10th form
Theme: Modern Technologies: blessing or curse?
The type of the lesson: combined
Aim: Practical aim:
- to revise and enrich students’ vocabulary on the topic;
- to improve students’ listening, reading, speaking skills;
- to train students’ habits in group work;
Development aim:
-to develop creative thinking and mutual respect;
- to enhance students’ cognitive abilities and memory.
Cultural aim:
- to develop students’ interest in ecological problems.
Equipment: hand outs, pictures, texts for reading.
Procedure
Introduction
Teacher: “All of the biggest technological inventions created by man – the airplane, the automobile, the computer – say little about his intelligence, but speak volumes about his laziness”. As you already guessed today we are going to speak about modern technologies. Modern technologies are vital part of everyday life. And it’s almost impossible for a modern person to imagine his or her life without them. But some people consider them a blessing and for others they are a curse. What modern technologies do you know? Sure, they are phones, televisions, irons and so on. And your first task is:
І. Draw a line from words to their definitions.
A) phone 1) you wash clothes in it
B) freezer 2) you bake food in it
C) stove 3) you clean the floor with it
D) dishwasher 4) you call and talk to people over long distances with it
E) iron 5) you press clothes flat and remove wrinkles with it
F) refrigerator 6) you keep food frozen with it
G) dryer 7) you toast food (example: bread) with it
H) toaster 8) you heat pots and pans on it
I) washer 9) you keep food cold with it
J) vacuum cleaner 10) you dry clothes with it
K) microwave 11) you heat food with it using energy waves
L) oven 12) you wash your dishes in it
M) television 13) you watch shows on it
Main Part
І. Reading.
a. Do you use the latest inventions? In what areas do they make your lives easier and safer?
b. Where are security cameras mostly used? Why?
c. Read the text and find out at least three places where cameras are used.
CAMERAS
One of the latest technological developments is cameras, which have been used for many
years, especially to fight against crime. First, cameras have started to be installed in public places
such as car parks and shopping centres where the number of the staff isn’t enough to prevent theft.
Recent surveys have shown that theft has decreased in the places where cameras are installed.
Cameras have also been used in schools, colleges and office lifts to prevent the theft of valuable
equipment such as computers. Secondly, cameras are helpful in preventing hooligans from spoiling the pleasure of the majority at some social events like football matches. They film people at large sporting events so it is easy to distinguish the people who are hooligans. Finally, cameras are used outside our houses as it is a good way of catching thieves. To conclude, it is possible to reduce crime and feel more secure by means of cameras
d. Read and decide if the following statements are T (True) or F (False).
1. Cameras have just started to be used against crime.
2. There has been a fall in theft, thanks to cameras.
3. It is not possible to identify hooligans by using cameras.
4. People prefer to use cameras outside their houses for burglars.
5. Technology helps us to feel more secure in our daily live.
ІІ. A Blessing (J) Or A Curse (L)?
Many inventions have good points and bad points.
Here are some ways of expressing our approval or disapproval.
Make sure you understand the bold words.
I approve of computers because....
1. …they help to prevent crime.
2. …they are a life-saver for office workers.
3. …they are a time-saver for designers.
4. …they are a better alternative to using an abacus.
5. …they can be a comfort to lonely people.
6. …they are economically beneficial to the companies that make them.
I disapprove of computers because....
1. …they are a menace to children’s education.
2. …they wreck family life.
3. …they are detrimental to our eyesight.
4. …they can be a time-waster.
5. …they are harmful to the environment.
6. …they encourage young people to be violent.
Now look at the following inventions. Decide if you think they are a blessing or a curse.
You must choose four blessings and four curses.
a) cars
b) cellular phones
c) fast food
d) computer games
e) e-mail
f) disposable cameras
g) nuclear power
h) plastic bottles
i) air conditioning
j) sodas (fizzy drinks)
ІІІ. Read the situations and match them with the best explanations.
1. Ali didn’t get a high mark for his homework.
2. She got very tired while cleaning the house.
3. He took photos with his mobile phone.
4. I think he will come here by the underground.
5. They are paying a lot for the central heating.
a) It might be the only means of transport he knows.
b) The house could have been very dirty.
c) It should have been done more carefully.
d) They should be paying a large bill.
e) It might have had a camera
ІV. Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verbs in parentheses
SERVANTS OF OUR CENTURY – ROBOTS
In the past, there(1) .......................... (be) thousands of servants in great empires like ancient
Rome, Egypt or Greece. There were slaves doing all the work for their masters and mistresses so
rich people (2) .......................... (spend) their time for travel, sports, leisure activities and education. Today the slaves (3) .......................... (not be)human – they are machines which (4)
.......................... (call) ‘robots’. The word ‘robot’ (5).......................... (come) from Czechoslovakia. They are machines which can be (6) .......................... (teach) or programmed do useful work. They mostly (7) .......................... (work) in factories, especially on production lines. That’s where something like a TV or a car is put together piece by piece. For years, this work (8) .......................... (be) very boring and tiring for human workers. Today’s robots (9) .......................... (be) more intelligent than ever before. They may even have mini TV cameras which (10) .......................... (make) them able to see. In the future, they (11) .......................... (be able to / work) at homes, offices, shops almost anywhere. Since they were invented, they (12) .......................... (also / do) other jobs apart from working on production lines. They can help to defuse bombs, work underground helping to find metals and minerals, control flying weapons, take photos and collect rocks on planets like the Mars without risking human life. Robots
(13) .......................... (also / work) under the sea as robot divers and submarines to repair oil-rigs and find wrecks. Robots are clever but still not clever enough to do some tasks like washing the dishes, making beds, cleaning floor or cutting grass. But it is a fact that robots will help to create a leisure society for the next generation and they may increase unemployment. So this (14) .......................... (depend) on ) us. Only we can decide whether we control the robots or they (15) .......................... (control) us.
Summing up: I hope you enjoyed our lesson. You learnt a lot about modern technologies and their role in people’s life. Your homework for the next lesson will be to write a composition “The role of modern technologies in my life”.