Writing Skills (Part 2)

Writing Skills (Part 2)

ACTIVITY ONE

UNDERLINE THE CORRECT LINKING WORD/PHRASES THE WRITER USES TO INTRODUCE THEIR VIEWPOINTS AND THE OPPOSING VIEW POINT:

1.       ONE REASON / IT IS ARGUED that video games, television, and the internet are factors behind this generation´s, poor social skills.

2.       In my view, more could be done by governments to make access to the internet a reality for everyone. FOR EXAMPLE, / IN ADDITION, governments could increase the level of public funding that goes into such plans.

3.       Today almost every teenager owns a cellphone. WHAT IS MORE / HOWEVER, few actually pay for their talk plan. The bill is picked up by their parents.

4.       SECONDLY, / ESPECIALLY, knowledge of mathematics and science will be increasingly important for the technologies of the future.

5.       Nevertheless, it can be argued that intelligent robots will increase unemployment IN PARTICULAR / SINCE few employers will choose to employ humans over robots that work 24 hours a day for free and without complaint.

TECHNIQUES TO START / END ESSAYS

There is a variety of ways to start/end an essay.

1.       We can: address the reader directly (You can imagine how difficult life would be without running water.)

2.       Use direct speech, a quotation from a famous person, a proverb, or a saying. In such cases we need to use quotation marks. (As Einstein said, “The problems that exist in the world today cannot be solved by the level of thinking that created them.”)

3.       Use a rhetorical question – i.e., a question that does not expect a reply. (What would life be like without water?)

Essay Writing:

Opinion essays are formal pieces of writing in which we present a topic and express our opinion on it. They normally consist of:

a)    an introduction in which we present the topic and express our opinion about it.

b)    A main body in which we present our viewpoints supported by reasons/examples. We present each viewpoint in separate paragraphs. We also include a paragraph presenting the opposing viewpoint with examples.

c)    A conclusion in which we restate our opinion using different words. We link our ideas using appropriate linkers. We normally use the present tenses in such types of writing.

Remember write first the main body (development) secondly the conclusion and finally the introduction.

Cell Phones!

CELL PHONES

JUST HOW SMART WILL THEY GET?

The pace of technological advancement in the cell phone industry is nothing short of astonishing. Ten years ago, cell phones were just about making calls today; they are rapidly becoming the uber -device-the one device that has it all. Cell phones are cameras, video recorders, PDAs, portable media players, and much, much more. The top-end phones available today have as much processing power as the average desktop computer. Now that it’s possible to surf the internet from our phones, many expert predict we will soon spend more time online on our phones than on laptops. How else might cell phone technology advance in the future?  High-speed internet connections on cell phones make it possible to watch TV and also play interactive games. The problem is size of the picture. Who wants to watch a movie on 1 ½ inch screen? The solution will be built-in projectors. Televisions may soon become a thing of the past thanks to technology that will allow people to create a big-screen experience on their living room wall with their cell phones.

Another development we’re likely to see in the next few years is the flexible screen. Scientists have already developed the technology that would allow cell phone screen to take on various forms. Imagine being able to roll out the screen from your phone so it is closer to the size of  a laptop, then roll it back up to fit in your pocket. This kind of technology can make laptops and desktops obsolete. Cell phones could also replace our wallets, turning us into a cashless society. Technology will turn our phones into credit cards, IDs, keys for our cars and homes, and more. In Japan, many cell phones users already purchase products with their phones. In Kenya, millions of people are registered with a service that lets them send text messages to make payments. Smart phones will soon be able to inform us of goods and service we might like wherever we are. Phone users will need to be comfortable with putting large amounts of information about their lifestyles into their phones for this to happen. But the rise of social networking websites suggests that people would agree to do this.

Technology originally developed for NASA will soon let us talk on our phone without making a sound. Advanced speech encoding detects the physical signs associated with speech-specifically the movement of muscles in the throat-so soon we will be able to communicate silently when in libraries or movie theaters. Further down the line experts predict we will be able to send text messages simply by thinking. By wearing glasses with sensors that analyze brain waves and convert them into digital signals, we will be able to create a form of electronic telepathy. Looking further into the future it is certain that cell phones will incorporate highly advanced technologies such as nanotechnology, allowing us to use our phones to do tasks such as our food for harmful toxins. In short, the cell phones of the future will not just be a device. It will be the ultimate do-anything gadget. In the words of Eric Schmidt Google’s chairman and CEO-“it will be our alter ego-fundamental to everything we do.

·         As amazing as the latest Smartphone’s are, the cell phone industry is really just getting started. The predicted capabilities of future-generation cell phones are simply mind-boggling!

	Mind-boggling, pace, uber-device, built-in projector, roll up, encoding, detect, sensor , telepathy, incorporate, nanotechnology ,alter ego.

 

1.       The reason people may use TVs less in the future is

A.      Cell phones will have bigger screen displays

B.      TV programs will be made especially for cell phones.

C.      Cell phones will be able to project images onto walls.

D.      TV programs will all be watched on PCs.

2.       Cell phone screens will soon be

A.      Unbreakable

B.      Rigid

C.      Expandable

D.      Exchangeable

3.       In the future, paper money and coins could become

A.      More valuable

B.      No longer necessary

C.      Use in only some countries

D.      Made of plastic

4.       In order for our phones to suggest goods and services to us, we would have to

A.      Make changes to our lifestyle

B.      Join a social network site

C.      Provide location details

D.      Sacrifice some privacy

5.       The nanotechnology of the future may

A.      Replace cell phones

B.      Release harmful toxins

C.      Be used in a number of gadgets

D.      Revolutionize cell phones

Writing Skills!

Writing Skills!

Should humanity create artificial intelligence- assuming such a thing is indeed possible? Many people believe we should not; because the possibility exists that al will have disastrous consequences for the human race. I strongly believe that even though this is true, humans should develop al because al has the potential to transform society in countless beneficial ways.

In the first place, having al will lead to incredible progress in all scientific and technological fields. Al wills solve humanity’s most serious problem, such as disease, world hunger, and environmental damage. The consequences will be that we will have higher living standards, longer life spans, and happier lives.

Secondly, al will be able to ensure humanity’s continued existence.al will indentify other planets in the universe able to sustain human life if we need to leave Earth. In addition, the human race will never have to fear being wiped out by a killer virus or an asteroid collision because al will be able to find solutions to these problems.

On the other hand, it cannot be denied that creating al may be dangerous. Al machines may become so advanced that they can view human as inferior and try to enslave or even destroy us.

All things considered, though, it seems to me that the benefits of al outweigh the risks. All technology, not just al, can be used for good or bad. Surely, you would like to live a safer, longer and worry – free life.

SKINPUT

Skinput

Turn your body into a touch scream

1.       One day we might take your phone calls, turn on our MP3 player, play games, and, who knows, maybe even open our front doors by simply tapping our fingers on our skin. At least, that’s the hope of researchers Dan Morris and Disney Tan at Microsoft, and Chris Harrison at Carnegie Mellon university, who are developing a technology called skin put(skin input) that will turn our skin into touch screens.

2.       Skin put works by detecting the ultra-low frequency sounds that are produced when we tap different parts of our skin.it takes advantage of the fact that mechanical vibrations travel differently through our bodies depending on where they originate from, as different locations on our bodies produce vibrations. The skin put software listens for the vibrations, and then turns them into instructions for devices.

3.       To use skin put, you attach an armband that has a small projector in it to your upper arm. The projector beams graphics onto your foream.an acoustic detector in the armband then determines which graphic you touched. Using wireless technology like Bluetooth, the information can be transmitted to devices like cellphones and laptops.

4.        Harrison explains that the motivation for skin put stems from the increasingly small size of today’s mobile devices. He notes that the human body is an appealing input device because it has roughly 21 square feet of external surface area-much of it easily accessible to our hands (e.g., arms, upper legs, torso).furthermore, while we usually have to look at our handheld devices in order to operate them, we can accurately interact with our bodies in an eyes-free manner. We can easily touch our palms or press or two middle fingers together without looking at each part.

5.       The potential applications of skin put are endless. Consider, first the everyday situations where it would be convenient to control devices simply by touching specific point on your body. You’re cooking dinner. Someone calls you and your hands are covered in food. What if instead of racing to clean your hands before the caller hangs up, you could simply answer your phone by touching your thumb and forefinger together? or, you’re at the gym and you’re on the treadmill. A song comes on you MP3 player that you’d rather skip. Instead of having to stop the treadmill, take out your player, and press buttons or spin a wheel, you simply tap your arm and continue running.

6.       Then there is the incredible potential of this technology to transform the lives of the disabled or visually-impaired by allowing them to control devices simply by tapping their arms. Skin put could also take the gaming experience to a new level.

7.       Skin put is still in the research phase.it will be years before it conceivably becomes available on the market and even then, there’s no guarantee it actually will. But something like it will. Keyboards and mice work just fine when you’re sitting at a desk using your computer. But as we come to rely more and more on digital devices in our everyday lives (and increasingly use them in situations where our hands are otherwise occupied such as while driving)it’s certain that something like skin put will be the interface of the future.