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GENERAL ENGLISH · BREAKING NEWS · UPPER-INTERMEDIATE (B2-C1)

REVOLUTIONARY
6G PROGRESS
ANNOUNCED

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1 Warm up

Discuss the questions in pairs or small groups.

1. Do you know anyone who doesn’t own a smartphone?

2. Does your phone have a data plan? Do you browse the Internet when out and about?
3. Is your Internet connection at home fast and stable?
4. If you didn’t have access to the Internet, would it be difficult for you to do your job or to study?
5. Can you think of any disadvantages of having the Internet on your phone?

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2 Pre-listening task: vocabulary focus

Match words with the correct definitions.

Glossary

• hertz: a unit for measuring the frequency of sound waves

• terahertz: a unit of frequency equal to one trillion hertz

1. sub-terahertz (n) a. a change in the form or shape of something

2. fragile (adj.) b. the range of frequencies occupied by a modulated

radio-frequency signal or a line or channel of communication
3. distortion (n) c. easily broken or damaged

4. mixer (n) d. the rate at which a sound or electromagnetic wave moves up and
down
5. bandwidth (n) e. frequencies below the terahertz range

6. breakthrough (n) f. connected with or like the countryside

7. rural (adj.) g. a major improvement in a particular field

8. frequency (n) h. a device used to blend or combine different signals

3 Listening for specific information

Listen to the report. Fill in the gaps in each sentence with ONE word from the vocabulary section.

1. Information has been sent across a distance of 1.2 miles at frequencies.

2. Until now, creating a stable connection at such has been very difficult, with the
signal becoming more .

3. Typically, a signal sent wirelessly is mixed to remove .

4. However, the researchers found that their couldn’t handle the increase in power,
so they removed it.

5. The marks a huge improvement on existing technology.

6. In the experiment, the research team were able to achieve frequencies and over
100 times better than 5G networks

7. The research does, however, offer hope to those who live in communities.

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4 Listening for comprehension

Listen to the report again. Select the correct answer from the options given.

1. Who did the researchers work with to solve the problem of long-distance wireless
communications at a terahertz level?
a. NASA and the US Air Force

b. private telecommunications companies

c. universities and research institutions

d. local government agencies

2. How did the team solve the problem of creating a stable connection at sub-terahertz frequencies?

a. by using a new type of mixer

b. by removing the mixer

c. by using a different type of radio

d. by increasing the power of the signal

3. How does the new technology compare to existing 5G networks?

a. it is less advanced

b. it has the same capabilities

c. it is capable of reaching much greater frequencies and bandwidths

d. it is much more expensive than 5G

4. What are the implications of this research for people living outside cities and towns?

a. it will make it more difficult for them to access the internet

b. it will have no effect on them

c. it offers hope for high-speed internet access

d. it will cause interference with other communications in rural areas

5. How much further does the research need to go to make 6G available globally?

a. there are a few more challenges

b. there is still a long way to go

c. it’s already available

d. the research is in its very initial stage

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5 Reading: general vocabulary

Part A: Match the words in bold with the correct definitions.

Group 1

1. My football team reached a peak in 2016. I don’t think we’ll ever win the Premier League again!
(n)

2. The government has announced plans to cap energy bills. (v)

3. Some phone alarms consist of annoying trills that get louder over time. (n)

4. The local populace refused to support the decision to turn the park into a supermarket. (n)

5. Many young people prefer to stream movies at home than go to the movie theater. (v)

6. Our university invited a number of fringe figures to give speeches this year. Naturally, there were
protests. (n)

7. It snowed in June last year. I think that was the most bizarre thing I’ve ever seen. (adj.)

8. My therapist told me that I should embrace change, rather than fear it. (v)

a. play video or sound on a computer or other device without needing to download it in advance

b. the point when somebody/something is best, most successful, strongest etc.

c. a member of a political or other group whose views are considered to be very extreme

d. accept an idea, a proposal, a set of beliefs, etc., especially when it is done with enthusiasm

e. a repeated short, high sound made, for example, by somebody’s voice, a machine or a bird

f. limit the total amount of something

g. all of the ordinary people of a particular country or area

h. very strange or unusual

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Group 2

1. The new sculpture has been vandalized already. Apparently, the police have caught the suspects
on camera. (v)

2. My sister’s birthday coincided with the end of the lockdown, so we threw a big party. (v)

3. Jack’s theories have been widely debunked. Nobody believes him anymore. (v)

4. Having spent two weeks with my new phone, I can only say that it has been overhyped by the
marketing department. (v)

5. I used to make a cup of tea while waiting for videos to buffer. (v)

6. Luke’s depression manifested in strange ways. Sometimes he would just sit in a dark room alone.
(v)

7. Satellites started being deployed in the late 1950s. (v)

8. Mobile phone coverage has always been poor in my village. (n)

a. move soldiers or equipment to a place where they can be used when they are needed

b. advertise or discuss something in newspapers, on television, etc. too much, so that it seems bigger
or better than it really is

c. show something clearly, through signs or actions

d. when a computer stores information temporarily in its memory while dealing with it or sending it

e. show that an idea, a belief, etc. is false

f. the extent to which something covers an area or a group of people

g. damage something, especially public property, deliberately and for no good reason

h. when two or more events take place at the same time

Part B: Complete the short text with TEN words from Part A. You may need to change the form of
the words.

1
I had just finished university when I was offered my first job in tech. A series of events
had led me to San Francisco – the last place I expected to be – and I found a job working in a small

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2
web company. It wasn’t great, at first. My wage was but I was expected to work
extra hours, including weekends. After a while, the limit was removed and I started to earn quite a lot
of money. At first, we were developing online videos, which was hard work. Back then, you couldn’t
3 4
a film. Even a short clip took a long time to , and we were working
on ways to make it easier to display these videos on any home computer.
5
Our software ended up being around the world – at least, in those countries which had
6
extensive Internet – although most people weren’t aware that they had downloaded
7
it. The wider became our test subjects. Fortunately, the release of our little program
8
with the development of a new computer that was more powerful and affordable
than anything else on the market. We made a deal with the manufacturers, and our software came
9
preinstalled on the new machine. This ended up being the of our little company. Sadly,
10
the new computer had been beyond its abilities, and the company that developed it
went out of business within the year. Ours followed soon after, although I was able to find a new job
soon enough.

Discuss these questions in pairs.

1. Can you think of somebody famous that you would describe as a fringe figure?
2. Do you think streaming movies has become more popular than watching them in the movie
theaters? If so, why?
3. Do you have strong mobile phone coverage where you live?
4. Can you think of something that happened to you recently that you would describe as bizarre?
5. Why do some people decide to vandalize historical buildings or monuments?
6. Have you ever believed in a theory that was later debunked? If so, how did you react?
7. Do you think that, in general, people find it difficult to embrace change?

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6 Reading for general understanding

Part A: You are going to read a text about the rise of the mobile Internet. Scan the text quickly
and match the headings with the correct paragraphs. One heading cannot be matched to any of the
paragraphs in the text and should be marked ‘Not given’.

Glossary

Dial-up modem: a device that allowed users to connect to the Internet through their phone
line.

Not given Paragraph A Paragraph B Paragraph C Paragraph D Paragraph E

1. Beyond 5G

2. Paranoia and misinformation

3. A rapidly changing world

4. The hidden cost of mobile phones

5. Not quite the success story that was hoped for

6. Staying connected wherever we are

Part B: Look at the following sentence. In pairs, discuss the meaning of the underlined phrase. Do
you ever eat on the go, or do you prefer to sit down for a meal?

Sandwiches are popular in Britain because people like to eat on the go.

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A Fast-moving World
The continuing rise of technology

A. Technology moves fast. Twenty years ago, we had to connect to the Internet via dial-up modems. Before being
able to connect, users would have to wait patiently until the bizarre series of beeps and trills came to an end. At
its peak, dial-up internet was capped at a rather unimpressive 56 kilobytes a second. Streaming a video was out
of the question, and downloading a single image could take minutes. Snappy webpages weren’t possible yet and
it was uncommon for a company to have a significant Internet presence. Smartphones technically existed, but the
all-powerful device we keep in our pockets was years away, with the first iPhone debuting in 2007.

B. Fast forward to 2023, and many of us have access to high-speed Internet on the go. We can stream movies on
trains, video call family members while walking home from work and watch back-to-back episodes of our favorite
series without having to wait for the image to buffer. Mobile phone plans now emphasize data rather than minutes
or free texts and the majority of messages are sent online through WhatsApp, Telegram or similar applications,
rather than by SMS. All of this is possible because of rapid advances in telecommunication technology. The fifth
generation of the technical standard for mobile phone networks – 5G – began to be deployed worldwide in 2019,
offering faster transfer speeds amongst other benefits.

C. It hasn’t all been smooth sailing, however. In order to make use of the technology, consumers had to purchase
new phones. Phone companies initially used 5G as a way to boost aging 4G tech, meaning that customers may
not have noticed significant improvements in service. Coverage in rural areas may have actually declined rather
than improved, as the higher-frequencies of 5G are more suited to large cities and urban areas. Onlookers accused
some within the telecommunications industry of overhyping the new standard, setting false expectations in the
minds of the greater populace. This may well have led to one of the more peculiar developments of the early 21st
century: the rise of 5G conspiracy theories.

D. A misinformation campaign took off around the same time as the technology was emerging, with various theories
being pushed by activists and fringe figures. A belief that mobile phones – and other modern technology – could
cause a wide range of illnesses due to non-ionizing radiation had been swirling around the Internet for decades,
but in the latter 2010s, the theories began to manifest into protests and arson attacks, with telecom towers around
the world being vandalized. This coincided with the Covid-19 pandemic, as proponents of 5G paranoia began to
develop a belief that the new technology was somehow responsible for the spread of the virus. Although most
of the negative ideas around 5G have been widely debunked, the use of the new tech has been blocked in some
cities pending further research.

E. 5G is, of course, far from the endgame for telecommunications. 6G is already on the horizon, and the possibilities
it will realize are limitless. From browsing the metaverse on the bus to visiting a digital version of the Artic during
a geography lesson, 6G could help the world to switch from an uneven relationship with the Internet to a future
in which all of us are connected all the time. Whether or not that is a good thing remains to be seen: studies have
suggested that the time we spend online may actually be changing the way our brains work, and the Internet has
been blamed for declining social interaction in most age groups, along with a whole host of other issues. It has
also allowed for the rise of artificial intelligence, which will surely change the way we work forever. At this point,
as technology rampages on, perhaps our best bet is to embrace the promise of the internet and focus on the ways
in which it can help us and our planet.

Sources: IFL Science, Nature.com, The Wall Street Journal

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7 Reading comprehension

Read the article again. Complete the sentences with between ONE to THREE words from the article.

1. Connecting to the Internet two decades ago required a dial-up and a lot of patience.

2. The kinds of smartphones we carry around were years away from being invented.

3. Being able to use the Internet on the go means we can chat with family members via
on our phones, wherever we are.

4. Rapid in technology have made these activities possible.

5. Although our world has changed a lot thanks to mobile Internet, 5G has had its own problems and
some haven’t seen much of an improvement in service.

6. Some have accused those within the industry of in the minds of the public by
exaggerating the benefits of 5G.

7. Along with technical issues, a campaign resulted in conspiracy theories around

the new technology spreading online.

8. Some cities have usage of the new tech, despite most of the negative ideas
surrounding 5G being debunked.

9. The next generation – 6G – promises a whole host of new , from entering the
metaverse on your way to work to visiting a representation of the Arctic in school.

10. One of the Internet’s biggest effects on our society is, perhaps, the rise of .

8 Talking Point

In pairs or small groups, discuss the following questions.

1. Do you remember a time before the Internet? How was life different?
2. Has high-speed Internet made our lives better or worse?
3. Do you think that in the 21st century, Internet access is a basic human right, like access to food,
water and shelter?
4. If the Internet disappeared tomorrow, how would it affect your life?
5. Why do you think that some people believe that 5G is dangerous?
6. Do you think the Internet has made it easier for conspiracy theories to spread around the world?
7. Has the Internet made people less capable of doing basic things without needing to watch a
YouTube instruction video?

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9 Extended activity/writing homework

Write an opinion essay on ONE of the topics below. Your essay should agree with or disagree with
the statement, and should be between 260 – 320 words.

1. The Internet has done more harm to society than good.

2. Children under the age of 16 should not be allowed to own smartphones.

Alternative extended activity:

In groups, think of five positive and five negative ways that the internet has changed human society.
Present your ideas to the class.

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