Tag Archive: science & technology – intermediate

Pre-reading questions: What are the important things to do in order to stay healthy? What kind of apps do you usually use? Vocabulary: altogether /awl-tuh-GETH-er/ [verb] in total There were 2,500 guests altogether at the party. consistent /kuhn-SIS-tuhnt/ [adjective] agreeing, not contradicting She got good marks for her thesis because her data is consistent. reckon /REK-uhn/ [verb] to think that something is probably true I reckon she’ll do well in the exam. self-absorbed /SELF-ab-SAWRBD/ [adjective] caring only about yourself Nobody likes him because he’s rude and self-absorbed. optimist /OP-tuh-mist/ [noun] positive thinker Though he’s having problems at home, Mojo is still an optimist. Self-care apps are gaining popularity in the…
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Pre-reading questions: How did the Internet change your life? Do you think the Internet has become a necessity? Vocabulary: net neutrality /net nyoo-TRAL-i-tee/ [noun] idea that internet companies cannot speed up, slow down, or block content on the Internet I support net neutrality rules because the Internet should be free. prohibit /proh-HIB-it/ [verb] to officially not allow something Smoking in this area is strictly prohibited. restrict /ri-STRIKT/ [verb] to limit something The government restricted the people’s freedom. penalize /PEEN-l-ahyz/ [verb] to punish someone for breaking a law or a rule Those who break the law shall be penalized. get rid /get rid/ [phrasal verb] to remove something Please get rid…
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Pre-reading questions: What are the different modes of transportation in your country? What mode of transportation do you prefer? Vocabulary: ride-hailing [rahyd HEYL-ing] (adjective) mode of transportation similar to a taxi but done through an app Ride-hailing apps are becoming more popular. investor [in-VEST-uhr] (noun) a person who commits capital to a business The investors brought success to her restaurant. expansion [ik-SPAN-shuhn] (noun) process of making a business grow McDonald’s expansion in Kyoto has been all over the news. spark [spahrk] (verb) to cause something to happen The article sparked happy memories for me. rivalry [RAHY-vuhl-ree] (noun) a situation in which teams compete with one another Didi Chuxing, a Chinese…
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Pre-reading questions: What social media platforms do you enjoy using? What are the good points of using social media? Vocabulary: scrutiny [noun] – careful examination of someone The council members were under scrutiny by the government. inappropriate [adjective] – not right for a situation Her inappropriate behavior during dinner was obvious. creatives [noun] – content or material of an advertisement The creatives used in the commercial was effective. interface [noun] – over-all look of an application Facebook’s new interface is easy to use. transparency [noun] – being made aware of what information is being collected Everyone should practice transparency in the office to avoid conflict. Twitter is launching an Advertising…
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Pre-reading questions: Do you think that Google is useful? How often do you use the internet? Vocabulary: website – a place on the internet where information can be found Our school has its own website. recommend – to suggest something He recommended a better restaurant. advertisement – an announcement to promote a product or service There are a lot of advertisements inside the mall. information – facts about something This book has a lot of information. relate – to be connected Science is related to technology. Google keeps a record of everything that people search for. It collects information on people’s search history. People can find all the information they…
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Pre-reading questions: Are you familiar with Netflix? Are there other popular apps in your country similar to Netflix? What is your favorite movie/TV show? Why is it your favorite movie/TV show?   Vocabulary: existing users – current customers The company takes good care of its existing users. exclusive – only available to a specific group I was invited to join an exclusive club for soccer players. invest – to use money for profit gain I want to invest in a new house. prime – a subscription plan higher than the standard A prime membership in the country club has a lot of benefits.   Netflix has decided to increase its…
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Pre-reading questions: Do you find smartphones more advantageous or more disadvantageous? What would your life be like without smartphones? Vocabulary: effortless – easy; natural English is not her first language but her speech is effortless. instantly – immediately I was so tired that when I got home, I fell asleep instantly. extend – increase in scope; to include more Please extend the scope of your research to cover environmental issues in the countryside. mere – no more than; only I want nothing more than mere friendship. accessible – reachable; attainable The Internet has made information more accessible. Communication has been made effortless by smartphones. Through smartphones, people can instantly exchange…
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  Pre-reading questions: Do you use any social media platforms like Facebook? How often? Do read news in social media? Why?   Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, said that Facebook is totally against fake news. He said that they are also victims and they do not want them on the site. It’s not easy to figure out which are fake and which are not. Some people are actually calling them fake news only because they totally disagree to them. Hackers and political groups that post and share fake news are the ones responsible for them. These kinds of news have existed on the site for many years now. However, Facebook handles…
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Pre-reading questions: Describe a healthy skin. What’s the best way to keep your skin healthy? An image-scanning software, developed at Stanford University, can precisely detect skin cancers as well as dermatologists. This new discovery may be available on your smartphones soon. The team imitated a Google algorithm that can classify images. A database with 130,000 photos of different skin diseases has been organized. The images were gathered from the internet and examined by dermatologists. The software was tested to identify cancerous and non-cancerous lesions. The app’s capability was compared to that of 21 board-certified dermatologists’. The results were remarkable as the app did as well as the dermatologists. The creators of…
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Pre-reading questions: How often do you change your smartphone? Why? What smartphone brand do you like the most? Why? A 2016 report was released by Kantar Worldpanel. It shows that Americans and Europeans hold onto their phones longer. Before upgrading to a new phone, people in America hold onto their phones for an average of 22.7 months while Europeans do for 21.6 months. It is an entirely different situation in China. The Chinese change their phones faster for an average of 20.2 months. Smartphone markets in China change constantly. There are also cheaper phones available from companies like Oppo and Vivo, which are very popular in the country. Vocabulary: release…
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