problems, health care,
health education, health system
Adjectives: in good health, in poor health, in excellent health
We can use healthy to describe things other than your body: a
healthy appetite, a healthy diet, a healthy economy, a healthy
disrespect for authority

1. Match the words on the left with their collocations on the right.
1. set a) additives
2. food b) food
3. junk c) routine
4. ready d) produce
5. fresh e) a living
6. daily f) labour
7. make g) meals
8. mental h) menu
59
Vocabulary note

Note the difference between life and living. Life is used to refer to the
period between birth and death, living is used to refer to being alive,
make a living refers to earning money.

2. COLLOCATION Complete the words or phrases in the sentences with life or

living. Which answers are written as one word?
1. Going to Egypt and seeing the pyramids was a once in a ……………… time
opportunity for me.
2. The standard of ……………… in my country is very good; there are not many poor
people there.
3. In my job as a nurse I get to meet people from all walks of ……………… .
4. For me, being a vegetarian is not just about diet, it has become a way of
……………… .
5. Many people only think about bills they need to pay and forget to allow for
everyday ……………… expenses when they calculate a budget.
6. It was a ……………… long ambition of mine to travel to the Arctic Circle and see
the northern lights.
7.Arise in petrol prices inevitably leads to a rise in the cost of ……………… .
8. The happiest people are those who have found a way to make a ………………
from their hobby.

TASK C
1. The Peer-review Process
Ø Is meat an essential part of a healthy diet?
Imagine you have been given this essay topic in a course entitled Introduction to
Nutrition. As you search for information on this topic, you find many articles on the
subject of meat and its health benefits or risks. Which ones are academic and reliable?
Which ones can you trust? Usually, an “academic” article is one that has been peer-
reviewed. What does this mean?
Ø A person's peers are those people who are in the same area of study and who
have a similar level of expertise.
Ø To review something means to examine something carefully and give an opinion
on its strengths and weaknesses.
Here's how the peer-review process works.
(1) An author – usually a professor or researcher – writes a paper showing the
results of his or her research. The paper may have sections on how the research was
carried out, the results obtained and the conclusions that can be drawn. It may contain
statistics and specialized vocabulary. There will probably be an abstract (i.e., a short
summary at the beginning of the article) and a long list of references. The article may be
long, often up to thirty pages or more.

60
Unit 4 Lifestyle
 (2) The author chooses a journal that is well-suited to the topic of the article. This is a
specialized publication and will have a name like Journal of …, or ... Quarterly. The
author sends the paper to the editor of the journal.
(3) The editor receives the article and sends it to several reviewers who are experts
in the same field as the author. They are usually university faculty, and they may be in
different parts of the world.
(4) These reviewers read the article. Often the editor has removed the name of the
author, so they don't know who wrote the article. They examine the content and
conclusions reached by the author. If there are any errors in the argument presented,
the reviewers will find them. The reviewers send their comments back to the editor.
(5) The editor decides whether the article should be a) published with no changes, b)
published with some changes or c) rejected. The editor tells the author the decision.
(6) The author makes any changes or corrections that have been requested and
returns the paper to the editor.
(7) The article is edited for style, grammar, spelling, punctuation, referencing, and so
on. For example, references must be presented in the style (APA, MLA, etc.) preferred
by the journal.
(8) The paper is published.
By the time the article is published, it has been read and evaluated by other people
who know a lot about the same topic. If the article was considered to have no academic
value, or to contain inaccurate information, it would not have been published. A paper
that is not peer reviewed does not go through steps 3 and 4. This paper is not sent to
expert reviewers, and no academic feedback is received.
2. Academic or Not – How Can You Tell? A Checklist
Look at the following chart comparing academic journals with non-academic
sources. You can use this comparison chart as a checklist for deciding whether an
article is academic.
ACADEMIC NON-ACADEMIC
(peer-reviewed journals) (magazines, newspapers)
Cover simple large, colourful, often photos and
an attention-grabbing headline
Pictures no pictures or very few, usually many pictures, often taking up a
black and white whole page or half a page
Advertising very little, related to the subject a lot, much of which has nothing to
of the journal do with the topic of the magazine
Author often more than one author; one or two
sometimes ten or more
Length long (thirty to forty pages is not shorter (sometimes just one page
unusual) of a magazine or a few columns of
a newspaper) È
61
Æ Paragraphs
sentences
may have long paragraphs and shorter paragraphs and shorter,
can have complex sentences less complex sentences
Abstract abstract which summarizes the none
methodology and findings of
the paper
References long list of references maybe a few references, but no
long list
Statistical complex statistical analysis; some numbers, no complex
analysis complex charts and graphs statistical analysis
Vocabulary specialized and technical; little more general; fewer technical words;
or no use of the first person idioms and other informal language;
more use of the first person
Quotations quotations from other published quotations often from ordinary
sources; the authors show how people talking about their own
their own paper fits into a broa- experiences
der body of writing on the topic

3. The Date of Publication

Academic articles, especially in the natural sciences, engineering, computer
science and the social sciences, become dated after a while. The world changes, new
discoveries are made and new theories are formulated. Always check the publication
date of any article you are using in your research. If you are not careful, you might be
working with out-of-date material.
In addition, certain articles reflect the time at which they were published. The
readings in this chapter are about diet. At the beginning of the twenty-first century, there
is an obsession in Western countries with diet and weight loss. These articles are typical
for their time.

TASK D | Put It into Practice

1. Look at the following excerpts from texts about a popular food product, soy beans.
For each one, decide whether it is from an academic source (a journal) or whether it is
from a popular source (a magazine). Explain your answers.
a) A similar trend toward reduced blood pressure in the soy-fed animals was evident
in the male SHR (160 ± 6 mmHg with soy diet vs. 168 ± 8 mmHg with casein diet) and
sham-operated female SHR (162 ± 7 mmHg with soy diet vs. 169 ± 4 mmHg with casein
diet). However, these differences were small and did not achieve statistical significance.
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
b) Like many people at the natural foods store, I buy a lot of soy products. I'm not
vegetarian or vegan, but I steer away from meats and dairies. I use vanilla soymilk with

62
Unit 4 Lifestyle
my cereal, I'll pick up Soy Delicious ice cream from time to time and, when I want a
snack, I'll grab a bag of Soy Crisps. I prefer the buffalo burger to its veggie cousin, but
I've been known to enjoy a garden breakfast sausage. And I'll be the first to suggest an
edamame appetizer.
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
c) Soy-planted area in MT contracted by nearly 1 million ha, and commodity prices
crashed in 2006 and 2007. The area planted in soy increased each year since, but by
2010 still had not recovered to the highest levels recorded in 2005. After its peak in
2003, our analysis indicates that the percentage of large-scale (>25 ha) deforestation
due to soy expansion decreased steadily, reaching 1 percent in 2009 .
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
d) There's another excellent reason to give edamame a try this summer. Many of us
are eating more soy foods than ever before as we learn about the health benefits of this
nutritious food. Aside from being a great source of quality protein and vitamin E, soy
foods contain isoflavones, which seem to play a role in reducing the risk of heart attack,
osteoporosis, breast cancer and prostate cancer.
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
2. Imagine you are researching the following topics. Think about how old an article
can be and still be useful. At what point does an article become outdated and no longer
of any use to you?

MY ESSAY TOPIC IS … I WOULD NOT USE AN ARTICLE

PUBLISHED EARLIER THAN
The health benefits of red wine
Recommendations on salt consumption:
an analysis
The typical pioneer diet

The use of arable land for raising beef

cattle in Argentina
Treatment for alcohol addiction: the best
options
The history of the fishing industry in
Northern Europe

63
 Discuss your answers with your class. There is no “correct” answer here; you may
have different opinions.
3. Consider again the question presented at the beginning of this chapter:
Ø Is meat an essential part of a healthy diet?
Find a published article on the topic of the nutritional value of meat. Answer the
following questions.
a) Where was your article published? Do you think the article you have chosen is
from an academic, peer-reviewed source? Why, or why not?
b) How recent is your article? Do you think it is still relevant and useful today?
c) You are writing an essay for your Introduction to Nutrition course, in which you
argue for or against the health benefits of eating meat. Would you use the article you
have chosen as support for your essay? If so, how would you use it? If not, why not?

Reading 1
TASK A | Introducing the topic and vocabulary
Read this article, consider where it might have been published and whether or not
this is a peer-reviewed source.
Work in groups of three or four. Discuss the following questions.
– How much do you know about prehistoric people? Share your ideas about the way
they lived.
– This reading is about a diet that is based on the way prehistoric people ate. What
do you think this diet includes? What might be excluded? Write your thoughts below.
Ø We think this diet might include ...
Ø We think it might exclude ...
Ø What do you think might be some health benefits of following a prehistoric diet?

Vocabulary
The words below are all in the reading. Fill in each space with the
correct word.

NOUNS addiction ancestor calorie deficiency

digestion proponent
VERBS transition
ADJECTIVE abundant lethargic optimal

64
Unit 4 Lifestyle
 (1) If you have a/an ____________________ supply of something, you have plenty
of it.
(2) A/An ____________________ is a unit for measuring the amount of energy a
food item produces.
(3) A person who was a member of your family in previous generations is known as
a/an ____________________. The opposite (i.e. someone of a more recent
generation) is a descendant.
(4) The ____________________ way to do something is the best or most suitable
way to do it.
(5) The process whereby food is changed to energy inside the body is called
____________________
(6) A/An ____________________ of something is a person who supports it or is in
favour of it. The opposite is opponent.
(7) People who ____________________ into a different lifestyle or career usually
make a gradual but permanent change.
(8) If you have a/an ____________________ to something, such as coffee or
alcohol, you have a strong and often physical need for it.
(9) A/An ____________________ is a lack or shortage of something that is
necessary.
(10) If you feel ____________________ you have no energy; you might want to sit
on your sofa all day and watch television.

The Caveman Diet (By Randy Shore)

Fruits, nuts, grass and whatever grubs, insects or game you can kill with your hands
or a rock.
Our hunter-gatherer ancestors thrived on a daily menu of whatever was at hand
until the development of agriculture about 10,000 years ago, and a surprising number of
dieters and fitness buffs are turning back their dietary clocks.
In a nutshell, the paleodiet is an attempt to approximate the caloric and nutritional
intake that human beings evolved to eat, before we started to plant grain and legumes
for their easy, abundant, but largely empty, calories. Or so the theory goes.
The modern menu includes grass-fed meats, fruits, cooked and raw vegetables,
wild fish and unprocessed oils such as olive or avocado. Wheat, dairy and legumes,
such as beans and peanuts, are not allowed because they are relatively recent
additions to the human menu. Some versions forbid added salt. Most people limit or
eliminate alcohol.
“It's really popular, at least half the people at my gym are eating something like the
caveman diet,” said Cassandra Kruger, a trainer at Momentum Fitness in Vancouver.
“It's in the same vein as the South Beach and Atkins diet in that they don't include any
refined carbohydrates, so no grains, no sugar, no flour and no processed foods.”

65
 Some nutritionists warn that low-carb diets carry potential health hazards from
kidney stones and low blood pressure to calcium deficiency and osteoporosis.
Ultralow carb diets induce ketosis, a state in which the body burns fat for energy. You
will lose weight, but it is not without risk.
Warehouse manager Rahim Khan of Langley started on the paleodiet just before his
27th birthday. He weighed 250 pounds, heavy for his 5-foot-11 frame.
“Less than a year later I hit my optimal weight of 173 pounds,”said Khan, who lost
weight even as he cut back on his workouts. “I used to be in the gym three or four days a
week and sometimes for two hours, now it's 30 minutes and I'm out.”
Khan, his wife Liz and their three children all follow the paleodiet at home.
Exceptions have to be made when the kids visit their grandparents, Khan laughed.
“I was skeptical at first,” said Liz, who admits feeling sick and lethargic for the first
two weeks after the change. “But I feel so much better now, I didn't even know how lousy
I felt before.”
The Khans eat grass-fed beef, pork and chicken, usually the fattiest cuts they can
find. Wheat in all its forms has disappeared, along with soy and corn. Dairy is confined
to butter and small amounts of aged cheese.
Fruits and vegetables make up the balance of the plate, which Rahim says he
usually fills twice at supper time. When their personal workload gets heavy, the Khans
will add a sweet potato with butter for extra energy.
“I like to just call it my lifestyle, it's the most logical way to eat,” Rahim said. “What I do
is based on the feedback my body gives. When I feel good I know I'm doing the right
things.”
The cavemen diet is an attractive weight-management program, because it is
naturally low in calories and you are generally encouraged to eat whenever you are
hungry. But the paleolithic menu probably has the most traction with people who have
gluten sensitivity or celiac disease.
“Just look at how many people are eliminating gluten from their diet,” Kruger said.
Indeed, gluten-free foods are among the fastest growing product classes at the
grocery store. And theceliacscene.com lists dozens of restaurants across Metro
Vancouver that offer gluten-free meals.
Chilliwack mom Lori Wedel made some paleolithic adjustments to her entire family's
diet to address her and her daughter Eva's gluten sensitivity.
“When Eva was three or four we started noticing that she was having trouble with her
digestion,” said Wedel, a community support worker.
Gluten sensitivity can cause symptoms including constipation, diarrhea and
abdominal pain.
“We decided we needed to investigate what might be the problem and we started to
do an elimination diet,” she recalled.
Eva showed no change when dairy was removed from the menu. “But when we got
to gluten it was completely different and rapidly different,” she said. “Within a week we
noticed big changes, some we didn't expect.”
“We thought she was a typical four-year-old until we started changing her diet,”

66
Unit 4 Lifestyle
Wedel said. “She was a terror with concentration problems and aggression, but once
we started removing gluten it changed altogether.”
Wedel's own allergies to nuts and to seafood meant there were few processed foods
in the house anyway, but even fewer when the family began to eliminate sugar, artificial
colourings and gluten.
“The difference in Eva made it impossible to go back,” Wedel said. “We can't eat
another way.”
Rather than keeping abundant carbohydrates in their diet with gluten-free breads
and pasta, the Wedels just eliminated bread and grain-based foods such as pasta.At $7
a loaf for gluten-free bread, it just didn't make sense.
“We eat meat every day and a whack of vegetables, usually in a stir-fry,” she said.
“We don't follow the strict paleodiet, if we have sushi, we eat the rice and sometimes we
have quinoa.”
Even though the Wedels don't consider themselves paleodieters, Eva likes to joke
that she is a caveman child. Lori's husband Will, an engineer with the City of Chilliwack,
is a big fan of the hefty portions of meat, usually chicken, pork and grass-fed beef.
“For me the biggest change was just deciding that not every meal had to be like my
mom taught me, meat, potatoes, grain, you don't need those to live,” she said.
Wedel's sister Brittany Eidsness, a registered holistic nutritionist, helped tweak the
family's menus.
When calories from wheat, rice, potatoes and refined sugar are eliminated from the
diet, the ratio of fibre, vitamins, minerals and important nutrients per calorie consumed
goes way up.
The exception is vitamin D, which hunter gatherers produced in great abundance
because they lived outdoors and spent long hours walking and foraging.
“People have a hard time figuring out what to eat and this diet is healthy and very
clear,” she said. “It removes all of the foods that cause us problems.”
Proponents of the caveman diet point out that so-called “diseases of civilization” –
heart disease, cancer, obesity and diabetes – were not a problem to people who lived in
the Paleolithic period, which ran from about 2.5 million years ago until farming took hold
about 8,000 BCE.
“The paleodiet is naturally low-carb and focuses on clean protein sources like grass-
fed beef, wild fish, naturally raised chicken and eggs,” said Eidsness. “Then you are
going to have as many vegetables as you can possibly eat, with the possible exception
of nightshade vegetables for people who are sensitive to them.”
People transitioning to the caveman diet can expect a minor rebellion by their body.
Many people experience lethargy, headaches and flu-like symptoms that Eidsness
attributes to a withdrawal from the body's addiction to sugar and carbohydrates.
Critics of the paleodiet trend point to a long list of incongruities, knowledge gaps
about the true nature of man's diet during the Paleolithic period.
A true paleolithic diet would probably include some wild game, tart berries, insects,
roots and wild tubers, shellfish, rodents and the occasional cache of honey. But it would
also vary enormously from north to south, coast to inland and continent to continent,

67
ranging from a chimpanzee-like diet of fruits to a very fatty meat-based diet of seal and
caribou consumed byArctic peoples.
The truth is that defining a true paleolithic diet is next to impossible.
In addition to the potential for health impacts from eating an ultra low-carb diet, a
leading Canadian nutritionist warns that paleodieters often eat more meat than is
healthy for them and the planet.
The environmental cost of a largely meat-based diet is probably the strongest
argument against eating like a modern caveman, said David Jenkins, a professor of
nutritional sciences at the University of Toronto and Canada Research Chair in Nutrition
and Metabolism.
“We just can't produce enough calories in meat protein and fat to feed the world's
human population, it's not sustainable,” Jenkins said.
Widely accepted estimates suggest it takes 16 kilos of grain to produce one kilo of
beef and at least 441 gallons of water.
Caveman diet proponents claim that eating what they believe to be the human
ancestral diet will reduce their risk of disease, pointing out that Paleolithic era people
were not afflicted with today's most common ailments, many of which are associated
with obesity and old age.
That idea might just hold water.
Pre-agricultural humans did live long enough to suffer from diseases of age and
there is evidence arthritis was common, though obesity, heart disease and diabetes
were rare or entirely absent.
Jenkins is skeptical that such dramatic alterations in our modern diet are key to
better health.
“The first step in adopting a paleolithic lifestyle would be to throw away your car keys
and walk everywhere,” he said. “The diet we have adopted over the past 10,000 years
suits our physiology just fine if we are exercising. The problem is we put all these
starchy calories in our body and then try to burn them driving everywhere in our cars.”

TASK B | Check your understanding.

Go back to the predictions you made in “Before You Read”. How many of your predic-
tions were accurate? Did you predict anything that was not addressed in the reading?
Choose the correct answer for the questions below.
1) Which of the following combinations is permitted by the caveman diet?
a) steak and potatoes c) fish and rice
b) pizza and salad d) chicken and broccoli
2) Which is the main food group eliminated from the caveman diet?
a) proteins c) carbohydrates
b) fats d) vegetables
3) Which condition may not be helped by following the caveman diet?
a) obesity c) gluten sensitivity
b) osteoporosis d) diabetes

68
Unit 4 Lifestyle
 4) Which of the following statements is probably not true?
a) It is easier to produce grains than to raise animals for food.
b) The caveman diet will save you a lot of money.
c) Today's caveman diet may be different from our ancestors' diet.
d) We could get the same benefits by exercising more.

Answer the following questions in your own words using information from the
reading.
1) Describe some of the key features of the paleodiet. Which food groups do people
who follow this diet usually choose from? What do they avoid?
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

2) Consider the two people mentioned in the article, Rahim Khan and Lori Wedel. Fill
in the chart below with information about them.

REASON FOR TYPICAL DAILY HEALTH

TRYING THIS DIET DIET BENEFITS
Rahim Khan
Lori Wedel

3) The paleodiet is useful for people who want to lose weight: true or false? Why?
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
4) What is meant by the term “diseases of civilization”? Give three examples.
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
5) Why might some people feel unwell after they start to follow the paleodiet?
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
6) How does today's version of the paleodiet differ from the way our ancestors
probably ate?
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

TASK C | Analyse and discuss the following questions.

Analysis and Discussion
Discuss the following questions with your group.
(1) Look again at the chart on page 61. Do you think this article came from a peer-
reviewed source or a non-academic source? Explain your answer.

69
 (2) This article was published in Vancouver, Canada, in 2012. To what extent are a)
the city and b) the date significant? Could this article have appeared in another country?
Could it have appeared twenty-five years ago?
(3) Why do you think the paleodiet is so popular today?
(4) Why do you think the author included quotations from David Jenkins?
(5) Which readers do you think might be interested in this diet and might want to try
it? Which readers do you think might be skeptical?
(6) How do you personally feel about the paleodiet? Could you happily eat in this
way?Are you interested in trying it? Why, or why not?

Writing
TASK D
When you come to write a critical review of a text, you will need to include a summary
of the text's main ideas and be able to paraphrase appropriately.

Summarizing and paraphrasing are two techniques where you use your own
words to interpret and to understand a text. Since these skills require you to restate
texts or passages in your own words, the ability to do so will help you to better
comprehend facts and ideas. In fact, summarizing and paraphrasing measure how
well you are able to understand a text. The more ease you have in summarizing or
paraphrasing an article, the better you have understood a text.

When you write a summary, you need to present only the main idea and key
supporting details in order of importance. Because it omits minor supporting details, a
summary is much shorter than the original on which it is based. A good rule of thumb is
that a summary should be one-fourth of the length of the original.Agood way to identify
key supporting details is to answer as many of the who, what, where, when, why, and
how questions about the selection as apply. (Not all these questions will apply to every
selection.) Remember, too, that the goal of a summary is brevity; in other words,
always make sure that your summary contains only the main idea and key points.
Also keep in mind that you are reporting the author's viewpoints and not your own.
When writing a summary, never write something like “I feel” or “I think” or “It seems to
me.” What matters in a summary is what the author thinks. When reading over your
summary, make sure you delete all expressions of your own thoughts and opinions.

ADefinition of Summary:
A summary is the shortest statement possible that presents the overall idea in your
own words. Although it does not go into much detail, it forces you to understand the
meaning(s) of a text.

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Unit 4 Lifestyle
 ADefinition of Paraphrase:
A paraphrase is a restatement of the ideas, major examples, and supporting
details in your own words and is presented in the same order as that of the author's.
Where appropriate, you should use synonyms to replace words or terms that are
difficult to you. Since its aim is to force you to understand each part of a text, it is
longer than a summary.

TASK E | Learn the steps of writing a good summary and a paraphrase.

How to Write a Summary:

In short, below are 6 steps you should take when writing a summary:
1. From the original text or passage, first identify and underline the main points
and supporting details (exclude any examples, illustrations, or explanations).
2. Restate all of those important points in your own words.
3. Organize (arrange) those ideas in a logical manner.
4. Write up the information in a precise and coherent form, bearing in mind that
a summary is a condensed version of the original text.
5. Revise and edit your summary.
6. Ensure that the summary only comprises the author's ideas, and not your
own opinions.

How to Write a Paraphrase:

In short, below are 5 steps you should take when writing a paraphrase:
1. Carefully examine each statement or phrase in the original article, working on
the passage line by line.
2. Substitute any complex terms or phrases with simpler words or phrases.
3. Rewrite each sentence of the passage using your own words, retaining the
author's emphasis and tone.
4. Revise and edit your paraphrase.
5. Ensure that the paraphrase only contains the author's ideas, and not your
own opinions.

Occasionally, a summary may consist of phrases or sentences that are directly

taken from the original source or text. In these situations, it is important to
document the author's words in quotation marks. As noted by GefVert in The
Confident Writer, exact words or phrases may sometimes be used to retain “some
of the 'flavor' - style, aptness, or tone - of the original without losing the proper
balance of paraphrasing and summary”.

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TASK F
Look at a short example of a summary and a paraphrase (based on Michael
Wenyon's Understanding Holography):
Original version:
Like most people, for many years I remained frightened of the laser, perceiving it as
a deadly device capable of enormous destruction. I recall a scene in a James Bond
movie, Goldfinger, in which Bond, who was tied to a table, was nearly sliced in half by a
laser beam. Since then, other films and television shows have fueled my fear of the
laser by showing mad scientists who wanted to take over the world threatening to use
huge laser devices to wipe out towns and strategic defense areas. Although the laser
does have tremendous potential for destruction, my unreasonable fear of the laser is
fading. In recent years scientists have found that the laser has a wide variety of
applications, making it one of the most important inventions in the last quarter of the
century for improving our quality of life.
Summarized version:
For a long time, I possessed a misconception that the laser is merely a deadly force
used destructively. However, my perception of the laser is gradually improved as I
realized its significant contributions to achieving a higher quality of life.
Paraphrased version:
Like many people, I have been afraid of the laser for a long time, seeing it as a deadly
force which causes serious disasters. I recollect how James Bond was almost killed by
a laser in the movie, Goldfinger. Ever since then, other media programs have increased
my terror towards the laser by showing insane scientists bent on conquering the world
with the laser. Although the laser is capable of immense destruction, my apprehension
towards it is gradually disappearing. Recently, scientists have discovered many
contributions of the laser, viewing it as a significant factor to improving our life.

TASK G | Try it yourself. Paraphrase with synonyms.

Find a synonym for the words/phrases that are underlined. Re-write each sentence
using these new words or phrases. For example.
More than half of the women who attended the one-day meeting were in business
with their spouses.
Possible answer:
The majority of the women who went to the one-day meeting were in business with
their husbands.
1. Approximately 30,000 students may be assisted by the proposed “free lunch”
program.
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
2. With the development of flash memory cards, the market for portable music
players jumped sharply.

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Unit 4 Lifestyle
 ________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
3. Although the coach's strategy was a little dangerous, the team was successful.
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
4. Therefore, the effect was an increase in student examination results.
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
5. In addition, a strong typhoon is expected to batter the coast over the next few
days.
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
6. The expenditure needed to combat climate change will require changes to the
federal government's budget.
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
7. The engineer must judge how much dynamite to use according to the volume of
material to be removed from the tunnel.
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
8. Two of the students were expelled for violating the school's “no fighting” policy.
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

Consolidation
Now test out your paraphrasing skills.
(1) Read the following passages carefully and paraphrase them.
“There has been a dramatic increase in the number of Australian children taking an
interest in cooking in the last two years. Researchers speculate that this may be due to
the rising popularity of reality based television cooking shows aimed at a young
audience. These shows often feature children who are very skilled at preparing,
cooking and presenting food. The shows present the idea that the levels of skill such
children possess in the kitchen can be reached by any child, as long as they are
determined and have family support. Cooking products and games have also started to
line the shelves of toy stores. These products are frequently packaged so as to

73
reinforce their links to the popular television shows and the promise of success and
celebrity status such shows confer upon the child who cooks”. (McGuinness, 15, 2011)
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

(2) In 1610, Galileo Galilei published a small book describing astronomical

observations that he had made of skies above Padua. His homemade telescopes had
less magnifying and resolving power than most beginners' telescopes sold today, yet
with them he made astonishing discoveries: that the moon has mountains and other
topographical features; that Jupiter is orbited by satellites, which he called planets; and
that the Milky Way is made up of individual stars. From David Owen, “The Dark Side:
Making War on Light Pollution,” The New Yorker (20August 2007): 28.
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
(3) In American society, Introverts are outnumbered about three to one. As a result,
they must develop extra coping skills early in life because there will be an inordinate
amount of pressure on them to “shape up,” to act like the rest of the world. The introvert
is pressured daily, almost from the moment of awakening, to respond and conform to
the outer world.
Classroom teachers unwittingly pressure introverted students by announcing that
“One-third of your grade will be based on classroom participation.” From Otto Kroeger
and Janet M. Thuesen, Type Talk: The 16 Personality Types that Determine How We
Live, Love and Work. New York: Dell Publishing, 1989.
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

READING 2
You are going to read an article from an online journal about how culture can
affect people's food choices.
Read the article and gather information about what makes food taste good.
Finding Balance in Food
Food, Balance, and Culture
Nutritionists around the world often speak about the importance of a balanced diet.
A balanced diet usually means eating more fruits, vegetables, and grains and
consuming fewer foods high in fat, sugar, and cholesterol. When comparing the food

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Unit 4 Lifestyle
habits of different cultures, however, the definition of a “balanced diet” might also be
seen differently. A person's culture can influence the way he tries to find balance in the
foods he consumes. Cultures might view balance differently according to the way a
dish tastes, or how a meal is prepared and served. Looking at the concept of a
“balanced diet” through the eyes of two very different cultures makes it clear that the
definition can differ greatly.
France: Balancing Geography and Portions
For the French, balance does not come only from using different kinds of
ingredients; enjoying the tastes of the country's many regions can also make their diet
feel balanced. France is divided into 22 regions. Each region has its own local cuisine
and food traditions, or what the French call terroir. The French embrace all 22 regions
and the cuisine produced in each. French cafes, restaurants, and food advertisements
often refer to the different regions, and to the fact that French people find pleasure in
eating foods from different parts of the country in a search for balance.
One can also see balance in the way the French serve their food. A traditional
French meal can have from three to seven different courses. It might include an
appetizer, a main plate, a side plate, a cheese plate, a salad, and a dessert, which
makes it a well-balanced dining experience. Each dish is eaten and enjoyed separately,
and portions are small. This practice has even affected the menus of fast-food chains.
Many French people dislike the traditional fast-food meal because it is too simple and
quick, so fast-food restaurants in France have changed their menus. Some now include
an appetizer, a main dish, a dessert, and a coffee to offer diners the balance they want.
China: Balancing Opposites
Like French cuisine, traditional Chinese cooking also tries to find balance, but in a
different way. The Chinese believe there are two different types of foods, which work
together to create harmony in a dish. According to this principle, foods like carrots,
water, and tofu are “cool” foods because they decrease body heat. In contrast, foods
such as chicken, eggs, and mushrooms are “warm” foods because they increase body
heat. When a dish has an equal amount of warm and cool foods together, it is consi-
dered balanced. Likewise, opposing cooking methods balance dishes. Boiling and
steaming are water-based, so they contrast well with frying, an oil-based method.
The challenge in traditional Chinese cooking is to prepare and eat meals that
balance these opposing properties. The Chinese believe that achieving this kind of
balance can result in improved health. For instance, dishes like beef with broccoli and
sweet and sour chicken are considered healthy because they have a mix of foods,
colors, flavors, and textures. For the same reason, a warm dish like fried rice might be
eaten with a cool fruit such as watermelon. The Chinese believe diseases occur when
there are too many cool or warm foods in the human body. For them, food acts as
medicine. A person might have heartburn because he or she is eating too much spicy
food. As a result, a doctor might suggest drinking iced tea, a cool drink, to balance the
extra warmth.

75
 Different Cultures, Shared Desire
France and China have very different cultures, and people in each culture have their
own ideas of what constitutes a balanced meal, whether it is tastes, menus, ingredients,
eating habits, or nutritional benefits. What connects the two, however, is a shared desire
to find some kind of balance. A look at their food preferences also suggests that culture
and food are not separate from each other. They are closely related, and their
connection can be observed around the world in very different and fascinating ways.

2. Vocabulary
Here are some words from Reading 2. Cross out the word or phrase
that is different from the bold word.
1. People who consume too many calories typically gain weight,
a. take in b. waste c. eat
2. The foods we eat as children can influence the foods we prefer as
adults,
a. make b. affect c. help determine
3. The concept behind organic food is that farmers should grow
fruits, vegetables, and grains without harmful chemicals.
a. idea b. part c. belief
4. Normandy, a northern region of France, is home to many famous
cheeses.
a. area b. place c. direction
5. Italian cuisine is known for its rich, fresh sauces and its pasta
dishes.
a. history b. cooking c. food
6. For dinner, I ate meat, vegetables, and just a small portion of
dessert,
a. amount b. kind c. quantity
7. The practice of eating with one's hands is considered rude in some
cultures but polite in others.
a. action b. advantage c. custom
8. A unique property of water is taking up more space as ice than as a
liquid.
a. quality b. characteristic c. size
9. One principle of healthy eating is to read the labels on foods.
a. basic rule b. decision c. belief
10. Various cultures use different methods for preparing foods.
a. problems b. ways c. processes

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Unit 4 Lifestyle
 3. Circle the answer to each question.
1. What is the main purpose of the article?
a. to compare how two cultures find balance in food
b. to explain why the French do not like fast food
c. to describe the concepts of “warm” foods and “cool” foods
d. to argue why people need to find balance in food
2. What is the main idea of paragraph 2?
a. Each of the 22 regions in France has its own terroir.
b. In France, balance comes from eating foods from different regions.
c. The French find pleasure in eating at different kinds of restaurants.
d. France's food regions are often mentioned in advertisements.
3. What is the main idea of paragraph 3?
a. Many French people do not like to eat at fast-food restaurants.
b. Some fast-food restaurants in France offer three-course meals.
c. A traditional French meal might include a cheese plate and a dessert.
d. The French balance their meals by serving many small courses.
4. What is the main idea of paragraph 4?
a. Opposing foods and cooking methods create balance in Chinese cooking.
b. Cool foods decrease body heat, whereas warm foods increase body heat.
c. The Chinese use both direct heat and water-based cooking methods.
d. According to the Chinese, eggs decrease body heat.
5. What is the main idea of paragraph 5?
a. Preparing dishes that balance foods, colors, and flavors is difficult.
b. Warm dishes like fried rice can be balanced with cool fruits.
c. Meals that balance opposing qualities can improve health.
d. Healthy dishes include beef and broccoli and sweet and sour chicken.

4. Read the statements. Write T (true) or F (false). Then correct each

false statement to make it true.
_____ 1. Terroir means local food and food traditions.
_____ 2. There are no fast-food restaurants in France.
_____ 3. French meals always have seven courses.
_____ 4. Some fast-food restaurants in France offer multiple courses.
_____ 5. The French prefer to eat small portions of food.
_____ 6. Carrots and tofu decrease body heat.
_____ 7. Eggs and mushrooms are considered cool foods.
_____ 8. Boiling and frying are opposing cooking methods.

TASK B
Now you've read the text, write a summary of it by following the steps provided in the
unit.

77
TASK C
1. Match sentences 1-10 with a second sentence A – J. Use the key words and
phrases in bold to help you. In some cases, more than one answer is possible.

1. A lot of people are allergic to nuts A. This is because they are cultivated
naturally without using any chemical
fertilizers or pesticides.
2. Many people do not trust genetically B. As a result, we may have to import a
modified foods. lot of basic foods.
3. Organic fruit and vegetables are quite C. They are not sure that altering the
expensive, but may be better for you. composition of cells to change certain
characteristics is safe.
4. I refuse to eat eggs from battery D. I like to know that the animals have
chickens. enough space to express their natural
behaviour.
5. I only eat meat from free range E. Too much rain has prevented crops
animals. from ripening properly.
6. The harvest has been very bad this F. This is in spite of the fact that it is
year. fattening and unhealthy.
7. If the drought continues, there will be G. It can be difficult to trace the sources
serious food shortages. of some of these.
8. There has been an increase in cases H. They should make an effort to
of salmonella, listeria, E. coli and consume sufficient quantities of the
other types of food poisoning. different food groups.
9. Too many people fail to eat a I. They have a bad physical reaction if
balanced diet. they eat them.
10. Fast food is very popular. J. Animals should not spend their lives
confined in small cages.

2. Match the verbs with nouns from the box. You may use the words more than once.

a need a balance a choice a change a decision

a goal a living a role an opportunity pressure(on)

achieve – a goal, a balance play –

make – a living, put –
meet – set –
miss – take –
3. Independent Research. Choose one of the following diets and carry out some
online research about this approach to eating.
w Atkins Diet w Raw Food Diet
w Mediterranean Diet w South Beach Diet
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Unit 4 Lifestyle
5 The News

“We demand freedom of speech and freedom of press, although

we have nothing to say and nothing worth printing”.

Kahlil Gibran

79
 UNIT
5 The News

In this unit, you will think about newsworthy importance around the world. You will
examine linguistic ways to recognize, and then deal with persuasion, opinion, bias and
fact. You must see the differences between these forms in order to critically consider
what the writer or the speaker is offering.
By the end of this unit, you should:
Ø have increased general knowledge about the current worldwide issues;
Ø learn language differences between fact and opinion;
Ø recognise bias and persuasion.

TASK A | Discussion and vocabulary about some issues around refugees.

Considering some issues around refugees
Most countries in the world today are facing migrations of people who are displaced
from their own countriesby war, famine, natural disasters or persecution. These
seekers of a new life are sometimes referred to as asylumseekers. They are refugees.
refugee(s) (n).
1. Ask your partner the following questions:
a) Does you country accept applications from refugees?
b) Does your country accept refugees?
c) If you answered 'yes' to the question above, from which countries do the
refugees arrive?
d) What are some of the reasons that people become refugees?
e) Do you believe that a country has a humanitarian responsibility with regard to
people from another country who are under threat of death if they remain in
their own country?
f) What is your personal opinion about refugees or asylum seekers in the world today?

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Unit 5 The News
 2. Match the words in column A with the correct words in column B.

A B
avoid poverty
find a situation
strike a shelter
overcome a compromise
inviolability of integrity
remedy a difficulty
seek a problem
resolve a disaster
eradicate frontiers
territorial hunger

TASK B | Vocabulary
Fact and opinion
Bias and persuasion mean that people have an opinion and sometimes attempt to
present their opinion as fact. There is a difference between opinion and fact. The work
you do in this section will teach vocabulary, acquaint you with important issues and help
you learn how to distinguish fact from opinion.

[g] opposition (n) a going out; a departure or emigration, usu. of a large

number of people
[h] interned (v) the act of coming to a decision: the fixing or settling of a
purpose; the settlement of a dispute by authoritative
[ ] pursue avenues (v) to diminish or destroy the purity of
[j] tarnish (v) a person who migrates into a country for permanent residence
[k] immigrant (n) obliged to reside (stay or live) within prescribed limits and
not allowed to leave them, as prisoners of war or enemy
aliens, or troops who take refuge in a neutral country having
regard to the interests of all mankind
[l] exodus (n) having regard to the interests of all mankind

81
 Fact and opinion
In order to be a critical reader, you must be able to tell the difference between fact
and opinion. Writers sometimes present opinions as though they were facts. You
need to be able to know when this is happening.
A fact is a statement whose truth or falsity can be proved in some objective way.
Statements of fact can be verified or disproved by records, tests, historical or
scientific documents, or personal experience. A statement of fact offers neither
judgment nor evaluation. Factual statements present information without
interpreting it. Statements of fact often rely on concrete data or measurements. This
could include scientific, historical, biographical, geographical, statistical or other
information, as long as it can be confirmed by numerous independent sources. Look
at the following information.
The Tim Hortons chain of doughnut and coffee shops was founded in 1964 by
former hockey player Tim Horton. Before going into business, Tim Horton had
played hockey for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Tim Horton died in a car accident
in 1974.
This is biographical data that can be confirmed by various sources.
Often you will see information presented as fact, but you may wonder whether it
is true or whether'there is any evidence. Look at the following sentences.
With twice as many outlets as McDonald's, Tim Hortons is the leading fast-
food outlet in Canada.
Tim Hortons coffee is the most popular brand in Canada.
These statements may or may not be true. You should check to see whether the
author has enough evidence to support his or her opinion.
An opinion expresses a personal preference or value judgment. Statement of
opinion cannot be proved to be true or false. Here are some examples of opinions.
The words that express a preference or value judgment are underlined.
George Washington was a great president.
These french fries are delicious.
It is a lovely, sunny day.
He is very tall.
Statements of future events or probabilities are often opinions no matter how
reasonable or likely they seem.
By the year 2015, 90 percent ofAmericans will be online.
In 2015, water will be rationed.
Statements of fact can sometimes be false. Both of the following statements are
factual, but only one of them is correct.
George Washington was 67 years old when he died.
George Washington was 66 years old when he died.
È
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Unit 5 The News
Æ You can often identify opinions because they contain the following language:
(1) Opinion verbs: Clearly, if the author states that he or she thinks or believes
something, you can conclude that this is an opinion.
(2) Adjectives: If the author describes something as great, terrible, amazing,
terrifying or using other adjectives expressing personal feelings be careful. This is
the author's own opinion. In the same way, if something is described in comparative
or superlative terms as better, more interesting, not as good, the most important and
so on, you should realize that this is the opinion of this particular author. What is
important or the best to one author may be considered in a very different way by
another author.
(3) Modal verbs: If the author states that something should or must happen, this
is often an indication that the author is expressing his or her own opinion. Similarly,
the verbs could or might indicate a prediction, which may or may not be accurate.
The following sentences all express opinions.
I think Tim Horton was a great business leader.
The coffee at Tim Hortons is better than the coffee at many more expensive
places.
Tim Hortons should focus more on healthy foods and less on sugary
doughnuts.
If Tim Hortons expanded more in Europe, the company could be very
successful.

Task B| Put It into Practice

A. Look at the statements below. Each contains a mixture of facts and opinions.
For each one, do the following:
a) Underline a fact.
b) (Circle) an opinion expressed by the author.

What are the qualities of a good manager?

(1) “I think a good manager needs to take the time to listen to his or her employees.
My current manager is amazing! She always calls team meetings to get our feedback on
new developments, and she takes our opinions seriously. I feel respected, and that
makes a huge difference.”
(2) “The most important thing is that the manager is not an egomaniac. I had one
manager who was so full of himself that working with him was a nightmare. He thought
the company was his own little kingdom, and he was a real bully! I used to go home and
cry every night. I no longer work there, thank goodness.”
(3) “My boss spends every day in her office with the door closed. I have no idea what
she does in there. I believe a good boss needs to be visible and accessible. A good boss
should invite her employees for coffee, talk to them, get to know them. I think office
parties are valuable for team building, but I have never been to one.”

83
 (4) “A good manager should encourage his or her employees to reach their full
potential. I develop educational software, and I often have good ideas about new
products. My boss always allows me to explore my ideas and to experiment; he never
takes the credit for anything I have created. He really allows me to shine.”
(5) “I once worked for a boss who was so driven to succeed that she hated it when
any of her employees took time off for family events. I once took three days off because
my child was sick; after that, I was never offered any special projects, and I was never
asked for my opinion. She seemed to have decided that I was not a team player. I felt so
demoralized that I quit. That's the worst kind of boss.”
(6) “My manager knows I don't make much money in my job. He never overloads me
with extra work; in fact, he tries to make my job as easy as possible. Managers must
understand that not everyone makes a six-figure salary with benefits and perks; give us
a break sometimes!”

TASK B | Vocabulary
Fact and opinion
Bias and persuasion mean that people have an opinion and sometimes attempt to
present their opinion as fact. There is a difference between opinion and fact. The work
you do in this section will teach vocabulary, acquaint you with important issues and help
you learn how to distinguish fact from opinion.
(1) Try to match the vocabulary in the columns to their definitions.
Editorial from The Social Left Herald 'Stranded refugees lose again' (on the next
page) contains all the vocabulary words. If reading the article does not explain the
vocabulary enough, then use your dictionary as a last resort.

Word Meaning
[a] stranded (v) an accusation
[b] determination the political party not in power
[c] asylum seekers a person who migrates into a country for permanent residence
[d] refugee (n) to drive aground on a shore, esp. of the sea, as a ship, a fish,
etc.; to bring into a helpless position
[e] humanitarian (adj) to follow a course of action
[f] indictment (n) people seeking a refuge or a sanctuary – a safe place

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Unit 5 The News
 TASK C | Reading and understanding
Read the editorial and answer the questions that follow.
Editorial 1
The Social Left Herald
News for those who care about the real issue

Stranded refugees lose again ...

1. It is unfortunate, if not downright illegal, when a country assumes a position outside
international and United Nations determinations. Today, another boatload of
desperate people has been towed out of waters near our shores. This country has
created a tarnished reputation for itself with regard to the handling and treatment of
refugees attempting to enter the country via boats. Asylum seekers are referred to by
the current government as 'illegal immigrants', which is ridiculous and incorrect as one
cannot be an immigrant when one is a refugee. Additionally, this government most
definitely appears to have as an agenda, the elimination of participation in policies
which allow new people into the country via any means other than visa application.
2. The editor of this newspaper recalls the 70s when the Vietnam War necessitated
an exodus from some regions of that country via similarly dangerous means as that
used by the current people fleeing war-torn countries. Leaking boats were rescued
by the military (which currently has quite a different agenda) from the seas nearby
our shores, humanitarian care was taken with these asylum seekers and processing
of their claims for refugee status was carried out efficiently and quickly.
3. Not so today. This government has gone so far as to engage the military to 'guard'
our shores in a so-called 'border protection policy' and to send ships (even leaking)
loaded down with people onwards, rather than allowing them to pursue the avenues
that should be open to them. Worse still, if they do get onshore, the processing times
for their claims for refugee status have taken years! The asylum seekers are being
interned; they are kept in camps in hostile environments with little or no stimulation.
Additionally, children are housed with adults without schooling or entertainment.
This is rapidly becoming a human rights issue and is a sad indictment of our
government which is heartless at the very least and racist at its worst.
4. The opposition is not offering solutions through new policies either. Thus, our
only power as a people is to question and, ultimately, reject both parties and to place
support with the Left Greens Democracy Party which has made public its huma-
nitarian and legal policies regarding this issue.
Bill Bradley
(1) Using your dictionary, define the word 'issue'.
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
(2) After reading the headline, what issue do you believe is going to be discussed in
the article?
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

85
 (3) Examine the headline and write what else you think the article is going to discuss.
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
(4) From the headline, can you guess which side of the issue the editorial will take?
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
(5) What does the headline 'Stranded refugees lose again …' imply?
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
(6) Identify the author of the editorial and write the name.
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
(7) Examine the name of the newspaper. Are there any clues in the name of the
paper that might give you an idea of what the editor may say in this article?
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
(8) Who is the possible audience for this editorial?
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
(9) Do you know what the term 'left' implies in Western politics?
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
TASK D | Vocabulary
(1) Try to match the vocabulary in the columns to their definitions. Editorial 2 from
The Finance Review, 'Weekly world financial indicators' contains all the vocabulary
words. If reading the article does not explain the vocabulary enough, then use your
dictionary as a last resort.
Word Meaning
[a] commotion (n) government expenditure which exceeds the money available;
also called 'in the red'
[b] financial (adj) to deter/discourage through fear or doubt about proceeding
[c] budget deficit to set upon with arguments, pleading, entreaties
(noun group)
[d] deterrent (n) requests using pleading
[e] influx (n) concerning money
[f] assailment (n) the arrival of people in great quantity
[g] entreaties (n) improve by alteration, substitution, abolition
[h] reforms (n) political or social disturbance

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Unit 5 The News
 Purpose or intention of writer:
identifying bias, connotations and attempts to influence
Bias indicates looking at something in a way that is one-sided or prejudiced in its
presentation. Bias is an opinion disguised as fact. In these cases, the text may not
be objective, or balanced, in the information and opinion it presents; it may support
one point of view over another.

In other cases, the author does not take a stance, but the people quoted in the
article present one-sided arguments. Their opinions are biased.
There are some ways to recognize bias:
Only one side of the argument is presented. Positive factors supporting the
opposing side are missing. Instead, the author or person quoted by the author gives
supporting information only about his or her own stance on the topic.
Generalizations are common. The author or person quoted may made sweeping
statements without any real support. It could be that statistical evidence does not
support the conclusion presented, so it is omitted.
Extreme statements are used; these are designed to have an emotional effect on
the reader.
A bias can be leaned in a positive or a negative direction. Bias is very similar to
prejudice. Good critical readers must be aware of their own biases and biases of
others.

Task D | Reading and thinking about the intention of the author

(1) Students should read Editorial 2 that follows.
Editorial 2
The Financed Review

Weekly world financial indicators

1. Despite the current commotion raised by a small minority surrounding the
government's policies concerning illegal immigrants, thankfully, there is a wiser;
more financial view.
2. The cost burden of processing illegal immigrants has and is becoming an
increasing encumbrance upon the taxpayers of this country. The government's
sensible border protection policies, although lifting the defense budget considerably
and creating a temporary budget deficit, are preferable. Engaging in border
protection will prove a deterrent to other illegal immigrants and discourage people
smugglers.
3. This country could ill afford an influx of the magnitude that other less prudent
policies might give rise to. The continuous assailment upon the government and
entreaties from a few bleeding hearts to alter these policies is not viable. Financial
markets have responded strongly to the government's stance in a positive way.

87
4. This editor has observed national division around this issue widen. The press is
divided and individuals have strong opinions concerning who has the right to apply
to live in their country. The fact is that illegal immigrants are queue jumpers.
Diplomatic representation in countries of origin, which support the international
coalition of nations is the proper procedure to follow. Additionally, many of the
claimants are not actually refugees and are merely seeking to shortcut an
established process.
5. As polling has demonstrated, there is confidence in the wider community and
markets will continue to reflect this confidence in the current government and its
reforms.

Discovering a writer's purpose

Now that you have read the two opinion pieces which both concern particular
government's policies around refugees entering their country to examine the purpose of
each writer within each Begin with The Social Left Herald.

(1) What opinion does the topic sentence in the introductory paragraph
express?
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
(2) Write the adjectives and noun groups used to express this opinion.
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
(3) Write the adjective from sentence 2 that describes the editor's opinion of the
people seeking refuge.
____________________________________________________________
(4) Write the adjective from sentence 3 that describes the editor's opinion of the
country's reputation.
____________________________________________________________
(5) What does the writer imply and intend you to think about the military in para
2 when he or she writes 'leaking boats were rescued by the military (which
currently has quite a different agenda) from the seas nearby our shores...'?
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
(6) When you read 'humanitarian care was taken with these asylum seekers
and processing of their claims for refugee status was carried out efficiently and
quickly', does the past simple passive 'was taken' and 'was carried out' imply
that this is not happening now but it did happen in the past?
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
(7) In para 3, what is the implication of using ' ' (quote marks) around the
word guard?
____________________________________________________________

88
Unit 5 The News
 ____________________________________________________________
(8) In para 3, ' ' are used again around 'border protection policy. Why?
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
(9) protection policy' rather than simply 'border protection policy'?
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
(10) In para 3, find the exclamation mark and explain what is implied by its use.
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
(11) In para 3, what is the writer's view of the government?
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
(12) In the final paragraph, what statement does the writer make concerning
the opposition party?
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
(13) How does the writer attempt to influence the reader?
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
(14) In the last paragraph, the intention of this writer is revealed. Look at the text
after the summation or conclusion cue - 'Thus'. Write what the author believes
is our only option.
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
(15) Based on your reading of the entire editorial comment, what was the
author's intention? In other words, why was this article written? You may
choose from the following comments:
[a] to criticize the current government's policies around refugees
[b] to encourage support for the Left Greens Democracy Party
[c] to appeal to the public for support for international refugees
[d] to question the humanitarian nature of internment
[e] all the above.

Task F | Opinion vs fact - Persuasive writing

Editorial 2 shows how language creates meaning and how language choices help a
writer to express an opinion. Editorial 2 also tries to persuade the reader to think as the
writer does. Certain language choices have been made for that purpose.
Answer the following questions based on Editorial 2.
(1) What opinion does the topic sentence in the introductory paragraph express?
________________________________________________________________
(2) Write the nouns and noun phrases used to express this opinion.
________________________________________________________________

89
 (3) What purpose does the word 'Despite' serve as the word in sentence 1?
________________________________________________________________
(4) What purpose does the word 'thankfully' serve in sentence 1?
________________________________________________________________
(5) The writer uses an argument beginning in para 2. How does this argument
begin?
________________________________________________________________
(6) What does 'sensible' refer to?
________________________________________________________________
(7) What is the writer's view of the government's border protection policies?
________________________________________________________________
(8) What is the financial effect of the government's board protection policies
according to the writer?
________________________________________________________________
(9) Since the writer says that the policies will lift the defiance budget (more money
will be spent) and create a budget deficit (the country will be in debt), he or she still
argues that they are a good thing. What one key word signals to the reader that this is
going to be the argument?
________________________________________________________________
(10) Why are the border policies preferable?
________________________________________________________________
(11) Is the statement 'This country could ill afford an influx of the magnitude that
other less prudent policies mi give rise to' a fact or an opinion?
________________________________________________________________
(12) Is the above statement in question 11 worded like a fact? How do you know that
it is not necessarily factual?
________________________________________________________________
(13) What evidence is there that refugees are actually 'qi jumpers' as the editor
states?
________________________________________________________________
(14) How does the writer attempt to convince the reader agree with him/her in the
last paragraph?
________________________________________________________________

90
Unit 5 The News
Follow up
TASK A
Identifying Facts and Opinions
Directions: Study the painting of the Mona Lisa on page 92. Indicate whether each
statement below contains a fact or an opinion by writing F or O in the space provided
(Note that not all factual statements will be true.)
__________ 1. The Mona Lisa measures 30x21 inches (or approximately 77x53
centimeters).
__________ 2. The Mona Lisa has been a part of France's royal collection since the
early sixteenth century.
__________ 3. The painting of the polite lady with the self-satisfied expression is
perhaps the most recognized work of art in the world.
__________ 4. The otherworldly landscape in the background at odds with Mona
Lisa's maternal image in the foreground.
__________ 5. Leonardo painted the Mona Lisa with oils on a poplar wooden panel.
__________ 6. The Mona Lisa is encased in a 157x98-inch box of triplex glass, a
gift from the Japanese on the occasion of the painting's 1974 trip to
Japan - the last time it left the Louvre.
__________ 7. This bullet-proof box is kept at a constant 68 degrees Fahrenheit
and 55 percent humidity, which is maintained by a built-in air
conditioner and nine pounds of silica gel.
__________ 8. Mona Lisa seems like a goddess or a saint.
__________ 9. The painting's magic might derive from our desire to know whether
the lady is smiling, and if she is, why?
__________ 10. In 2003 the Mona Lisa received a checkup in which the box
surrounding it was opened and the climatic conditions as Well as the
painting's condition were examined.

Identifying Facts and Opinions

Directions: First, study the illustrations on the following page. Then indicate whether
each statement contains a fact or an opinion by writing F or O in the space provided
(Remember that a statement may state a fact, even if it is false.)
__________ 1. Your future life depends on the position of the stars and planets on the
date of your birth.
__________ 2. The Western system of astrology is based on month and day of birth.
__________ 3. The Eastern system of astrology is based on year of birth.
__________ 4.Achild born on March 15, 2003, is a “Pisces” in Western astrology.
__________ 5. In the Eastern system; a child born in 2003 is a “goat”.
__________ 6. In the Western system of astrology, the symbol for Capricorn is a goat
__________ 7. In the Eastern system, a “rabbit” seeks tranquility.
__________ 8. Except for the scales of libra, the twelve signs of the zodiac are
symbolized by living creatures.

91
 Eastern (Chinese)

Western

Mona Lisa (1503)

By Leonardo Da Vinci Eastern and Western Astrological charts
Photo: R.G.Ojeda. Louvre, Paris. from Jon Peterson and Stacey A. Hagen
Reunion des Musees Nationaus / in Be er Writing Though Editing,
Art Resource, NY New York: McGraw-Hill, 1999, p.56

TASK B | Read the following story from a city's daily newspaper.

Olympic bid launched
Today the major announced that the city wall bid to host the 2028 Olympic Games.
The announcement was made at a press conference at City Hall early this morning.
Initial reaction to the announcement has been mixed. Many local people greeted the
announcement with excitement and optimism. Local business owners praised the
decision, saying the boost to revenue, should the city be successful, will benefit the city.
“The tourists who come here for the Olympics will not only bring millions of dollars to the
city, they will also put us on the map as world-class city”, said hotel owner Ashley
Romero.
Other reactions have been less enthusiastic. Some city residents have expressed
concerns about whether the city can afford to host an event of this magnitude, the
possibility of increased taxes has also been raised, as have suggestions that city
councilors should prioritize spending on social programs. “How can we even think
about this, when we have people living on the streets and sleeping in shelters?” asked
Pete McBride, manager of a shelter for the homeless.

92
Unit 5 The News
 More details on the bid will be announced in the next two weeks, City Hall promises.

Answer the following questions.

(1) Is this text objective or biased? Explain your answer.
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
(2) Write a paragraph of five or six sentences from the point of view of either
Ashley Romero or Pete McBride, giving her or his opinion on the Olympic bid.
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
(3)Ask yourself: is your own paragraph biased or unbiased? Why?
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________

C. Find a published text on ONE of these sports controversies. Then answer the
questions that follow about the text you find.
Ø Cyclist LanceArmstrong admits winning races with the help of illegal drugs.
Ø Soccer star Zinedine Zidane head-butts his opponent in the World Cup final.
Ø Runner Caster Semenya's gender is called into question.
(1) Who is the author? What can you find out about his or her credentials?
(2) Is the text objective, or is it biased? How do you know?
(3) If the text is biased, what stance does the author take?

Reading
TASK A | Read the text and do the exercises.
Charting the Heavens
Between sunset and sunrise on a clear night, we can see about 3,000 points of light.
If we include the view from the opposite side of Earth, nearly 6,000 stars are visible to
the unaided eye. A natural human tendency is to see patterns and relationships among
objects even when no true connection exists. People long ago connected the brightest
stars into configurations called constellations, which ancient astronomers named after
mythological beings, heroes, and animals – whatever was important to them. Figure 1
shows a constellation especially prominent in the nighttime sky from October to March:
the hunter named Orion. Orion was a mythical Greek hero famed, among other things,
for his amorous pursuit of the Pleiades, the seven daughters of the giant Atlas.
According to Greek mythology, to protect the Pleiades from Orion, the gods placed

93
them among the stars, where Orion nightly stalks them across the sky. Many
constellations have similarly fabulous connections with ancient lore.
Perhaps not surprisingly, the patterns have a strong cultural bias. The astronomers
of ancient China saw mythical figures different from those seen by the ancient Greeks,
the Babylonians, and the people of other cultures, even though they were all - looking at
the same stars in the night sky. Interestingly, different cultures often made the same
basic groupings of stars, despite widely varying interpretations of what they saw. For
example, the group of seven stars usually known in North America as “the Dipper" is
known as “the Wagon” or “the Plough” in Western Europe. The ancient Greeks
regarded these same stars as the tail of “the Great Bear,” the Egyptians saw them as the
leg of an ox, the Siberians as a stag, and some Native Americans as a funeral
procession.
Early astronomers had very practical reasons for studying the sky. Seafarers
needed to navigate their vessels and some constellations served as navigational
guides. The star Polaris, which is part of the Little Dipper, indicates north. The near
constancy of its location in the sky, from hour to hour and night to night, has aided
travelers for centuries. Other constellations served as primitive calendars to predict
planting and harvesting seasons. For example, many cultures knew that the
appearance of certain stars on the horizon just before daybreak signaled the beginning
of spring and the end of winter.
The realization that these patterns returned to the night sky at the same time each
year met the need for a practical means of tracking the seasons. Widely separated
cultures all over the world built elaborate structures, to serve, at least in part, as primitive
calendars. Often the keepers of the secrets of the sky enshrined their knowledge in myth
and ritual, and these astronomical sites were also used for religious ceremonies.
Perhaps the best known such site is Stonehenge, located on Salisbury Plain in
England, and shown in Figure 2. This ancient stone circle, which today is one of the
most popular tourist attractions in Britain, dates from the Stone Age. Researchers
believe it was a kind of three-dimensional calendar or almanac, enabling its builders
and their descendants to identify important dates by means of specific celestial events.
Its construction apparently spanned a period of about 17 centuries, beginning around
2800 B.C. Additions and modifications continued to about 1100 B.C., indicating its
ongoing importance to the Stone Age and, later, Bronze Age people who built,
maintained, and used Stonehenge. The largest stones weigh up to 50 tons and were
transported from quarries miles away.
In many of the stones are aligned so that they point toward important astronomical
events. For example, the line joining the center of the inner circle to the so-called heel
stone, set off some distance from the rest of the structure, points in the direction of the
rising Sun on the summer solstice. While some of Stonehenge's purposes remain
uncertain and controversial, the sites function as an astronomical almanac seems well
established. Although Stonehenge is the most impressive and the best preserved,
other stone circles, found all over Europe, are believed to have performed: similar
functions.

94
Unit 5 The News
 In many societies, people came to believe that there were other benefits in being
able to trace the regularly changing positions of heavenly bodies. The relative positions
of stars and planets at a person's birth were carefully studied by astrologers, who used
the data to make predictions about that person's destiny. Thus, in a sense, astronomy
and astrology arose from the same basic impulse – the desire to “see” into the future –
and, indeed, for a long time they were indistinguishable from one another. Today, most
people recognize that astrology is nothing more than an amusing diversion. However,
millions still study their horoscope in the newspaper every morning! Nevertheless, the
ancient astrological terminology – the names of the constellations and many more used
to describe the locations and motions of the planets – is still the astronomical world.
Generally speaking, the stars, that make up any particular constellation are not
actually close to one another in space, even by astronomical standards. They merely
are bright enough to observe with the naked eye and happen to lie in roughly the same
direction in the sky as seen from Earth, Still, the constellation provide a com lenient
means for astronomers to specify large areas of the sky. This is similar to the way
geologists use continents or politicians use voting precincts to identify certain localities
on planet Earth. In all, there are 88 constellations, most of them visible from North
America at some time during the year.

Indicate whether the statement is a fact or an opinion by writing F or O in the blank

provided.
a. __________ 1. Between sunset and sunrise on a clear night, we can see
about 3,000 points of light.
b. __________ 2. If we include the view from the opposite side of Earth,
nearly 6,000 stars are visible to the unaided eye.
c. __________ 3. A natural human tendency is to see patterns and
relationships among objects even when no true connection exists.
d. __________ 4. According to Greek mythology to protect the Pleiades from
Orion, the gods placed them among the stars, where Orion nightly stalks
them across the sky.
e. __________ 5. Many constellations have similarly fabulous connections
with ancient lore.
f. __________ 6. Perhaps not surprisingly, the patterns have a strong
cultural bias.
g. __________ 7. The astronomers of ancient China saw mythical figures
different from those seen by the ancient Greeks, the Babylonians, arid the
people of other cultures, even though they were all looking at the same
stars in the night sky.
h. __________ 8. For example, the group of seven stars usually known in
North America as “the Dipper” is known as “the Wagon” or “the Plough” in
Western Europe.
I. __________ 9. Early astronomers had very practical reasons for studying
the sky.

95
 j. __________ 10. The star Polaris, which is part of the Little Dipper, indicates
north.
k. __________ 11. The largest stones weigh up to 50 tons and were
transported from quarries miles away.
l. __________ 12. For example, joining the center of the inner circle to the
so-called heel stone, set off some distance item the rest of the structure,
points in the direction of the rising Sun on the summer solstice.
m. __________ 13. Today, most people recognize thaf astrology is nothing
more than an amusing diversion.
n. __________ 14. Nevertheless, the ancient astrological terminology – the
names of the constellations and many terms used to describe the locations
and jnotions of the planets – is still used throughout the astronomical' world.
o. __________ 15. Still, the constellations provide a convenient means for
astronomers to specify large areas of the sky.
p. __________ 16. In all, there are 88 constellations, most of them visible
from NorthAmerica at some time during the year.

Vocabulary in Context
2. In the paragraphs indicated, find a word that matches the defini-
tion given, and write the word in the space provided.
Paragraph 1
1. __________ standing out to be seen easily; conspicuous
2. __________ inclined or disposed to love
3. __________ pursues stealthily
4. __________ knowledge or learning of a traditional nature
Paragraph 3
1. __________ early; simple
Paragraph 4
1. __________ detailed; painstaking
Paragraph 5
1. __________ offspring
2. __________ heavenly
3. __________ excavations or pits from which stone is obtained
Paragraph 6
1. __________ when the sun is at its greatest distance from the
celestial equator, about June 21
2. __________ disputed; contentious
Paragraph 7
1. __________ a person's fate
2. __________ distraction

96
Unit 5 The News
TASK C
1. Use a dictionary to check the meaning of these verbs. Find out the noun and
adjective forms and write them in your notebook.

bias exploit expose inform intrude invade

investigate publish publicise sensationalise verify

2. Use a suitable form of the words in exercise 1 to replace the words in bold.
1. There has been a lot of gossip speculation in the media about the identity of the
victim.
2. Not surprisingly, the reporter was unable to prove the truth behind ……………
the claims.
3. The government has agreed to launch an official inquiry …………… into the
matter.
4. There has been a great deal of media hype ……………about the new James
Bond movie.
5. I'm not sure celebrities are being used …………… they often seem to court fame.
6. Most people believe that this newspaper favors the government too much to
provide an impartial …………… coverage of the election.

3. These adjectives can be used to talk about the media or people in the media.
Decide whether they are used in a negative or a positive way and put them in the correct
box.

artificial biased distorted factual informative

invasive intrusive pervasive realistic sensationalist
superficial unbiased attention-grabbing

Positive Negative

97
 4. Think about your answers to these questions. Try to use as many of the
adjectives from the previous exercise.
1. Would you like to be famous? (Why? / Why not?)
2. Do you think famous people have a positive or a negative influence on young
people?
3. Nowadays we have access to the news 24 hours a day. What effect does this
have?

98
Unit 5 The News
6 Environment

“As between the soul and the body there is a bond, so are the body
and it environment linked together.

Kahlil Gibran

99
 UNIT
6 Environment

In this unit, you will look at a topic that affects every aspect of our lives. It is also a
common topic on international English language exams. In this context, you will
practise to distinguish what opinion is being expressed in the text and who the text has
written for – a general audience or an academic audience? Finally, you will develop
your topical vocabulary and practise debating opinions.
By the end of this unit, you should:
Ø have gained confidence about discussing environmental issues like alternative
forms of energy and have expanded your vocabulary in this topic area
Ø have practised identifying the author's stance
Ø make inferences and make sure why author's purpose is important.

TASK A. | Discussion and vocabulary about Environmental issues.

Discuss these questions:
1. Do you think that you waste too much energy in the home?
2. What can the government do to encourage people to save energy?
3. Why do you think people prefer to drive a car instead of using public transport?
4. Do you feel optimistic about the future in terms of energy?
5. What changes do you think will happen in the next 20 years?

TASK B. Sharing knowledge about environmental issues

[a] Copy the table below onto a large sheet of paper (one per group), leaving plenty
of space to write in each cell.
[b] In small groups, share your current knowledge to till in the table. Add additional
environmental issues at the bottom of the table; you can make your table as large as
you like. The pictures in this unit may help you think of ideas.

100
Unit 6 Environment
NAME OF WHAT IS CAUSE POSSIBLE POSSIBLE ASSOCIA-
ISSUE THE OF THE SOLUTIONS SOLUTIONS TED
ISSUE? ISSUE BY GO- BY INDIVI- VOCABU-
VERNMENT DUALS LARY

Defores-
tation
Global
warming
Pollution

w Compare your table with another group's. How similar are they? Explain anything
that is in your table but not in theirs.
w Back in your original group, add to the table extra information that you learned
from the other group.
w As a group, rank the issues in order of seriousness. Then, explain your rankings
to the class, giving justifications.

Vocabulary
TASK C
1. Study the following words and phrases.
environmentally behavior and products that don't harm the
friendly environment
to become extinct no longer exist
consumption the act of using energy, food or materials
endangered species categories of animals or plants that are in
danger of becoming extinct
energy conservation the careful management of energy resources to
ensure they last as long as possible
fossil fuels energy resources like gas and oil that are
produced deep below the ground over millions of
years
poaching to hunt and kill wild animals illegally

101
 toxic waste poisonous, unwanted rubbish often produced
by industrial processes.
wildlife conservation to protect animals and plants and their habitats
sustainable (adj) using methods which do not harm the
environment
disposable (adj) made to be thrown away after use
deforestation (n) the act of clearing forests

2. Which is the odd one out? Try to explain why.

Example: curb/ limit / promote / restrict/ The other words mean 'to reduce'
1) electricity / nuclear energy / solar energy / wind power ………………………
2) economical / effective / efficient / emission …………………………………..
3) carbon / fuel / gas / petrol ……………………………………………………...
4) emit/ discharge / release / retain ………………………………………………
5) renewable / disposable / rechargeable …………………………………………
6) diminish / dwindle / deplete / drastic …………………………………………
7) consume / extend / exhaust / expend …………………………………………
8) conserve / preserve / reserve / save ……………………………………………

3. Match a word on the left with a word on the right to make common
expressions:
1. unleaded a. bank
2. public b. friendly
3. recycling c. energy
4. bottle d. point
5. environmentally e. transport
6. renewable f. petrol

4. If you want to protect the environment, here are some things you should do.
Use the expressions above.
1. Make sure your car runs on ……………………… and your home uses sources of
……………
2. Use ……………………… instead of taking your car.
3. Take glass, paper and plastic to a ……………………… and your empty bottles to
a …………
4. Buy …………………… products whenever possible.

5. Match a word on the left with a word on the right to make common
expressions:
1. global a. rain
2. greenhouse b. warming
3. ozone c. effect
4. acid d. layer

102
Unit 6 Environment
Now use the phrases in the following sentences:
5. The gradual rise in the Earth's temperature is ……………………… known as
……………
6. When heat gets trapped in the Earth's atmosphere, it is known as the …………
……………
7. Scientists have found holes in the ………..…......……………, particularly over
Antarctica.
8. Rain mixed with toxic chemicals from factories is known as …………......………

6. Use these words to complete the sentences:

waste pollution
protect factory
recycled emissions
damage environmentalists
1. During the last hundred years we have done great ……………………… to the
environment.
2. There's a large chemical ……………………… in our town which has polluted the
river twice in the last year.
3. The Government is very worried about the ……………………… of our rivers and
beaches.
4. A lot of household ……………………… like bottles and newspapers can be
……………………… and used again.
5. ……………………… are furious with the American Government for delaying
measures which will reduce greenhouse gas ………………………
6. There are lots of things we can all do to …………………… the environment.

7. Use these words to complete the sentences:

exhaust fumes toxic wasrc
emissions Deforestation
pesticides crops
1. The Government is introducing strict new rules on the dumping of ……………
………… by industry.
2. Farmers contribute to environmental damage by spraying …………………… with
……………… which stay in the soil for years.
3. ……………………… from factories in northern Germany affect the environment in
large parts of Scandinavia.
4. Tropical rainforests have always helped to keep the environment in balance but
recent …………means they no longer absorb as much carbon dioxide as they
used to.
5. ……………… from cars and other vehicles cause a great deal of damage to the
environment.

103
 Which verbs cannot be used with environment?
damage, harm, injure, destroy, hurt, pollute

STANCE
Now you have discussed some environmental issues and problems consider this
question:
v How can we solve the energy crisis? Compare and evaluate two or more
possible solutions.
As you discuss you'll observe that this a controversial topic, and different authors will
have different perspectives on the topic. The opinion put forward by an author is called
his or her stance. It could also be called the author's “position” or “point of view”.
A critical reader must be able to recognize and understand an author's point of view.
Here are some clues how you can identify an author's stance.
The author expresses his or her opinion with words and expressions like this:
Ø nouns: advantage, disadvantage, benefit, threat, danger or risk
Ø verbs: I think..., or I believe ...; this study demonstrates ..., or this research
confirms ...; it seems ..., or it appears ...
Ø adjectives: crucial, important, promising, significant, worthwhile or (ir)relevant
Ø adverbs: clearly, definitely or obviously
Note that authors of research papers are usually reluctant to express their
conclusions too strongly. Often expressions like The results prove ... or It is obvious
that ... are too strong and need to be softened. The author might prefer to use
expressions like It seems that ... or There is evidence to suggest that ... This shows
caution, and it shows politeness on the part of the author. This use of language is
known as hedging.

TASK D
A. Look at the following statements about the use of the earth's tides as a source of
energy. For each one, decide whether the author is a) in favour of tidal power, b) against
it or c) undecided. Explain your answers.
(1) “There is no doubt that tidal power is one potential source of energy, but the threat
to aquatic life is too great. Tidal energy stations need to be located in estuaries, which
are home to many-species of fish and marine creatures. These would be vulnerable to
injury and death from the machines as well as to disruption to their natural habitats.
There must be a kinder approach to energy than this.”
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
(2) “The sustainable energy produced by the tides holds great promise. Certainly,
there may be ecological effects, but in this case the benefits clearly outweigh any possible
disadvantages. Tidal energy is a renewable source of energy, it produces no harmful
greenhouse gases, and it requires little maintenance. The way forward is obvious!”
_________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
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Unit 6 Environment
 (3) “Although the earth's oceans seem to be the source of limitless amounts of
energy, far more research needs to be carried out into the ecological risks posed by the
harnessing of tidal energy. I am not convinced tidal energy is the answer. It is important
that governments explore this option carefully before investing massive amounts of-
money in tidal energy schemes.”
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
(4) “The development of tidal energy plants would be a colossal waste of resources.
It is an illusion to think the oceans hold the solution to the energy crisis. In most parts of
the world, tides are simply not powerful enough to generate energy. In fact, there are
fewer than fifty suitable sites for tidal energy schemes in the world. Anyone who thinks
tidal energy is the answer is seriously misguided.”

TASK E. Determining an Author's intended audience

Knowing the author's intended audience helps us better understand the author's
purposes and to better evaluate the author's effectiveness in accomplishing those
purposes.
Experienced writers consider their audience continually. Considering the
audience helps an author make multiple decisions. Some of an author's main areas
of concern are:
Ø What content to include/ What to exclude
Ø What level of language to use
Ø What writing plan to use
Ø What relationship to establish with the audience
Ø How the text should appear
Since these are some of the areas an author takes into consideration when
writing to a specific audience, they are also the areas that readers should analyze in
order to determine who that audience is. When approaching the text, try to determine
who the author is trying to communicate with.
Consider the following two examples
The following texts are summaries of two different articles. The articles report on the
same subject and the same experience, and are written by the same scientists.
However, the scientists have greatly changed their textual presentation to appeal to
different audiences. Decide which one comes from a scientific journal and which one
appears in a news magazine.
The Summary Statement of “ASystematicAssessment of Early.African Hominids”:
A large sample of Pliocene fossil hominid remains has been recovered from the
African sites of Hadar in Ethiopia and Laetolil in Tanzania. These collections, dating
approximately between 2.9 and 3.8 million years ago, constitute the earliest substantial
record of the family Hominidae. This article assesses the phylogenetic relationships of
the newly discovered fossil hominid and provides a taxonomy consistent with that
assessment.

105
 The Summary Statement of “LUCY: A 3.5 million-year-old woman shakes man's
family tree:
The identification of a new species, ancestral to humankind, did not come easily.
Donald Johanson and Tim White spent thousands of hours in painstaking detective
work, poring over the superlative fossils that Johanson had unearthed in the Ethiopian
desert. The two scientists knew their work would be controversial because it challenged
the generally accepted family trees of Homo sapiens.

Purpose
Having considered your author's stance and audience, your final task is to consider
the author's purpose, i.e., why the text was written, what was the author's goal? Here
are some possible reasons for writing a text.

WHAT IS THE ARTICLE? THE AUTHOR'S PURPOSE

An academic article from a journal ● To make a contribution to his or her field
and to add to the bank of knowledge
available on a topic
A non-academic text from a ma- ● To report on new information using
gazine, a newspaper or a com- language accessible to a general audience
mercial website ● To persuade/convince the reader to adopt a
certain belief or to act in a certain way
● To warn the reader about something
● To give advice or suggest a course of action
● To reassure the reader about something
● To entertain or amuse the reader
● To advertise a product or service

TASK F
Read the following text from the website of the Centre for Research on
Globalization and answer the questions.
Some advocates of nuclear power have long argued that a major accident is about
as likely as being hit by a meteorite in 1975, the nuclear industry asked Professor
Norman Rasmussen to produce a report that would reassure the public about the safety
of nuclear energy. The report concluded that the probability of a complete core
meltdown is about 1 in 20,000 per reactor per year.
Reality has shown this to be a gross underestimation. The three best known serious
nuclear power accidents are those of Three-Mile Island in 1979, Chernobyl 1986 and
Fukushima 2011. But there have been many more accidents and partial core
meltdowns releasing radioactivity.

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Unit 6 Environment
 A study commissioned by Greenpeace concluded that the Chernobyl accident may
have resulted in an estimated 200,000 additional deaths in Belarus, Russia and
Ukraine alone between 1990 and 2004. The nuclear power plants in Fukushima have
about thirty times as much radioactive material as the reactor that exploded in
Chernobyl, and Japan is much more densely populated.
Even if there were no accidents, no solution has yet been found in over fifty years for
the safe storage of the radioactive waste produced by nuclear power plants. One of the
by-products, plutonium 239, has a half-life of 24,100 years. That means, after 24,100
years, the intensity of radiation has declined by only 50 percent. It will take 241,000
years until the radiation has declined by a factor of 1000, which is considered a safe
level. How can we guarantee that our descendants will not be exposed to those wastes
for 10,000 generations?
The “precautionary principle” urges us to avoid the worst possible outcome of any
decision. This implies that we should dismantle all nuclear power plants. (D. Fisher
(2011) “How safe is nuclear power”).
1. Why do you think this text was written?
a) To educate the public about nuclear power
b) To reassure people that nuclear power is safe
c) To persuade people to support the installation of nuclear power stations
d) To warn people about the dangers of nuclear power
2. Who do you think is the intended audience for this text? Why?
a) Experts in nuclear power
b) Non-experts in nuclear power
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
3. Do you find the text convincing? If so, why? If not, why not?
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

Find two other published texts on the topic of nuclear power:

Ø Your first text should be published by an organization or individual that is in
favour of nuclear power.
Ø Your second text should be published by an organization or individual that is
opposed to nuclear power.
Your texts may be from local, national or international sources. For each text,
answer the following questions.
1. What stance does the author take? What language is used to show the author's
stance?
2. Who is the intended audience?
3. Why was the text written?
4. Do you find the text convincing? If so, why? If not, why not?

107
Reading 1
TASK A. Work in groups of three or four. Discuss the following questions.
1. This reading is about a couple who decided to live off-grid. What would you like to
find out about them and about their decision? Write five questions below.
Living off-grid means living without access to energy from power companies.

a) ______________________________________________________________
b) ______________________________________________________________
c) ______________________________________________________________
d) ______________________________________________________________
e) ______________________________________________________________

2. In addition to saving energy, what advantages to off-grid living can you think of?
What disadvantages might there be?

Key Vocabulary
The words below are all in the reading. Match each word with the
correct definition.
(1) conveniences (n. Par 11) _____a) equipment that collects and
stores energy from the sun
(2) downsize (v. Par 5) _____b) decrease dramatically
(3) epiphany (n. Par 1) _____c) moment of sudden
realization or understanding
(4) have a thing for something
(Par 7) _____d) equipment that produces
energy from the wind
(5) liberation (n. Par 6) _____e) eliminate some to leave a
reduced number
(6) plummet (v. Par 16) _____f) model behaviour to other
(7) set an example (Par 19) _____g) something needs to change
(8) solar panel (n. Par 8) _____h) have an emotional
a raction to something
(9) something's got to give
(idiom Par 4) _____i) freedom
(10) wind turbine (n. Par 9) _____j) items that make our lives
easier

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Unit 6 Environment
 Read about lifestyles and energy choices of people who choose to live off-grid.
Living Off-Grid
1. Debbie Cameron was enjoying the good life – wind in her hair, sun in her face,
salt spray at her back – when she experienced what she calls a life epiphany. In
hindsight it was an epiphany – at the time, it was a good old-fashioned meltdown.
2. In the spring of 2008, she and her husband Mike were sailing with his relatives off
British Columbia's Gulf Coast. The coupled lived full-time on their boat and Debbie
enjoyed the freedom.
3. At home in Nova Scotia, the Camerons owned a beautiful log home they had
designed and built themselves. They also had an off-grid, 600-square-foot
beachfront cottage on family land.
4. But the emotional cost of maintaining two properties wore thin. Not prone to envy,
Debbie was surprised at the intensity of emotion she experienced when considering
the confines of the life she had built. “I was overwhelmed,” she recalls. “I thought,
something's got to give.”
5. She and Mike discussed options. Despite being half the size of their log home, a
kilometre from a serviced highway arid requiring a major change in their lifestyle, the
cottage won out. They put their cherished home up for sale, downsized their
possessions and joined the ranks of folk who have adopted off-grid living.
6. “The liberation of letting go of something you held so dear far surpasses the
feeling of loss,” says Debbie, who admits their home had been their identity. “Afriend
said that we have done what a lot of people want to do, but never will be able to do.”
She delights in the idea that she is not beholden to a power utility.
7. People choose off-grid living for two reasons, says Robert MacKean, owner of
Nova Sun Power. “Some have a thing for being off-grid,” he says. “They don't like
the utilities and want to live differently. For others, it is necessity or a cost issue
because they are too far from utility lines.”
8. The main source of energy for off-grid living is the sun. Solar panels mounted on
a roof or on the ground feed into deep-cycle batteries that store the energy until it is
needed.An inverter modifies the current for household use.
9. The Camerons maintain four deep-cycle batteries charged by solar panels and a
small wind turbine. This provides enough power to run a satellite TV, washing
machine, refrigerator, deep freeze, water pump and various small appliances.- Their
main heat source is a wood stove. They use a propane range and hot-water heater
and also have a backup RV furnace and a gas-powered generator.
10. In our climate, you need an alternate energy source. “Most solar installations are
backed up by a fossil-fuel generator,” says MacKean, “or some'people may use wind
turbines as a complement. Solar should be considered as your primary source and
then wind as a secondary, along with a generator. It is cheaper per unit of energy and
there is no maintenance required with solar. With wind turbines, there are multiple
moving parts, so that would require some maintenance over time and use.”

109
11. Many people think that living off-grid means giving up modern convenineces.
But MacKean has installed solar on everything from a one-room camp to a 3,000-
square-foot home.
12. “Whatever you have in a regular house, you can have in an off-grid house – even
air conditioning,” he says. “Solar works best in summer and that's when you need
the cooling”.
13. For Rob Elias in New Horton, New Brunwick, the choice wasn't a moral issue, it
was necessity. The power lines stopped 1.5 km from his property. He began
homesteading on the land seven years ago with a log cabin, one solar panel, one
battery and two vehicle for lights. “I didn't know anything about solar power until
actually tried to do it”, he says with a laugh.
14. He has improved on the power structure and home design over time. Now he
sources all his electrical needs from solar panels and his heat from wood and
propane. He uses a propane stove and a hot-water heater and has in-floor heat
using wood-fired hot water.
15. Annually, for his 1,100-square-foot home, Elias burns about four cords of wood
that he cuts himself and spends about $900 for propane and gas. Overall, he
estimates the solar panels and batteries would have cost about $10,000 to $15,000,
which is equal to the original quote to bring utility power to his home.
16. “The price of solar has plummeted in the last five years,” notes MacKeah. “It's
now a third of what it used to be, largely due to the US dollar being on par, and the
demand and production worldwide.”
17. MacKean actually does not recommend converting to full off-grid living if
electricity is financially feasible arid available. “I encourage people to install solar
panels but remain tied into the power grid”.
18. With this set-up, batteries are not required, so costs are less. The homeowner
generates and uses solar energy as required, but when extra electricity is neteded, it is
supplied through the grid. The power utility's distribution system absorbs the surplus
solar and applies a credit against the customer's account. This is called “nei metering.”
With this arrangement, the homeowner has a steady and reliable supply of energy.
19. Debbie Cameron remains grateful for the epiphany that led her to a better way of
living. “For us, it's about setting an example and becoming more aware about how
we live,” she says.

TASK B. | Check Your Understanding

1. A How many of your questions from "Before You Read” were answered in the
article?
Go back to your questions and fill in the answers where you can.
Did you ask any question that was not answered? What answer might you infer from
the reading?
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

110
Unit 6 Environment
 2. Answer the following questions in your own words using information from the
reading.
a) What properties did the Camerons own before they moved off-grid?
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
b) How did Debbie Cameron feel about her lifestyle before she moved off-grid?
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
c) Give two reasons why people might choose to live off-grid.
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
d) What energy sources do the Camerons now use? Check all that apply.
– gas
–power grid
– propane
– solar power
– wind power
e) Why does Robert MacKean recommend having a back-up energy source?
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
f) In what way was Rob Elias' decision to live off-grid different from the Camerons
decision?
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
g) How does Debbie Cameron feel now about her family's decision to move off-grid?
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
3. What inferences can you make from the way the author has described the off-grid
lifestyle? Check all that apply.
a) The Camerons are a financially secure couple.
b)Alternative energy can be cheaper than energy from power companies.
c) Power from the sun or the wind is not reliable.
f) The author thinks the Camerons' choice to move off-grid was strange.

TASK C. Analysis and Discussion

Discuss the following questions with your group.
1. Where do you think this article appeared?
a) In a magazine about the lives of ordinary people
b) In an advertising brochure for solar energy
c) In an academic journal about energy conservation
What features of the article led you to your conclusion?

111
 2. What was the author's purpose in writing this text?
a) To encourage people to move off-grid
b) To compare the cost of on-grid and off-grid living
c) To point out the hardships of living off-grid
d) To tell a story that would interest readers of the publication
3. How you think someone from the local utilities company might respond to this
article?
4. Many people around the world, especially in developing countries, live off-grid out
of necessity, not by choice. How do think they would respond to this article?
5. How do you personally respond to the Camerons' story?
a) I envy their simple, back-to-nature lifestyle; I admire people like this.
b) I think it's interesting, but I couldn't do it myself. I'm a city person.
c) I think they were crazy to sell a big house and move to an off-grid cottage.
d) Other: _________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
(6) What question(s) would you like to ask the Camerons or Rob Elias?
(7) Do you think off-grid living is an effective solution to the world energy crisis?

Follow-up
TASK D
Read each of the following selections from textbooks, and indicate the author's point
of view in your own words.
1. Stress is not always harmful. In fact, a lack of stress, sometimes called “rust out,”
can lead to boredom, apathy, and less than optimal health. Moderate stress may
enhance behavioral adaptation and is necessary for maturation and health.
Stress stimulates psychological growth. It has been said that “freedom from stress
is death” and “stress is the spice of life.”
(Paragraph from Charles B. Corbin, Concepts of Fitness and Wellness,
4th ed., New York: McGraw-Hill, 2002, p. 348.)
Author's point of view: _____________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
2. If you want to get ahead in an organization, it is important to do a good job. But it is
also important that people like you. If people like you, they will forgive just about
anything you do wrong. If they don't like you, you can do everything right and it will
not matter. Many hardworking talented people have been bypassed for promotion
and fired simply because their boss or some other high-level manager didn't like
them. In fact, when Henry Ford fired Lee Iacocca, he used only four words to
explain his decision: “I don't like you.”
(Paragraph from Robert N. Lussier, Human Relations in Organizations,
4th ed., New York: McGraw-Hill, 1999, p. 16.)
Author's point of view: _____________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

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Unit 6 Environment
 3. Smoking interferes with your studying and your concentration: It's a disaster for
your lungs, all of your body systems, your skin and your other organs, your
immune system, and your brain. It's an insult you commit against yourself. (You
already know the specific health risks, so I won't bore you with those. And I won't
even mention chewing tobacco and its carcinogenic effects on the mouth, the
throat, and the rest of the body.) If you don't smoke, that's terrific. Keep on not
smoking. If you do smoke, make the decision to quit. I know it's a tough habit to
break. Cigarette smoking is considered more addictive than cocaine, but if you
want to quit, you can. Do you really want to go through life with cigarettes
controlling you?
(Paragraph from Janet Elder, Exercise Your College Reading Skills,
1st ed., New York: 3 McGraw-Hill, 2004, p. S-12.)
Author's point of view: _____________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

TASK E
1. Match the first part of each sentence in the left-hand column with its second
part in the right-hand column. Use the words and phrases in bold to help you.
Check that each sentence you put together is grammatically correct.

1. Some modern agricultural methods (A) ...in many countries poaching is consi-
have been heavily criticized,... dered more serious than drug smuggling.
2. If you wear a fur coat in public,... (B) ...and rare breeds parks are very
popular with many.
3. It is illegal to kill pandas, tigers... (С) ...in wildlife management.
4. If we don't do more to protect (D) ...the government's conservation
programme has been very successful.
5. A lot of British people are interested in (E) ...they'll soon be extinct.
unusual animals,...
6. National parks in Kenya are currently (F) ...with battery farming in particular
recruiting experts... receiving a lot of condemnation.
7. In an attempt to preserve forests G) ...it was fascinating to observe their
around the country... natural behaviour.
8. We would like to carry out more (H) ...on a successful panda breeding
scientific study into rainforests... programme.
9. I don't like zoos because I think... (I) ...keeping animals in captivity is cruel.
È
113
Æ 10. I saw a fascinating documentary
about the way animals live in Venezuela
(J) ...or any other endangered species.

and thought...
11. The Chinese government has spent (K) ...but it is often difficult to get people
a lot of money... to fund the research.
12. Hunters have killed so many animals (L) ...you risk coming under attack from
that... animal rights activists.

1. Replace the phrases in bold in these sentences with a word or phrase

from the box so that the sentences sound more natural. There are three words or
phrases that you do not need.

acid rain, biodegradable packaging, contaminated, deforestation, ecosystem,

emissions, environmentalists, erosion, fossil fuels, genetically modified, global
warming, green belt, greenhouse, organic, pesticides, pollution, rain forest, recycle
things, renewable.

1. In Britain, building is restricted or completely banned in the area of farming land or

woods and parks which surrounds a town. ………………………
2. Many companies are developing boxes, cartons and cans which can easily be
decomposed by organisms such as bacteria, or by sunlight, sea, water, etc.
………………………
3. The burning of some fuels creates carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, sulphur
dioxide, methane and other gases which rise into the atmosphere. …………………
4. Farmers have cleared hectares of thick wooded land in tropical regions where the
precipitation is very high. ………………………
5. Planting trees provides some protection from the gradual wearing away of soil.
………………………
6. We should all try to process waste material so that it can be used again.
………………………
7. These potatoes are cultivated naturally, without using any chemical fertilisers or
pesticides. ………………………
8. This bread is made from wheat which has been altered at a molecular level so as
to change certain characteristics which can be inherited. ………………………
9. The process of removing the trees from an area of land is destroying millions of
acres of woodland every year. ………………………
10. Polluted precipitation which kilis trees falls a long distance away from the source
of the pollution. ………………………
11. Human beings have had a devastating effect on the living things, both large and
small, in many parts of the world. ………………………

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Unit 6 Environment
 12. The gases and other substances which come from factories using oil, coal and
other fuels which are the remains of plants and animals can cause serious damage to
the environment. ………………………
13. Don't drink that water! It's been made ditty by something being added to it.
………………………
14. Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace and other people concerned with protecting
the environment are holding a forum in London next month? ……………………
15. The heating up of the earth's atmosphere by pollution is threatening life as we
know it. ………………………

Reading 2
TASK A
Read the following text and answer the questions.
America is abuzz with talk of replacing imported oil with 'biofuels' produced from
homegrown materials. The US Environmental Protection Agency recently honoured
famous country and western singer Willie Nelson for his efforts to promote the use of
biodiesel through his own 'BioWillie' brand, a vegetable oil-based fuel which is now
being distributed at filling stations nationally. Clearly, many hurdles stand in the way of
making such biofuels commercially viable with traditional sources. Indeed, it remains
very difficult to forecast whether powering our vehicles with crop derivatives will ever be
a truly economic proposition. Nevertheless, it is not too early to ponder what impact the
widespread adoption of biofuels would have on our environment.
Michael S. Briggs, a biodiesel advocate at the University of New Hampshire, has
estimated that the United States would need about 140 billion gallons of biodiesel each
year to replace all the petroleum-based transportation fuels currently being used. This
calculation is premised on the idea that Americans could, over time, switch to using
diesel vehicles, as European drivers are clearly doing - half of the new cars sold there
now run on standard diesel.Although one could make a similar appraisal for the amount
of sugar-derived ethanol needed to meet our needs, it Is unlikely that drivers would ever
want to fill up their tanks entirely with ethanol, which contains only two-thirds of the
energy of gasoline, whereas biodiesel is only 2 per cent less fuel-efficient than
petroleum-based diesel. Hence a switch to biofuels would demand no new technology
and would not significantly reduce the driving range of a car or truck.
The main source of biodiesel is plant oil derived from crops such as rapeseed. An
acre of rapeseed could provide about 100 gallons of biodiesel per year. To fuel America
in this way would thus require 1.4 billion acres of rapeseed fields. This number is a
sizeable fraction of the total US land area (2.4 billion acres) and considerably more than
the 400 million acres currently under cultivation. Consequently, the burden on
freshwater supplies and the general disruption that would accompany such a switch in
fuel sources would be immense.
Such calculations are sobering. They suggest that weaning ourselves off petroleum
fuels and growing rapeseed instead would be an environmental catastrophe. Are more

115
productive oil crops the answer? Oil palms currently top the list because they can
provide enough oil to produce about 500 gallons of biodiesel per acre per year, which
reduces the land requirement fivefold. Yet its cultivation demands a tropical climate,
and its large-scale production, which currently comes from such countries as Malaysia
and Indonesia, is a significant factor in the ongoing destruction of what rainforest
remains there. Conservationists have been warning that palm oil production poses a
dire threat to the dwindling population of orang-utans, for example, which exist only in
the wild in Borneo and Sumatra. So here again, the prospect of dedicating sufficient
land to growing feedstock for the world's transportation needs promises to be an
environmental nightmare.
There is, however, a 'crop' that is widely recognised as having the potential to meet
the demands of a biodiesel- based transportation fleet without devastating the natural
landscape: algae. Aigae is a single-celled plant, some varieties of which can contain 50
per cent or more oil. They also grow much more rapidly than ordinary plants and can
double in quantity within several hours.
The US Department of Energy funded considerable research on biofuel production
using algae after the oil problems of the 1970s, an effort known as the Aquatic Species
Program. Although this programme was terminated in the 1990s, a lot of experience
was gained through research and various demonstration projects. The results
suggested that algae can be grown in sufficient density to produce several thousand
gallons of biodiesel per acre per year - a futt order of magnitude better than can be
expected using palm oil and two orders of magnitude better than soybeans.
It is not surprising then that many scientists and entrepreneurs are once again
looking hard at the prospects for using algae to produce transportation fuels and
sizeable amounts of money are being invested in various schemes for doing so. David
Bayless, a professor of mechanical engineering at Ohio University, has been working
with scientists to engineer a device that can grow cyanobacteria (blue-green algae). It
uses carbon dioxide from the gases emitted from power-plant chimneys and sunlight
that is distributed to the growing surfaces through optical fibres. Bayless uses an
enclosed bioreactor and claims to be able to produce as much as 60 grams of biomass
per square metre of growing surface per day.
Another recent effort is being earned out in San Diego by KentSeaTech
Corporation. This company gained experience growing algae as a part of its
aquaculture operations so was quick to respond when the California state government
started looking for ways to treat the huge quantities of nutrient-laden water which runs
off from adjacent farm lands. 'It's no real difficult feat to turn nutrients into algae,' says
director of research Jon Van Olst, but how do you get it out of the water?' This is what
Van Olst and his co-workers have been trying to achieve.
The people working on these ventures are clearly eager to make growing algae a
commercial success. Yet It is not hard to find experts who view such prospects as dim
indeed. John Benemann, a private consultant in California, has decades of experience
in this area. He is particularly sceptical about attempts to make algae production more
economical by using enclosed bioreactors rather than open ponds. He points out that

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Unit 6 Environment
Japan spent hundreds of millions of dollars on such research, which never went
anywhere. Even Van Olst has serious reservations. 'It may work,' he says, 'but it is going
to take a while and a lot of research before we get anywhere.'

Classify the following characteristics as belonging to

A biodiesel
B ethanol
C ordinary diesel
Write the correct answers A-C next to questions 1-5.
1. Produced by a popularAmerican entertainer. …………
2. 50% of new cars in Europe use this fuel. …………
3. Provides two thirds of the power of standard petrol. …………
4. Your car's performance will be almost unchanged if you change to this fuel.
…………
5. Production can have a negative impact on water resources. …………

Do the following statements agree with the claims of the writer in the reading
passage?
Next to questions 6-12 write
Yes if the statement agrees with the claims of the writer
No if the statement contradicts the claims of the writer
Not given if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this
6. 2% ofAmericans already use biodiesel. …………
7.At present inAmerica, 400 million acres of land are used for agriculture. …………
8. The use of palm oil as a fuel source will require more land than using rapeseed oil.
…………
9. Growing biodiesel crops has had a positive effect on local wildlife in some areas.
…………
10. One advantage of algae is the speed with which it grows. …………
11. David Bayless believes that algae can produce more energy than solar power.
…………
12. It is easy to grow algae using agricultural waste water. …………

Choose the correct answer A, B, C or D.

13. What is the main purpose of this article?
A To prove that biofuels could totally replace petrol inAmerica.
B To examine the environmental impact of standard fuel sources.
C To assess the advantages and disadvantages of different types of fuel.
D To show that an international effort is required to solve the fuel crisis.

117
7 Technology
in Education

“The future will be determined in part by happenings

that is impossible to foresee; it will also be inuenced
by trends that are now existent and observable”.

Emily Greene Balch

119
 UNIT
7 Technology in Education

Trends
In this unit, you will look at a topic that covers all aspects of our lives, including
design and productivity.
In this context, you will practise identifying whether an author presents a convincing
argument, has she/he done empirical research, and if so, how it should be interpreted.
Furthermore, you will be able to distinguish between the types of evidence used by an
author and decide how effective she/he was in convincing the reader. Finally, you'll
learn to respond to a text that has no supporting evidence.
By the end of this unit, you should:
Ø have recognized the steps of the scientific methods;
Ø know what to consider when reading reports of empirical research;
Ø identify types of evidence not based on author experience;
Ø know how to persuade readers with no evidence at all.

Speaking 1
TASK A | Discussion and vocabulary about technology in education
1. Discuss these questions with your group.
Ø How has education changed since the arrival of the computer era? How have
your educational experiences been different from those of your parents`
generation?
Ø What are the advantages of using computer technology in education? Are there
any disadvantages?
Ø Have you ever carried out original research in the form of an experiment or
survey? What factors did you consider as you designed, performed and wrote up
the results of your research?

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Unit 7 Technology in Education
Vocabulary
renovate sth (v) – repair and decorate an old building, car, etc.
fall into decay (v) – gradually be destroyed through lack of care
assimilate sth (v) – learn and get used to sth which is new and
different
sweeping change (n) – a big change that will have an important
effect
facilitate sth (v) – make an act or process easier to achieve
plummet (v) – to fall or drop suddenly in amount or value,
syn. plunge
fluctuate (v) – to rise and fall in number or amount in an
irregular way
resist sth (v) – refuse to accept sth and try to stop it
happening
fla en act (v) – remain stable, not changing
rocket (v) – to rise up swiftly, syn. escalate; soar

TASK B
Now you have discussed some technology related issues, consider this:
* Technology is a key component of education in the twenty-first century
Imagine you have been given this essay topic in a course entitled Introduction to
Computer Studies. As you carry out your research, you will find many papers in which
the author formulates an opinion based on his or her experiences and observations;
these range from casual observations the author has made to formal academic
research projects the author has carried out.

Casual Observation
Where the author presents an argument based on only his or her personal
experiences of the subject in question, you need to be careful in analyzing this
argument. The author's opinions or conclusion may be influenced by his or her own
background and preferences.Ask yourself these questions:
Ø What do we know about the author?
Ø How might the author's background affect the conclusions presented? Could
the author be biased?
Ø Who might agree or disagree with the author? On what grounds?

Empirical Research
Empirical research is formal academic research carried out by the author, which
involves experimentation or observation. In many cases, empirical research follows
the steps of the scientific method. The researcher will
Ø identify a research topic;

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 Ø carry out some investigation into what is already known about the topic, for
example, what results other researchers have found;
Ø formulate a hypothesis; this is an idea or theory that the researcher will try
to prove. The hypothesis is based largely on what previous research has
uncovered; it can be called an “educated guess” about what the research
will reveal;
Ø design a piece of research to test the hypothesis. This research can be
either quantitative (based on data that can be measured) or qualitative
(based on data that cannot be measured);
Ø carry out the research project;
Ø analyze the data;
Ø formulate one or more conclusions, pointing out limitations of the experiment
and the degree to which the results are reliable and generalizable; and
Ø share the results and conclusions through publication or other means.

When reading papers of this nature, ask yourself the following questions.
1. What was the background to the study? Did the researcher ask the right
questions?
2. How was the research project designed? What research instrument was used?
Do you think the study and method of data collection were well designed? Can you
identify any flaws?
3. Did the study involve human participants (e.g., through questionnaires or
interviews)? If so, how many people were involved? Was this enough? Is it possible to
draw solid conclusions from this number of participants? Were the participants a valid
representation of the target demographic?
4. Who paid for the research? Was the research sponsored by a particular company
or organization? If so, could this have influenced the research in some way?
5. What results were found? Did the results confirm the hypothesis, or did the
research show contradictory – or unclear – results?
6. Are the results reliable? In other words, if the same study were to take place again
under the same circumstances, would the same results appear?
7. What circumstances might have affected the results of the research?
8. Is the author justified in reaching the conclusions presented? If so, why? If not,
why not?
9. Can the outcome be generalized? In other words, can the results of the study be
applied to different situations, different parts of the world or different circumstances?
10. Where was this study published? Empirical research is usually published in
peer-reviewed journals, but ask yourself: does the journal support any particular school
of thought?
11. What is the ultimate usefulness of this piece of research? How does it contribute
to our knowledge and/or understanding of the topic?
12. What further aspects of this topic still need to be researched?

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Unit 7 Technology in Education
TASK C
A. When analyzing papers containing empirical evidence, there are a number of key
terms you will need to understand. Match each of the following terms with the correct
definition below.
(1)Ahypothesis is __________
(2) Quantitative research is __________
(3) Qualitative research is __________
(4)Aresearch instrument is __________
(5) The participants (or subjects) in a study are __________
(6)Adouble-blind test is __________
(7)Acontrol group is __________
(8) Data is __________
(9) Reliability is __________
(10) Generalizability is __________
a) a study in which one group of participants is given a particular treatment and
another is given something different (for example, in testing medicines, one group will
take an experimental drug, and another will take a different drug or a placebo). Neither
the researchers nor the participants know which group the participants are in
b) a tool used to carry out research; for example, a survey, an experimental
technique, a test or an interview
c) the degree to which the conclusions reached by the research can be considered
useful or true elsewhere, including in another part of the world
d) the people who take part in the research
e) research based on the collection and analysis of data that is observable but
cannot be measured or analyzed with statistics; examples include interviews,
observation of behaviour or practices, and descriptions of colours and smells of
chemicals
f) a group of participants who do not receive the treatment being studied (for
example, in testing medicines, this group does not receive the experimental drug but
receive a different drug or a placebo); this group is used as a comparison with those
who are given the experimental drug
g) the degree to which the same results will be produced when the research is
repeated with another group of participants
h) an idea or theory that the researcher wants to try to prove
i) research that is based on the collection and analysis of measurable data
j) information collected in the course of the research

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 B. Read the following excerpts from a report on empirical research. Working in
groups, discuss the questions below each excerpt.

1. “The purpose of the study was to determine the extent to which the use of
electronic dictionaries in class is helpful in learning and remembering new vocabulary.”
Ø Why do you think the researcher chose this topic?
Ø What practical application might the results have?

2. “The participants in the study were eight international students ... . Home countries
of the students were China (three students), Saudi Arabia (two), Kazakhstan (one), Iran
(one) and Mexico (one). Three were male, five were female. The participants ranged in
age from eighteen to fifty-two.”
Ø Is this number large enough? If so, why? If not, how many participants do you
think are needed in order for the conclusions to be meaningful?
Ø There are different nationalities, different genders and different ages represented
How might this affect the results?

3. “Participants were given a questionnaire to determine the extent to which they

used electronic dictionaries in class. The questionnaire comprised ten questions, which
students answered using a Likert scale (i.e., strongly agree / agree / undecided /
disagree / strongly disagree).”
Ø What are the advantages of using closed questions such as Likert-scale,
multiple-choice, true/false or yes/no questions? Could there be any
disadvantages?
Ø It is important in designing questionnaires to avoid “leading” questions. What do you
understand by this? Give an example of a leading question to avoid in this study.
Ø How could open questions (such as those beginning with “Why...?” or "To what
extent...?'') have been incorporated into the design of this questionnaire?

4. “At the beginning of the study (i.e., at the beginning of term), students were given a
vocabulary quiz using words that would appear in the following weeks. Their scores were
recorded. During the term, students were encouraged to use their electronic dictionaries
as they normally would. After twelve weeks, they were given another vocabulary quiz,
using words that had been introduced and discussed in class during the term.”
Ø Is this sound research methodology? Can you see any flaws in the design of this
study?
Ø How could the methodology here be improved?

5. “The students who reported a high use of electronic dictionaries in class

performed better on the end-of-term vocabulary test than those who never or rarely
used these devices.”

Ø Is this because of their use of electronic dictionaries? Could there be other

reason for these result?
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Unit 7 Technology in Education
 Reading 1.
Work in groups of three or four. Discuss the following questions.
1. Have you ever attended a lecture in college or university? Did the lecturer use any
form of technology? If so, what?
2. Do you think PowerPoint is useful for students who want to understand their
lectures well? Why, or why not?
3. What is a tide? What do you think the title of this reading means?

Vocabulary
improvise (v) – to compose, recite, play or speak extemporaneously
kinship (n) – the quality or state of being kin, syn. relationship
relevance (n) – relation to the ma er at hand
relic (n) – something that has survived from the past
embellish (v) – to make something more a ractive or interesting by
adding details or decorative touches
eschew (v) – to deliberately choose not to make use of it
second-guess (v) – to question someone's judgement
compelling (adj) – so interesting that you cannot tear yourself away
from it
ignorant (adj) – having no knowledge of a topic
retro (adj) – a style from a period in the past

Swimming against the Tide of PowerPoin

(By Clifford Orwin)

Students returning to Canadian universities will find them awash in a sea of

PowerPoint. Is this what they've thirsted for all summer long? Did they find those lazy
days at the cottage boring because the hills weren't alive with Talking Points? If so,
those in my courses face severe disappointment.
In my lecture hall, however cavernous, the only teaching aid is the book we're
reading that you're supposed to have brought with you. This approach is retro, I know.
My colleagues who teach the other sections of the same large introductory course have
all gone techno. Their sections, their call, but I remain to be persuaded.
Another fan of PowerPoint, even dearer to me than my colleagues, is my wife
Donna. She teaches Russian literature. Because her students begin by knowing so little
of Russian history and society, and to convey the kinship between literature and other
aspects of an epoch, she showers them with images of various sorts to help the books
come alive for them.
Occasionally, she'll also project the passage of text under discussion, the better to

125
focus attention on it. I won't second-guess her, because she's a wonderful teacher. If I
taught her subject or various others – art history, say, or something in science or
economics – I, too, might bless the day that PowerPoint came into the world. But I don't
and I don't. I like to think that my students recognize that the style of my teaching
matches its substance, that the only medium that suits my message is speech.
I teach the history of political thought. The introductory course consists entirely of
reading a few old books over the course of the year (in my section, just six, ranging from
Plato to John Locke) and discussing their relevance to us today. So we practise close
reading for part of each lecture, and devote the rest to questions and discussion.
It's hard to foster discussion in a class of 250, but we do our best.
Would PowerPoint be helpful in this? Because the books we read are so rich but also
so difficult, I'd rather have the students' undivided attention than compete for it with an
electronic sideshow. Yes, PowerPoint is useful for conveying information, but students
ignorant of Socrates' dates can find them in the notes to their edition of The Republic.
To divert them in class with such factoids wouldn't contribute a thing to their
understanding of Plato's argument.
Some of my colleagues project an outline of their argument, but again, I'd rather not
dilute the students' attention to what I'm actually saying. It would also inhibit me from
improvising in class, which is how some of my best points occur to me. Besides, I'd
rather devote preparation time to improving my lecture than to making an outline of it.
PowerPoint is great for charts and graphs, but believe it or not, I make no use of
charts or graphs. I could embellish my teaching of Plato by projecting a picture of the
Parthenon on the screen, but even that would leave the wrong impression.
It would suggest that I regard Socrates and Plato, too, as artifacts of the fifth century
BCE, as expressions of “Athenian culture.” It would imply that they, too, are ruins,
dilapidated relics of a bygone day, meaningless except within that vanished context.
In fact, the point of my teaching is the opposite, namely that Plato's thought remains
as fresh and challenging for us as it was for his contemporaries. While attentive to the
historical context, the last thing I want is to encourage the students in their prejudice that
since all thought is relative to its time, no old thinker can be of compelling interest to us.
So I don't want to lump Plato with ancientAthens, I want to rescue him from it.
At the very least, by eschewing PowerPoint and other techno bells and whistles, I
offer my students an experience that will be as new for many of them as it is old. Nothing
electronic will assault their senses – they get more than enough of that elsewhere in
their lives.
Like students since the time of Plato himself, they'll have to pay close attention to
speech and to arguments conveyed by speech. I'll also refer them again and again to
the book open before them. They'll learn that even in classes much bigger than they
should be, less can be more.
Naked came I into the world, and naked will you find me at the lectern, except for a
nice suit, my lecture notes, and (on my good days) Plato or Machiavelli whispering
helpfully over my shoulder. As that famous guy said at the Diet of Worms where the hall
wasn't even wired yet, here I stand, I can do no other.

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Unit 7 Technology in Education
TASK A | Check Your Understanding
1. Answer the following questions in your own words using information from the
reading.
a) In what way does the author's attitude toward technology differ from that of his
colleagues?
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
b) How does the author's wife use PowerPoint in her classes? Give two techniques
she uses.
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
c) What subject does the author teach? Describe what typically happens in his
classes.
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
d) What good uses of PowerPoint does the author suggest?
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
e) By choosing not to use PowerPoint, what learning skill does the author hope his
students will develop?
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

2. Discuss these questions with your group.

a) Where would you place this text on the following continuum?

A report of one person's experiences An academic study involving multiple

or casual observations researchers, many participants, several
years and a large research budget

b) On what basis has the author made the decision not to use PowerPoint? Choose one.
1) His own experiences
2) Published research on the effectiveness of PowerPoint
3) His students' feedback
4) His colleagues' recommendation
c) Do you think the author's reasons for eschewing PowerPoint are good ones?
Explain your answer.

127
 d) What arguments might his colleagues use to encourage him to use PowerPoint?
e) What do you imagine the author's students might think about his teaching
style? Which students might welcome his approach? Which students might
disagree with it?
f) How do you respond to the author's statement that he likes to improvise in his
lectures? Is improvisation a useful technique in education?
g) What is the value of this kind of personal observation? If you were writing a
paper on the effectiveness of PowerPoint in postsecondary education, would
you use this paper ? Why, or why not?
h) Would you like to take a course with this kind of professor? Why, or why not?
TASK B. Discussion and vocabulary about design and productivity
Discuss the following questions with your group.
Ø Describe your current living space. What do you like and/ or dislike about your
space?
Ø How suitable is it for studying? What would you change if you could?
Ø What would your ideal work space look like? Think about size, color, lighting,
furniture and decorative items.
If someone told you that in order to be more productive in your studies or your
career you needed to paint your room orange, arrange the furniture in a certain way
or buy some tropical fish, would you believe them? What kinds of evidence would
you accept before you could trust this advice?

Other Kinds of Evidence

Ø There is a strong connection between the design of a person's working
environment and that person's productivity at work or in school. Discuss.
Imagine you have been given this essay topic in a course entitled Introduction to
Interior Design. As you saw earlier in this unit many arguments are based on the
author's own experiences, whether these are casual observations or formal
investigations. Often, however, the author's arguments are supported by other types
of evidence; these include anecdotes, visual items, statistics and quotations.
Sometimes there is no supporting evidence: the author relies on the skillful use of
language to convey his or her opinion.

Anecdotes
What are they?
Ø Anecdotes are short stories about individual people; they are not based on
scientific research. Look at any popular magazine, and you will see that the
articles very often begin with an example. A magazine article about weight loss
might begin with the story of someone who lost fifty kilograms on a particular
diet, or an article about financial planning might begin with the story of someone
who retired at forty. These are anecdotes.

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Unit 7 Technology in Education
 Why are they used?
Ø Anecdotes at the beginning of an article are often used to provide a “hook” for
the reader; the example is interesting, so the reader wants to continue reading.
Anecdotes throughout the article make the writing “real'' for the reader and
encourage the reader to pay attention to the argument.

Visual Items
What are they?
Ø Examples of visual items are photographs, illustrations, pie charts, bar charts,
flow charts, graphs, maps, diagrams and tables.
Why are they used?
Ø As the saying goes, a picture tells a thousand words. A newspaper story with a
graphic photograph will be more compelling than one without; a company report
with charts and graphs will be more effective than one without; and an instruc-
tion leaflet with diagrams will be easier to understand than one with only words.
Ask yourself
Ø What purpose does the visual support serve? In the case of an instruction
manual, diagrams provide a useful service; in the case of journalistic writing,
however, photographs can be used to bring about an emotional reaction in the
reader. In such cases, think about why the picture was chosen, what response
the writer or photographer is trying to elicit by using the picture and how
successful this has been.
Ø How representational are the visual items? If a photograph is used, for example,
does it show the whole scene, or does it show only the part the photographer
wishes the reader to see? If a graph is used, does it give a realistic interpretation
of the facts? Sometimes a graph is presented in a large scale, so any rise or fall
appears more dramatic than it really is.

Statistics
What are they?
Ø Statistics are numbers; these could come from reliable sources (e.g., large-
scale scientific studies) or they could come from very informal surveys and
questionnaires. When referring to sources other than his or her own empirical
research, the author selects statistics carefully, often choosing only those that
support the argument being presented.

Why are they used?

Ø The use of numbers makes an argument sound more credible; the reader is often
impressed by numbers.
Ask yourself
Ø The same questions that are posed in Chapter 6 also apply here. Would the
same statistics be found if the study were carried out elsewhere or under different

129
 circumstances? To what extent is evidence from elsewhere, including from
another country, useful when considering an issue closer to home?
Ø Consider the extent to which percentages represent significant numbers. For
example, an increase of 50 percent could just mean a rise from 1.0 to 1.5; on the
other hand, it could mean a rise from 100,000 to 150,000. Think about a research
project in which 75 percent of participants showed a particular response. If the
total number of participants is only eight this simply shows that two people did not
react in the same way as the others. The smaller the number, the larger the
impact of one or two anomalous results.

Quotations
What are they?
Ø Quotations are pieces of text copied directly from another source. The writer
refers to someone else's writing to support the argument.
Why are they used?
Ø Aquotation from another source will lend credibility to the author's argument. This
is especially true if the person quoted is well known as an expert on the topic.

Ask yourself
Ø Who is being quoted? What do you know about this person? Are you sure this
person said the quotation? What was the context in which the quotation was
said? It is important to be aware of the potential for bias among people whose
words are repeated.
When No Evidence Is Presented
In some texts, the author presents a strong argument but does not support it with
any concrete or scientific evidence, or with any reference to other sources. Instead,
the author attempts to convince the reader by creating empathy through the skillful
use of language. This is particularly common in newspaper columns, blog posts and
other texts expressing a personal opinion. There are different ways in which the
author tries to get the reader on his or her side:
Ø The author may choose to use “we” rather than “people”; the author is saying,
“You and I have something in common; we both feel the same way about this
topic.”
Ø The author may support his or her argument with hypothetical examples that
are very close to the lives of the readers and that the readers can identify with.
Ø The author may describe hypothetical situations that appeal to the reader's
emotions; these situations arouse feelings of sadness, anger or frustration on
the part of the reader.
Ø The author may oversimplify a complex topic and present it in black-and-white
terms; the reader must either completely agree with the author or completely
disagree – there is no middle ground.

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Unit 7 Technology in Education
TASK B | Put It into Practice
A. Each of the following five paragraphs presents a different type of evidence (and
one paragraph uses no evidence). Read each paragraph and decide how the author
supports the argument made in the text. Then, with your group, discuss how effective
the supporting evidence is.
1. There is no doubt that there is a strong relationship between the colours around us
and the way we feel, emotionally and physically. For example, think about the last fast-
food restaurant you ate in. What colour scheme was used? Did the restaurant have red
trays, orange plates or bright green seats? Were the employees wearing primary
colours as opposed to, say, pastels or neutral shade?? This is no coincidence.
Research carried out by world-renowned colour theorist Natalie Wilson demonstrates
the importance for the fast-food industry of using bright colours: “Bright colours, like fire-
truck red, lime green or bright orange stimulate the appetite and make us feel hungry,”
she says. "When-our plate is red or our cup is yellow, we want to eat more. Fast-food
chains know this, and that's why you'll rarely find a beige burger joint” (2011, p. 459).
2. The colours you surround yourself with at work are also important as they make a
difference to how you are perceived by members of the public. Traditional workplaces
still use dark colours such as navy blue, forest green and chocolate brown to give clients
a sense of seriousness and professionalism. Think about it: which accountant would
you choose to prepare your tax return: the one whose office has navy blue drapes and
lamps and a maritime scene on the wall or the one whose office is painted| in hot pink
with a cartoon character on the wall? An online survey of lawyers carried out by Legal
Scene magazine showed that of 287 respondents, 38 percent chose a navy blue colour
scheme for their offices; 32 percent chose brown; 19 percent chose forest green; 7
percent chose burgundy; and only 4 percent chose red, pink or orange (Perkins, 2013).
3. It is unlikely, however, that these sombre colours would be found in a daycare
centre or an elementary school. A child's bedroom, too, is most likely to be decorated in
light colours, which parents hope will make the child feel happy and secure – and which
might help the child to sleep well at night. Research carried out by a chain of paint stores
found that parents choosing a paint colour for their children's rooms were most likely to
choose a light tone. Results are shown below:

Fig. 1. Colour choices

Pale pink
Pale blue
Lemon yellow
Apple green
Brown, navy, forest green, burgundy

4. Now think about a time you went to a hospital, either as a patient or as a visitor. It is
unlikely that the walls of the waiting room, operating theatre or patient rooms were

131
painted in bright yellow or hot pink. The preferred colour scheme for medical facilities is
often pale blue or pale green. These are calming colours that help to relax nervous
patients. Chloe McCrae, a 28-year-old receptionist, remembers when she had to go
into the hospital to get her appendix removed. She was terrified, but when she saw how
calm the place seemed, she immediately felt more relaxed.
5. As we see, then, we cannot separate color from the way we feel. Regardless of
what shade we choose, let's bring colour into our lives. It's time we embraced color in
our homes. Too many houses and apartments are painted in the same boring whites
and beiges. Have you ever visited a friend's house and been amazed by his purple sofa,
or her turquoise walls? Have you ever noticed how many compliments you get when
you wear your favorite red sweatshirt? Do the same in your home! Don't be boring! Don't
live in neutral shades! Be colorful!

B. Find a published text on one of the following topics:

Ø Sick-building syndrome
Ø Green building design
Identify the type(s) of evidence used in your text:
_____ formal scientific research
_____ author observations
_____ anecdotes
_____ visual items
_____ statistics
_____ quotations
_____ no evidence
Share your thoughts on the effectiveness of the evidence presented in your text.

C. Do an Internet search for photographs of current world events. Choose three or

four images that you have a strong reaction to, either positive or negative. With your
class, discuss the following:
a) how these images convey messages far more effective than messages conveyed
only through words;
b) the extent to which these pictures are reliable; i.e., do they tell the entire story, or
do they give a selective view of the event?

Reading 2
Task A
As you read this text about the Chinese art of feng shui, think about what kind of
evidence the author uses to support her arguments.
1. Work in groups of three or four. Discuss the following questions.
1. Have you heard of the Chinese art of feng shui? Share your knowledge of feng
shui with your group.
2. Do you know any people who have changed their living or working space in some
way and experienced improvements in their lives?

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Unit 7 Technology in Education
 3. What do you think a feng shui expert might say in the following situations?
Match a problem with its recommended solution.
I wan\t to ... You should ...
1. feel powerful. a) have your office far from the main entrance.
2. make more money. b) tidy your desk.
3. concentrate better. c) not sit with your back to a door.
4. be a more effective boss. d) put a fish tank in your office.

2. The words below are all in the reading. Fill in the space in each sentence with
the correct word.

NOUNS bottom line dynamics grasp premise

VERBS assess contemplate
ADJECTIVES auspicious inspiring paranoid
ADVERB reputedly

(1) An action or event that is ____________________ encourages people and

makes them want to perform a task well.
(2) When you ____________________ something, you judge or evaluate it.
(3) When you have a good ____________________ of a topic or issue, you have a
clear understanding of it.
(4) The ____________________ of a business is the amount of money the
business gains or loses.
(5) People who feel ____________________ have an irrational fear that someone
or something is trying to hurt them.
(6) When you ____________________ an issue, you think carefully about it for a
long time.
(7) Something that is ____________________ true is said to be true, but there is no
real proof.
(8)A____________________ is an idea that you accept and that you use as a basis
for further investigation or for developing plans.
(9) Something that is ____________________ is considered to be an indication of
good luck or future success.
(10) The ____________________ that exist between people are the ways in which
people interact and influence each other.

133
 Ancient Chinese Wisdom for the Modern Workplace
(By Kirsten Lagatree)
Whenever Rose Murray travels on business, she rearranges her hotel room. “I drag
the desk around so that I can see the door while I work,” she explains. “And if there's
unattractive, depressing art on the walls, I take it down and hide it in the closet.” As a
telecommunications consultant, Murray is hardly an expert on interior design. This
thoroughly modern professional woman is actually practicing the ancient Chinese art of
placement known as feng shui.
Feng shui (pronounced “fung shway”) is based on the premise that people are
affected by their environment – not so far-fetched when you think about it. It unites
ancient beliefs with space planning, interior design, ecology, psychology, and common
sense.
The words feng shui mean “wind” and “water” – two natural elements that can pack a
lot of energy. The words are shorthand for acknowledging the power of nature and the
importance of living in harmony with it. In removing ugly art from hotel room walls,
Murray is attempting to make her surroundings feel positive and inspiring.
When she drags the writing table to face the door, Murray is following one of the most
important rules of feng shui: Don't sit with your back to a door. To be powerful, you must
feel powerful and sitting with your back to a door makes you vulnerable to anyone who
comes in.
How it works
The first principle of feng shui is chi, or energy. Your desk, files, furniture, plants, and
so forth should allow unobstructed movement of the vital life force throughout your work
area. If, for example, you have massive stacks of files or unwieldy piles of journals and
magazines on and around your desk, you're blocking the free flow of energy that is
essential to your powers of concentration and creativity. Take the time to survey your
surroundings and assess whether your office arrangement helps or hinders productivity.
Small-business consultant Alice Bredin says that she can tell the difference between
the poor feng shui of her cluttered workspace in Maine and the good feng shui of her
office in New York City. “There are so many projects stacked up around me in Maine that
I literally don't know what to do first,” she says. Bredin adds that the energy flow in her
carefully arranged New York office makes her feel in control. “I can focus and be highly
productive there.”
Compass directions and their spheres of influence also affect the feng shui of a
person's surroundings. Each compass point governs a different aspect of life. Each
point has a corresponding colour, natural element, and number, which can be combined
to create enhancements that engender success in any part of life.
Putting it to work
You can also take advantage of the feng shui enhancements shown on the chart to
promote a bigger and better bottom line. Here are some tips.
Ø Put an aquarium with a water pump in your office. The moving water symbolizes
cash flow, and the fish encourage abundance (as in, “there are always more fish
in the sea.

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 Ø Place the aquarium, along with something black, on the north wall. North
governs career and business success; water is its element, and black is its
corresponding color.
Ø To take full advantage of your “money corner,” add red or purple touches in
groups of four to the southeast direction which governs wealth.
Ø Place your computer or fax machine in a southeast comer says California interior
designer Annie Kelly. “The easiest thing to do is put office equipment in a corner
anyway, so you might as well put it in the wealth corner!” Or you can place metal
equipment on a west wall; west corresponds to the element metal. Experiment
and see what works best.
Ø Add plants and flowers. Living things and such enhancements as a bowl of
goldfish or wind chime create a harmonious work environment and impart the
benefits of healthy, smooth-flowing chi.
Desk placement
The location of your desk is the single most important feng shui consideration in the
workplace. Generally, your desk should be in a commanding position. That is arrange
your desk so that you face the entrance door and sit far enough inside your office to see
the whole room from your desk.
Kristin Frederickson, art director at a small New York publishing house, says that
she thinks it's almost impossible for anyone to work well with his or her back to the door.
“There's paranoid energy in not knowing what's going on behind your back. If you
work that way, your paranoia will be felt by co-workers”.
If you sit too close to the entrance door, you won't have control of the room; sitting
farther inside your office will give you a better grasp of the business. Facing the door
from well inside the room gives you mastery over all you observe. Therefore, you will
think more clearly, your judgment will be sound, and your authority will be respected.
If it isn't possible to arrange your desk so that you face the door, hang a small mirror
over your desk so that you can see the door. If you face the door but are unable to see
the rest of the room, then use a mirror large enough to improve your view.
Lighting
Good lighting is important for an office, both for illuminating your work and creating
good feng shui. Bright lights help promote healthy, flowing chi. Glare is distracting and a
source of bad chi, known as sha. Be especially careful that glare doesn't hit your face.
Ideally, windows should be to the side of your desk. If glare is unavoidable, hang a
multifaceted crystal at the window to disperse the sha from the glare and create good chi.
The big picture
The location of the manager's or boss's office is the most important factor in
determining the overall success of any business. Check the layout of your workplace to
see whether the location is auspicious.
The person in charge should have the office farthest from the main door. Away from
the hustle and bustle, a manager can see the big picture and not be distracted by the
minutia of daily transactions. Such distance gives managers time to contemplate
decisions that might be made hastily if they are too close to the activity from the street.

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 The boss's desk should not be close to the office door, or he or she will not have
sufficient control over the operation and will not be treated with deference. Similarly,
workers whose.desks are farther inside their offices than their bosses are likely to be
insubordinate because they will feel more in command than their superiors.
For a more powerful presence at meetings, sit in the chair facing the door. That will
make you highly sensitive to the dynamics of the meeting. Don't sit with your back to a
window. A solid wall behind you provides support for your ideas and lends authority to
your presence.
The relationship between feng shui and finance is seen on a grander scale in large
multinational corporations. The headquarters of the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking
Corporation in Hong Kong is an example.
Reputed to be one of the most technologically advanced skyscarpers in the world,
the 47 storey building was sited and constructed according to strict feng shui principles.
Many visitors at the odd angle of escalators that lead from the plaza level to the main
banking floor. The moving stairs appear to have been placed at random. But, in fact,
they are situated in order to disperse chi and wealth evenly throughout the structure.
Moreover it is no accident that the building faces the sea, with Victoria Peak at its back –
imbuing the corporation with the benefits of those highly auspicious land formations.
The mountain provides support and protection for the firm's business ventures, while
the ocean invites wealth to flow into the building.
If you're feeling a bit skeptical about trying out the ancient art of feng shui in your
modern office, know that in many parts of the United States – especially in such major
metropolitan areas as New York, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. – business deals
reputedly can rise or fall on good or bad feng shui.
You might want to take a cue from Donald Trump, who consults a feng shui master
before embarking on all new building projects. Trump says that his international
clientele prompts him to take the ancient practice seriously. The bilionaire real-estated
tycoon puts it this way: “It they believe, it's good enough for me”.
Check Your Understanding
A. Answer the following questions, in your own words where possible, using
information from the reading.
1) What does feng shui literally mean? __________________________________
2) What is the underlying premise behind feng shui?
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
3) Why, according to feng shui experts, is it important to keep your workspace free of
clutter?
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
4) Which of the following is NOT linked to success in business?
a) Setting up your computer in the southeast corner of your office
b) Having plants or flowers in your office
c) Making sure your lighting is bright enough ,
d) Keeping lots of papers and files easily accessible on your desk'
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Unit 7 Technology in Education
 5) Why should the manager's office be farthest away from the main entrance?
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
6) Where should the manager sit in a meeting? Why?
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
7) In what way(s) were feng shui principles used in the design of the Hongkong and
Shanghai Banking Corporation building in Hong Kong?
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
8) Name one well-known businessman who believes in feng shui.
________________________________________________________________
B. In your own words, summarize why the author believes feng shui is useful in the
modern workplace.
Task B. | Analysis and Discussion
Discuss the following questions with your group.
1) What kind(s) of evidence does the author provide to support her argument in
favour of feng shui in the workplace?
a) visual items
b) anecdotes
c) statistics
d) quotations
2) Look at the example of Rose Murray.Answer the following questions.
Ø Why did the author choose to start the article with this example?
Ø How does Rose Murray modify her hotel room when she travels on business?
Ø Is Rose Murray an expert on feng shui or on interior design in general?
Ø What evidence exists that Rose Murray's actions are effective?
3) Look at the example ofAlice Bredin. Answer the following questions.
Ø What difference doesAlice Bredin describe between her two workplaces?
Ø What evidence exists that feng shui is responsible for her difference in productivity?
4) Who is Donald Trump, and what is his connection to feng shui? What is the value
of quoting a well-known person?
5) Look at the following experts quoted by the author. Fill in the table to show a) who
this person is, b) what suggestion(s) the expert makes, and c) whether this advice is
supported by any data.
PERSON WHO IS THIS SUGGESTIONS(S) SUPPORTING
QUOTED PERSON? MADE DATA?
Annie Kelly
Kristin Frederickson

137
 6) The author provides no concrete evidence that feng shui actually works. Why do
you think this kind of evidence is missing from the text?
7) Do you think feng shui can be scientifically proven? If so, how? If not, why not?
8) How do you personally respond to this article? If you were not familiar with feng
shui before, has this author convinced you to try it in your study space? Why, or why not?
Task A. | Vocabulary
1. Complete these sentences with the correct form of one of the verbs in the box.
Both sentences in each sentence pair should use the same verb. In some cases, the
meaning of the verb may change slightly.

adjust alter deteriorate exchange fade reduce renovate swell switch vary
1. Moving to the countryside radically Some people choose to alter their
altered our lifestyle. appearance with surgery.
2. By …………… to a different provider, it I chose drama as an extra-curricular
can be possible to pay much less for activity, but …………… to photography a
your mobile phone bills. few weeks later.
3. It can take time to …………… to living Prices seem low, but when you
in a different country. ………… them to allow for tax, they are
considerably higher.
4. The noise built up rapidly, and then just As the applause …………… the
as quickly it …………… into the speaker started talking.
distance
5. The amount of tax you pay on a car People's reactions to the medicine
…………… according to the amount of ………… a lot, with some people
carbon dioxide it emits. complaining it has no effect at all.
6. Everyone should try to …………… the Many companies were forced to
amount of fat in their diet. …………… their workforce during the
recession.
7. Economic crises often …………… into The weather …………… rapidly when
social unrest. it started raining and the winds picked up.
8. Ankles and other joints often ………… The town is home to 3,000 people, but
when people travel by air. this figure …………… to 12,000 in the
same summer.
9. The tokens can be …………… for food Shops will normally …………… da-
in the student canteen. maged goods if you have a receipt.
10. Businesses in the city centre were In some cases it can be more expen-
offered funding so they could ………… sive to …………… an old building than
their premises. knock it down and build a new one.

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Unit 7 Technology in Education
 2. Now do the same with these.
adapt cut decline disappear expand improve promote relax replace transform

1. Email has largely …………… the Some people choose to alter their
traditional letter as a means of written appearance with surgery.
business communication.
2. Some companies are slow to ………… I chose drama as an extra-curricular
to a changing market. activity, but …………… to photography a
few weeks later.
3. The symptoms of illnesses like meas- Prices seem low, but when you
les aren't usually serious, and ……… ………… them to allow for tax, they are
… … within a few days. considerably higher.
4. A college course can help you to find a As the applause …………… the
job or get …………… at work. speaker started talking.
5. Some people think that the govern- People's reactions to the medicine
ment should …………… the rules ………… a lot, with some people
regarding building on protected land. complaining it has no effect at all.
6. The government's aim in the next five Many companies were forced to
years is to ………… educational stan- …………… their workforce during the
dards. recession.
7. Water freezes in the pipes, forcing The weather …………… rapidly when
them to …………… and burst. it started raining and the winds picked up.
8. Supermarkets …………… prices on The town is home to 3,000 people, but
many basic items to attract more this figure …………… to 12,000 in the
customers. same summer.
9. Email and social networking websites Shops will normally …………… da-
have …………… the way people maged goods if you have a receipt.
communicate.
10. House prices are so high that the In some cases it can be more expen-
number of people buying their own sive to …………… an old building than
home has …………… in the last five knock it down and build a new one.
years.

Task B. | Reading 3.
1. Read the following text and answer comprehension check questions.
Work Space Design
1. Businesses large and small now realize that physical work space influences
employee behavior. As a result, businesses are redesigning their buildings and
workplaces with the intent of reshaping employee attitudes and behavior. As firms
redesign their offices, they focus on three main factors that have a strong impact on
employee behavior: how much space employees have, how the space is arranged, and
how much privacy employees have.

139
 SIZE
2. In relation to work space, size is defined by the number of square feet per
employee. Historically, the amount of space an employee had was primarily related to
the employee`s status. The higher an individual was in the organization's hierarchy,
the larger the office he or she typically got. That, however, no longer seems to be true.
As organizations seek to develop more equality, the trends have been toward reducing
space dedicated to specific employees, lessening or eliminating space allocations
based on hierarchical position, and making more space available for groups or teams to
meet in.
3. According to recent estimates, the amount of personal office space organizations
give to administrative employees has shrunk by 25 to 50 percent over the past
decade. This change is due in part to economics. Space costs money and reducing
space cuts costs. But a lot of this reduction can be traced to changes in the
organizations. As jobs have been redesigned and traditional hierarchies replaced with
teamwork, the need for large offices has lessened.
4. In the past, it was not unusual for organizations, especially large ones such as IBM
and General Motors, to define square footage for each level in the hierarchy. Senior
executives, for instance, may have been assigned 800 square feet plus 300 square
feet for a private secretary's office. A section manager may have gotten 400 square feet,
a unit manager 120, and supervisors only 80 square feet. Today, an increasing number
of organizations are replacing closed offices with cubicles, making the cubicles
constant in size, and acknowledging little or no differences because of managerial rank.
5. When extra space is being allocated, rather than giving it to specific individuals,
the trend today is toward setting it aside to create a place where people can meet and
teams can work. These “public spaces” can be used for socializing, small group
meetings, or as places where team members can work through problems.
ARRANGEMENT
6. While size is a measure of the amount of space per employee, the term arrange-
ment refers to the distance between people and facilities. The arrangement of the
workplace is important primarily because it significantly influences social interaction.
7. Research has shown that people are more likely to interact with those individuals
who are physically close to them. Employees' work locations, therefore, are likely to
influence the information to which they are exposed and their inclusion or exclusion
from various activities and events within the organization.
8. A topic that has received a considerable amount of attention is furniture
arrangement in traditional offices, specifically the placement of the desk and where the
employee chooses to sit. Unlike workers on the factory floor, individuals in offices
typically have some flexibility in laying out their office furniture. And the arrangement of
an office conveys nonverbal messages to visitors. For instance, a desk placed between
two parties conveys formality and the power of the officeholder, while chairs set so that
individuals can sit at right angles to each other conveys a more natural and informal
relationship.

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Unit 7 Technology in Education
 PRIVACY
9. Privacy is in part a function of the amount of space per person and the arran-
gement of that space. But it also is influenced by walls, screens, and other physical
barriers. In recent years, a widespread work space design trend has been to phase out
closed offices and replace them with open offices that have few, if any, walls or doors.
The two very different perspectives on office space are sometimes described as the
“cave versus cube” debate. The “cave” provides privacy while the “cube” facilitates
open communication. In the United States alone, an estimated 40 million people, or
nearly 60 percent of the whole country's white-collar workforce, now work in cubes.
10. Caves limit interaction. So organizations have sought to increase flexibility and
employee collaboration by removing physical barriers such as high walls, closed
offices, and doors. Yet, while the trend is clearly toward cubes, organizations are
making exceptions for employees engaged in work that requires deep concentration.
Companies such as Microsoft, Apple Computer, and Adobe Systems, for example,
continue to rely primarily on private offices for software programmers. People who write
code need to cooperate with others at times, but theirs is essentially a lonely task
requiring tremendous concentration. This is best achieved in a closed workplace that
is cut off from others.
11. A further extension of the open office concept is called “hoteling”. Employees
book reservations for space with the company office manager, get assigned a
workplace, pull over a desk-on-wheels, plug the phone into a modem jack, and begin
their work. The only space that employees actually call their own is typically a bin or
locker where they can keep their personal belongings. Employees “check out” each day
when they depart. Used by organizations in management-consulting, financial, and
high-tech sectors, where employees spend a significant percentage of their work time
outside the office or in team meetings, it provides maximum office space flexibility.
However, hoteling has some serious downsides. Employees often feel rootless and
complain that hoteling restricts the informal socializing and learning that come from
having a fixed workplace location.
12. What about individual differences? There is growing evidence that the desire for
privacy is a strong one for many people. Yet the trend is clearly toward less privacy at the
workplace. Further research is needed to determine whether or not organizational
efforts to create open work spaces are incompatible with individual preferences for
privacy and result in lower employee performance and satisfaction.
WORK SPACE DESIGN AND PRODUCTIVITY
13. How does a redesigned work space positively affect employee productivity?
Studies suggest that work space, by itself, doesn't have a substantial motivational
impact on people; rather, it makes certain behaviors easier or harder to perform. In this
way, employee effectiveness is enhanced or reduced. More specifically, evidence
shows that work space designs that increase employee contact, comfort, and flexibility
are likely to positively influence motivation and productivity. For instance, Amoco
Corporation in Denver reported a 25 percent decrease in product cycle time (the time
required to make its products), a 75 percent decrease in formal meeting time, an 80

141
percent reduction in duplicated files, and a 44 percent reduction in overall space costs
after offices were redesigned to facilitate teamwork. Based on the evidence to date, an
approach that matches office space to the sophistication of the work required is
probably best. Jobs that are complex and require high degrees of concentration are
likely to be made more difficult by noise and constant interruptions. Such jobs are best
done in closed offices. But most jobs don't require quiet and privacy. In fact, quite the
contrary, jobs today increasingly require regular interaction with others to achieve
maximum productivity. This is probably best achieved in an open office setting.

2. Respond to the questions in writing. Base your responses on the reading and your
own personal experiences.
1. What is the traditional relationship between organizational hierarchy and the
amount of space allocated to an employee? Why is that relationship changing?
2. What is hoteling? What are the benefits and limitations of this type of working
arrangement?
3. What kinds of effects have recent changes in work space design had on
productivity?

3. Match the target words with their definitions. If you are unsure about a word's
meaning, try to figure it out from the context by rereading the passage. Then check your
dictionary.

SET 1
_____ 1. eliminate a) a number of related events or actions that
happen again and again in the same order
_____ 2. allocate b) period of ten years
_____ 3. decade c) parts equal to a particular number in every 100
parts
_____ 4. administrative d) to get rid of
_____ 5. percent e) related to the work of managing or organizing a
company or institution
_____ 6. trace f) to find the origins of something
_____ 7. cycle g) to decide officially that a particular amount of
something should be used for a particular
purpose
SET 2
_____ 1. exclusion a) the ability to change or be changed easily
_____ 2. flexibility b) the ability to think carefully about something for a
long period of time
_____ 3. widespread c) to control or limit someone's actions
_____ 4. debate d) happening or existing in many places, or among
many people

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Unit 7 Technology in Education
 _____ 5. concentration e) the act of not allowing someone to take part in an
activity
_____ 6. code f) to give someone money, equipment, space, etc.,
for their use
_____ 7. restrict g) a set of instructions that tell a computer what to
do
_____ 8. assign h) a discussion of an issue about which people
express differing opinions

C. Read each target word and the list below it. One word or phrase in each list is NOT
a synonym for the target word. Cross it out.
1. status
rank position standing system
2. seek
look for search for use up try to find
3. traditional
usual variable accepted customary
4. considerable
famous extensive large significant
5. maximum
most highest rare utmost
6. facilitate
make easy hold back assist make possible
7. enhance
improve praise increase add to
8. approach
method style agreement way

Independent research
Choose a space where you often work or study. This could be an office, a dorm room,
a classroom, a lecture theatre, a library or another space. Visit the space and note your
observations on the following
Colour:

The lighting
The air quality
The comfort of the furniture
The amount of ambient noise
The proximity to washrooms, sources of food or other necessities.

143
8 Inequality,
Wealth and
Happiness

“Money can buy some things to create happiness,

but it can never buy happiness”.

Ellen J.Barrier

145
 Inequality, Wealth
UNIT
8 and Happiness

In this Unit you will look at a topic of happiness and its correlation with economic
indicators. You will also expand your topical vocabulary and be able to take active part
in discussions. Further, you will learn to make inferences from stated facts, textbook
material and cartoons. You will also attempt to understand a writer's implications
through sound reasoning.
By the end of the unit, you should:
Ø have gained confidence in discussing topics around inequality, wealth and
happiness;
Ø have expanded your topical vocabulary;
Ø have acquired the skill of making inferences from stated facts, textbook material
and cartoons;
Ø understand a writer's implications through sound reasoning.

Task A | Discuss the following points.

1. Why do you think some countries are much richer than others? What are some
contributing factors to the relative wealth of a country?
2. What factors are most important in determining the happiness of a country? Rank
the following in order of importance.
_____ accessible education _____ low taxes
_____ a high GDP _____ political stability
_____ a mild climate _____ racial equality
_____ gender equality _____ strong cultural traditions
_____ health care for everyone _____ other

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Unit 8 Inequality, Wealth and Happiness
Vocabulary
ecstatic (adj) – very happy, syn. euphoric, elated
jubilant (adj) – feeling extremely happy because of a success
devastated (adj) – very upset, syn. heartbroken
appalled (adj) – shocked because sth is very unpleasant, syn. horrified
lucrative (adj) – producing a large amount of money
crowdfunding (n) – raising money by appealing online to a large number of
individual supporters
fortunate (v) – having good luck; syn. lucky
manipulate (v) – handle or treat skillfully
abundant (adj.) – more than enough; very plentiful
prosper (v) – be successful; have good fortune

Making inferences
Written material contains both stated and implied information. Stated information is
clearly expressed in words. Implied information is found in the way a writer states
messages. The reader's inferences should be attempts to understand a writer's
implications through sound reasoning. A reader infers; a writer implies. Some people
refer to making inferences as reading between the lines.”
An inference is a reasonable guess made on the basis of available information. It is
a conclusion we consider highly probable because of the evidence found in what is
said and how it is said.

Valid and Invalid Inferences

There are two types of inference. A valid inference is one based on clear evidence
and logical reasoning about that evidence. An invalid inference is an assumption (a
statement accepted as true without proof) that results from inadequate evidence or
faulty logic. Usually an invalid inference results when a reader's thinking either goes
beyond what the writer has implied or not far enough. The following strategies can be
helpful in making valid inferences and drawing sound conclusions:
1. Be sure you understand the literal meaning first. Before you can make any
form of interpretation, including inference, you must be sure that you have a clear
grasp of the stated facts and ideas.
2. Ask yourself, “What is the author trying to suggest from the stated information?”
or “what do all the facts and ideas point toward?”
3. Use clues provided by the writer. Writers' choices of words and word orders
hint at their attitudes toward their subject, audience, and themselves. Look at how
the writer presents his or her stated message: order of presentation, appearance,
logic, kinds of evidence, kinds of emotional appeals, what is left out or unsaid, the
writer's directness or indirectness, etc.

147
 4. Consider the author's purposes (both stated and unstated). If you are aware
of the author's purposes, you may get a clearer idea of the types of inferences the
writer hopes you will make.
5. Verify your inference. Once you have made an inference, look back at the
behavioral information in the text to see that there is sufficient evidence to support
the inference.
Implicit information is common in all kinds of writing, including textbooks. Using
these strategies, answer the four multiple-choice questions about the following
passage from a linguistics textbook. Infer the answers to the third and fourth
questions; their answers are implied rather than directly stated.

Task A
1. Phonemes
Phonemes are the sounds that are heard when a word is spoken. For example,
the word “can” has three phonemes (k, a, and n), and “scan” has four phonemes (s, k,
a, and n). Many words have more letters than phonemes. For instance “wreck” has
five letters but only thre?e phonemes (r, e, and k). There are 46 phonemes in English,
but some languages have nearly twice as many.

1. How many phonemes are there in English

A. 26
B. 36
C. 46
D. 56
2. How many phonemes are in the word wreck?
A. Two
B. Three
C. Four
D. Five
3. Which of the following is not a phoneme?
A. n
B. r
C. c
D. s
4. How many phonemes are there in the word bold?
A. Two
B. Three
C. Four
D. Five

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Unit 8 Inequality, Wealth and Happiness
 2. Using the same strategies as for the Task A.1, answer the following questions
about the following passage about “Ancient Coins”.
Ancient Coins
Long before coins were invented, metals such as gold, silver, copper, and bronze
were used as a medium of exchange for trade. However, each piece of metal had to
be weighed each time it was used in trade to establish its value. The Lydians of
western Anatolia were the first to begin producing metal coins in standard weights, in
the seventh century B.C., impressing a seal into the coin to indicate its value.
One such coin minted during the time of Lydian King Croesus, who ruled from 560
B.C. to 546 B.C. has been recovered by archeologists; this coin is imprinted with the
heads and forelegs of two animals, a bull and a lion, who are facing each other. It was
not until 525 B.C. that coins with images on both sides came into being.
It can be inferred from paragraph 1 that gold came into use as a medium of exchange
a) before 700 B.C.
b) after 700 B.C.
c) during the reign of King Croesus
d) in 525 B.C.
Long before coins were invented, metals such as gold, silver, copper, and bronze
were used as a medium of exchange for trade. However, each piece of metal had to be
weighed each time it was used in trade to establish its value. The Lydians of western
Anatolia were the first to begin producing metal coins in standard weights, in the
seventh century B.C., impressing a seal into the coin to indicate its value.
One such coin minted during the time of Lydian King Croesus, who ruled from 560
B.C. to 546 B.C. has been recovered by archeologists; this coin is imprinted with the
heads and forelegs of two animals, a bull and a lion, who are facing each other. It was
not until 525 B.C. that coins with images on both sides came into being.
It is implied in paragraph 2 that coins from the time of King Croesus were all
a) imprinted on one side only
b) made of gold
c) imprinted with two animals
d) imprinted on both sides

Task A. | Reading
This reading addresses the relationship between economic wealth and happiness.
1. Before You Read
Work in groups of three or four. Discuss the following questions.
a) What do you understand by the economic term gross domestic product (GDP)?
b) What do you think happiness economics is? What kind of research might be
carried out by happiness economists?
c) The title of this reading asks a question. What do you predict the answer might be?

149
2. Vocabulary
paradox – a situation in which two apparently contradictory
ideas are both true
intuitive – an opinion that is based on feeling rather than on any
presentation of research results
implications – the effects or results of any decision or policy
seminal – a paper that has had, or will have, an important effect
on future research
correlate – to bear reciprocal or mutual relations
welfare state – a political system in which a country provides a social
safety net
contentious – generating a lot of disagreement and argument
redistribute – to share something in a different way from the way it
was shared before; this is often done to give people a
more equal share
rebuke – a statement expressing the opinion that something is
incorrect
subjective – based on your own personal evaluation rather than on
any external measures

Can Money Buy Happiness?

An Examination of Happiness Economics
By Tim Mak

Does more money make one happier? A whole field of economics, known as
“happiness economics,” exists to answer this very question, both on the international
level (are richer countries happier than poorer countries?) and the intra-national level
(are richer individuals happier than poorer individuals within a given country?).
The answer to this question has serious implications for policy makers. If higher
standards of living – often measured by average income (GDP) – increase happiness,
then any government concerned with the happiness of its citizens should focus on
policies that boost the growth of the economy as a whole.
If, as some happiness economists argue, the crucial determinant to happiness is not
our absolute income per se, but our income relative to others around us; then this suggests
the focus should be on redistributing wealth and making society more equitable.
The academic literature is – like many topics in the social sciences – contentious,
but growing evidence supports the GDP notion. Although earlier research suggested
that average income had no substantial effect on happiness, more recent research
seems to indicate that increasing absolute income does, in fact, buy greater happiness.
Such studies also show that there is a strong – perhaps direct – relationship between
economic policies and institutions (e.g., economic freedom) that increase average
income as well as happiness.

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Unit 8 Inequality, Wealth and Happiness
 The Easterlin Paradox
Arguably, happiness economics as a field began with the 1974 publication of
University of Southern California Professor Richard Easterlin's seminal paper, Does
Economic Growth Improve the Human Lot? Some Empirical Evidence. Easterlin's
paper reaches some fascinating conclusions that prompt inquiries in happiness
economics to this day. Within each of the nineteen countries examined, Easterlin finds
that individuals with higher incomes report being more happy than those with lower
incomes (1974). This makes intuitive sense: the richer individuals are, the more they
can fulfill their desires, and thus the happier they are.
Paradoxically, however, Easterlin finds also that, as a whole, richer countries do not
appear to be happier than poorer countries. In particular, he points out that despite the
growth of the American economy between 1946 and 1970, overall happiness had not
increased during that period.
What does this mean? Easterlin interprets his results to indicate that it is not
absolute income that makes one happy, but one's income in relation to those around
him/her (1974).
In other words, if everyone in society made $1,000 more this year than they did last
year, under these findings, happiness would not increase, because everyone's relative
position would remain the same. Individuals would be happier, though, if their income
rose while the income of their neighbours did hot, thus putting them in a better position
in comparison. Although less intuitive, this could make sense: if our expectations
depend on the expectations of those around us, then absolute increases income do not
increase our happiness unless our relative income increases as well.
So, what are the policy implications of Easterlin's conclusions? Economists who
favour this view suggest that if the absolute income of a country is not what makes
people happy – and relative income is – then it is incumbent upon the government to
promote a more equitable income distribution and to implement a more Europcan-style,
socially democratic state (Wilkinson, 2007).
Indeed, this view has traditionally been widely accepted among happiness econo-
mists. For instance, Economist writer Will Wilkinson noted “that happiness research
[which] supports the policies of a more thorough going egalitarian welfare state ...
appears to have become a sort of conventional wisdom among those who study
happiness” in a Cato Institute paper examining the issue (2007:2). However, more
recent research with broader data sets now questions Easterlin's findings.
Money does buy happiness
In the 1990s, economists started to revisit and reassess the claims made in
Easterlin's paper. Economist Ruut Veenhoven, a professor emeritus at Erasmus
University in the Netherlands, wrote papers in 1989 and 1991 concluding that increased
GDP per capita correlates with greater levels of happiness.
By the time Veenhoven revisted the issue again in a paper with Dr. Michael Hagerty -
of the University of California, Davis in 2003, a whole host of literature had asserted a
relationship between happiness and the absolute income per capita for forty countries,
in refutation of Easterlin's original study exploring nineteen countries. It found also that,

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contrary to Easterlin's original findings, happiness in the United States had risen with
per capita GDP from 1972 to 1994 (Veenhoven and Hagerty, 2003). The pair do not
explain why their results are different from Easterlin's, but their differing methodologies,
and the different time periods studied probably played a part in their various outcome.
“The results show that increasing national income [GDP per capita] does go with
increasing national happiness ... contrary to strict relative utility models,” write
Veenhoven and Hagerty (2003:2). Among other criticisms, Veenhoven and Hagerty
claim that Easterlin made the mistake of only examining middle and high-income
countries, and that including poor countries showed positive correlations between GDP
and happiness. It is in poor countries where increasing the average in come had the
greatest positive effect on happiness.
This is an. important revelation, that although absolute GDP growth seems to
increase happiness, there is a diminishing marginal return. In other words, increasing
GDP among higher-income countries boosted happiness less than increasing the GDP
of lower-income countries by the same amount.
The concept of a diminishing marginal return can be illustrated as follows: the more
money one has; the less happiness one additional dollar – the marginal dollar – will
provide. A destitute man would clamour for a dropped dollar while a billionaire might not
think twice about it. In the same way, an increase of $10 billion for a rich country
(assuming same population) may lead to paltry increases of happiness compared to
that same increase for an extremely poor country.
Perhaps the most ambitious study on the relationship between average income and
happiness, and the most compelling rebuke of Easterlin's claims, comes from a 131-
country examination of life satisfaction and GDP per capita, written by Betsey
Stevenson and Justin Wolfdrs of the University of Pennsylvania. According to the
authors: Using recent data on a broader array of countries, we establish a clear positive
link between average levels of subjective well-being [a measure of happiness] and GDP
per capita across countries, and find no evidence of a satiation point beyond which
wealthier countries have no further increases in subjective well-being (2008:1).
These new and improved works have their own implications: if a growth in the
average income increases happiness, then any government hoping to maximize well-
being and life satisfaction should promote policies which drive economic growth, rather
than focusing merely pursuit of income redistribution measures and welfare state
programs – in fact income redistribution measures have been shown to have little effect
on happiness (Ouweneel, 2002).
Since increasing per capita income increases happiness, then it follows that
employing policies and institutions which promote per capita income growth will
increase happiness.
Economic freedom makes us happier
There is evidence to show that greater levels of economic freedom – a smaller govern-
ment, fewer regulations and lower taxes – result in more robust economic growth (Gwart-
ney et al., 2010). This would suggest, based on the case outlined above for GDP growth as
a driver of happiness, which freedom would indirectly lead to greater personal satisfaction.

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Unit 8 Inequality, Wealth and Happiness
 Recent studies suggest that economic freedom may also have a direct and positive
effect on happiness. In fact, studies have shown that economic freedom correlates with
happiness almost as much as any other factor (Veenhoven, 2005). In fact, the broadest
study of the relationhship between the two factors show that economic freedom was
four times more important tthan GDP per capita in directly determining happiness
(Ovaska and Takashima, 2006).
According to the economists who wrote the study, the positive relationship between
economic freedom and happiness may be due to the satisfaction we derive from being
able to make our own choices and embrace the opportunities that we desire: The
results suggest that people unmistakably care about the degree to which the society in
which they live provides them opportunities and the freedom to undertake new projects
and make choices based on one's personal preferences (Ovaska and Taka-shima,
2006:210).
Conclusion
Although older studies have suggested that relative, rather than absolute, income in
a society is the key driver of happiness, more recent work has disputed this by
suggesting that absolute growth in income boosts happiness. This, along with
increasing evidence that greater economic freedom increases the contentment of
individuals, suggests that policymakers who wish to increase overall happiness should
focus on economic policies and institutions that boost increases in average income,
rather than wealth redistribution.

Check Your Understanding

1. Answer the following questions in your own words using information from the
reading.
a) What is “happiness?”
b) What is the difference between absolute income and relative income? What do
happiness economists' study?
c) Are the following statements true (T) or false (F) according to Easterlin?
T F
– Richer individuals are happier than poorer individuals. ○ ○
– Richer countries are happier than poorer countries. ○ ○
– Increased economic growth leads to increased happiness. ○ ○
d) Why are Easterlin's findings paradoxical?
________________________________________________________________
e) How did results from the following researchers compare to Easterlin's
conclusions?
a) Veenhoven and Hagerty, 2003
b) Stevenson and Wolfers, 2008
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

153
 f) Outline the implications of this research for the economic policy of a country:
a) If governments believe absolute income is more important, what should be the
goal of their economic policy?
b) If governments believe relative income is more important, what should they do
instead?
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
g) What is meant by economic freedom? What is the connection between economic
freedom and
a) economic growth?
b) happiness?
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
2. Using your answers from Part A, summarize the authors answer to the question.
“Can money buy happiness?”
3. Discuss the following questions with your group.
a) Consider other things you have read or heard about on this topic. Which of these
statements is supported by your previous reading?
– Richer individuals are happier than those with less money.
– The most important thing is your wealth relative to the wealth of others.
b) In your own words, explain what is meant by "diminishing marginal return.'' Can
you think of examples you have heard about?
c) Why do you think different studies on this topic have yielded such contradictory
results? What factors might account for these differences?
d) Think about the country where you grew up.
– What connections can you make between this country and the article you
have just read?
– Would citizens of your country agree with the sentiments expressed in this
article? Why, or why not?
e) To what extent should governments make economic policies based on results of
this kind of research?
f) Based on the information in this article, what recommendation(s) you would
personally make
– to the government of your country
– to people who you know (friends, family)

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Unit 8 Inequality, Wealth and Happiness
 Follow-up
1) Read each passage and then respond to the questions. Each question will ask
you to make a logical inference based on textual details. Explain your answer by
referencing the text.
a) Gina looked in the mirror at the bright red pustule on her nose. She poked at it
carefully, afraid that it might burst on her dress. It was large and painful. The more she
prodded it, the larger it got. This is not how it was supposed to go! Gina thought to
herself. Then she began crying. Her mother yelled up the stairs, “Gina! Eric is here!”
This news made Gina even more distraught. Now her makeup was running and just as
she feared, some of it got on her dress. "Why me? Why today?" Gina lamented to
herself between sobs and gasps.

1. Why is Gina upset at the beginning of the passage? _____________________

How do you know this?
2. Who is Eric? ___________________________________________________
How do you know this?
b) Iggy squinted as he tried to see through the holes in the ski mask. He could make
out the large bag on the counter. The frightened woman who put it there now had both
hands raised. As he took the bag off of the counter, lggy tipped an imaginary hat to the
woman. The jest did not brighten her demeanor. Iggy exited the first set of doors but
stopped in the vestibule. Soon the windows of the building pulsated with blue and red
lights. Iggy hurriedly walked back into the building.
1. What is Iggy doing in this building? _________________________________
How do you know this?
2. Why does Iggy tip “an imaginary hat to the woman”? ___________________
How do you know this?
3. Why does lggy return inside of the building after having left? _____________
How do you know this?
c) Missy looked at her brother Kirk with burning eyes. Her hatred seared through
him. Sensing this, Kirk turned toward her and they met eyes. Kirk knew Missy well, but
he had never seen this particular expression on her face before and it startled him. He
said, “Look, there's no use wasting a bunch of energy fighting. Let's look for it. Where
does it go anyway?” Missy fumed at his nonchalance. She replied, “Look at the puzzle,
Kirk. You can't miss it.” Kurt looked at the jigsaw representation of the Statue of Liberty
that lay on the table. It was composed of 2,500 tiny pieces, well, only 2,499 really. The
red and yellow piece that went in the center of the torch flame was mysteriously absent.
Missy sneered at him and said in a vitriolic tone, “I told you not to move the puzzle
pieces, but you insisted. You said that you had to have a better seat. Well, I hope you're

155
happy, Kirk,” Kirk ran his index finger along the inside of his shirt collar. “Gee, Missy...
I'm sorry,” he murmured.
1. Why is Missy in such a bad mood? __________________________________
How do you know this?
2. Why is Missy specifically mad at Kirk? ______________________________
How do you know this?
d) Pam clutched the steering wheel awkwardly. The man in the passenger seat
looked at her from behind wireframe glasses and then looked back at his clipboard and
made some checks. Pam attempted to pull out from the parking spot slowly, but her foot
slipped and she pressed on the gas too hard. The car jerked back suddenly and she
almost crashed into a parked van. The man scowled at her and made another check on
his clipboard. He said dryly, “Turn right here.” Sweat beads gathered on Pam's brow.
She timidly exited the parking lot. Now she was on a thoroughfare and was travelling 15
MPH below the speed limit. Traffic accumulated behind her. The man made a few more
checks on his clipboard and wrote a comment. “Turn left at this stop sign,” he said. Pam
slowly turned left, but she did not stop. Several cars honked, and then she ran over a
curb and bumped into a newspaper vending machine. The man hurriedly made several
more checks on his clipboard and said, “OK, we're done here. Please get in the
passenger seat. I will drive back to the facility.”
1. What is Pam doing? ______________________________________________
How do you know this?
2. Who is the man with Pam? ________________________________________
How do you know this?
3. What information is the man putting on his clipboard? _________________
How do you know this?

Vocabulary
1. Use a dictionary to find the differences between the words and
phrases in bold in the following groups.
1. make a profit & make a loss
2. extravagant & frugal / economical
3. a current account & a deposit account
4. a loan & a mortgage
5. to deposit money & to withdraw money
6. a wage & a salary
7. broke & bankrupt
8. shares, stocks, & dividends
9. income tax & excise duty

156
Unit 8 Inequality, Wealth and Happiness
 10. to credit & to debit
11. a bank & a building society
12. a discount & a refund
13. something which was a bargain, something which was
overpriced and something which was exorbitant
14. worthless & priceless
15. save money & invest money
16. inflation & deflation
17. income & expenditure
18. to lend & to borrow

2. Match the sentences in column A with the sentences in column B. Use the words
and phrases in bold to help you.

Column A Column B
1. The managing director believes the A. I'm really looking forward to spending my
company should start producing pension.
pocket computers.
2. I always put my money in a building B. The cost of living seems to go up every
society and not in a bank. day.
3. I can't afford to buy a new car right C. Of course, it's always so difficult to econo-
now. I don't have enough money. mise.
4. I always spend a lot of money when D. Shops all over the country are making
I go on holiday. huge reductions on just about everything.
5. I came into a lot of money recently E. Then I get home to find out I've run up a
when my uncle died. huge overdraft at the bank.
6. Look at this cheque that came in the F. Of course, the potential global market for
post this morning from Revenue and them is enormous.
Customs.
7. I've been spending too much G. Fortunately I receive unemployment
recently. benefit.
8. In my country, there are a lot of very H. There is a very uneven distribution of
poor people and only a few rich ones. wealth.
9. I lost my job last month. I. The interest they pay me is much higher.
10. I retire next month. J. It's the first time I've inherited something.
11. Prices are rising quickly everywhere. K. It seems to be some kind of tax rebate.
12. The January sales start tomorrow. L. Maybe I should consider getting one on
credit.

157
 Read the passage and answer the questions.
Ella Deloria
In was not until her posthumous novel Waterlily was published in 1988 that Ella
C.Deloria became known for her literary ability in addition to her already-established
reputation in the academic arena of linguistics and ethnology. During her lifetime; she
was recognized for the linguistic ability and cultural sensitivity that went into the
production of a collection of traditional short stories entitled Dakota Texts (1932). After
her death, her versions of a number of longer traditional stories and the novel Waterlily
were published; with the publication of Waterlily came the recognition of her true literary
ability and the awareness that it was the strength of her literary ability, in addition to her
linguistic expertise and her deep cultural understanding, that had made her versions of
traditional stories so compelling.
Ella Cara Deloria was born into a Nakota-speaking family in 1889; however, she
grew up among the Lakota people in North Dakota, where her father was a leader in the
Episcopal Church. Her father, the son of a traditional Nakota medicine man, valued both
the cultural traditions of his family and those of the country of his citizenship. As a result,
Deloria primarily spoke Nakota at home and Lakota when she was out in the
community, and she was well versed there in the cultural traditions of her Sioux
ancestors (a with a complex kinship structure in which all of a child's father's
brothers are also considered fathers, all of a child's mother's sisters are also
considered mothers, and all of the children of all these mothers and fathers are
considered siblings). Her education, however, was in English, at the Episcopalian
Saint Elizabeth Mission School and the All Saints School. After high school, she
attended Oberlin College in Ohio for one year, and then she transferred to Columbia
University to study linguistics under Franz Boas, the founder of American Indian
linguistics.
After graduating from Columbia, she was encouraged by Boas to collect and
record traditional Lakota stories. She was in a unique position to take on this task
because of her fluency in the Lakota language as well as in English, her understanding
from childhood of the complexities and subtleties of Lakota culture, and her linguistic
training from Columbia. The result of her research was the Dakota Texts, a bilingual
collection of 64 short stories. To create this remarkable work, Deloria was able to elicit
stories from venerable Sioux elders, without need for translators and with an
awareness of appropriately respectful behavior. She listened to the stories as
numerous generations had before her, and then, unlike previous generations, recorded
them in writing – initially in Lakota and later in English. She transcribed them essentially
as they were told but with her own understanding of the nuances of what was being told.
In addition to the shorter stories that were published in Dakota Texts, Deloria spent
1937 working on transcribing a number of longer and more complicated texts, which
were not published until after her death. “Iron Hawk: Oglala Culture Hero” (1993)
presents the diverse elements of the culture-hero genre; “The Buffalo People” (1994)
focuses on the importance of tribal education in building character; “A Sioux Captive”

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Unit 8 Inequality, Wealth and Happiness
(1994) tells the story of a Lakota woman who rescued her husband from the Crow; “The
Prairie Dogs” (1994) describes the sense of hope offered by the Sioux warrior-society
ceremonies and dances.
Her novel Waterlily, which was first published 40 years after it was completed and 17
years after her death, reflects her true literary talent as well as her accumulated
understanding of traditional culture and customs. The novel recounts the fictional story
of the difficult life of the title character, with a horrendous childhood experience as
witness to a deadly enemy raid and a first marriage terminated by the untimely death of
her husband in a smallbox epidemic, and comes to a close with the hopeful expec-
tations of an impending second marriage. At the same time, it presents a masterful
account of life in a nineteenth- century Sioux community with its detailed descriptions of
interpersonal relationships and attitudes, everyday tasks and routines, and special
ceremonies and celebrations.
Questions
1. It can be inferred from paragraph 1 that, while she was alive, Ella Deloria
(A) did little to make use of her education in linguistics
(B) achieved acclaim more for her transcriptions than for her novel
(C) was the published author of a number of types of fiction and nonfiction
(D) was recognized for the literary maturity of her novel
2. Why does the author use the word however in paragraph 2?
(A) To emphasize that she was born in an earlier century
(B) To clarify the differences between the Lakota and the Dakota
© To show that she was raised in a different environment from the one where
she was born
(D) To demonstrate that she was very different from other members of her
family
3. Why does the author include the information with a complex kinship structure
in which all of a child's father's brothers are also considered fathers, all of a
child's mother's sisters are also considered mothers, and all of the children of all
these mothers and fathers are considered siblings in parentheses?
(A) To provide details to emphasize how the Nakota and the Lakota differed
(B) To introduce the idea that Deloria's education in English was completely
different from her home life
(C) To provide an alternate explanation for Deloria's use of Nakota at home and
Lakota in the community
(D) To provide an example of one cultural tradition of the Sioux
4. Why does the author begin paragraph 3 with After graduating from Columbia?
(A) To indicate that paragraph 3 follows paragraph 2 in chronological order
(B) To clarify that paragraph 3 describes Deloria's educatibn at Columbia
(C) To recognize the importance of education throughout Deloria's life
(D) To demonstrate that paragraph 3 provides examples of a concept presented
in paragraph 2

159
 5. It is implied in paragraph 3 that Dakota Texts was written
(A) only in English
(B) only in Dakota
(C) in Dakota and Lakota
(D) in Lakota and English
6. Why does the author mention an awareness of appropriately respectful
behavior in paragraph 3?
(A) To show one way that Deloria was qualified to elicit stories from Sioux elders
(B) To show that Deloria's linguistic training had been effective
(C) To show the difference between Deloria's transcriptions and her novel
(D) To show why Deloria needed to work with a translator
7. It can be inferred from paragraph 4 that “Iron Hawk: Oglala Culture Hero” was
published
(A) in the same year that it was written
(B) just prior to Deloria's death
(C) long after it was transcribed
(D) long before Waterlily was published
8. Why does the author discuss “The Prairie Dogs” in paragraph 4?
(A) It was written by Deloria.
(B) It describes Deloria's own life story.
(C) It provides insight into rituals and dances.
(D) It was one of the earliest short stories that Deloria transcribed.
9. It can be inferred from the passage that Waterlily was completed
(A) in 1937
(B) in 1948
(C) in 1954
(D) in 1988
10. Why does the author mention in untimely death of her husband in a smallpox
epidemic in paragraph 5?
(A) It provides a harsh example of Waterlily's difficult life.
(B) It provides evidence of the historical existence of Waterlily.
(C) It demonstrates how unusual Waterlily's life in a nineteenth-century Sioux
community was.
(D) It reinforces the overall message of hopelessness of Waterlily.

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Unit 8 Inequality, Wealth and Happiness
References

w Cox, K. and Hill, D. (2006) 'EAP Now! English for Academic Purposes',
2nd Edition, Student's Book, Pearson Longman.
w Cullen, P. (2008), 'Vocabulary for IELTS', 1st Edition, Cambridge English.
w Mather, P. and McCarthy, Rita. (2009) 'The Art of Critical Reading:
nd
Brushing up on your reading, thinking, and study skills', 2 Edition,
McGraw-Hill.
w Pa ison, T. (2015) 'Critical Reading, English for Academic Purposes',
Canada: Pearson.
w Phillips, Deborah. (2012) 'Longman Preparation Course for the TOEFL',
2nd Edition, Pearson Education ESL.
w Wya , R. (2017) 'Check Your English Vocabulary for IELTS', 4th Edition,
UK: Bloombsbury Information.

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Yığılmağa verilmiş 18.07.2019
Çapa imzalanmış 16.09.2019
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Tirajı 500