Listening To News [PDF]

Zitiervorschau

LISTENING EXERCISES 3 TASK 1 Decide whether the following statements are True or False 1. Human is inclined to regard the Internet as a place to store things in perpetuity and turn to it when information is required immediately. 2. As brain cells are interconnected, they will be deprived of all chances to develop critical skills when all tasks are handled by the Internet. 3. There is a limit as to how much information can be stored in short-term memory, all of which is then archived in long-term memory. 4. Computer is a completely precise metaphor for the capacity of human brain. 5. When people turn to technology, they are assisting short-term memory in storing data, facilitating information transfer to long-term memory. 6. Computer is promoting human’s skills of organizing and locating information rather than memorizing its content. TASK 2 Decide whether the following statements are TRUE, FALSE or NOT GIVEN Deep Fakes 1. President Obama denied defaming a president in a fake video released by BuzzFeed in 2018, which exposed general public to the concept of deep fake. 2. The fake video featuring Obama raised concerns about the spread of deep fake in the future. 3. Computer needs visual information about the real person as input so as to create a similar digital version. 4. Deep fake technology has gone so far as to copy the style of a given clip to be added to a given content, using specially written algorithms. 5. Technology of deep fake is going to be applied to various machines involving virtual reality before long. 6. Although producing a fake video without any trace is extremely challenging now, the requisite technology is going to get more intricate, thus facilitating the job. Complete the note. Use NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer Promulgating distorted news via fake videos is not uncommon nowadays, especially in politics where they are heralded as (7) ______________________________. In the long run, they may ultimately lead to distrust in (8) ____________________ among the public. Noticing the absence of a legal platform to deal with the technology, some lawmakers demanded for more (9) _____________________ and (10) _________________________ to tackle the issue. Many organizations have started to develop programs, including media forensics by DARPA. Its main aim is to track manipulations using (11) ___________________________. The battle is expected to be everlasting and change what we regard as (12) _________________________. TASK 3 Answer the following questions. Use NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND NUMBERS 1. What is on target to be adopted by some fast food restaurants? _____________________________ 2. Who came up with the idea of an automatic burger-maker? _____________________________ 3. What does Elon Musk regard as a way to address unemployment caused by robots? _____________________________ 4. What is going to be the role of ATM in future banks? _____________________________ 5. What types of documents are given as examples that can be dealt with by bot workforce? _____________________________ 6. Apart from documents, what is also being processed by robots? _____________________________ 7. Which machine was invented by a Danish company to free famers from hazardous jobs? _____________________________ 8. How much money is robotics in agriculture forecast to contribute in the near future? _____________________________

Control Machines With Your Mind 1. What is the aim of Control Lab? _____________________________ 2. What was Patrick and Thomas’ major in university? _____________________________ 3. Which system in the body is in charge of sending signals from brain to muscles? _____________________________ 4. What is the signal from brain processed by in the computer after it is collected by sensors? _____________________________ 5. What is needed for the wearable to identify a person’s intention? _____________________________ 6. What are predicted to be the first applications of the new wearable technology? _____________________________ 7. What does Johns Hopkins University use the technology for? _____________________________ TASK 4 Fill in each blank with correct information. Use NO MORE THAN FOUR WORDS AND NUMBERS for each answer During the critical period of a child, the (1) _____________________________ exert crucial formative influences on the developing brain, which, for centuries, occurred without the presence of electronic screens. Children’s early exposure to electronic screens deprive them of opportunities to imagine on their own, thus inhibiting (2) _____________________________. When this happens for a long time, the part of the brain that (3) _____________________________, the child may have difficulties in acquiring interpersonal skills. Besides, images and music played at a dizzying speed may lead to (4) _____________________________ and make the child stressed. Electronics will also acquaint the child with (5) _____________________________ hardly triggered after they turn off the devices. However, there are also appreciable effects on the other side. An experiment with young mice supported the argument that by getting exposed to electronics, children become more ready for a (6) ________________________ world. To use these devices to good effect, the key is (7) _____________________________. Spy Technology Deep in the Atlantic Ocean, the crew in a Russian submarine are on pins and needles, waiting to see if they can cross the (1) _____________________________ established by NATO unnoticed, and they wrongly supposed they have. This guarantees that their (2) _____________________________ will stay securely on standby when a war breaks out. Russian sailors are unaware of being tracked by a sophisticated US weapon, measuring (3) _____________________________ in length deeper down. In the event of war, SOSUS, or (4) _____________________________ will nip Russian’s plan in the bud. The technology, in fact, has been in use since the World War 1, but back in those days, it only detected objects within (5) _____________________________ in favorable conditions. In the World War 2, submarines were mostly (6) _____________________________ by planes as they emerged out of water. In the 1920s, the (7) _____________________________ was developed, which was a stepping stone in the race for further weapons and equipment. In 1937, Maurice Ewing’s experiments on (8) _____________________________ resulted in the hypothesis of “deep sound channels”, supported by discoveries in the relationship between the (9) _____________________________ and oceanic temperature and depths. It suggests that underwater channels are capable of sending (10) _____________________________ over great distances. TASK 5 Choose A, B, C or D that best fits according to what you hear 1. Cath dislikes her timetable because A the hours are very long. B she has to go to work twice every day. C she has to do some shift work. D she has to work a lot of evenings. 2. From Cath's description of the work, it seems that her job A challenging. B confusing. C demanding. D routine.

3. Cath's attitude towards the customers is A resigned. B understanding. C critical. D disinterested. 4. From Cath's description, her supervisor is A strict. B impolite. C envious. D dishonest. 5. Cath plans to A look for a new job immediately. B wait for another opportunity to turn up. C apply for a better position within the company. D try to get on friendly terms with her manager. 1. Bill attributes his success to A hard work. B inborn talent. C various factors. D a love of music. 2. Bill rejected music for a time because A he lost interest in it. B he was studying very hard. C he felt burdened by his parents' expectations. D he grew tired of practising. 3. According to Bill, his parents were A overbearing. B unconventional. C single-minded. D ambitious. 4. Bill's relationship with his parents was strained because A they felt music was an unsuitable career. B they resented his success. C they cared little for him. D he didn't conform to their ideas. 5. As a result of his childhood experiences, Bill A is a dissatisfied adult. B can't get anything right. C can't tolerate imperfection. D has an aimless existence.