Lesson 6A | Reading and Vocabulary
1. SPEAKING In pairs, look at the photos on page 53. What do you think is happening?
2. Read the article on page 53 quickly. Does the author think that computers and robots will become as intelligent as humans one day?
3. Read the text extract below. What do you think the underlined pronoun 'they' refers to?
Will computers become as intelligent as the human brain one day? In some ways, they are already smarter than us.
4. Study Active Reading and then check your answer to Exercise 3.
ACTIVE READING | Understanding pronouns A pronoun replaces a noun. When you are not sure what a pronoun refers to:
read the sentence with the pronoun carefully.
read the sentences before and after the one with the pronoun to find the noun or nouns.
decide if the noun matches the pronoun – for example, they cannot refer to a singular noun.
5. Read the article. Match sentences A–E with gaps 1–4 in the text. Use the underlined words to help you. There is one extra sentence.
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A They'll be able to recognise how you are feeling.
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B They say that eighty-seven percent of the time their machine understands our emotions correctly.
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C They can write original stories and even invent new technology.
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D One interesting idea is to use them in online education.
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E For example, it looks happy when it sees you in the morning.
6. Read the article again and answer the questions.
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What do humans need that computers don't need?
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Who will computers help by understanding their emotions?
7. Look at the highlighted adjectives in the article. Which are positive? Which are negative? Which can be both? Put them in the correct column of the table. -
| Positive | Negative | Both | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | in a good mood |
8. Complete the sentences for you. In pairs, compare your sentences.
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I'm usually in a good mood when...
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I get worried when...
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I feel amazed when...
9. REFLECT | Society Read the text below. Then, in pairs, discuss the questions.
A recent survey suggests that many teenagers prefer to communicate online than face-to-face.
In the survey, fifty percent of teenagers said they feel more confident when they can type messages to friends. They prefer texting because it's quick, easy and gives them more time to think.
Do the survey results surprise you? Do you prefer communicating online?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of texting friends?
answers for Lesson 6A
Exercise 2: Yes, it's a possibility.
Exercise 3 & 4: computers
Exercise 5: 1: C, 2: B, 3: E, 4: D
Exercise 6 (1): to eat and sleep
Exercise 6 (2): students (who study online)
Exercise 7 (Adjectives):
Positive: In a good mood, happy, excited
Negative: In a bad mood, sad, worried, angry, scared, bored, stressed
Both: Surprised, amazed
Exercise 8: Students’ own answers
Exercise 9: Students’ own answers
