University of Social Sciences and Humanities Reading B2

Faculty of English Linguistics and Literature

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READING PRACTICE
Ø Reading 1

Reviews of TV science documentary series

Paul Hansen looks at the latest science programmes

A. Science for All

Fortunately for me and non-scientists everywhere, the makers of Science for All are there to plug
the gaps in our knowledge. The series is rather like a knowledgeable parent who doesn’t mind
being pestered by wide-eyed and curious children. It takes the time to explain all those
fascinating mysteries of nature in an entertaining and understandable way. The last series
opened my eyes to all manner of interesting facts and demystified some of the problems faced
by modern physics. And the new series shows no lack of inspiration for subjects to tackle:
everything from the existence of life on other planets to the odd properties of human memory
are rightly considered suitable subjects. So, while it’s a shame that factual programmes are
getting increasingly scare these days, it’s a comfort that Science for All shows no signs of dipping
in quality or disappearing from public view.

B. Out in Space
Although I wasn’t expecting much from this series, I’m pleased that the producers of Out in
Space persisted with their unpromising subject. In the course of the first programme we learn
about hurricanes deserts, and even how the Moon was made; a bewildering mix of phenomena
that, we were assured, were all caused by events beyond our planet’s atmosphere. That’s not to
say the programme explored them in any great detail, preferring to skip breathlessly from one to
the next. The essential logic of the series seemed to be that if you take any natural phenomenon
and ask “why?” enough times, the answers will eventually be that it’s something to do with
space. The two presenters attempted to get it all to fit together, by taking part in exciting
activities. Sadly these only occasionally succeeded.

C. Stars and Planets

The second series of Stars and Planets is an attempt to take advantage of the success of the
first, which unexpectedly gained a substantial general audience. Like its predecessor, this is a big
on amazing photography and fabulous graphics, most of which are much less successful at
communicating the immensity of the ideas involved than one human being talking to you directly.
This time the scope is even wider, astronomically speaking. What we are being introduced to
here are ambitious ideas about time and space, and the presenter succeeds rather better than
you might expect. It helps that he doesn’t go too deep, as once you start thinking bout it this is
tricky stuff to get your head around. The point of such programmes is less to explain every detail
than to arouse a generalized sense of amazement that might lead to further thinking, and Stars
and Planets is certainly good at that.

D. Robot Technology
This ground-breaking science documentary series follows a group of experts as they attempt to
build a complete artificial human from robotic body parts. The project sees scientists use the
latest technology from the world’s most renowned research centres and manufacturers. It is the

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Faculty of English Linguistics and Literature
realization of a long-held dream to create a human from manufactured parts, using everything
from bionic arms and mechanical hearts, eye implants and microchip brains. The series explores
to what extent modern technology is capable of replacing body parts – or even improving their
abilities. The presenter, very appropriately, has an artificial hand himself. This ambitious series
gives us guided tour of the wonders of modern technology. Though it can be a slightly upsetting
journey at times, it engages the audience in a revolution that is changing the face of medicine.

In which reviews does it say that

1. an effort was made to connect a number of unrelated issues?
2. the topics covered are well chosen?
3. viewers are shown how science can occasionally do better than nature?
4. the series deals with something people have hoped to achieve for a while?
5. the series unfortunately didn’t spend a lot of time explaining the topics
covered?
6. viewers are clearly informed?
7. it’s good that viewers are not required to consider all aspects of the subject
carefully?
8. the series was worth making despite the topic not appearing very
interesting at first?
9. viewers may not always find the series comfortable to watch?
10. the series achieves its aims by astonishing its viewers?

Ø Reading 2

TECHNOLOGY AND US
By Rowena James

Like me, you’ve probably read newspaper articles in which adults are talking about the bad
effects that technology such as computers and mobiles are having on teenagers like us! In
fact, it sometimes seems as if our digital lives are under constant scrutiny from the older
generation. According to some adults, our online socializing is creating a culture where
everything is very trivial, and we’re in danger of losing our social skills completely. Of course,
we can probably all think of friends that spend virtually all their time online. But I think we’d
also agree those people are in the minority, and that the majority of us have learnt to use
technology in a responsible and useful way.

Anyway, our parents would probably admit that nay advances in technology, such as the
radio or the record player, have always caused concern among parents, because they worry
about the harmful effects on young people, and want to protect them. But if the same
technology ad been available when they were young, they would have used it just as we do
now, to socialize and establish independence from their parents. Of course, there have been
extremely rapid developments since our parents were young – but then every generation
says that when they look back, I guess.

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 University of Social Sciences and Humanities Reading B2
Faculty of English Linguistics and Literature
One of the main things that teachers worry about is that our over-use of technology is
having a bad effect on our education, particularly in our literacy. Teachers say teens are
using language that’s too casual, like we use in texts, even when we’re writing formally, and
that the influence of texting is producing far more mistakes in our writing than young people
made in the past. However, some researchers say these thoughts are based on what they’re
calling “misguided nostalgia”. When they looked back at student composition papers,
even a hundred years ago, they found they contained just as many errors as students’ work
today.

As I said, though, we can all think of someone we know who spends half their lives in front
of a computer. But those people might still be gaining benefits from that time. Take my
friend Luke, for example. In his early teens he was very keen on one particular TV series,
and began to follow a fan page online, which he started spending all his free time on. It
wasn’t long before he got more involved, and was soon editing other teenage fans’
contributions, which he became skilled at. That led to an interest in publishing as a career.

Teachers have also realized the huge potential of technology in their classes, no matter what
field they’re in. Computer teachers at my school now encourage us to use up-to-the-minute
software to get us to explore and develop our own talents – with great results. One guy in
my class who wasn’t interested in school at all, suddenly discovered he was really good at
producing elaborate sketches of buildings around the city. He’s now considering training to
be an architect – a real turnaround for someone who once hated coming to school.

Of course, much as I have to admit, there are downsides to advances such as the Internet.
One of them is distraction – flicking onto a favorite website in the middle of doing a
homework assignment. You’d have to be pretty skilled to achieve good results by trying to do
several things at once in that way. There’s also a tendency for teenagers not to question
whether the sources of information they get online are actually reliable, and just to take
what they find there at face value. And I hardly dare mention the effects on sleep patterns –
that’s one area where my parents have to step in and set boundaries, I reckon we’ll get
better at learning to moderate that sort of thing ourselves – just as we’ll need to n all other
aspects of our lives.

1. In the first paragraph, what is Rowena’s purpose in writing about adults and their views
on teens’ use of technology?
A. to say which of their views she thinks are justified
B. to suggest reasons why older people may hold such opinions
C. to demonstrate how much exaggeration she thinks they contain
D. to explore how different she is from the majority of teenagers
2. In the second paragraph, Rowena suggests that new technology
A. makes young people’s lives easier than their parents’ lives were.
B. has always tended to cause concern among older generations.
C. allows young people more independence than their parents had.
D. Has developed much faster than for previous generations.
3. Which mistaken belief do researchers mean when they refer to “misguided nostalgia”
in the third paragraph?
A. using present as a guide to understanding the past
B. trusting that the present is a great improvement on the past
C. being unable to see any difference between the present and the past

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 University of Social Sciences and Humanities Reading B2
Faculty of English Linguistics and Literature
D. thinking everything was much better in the past than it is in the present
4. Rowena gives the example of her friend Luke to demonstrate
A. the advantages of becoming absorbed in online activity.
B. the opportunities offered by online sites to become more creative.
C. the benefits of publishing one’s own writing online.
D. the possibilities of finding paid work online.
5. What is implied about the computer teachers at Rowena’s school in the fifth paragraph?
A. They are unwilling to give up on students who find it hard to fit in.
B. They are quick to spot undeveloped talents in their students.
C. They are keen to use technology to help students discover themselves.
D. They are leading the field in computer-assisted learning.
6. In the final paragraph, what does Rowena say is a disadvantage of new technology?
A. It has created a generation of teenagers that is always multi-tasking.
B. It can tempt teenagers away from what they should be focusing on.
C. It makes teenagers realize their parents are still continuing to monitor them.
D. It discourages teenagers from using a range of information sources.

Answers: 1.C 2.B 3.D 4.A 5.C 6.B

Ø Reading 3

DOMESTIC ROBOTS
Machines that look after your home are getting cleverer, but they still need care and
attention if they are to perform as intended.
Floor-cleaning machines capable of responding to their environment were among the first
commercially available domestic products worthy of being called robots. The best known
is the Roomba, made by iRobot, an American company which has sold more than three
million of the disc-shaped, frisbee-sized vacuuming robots. The latest model, the fifth
version of the Roomba, has more sensors and cleverer software than its predecessors.

Press the ‘Clean” button and the robot glides out of its docking station and sets off across
the floor. Domestic robots are supposed to free up time so that you can do other things,
but watching how the Roomba deals with obstacles is strangely compelling. It is capable
of sensing its surroundings, and does not simply try to adhere to a pre-planned route, so
its is not upset if furniture is moved, or if it is picked up and taken to clean another room.
Its infra-red sensors enable it to slow down before reaching an obstacle – such as a dozy
cat – changing direction and setting off again.

It steadily works its way round the room, figuring out how to get out from under the
television stand or untangle itself from a stray Game Boy recharging lead. Watch it for
long enough, and you can sometimes predicts its next move. The machine has a “dirt
sensor’’ and flashes a blue light when it finds things to clean up. Only when it detects no
more dirt does it stop going over the same area and, eventually, conclude that the whole
room is clean. It then trundles back to dock at its recharging station.

So the first observation of life with a domestic robot is that you will keep watching it
before you trust it completely. Perhaps that is not surprising: after all, when automatic

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University of Social Sciences and Humanities Reading B2
Faculty of English Linguistics and Literature
washing machines first appeared, people used to draw up a chair and sit and watch them
complete their wash, rinse and spin cycles. Now they just load them, switch them on and
leave them to it.

The second observation is that, despite their current level of intelligence, certain
allowances must be made to get the best out of a domestic robot. The Roomba can be
set up to clean at particular times, and to clean more than one room (small infra-red
lighthouses’ can be positioned in doorways, creating an invisible barrier between one
room and the next that is only removed when the first room has been cleaned). A ‘drop-
off’ sensor underneath the robot prevents it from falling down stairs. All very clever, but
that the Roomba will not do is pick up toys, shoes and other items left lying around.
Rooms cared for by robots must be kept tidy. To start with, children will happily put
things away in order to watch the robot set off, but unfortunately the novelty soon wears
off.

Similar allowances must be made for other domestic robots. Sweden’s Husqvarma
recently launched a new version of its Automower lawn mowing robot. Before it can be
used, a wire must be placed around the perimeter of the lawn to define the part to be
cut. If toys and other obstacles are not cleared from the lawn before it starts work, the
robot will steer around them, leaving uncut areas. However, the latest version can top up
its batteries with solar power, or send its owner a text message if it gets into trouble
trying to climb a mole-hill.

But there is still only a limited range of domestic robots. Machines that mop the floor,
clean a swimming pool and clear muck from guttering are made by iRobot. Several
surveillance robots are also on offer. The Rovio, made by WowWee of Hong Kong, is a
wi-fi-enabled webcam, mounted on an extending arm, which rides along smoothly on a
nimble set of three wheels. Its movement can be remotely operated over the Internet via
a laptop or mobile phone. The idea is that Rovio can patrol the home when its owner is
away, either automatically or under manual control: in the latter case, two-way
communication allows the operator to see and talk via the machine. So you could, for
instance, shout at the cat if it is sleeping on your best sofa.

Some machines are called robots even though they cannot move around. There is an
ironing robot, for instance, that resembles an inflatable dummy: put a damp shirt on it,
and it puffs up to remove the creases. Similarly, there are elaborate trouser presses that
aspire to be robots. But do these devices really count as robots? If so, then surely
dishwashers and washing machines do, too.

Yet whatever shape or size robots come in, many will be adored. Another important
observation from living with a robot is that it tends to become part of the family. “People
give them names, and if they have to be sent back for repair, they carefully add a mark
to them to ensure they get the same machine back,” says Nancy Dussault Smith of
iRobot.

Decide if each of the following statements is true or false according to the

information provided in the passage. Please write

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University of Social Sciences and Humanities Reading B2
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TRUE if the statement agrees with the information

FALSE if the statement contradicts the information

1. Improvements have been made to Roomba over time.

2. Obstacles have to be removed from Roomba’s path.
3. Roomba keeps cleaning in one place until it thinks it is dirt free.
4. People once found washing machines as fascinating as robots.
5. Roomba tidies up a room as well as cleaning it.
6. A wire is used to mark out the moving area for the Automower.
7. A machine is called a robot only when it can move around and do useful things.

Answers (Reading 1):

1.B 2.A 3.D 4.D 5.B 6.A 7.C 8.B 9.D 10.C
Answers (Reading 2):
1.C 2.B 3.D 4.A 5.C 6.B
Answers (Reading 3):
1.T 2.F 3.T 4.T 5.F 6.T 7.F