C1.2A Class Google Site:
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Ready for C1 p 34. Technology and the Brain. Mediation. Word Formation
You have come across an infographic on the impact of multitasking. You decide to write a blog entry about it. For this task write only the introduction using approximately 100 words.
The Impact of Multitasking
1. Multitasking in Modern Life
Technology enables multitasking.
Smartphones fill every spare moment.
2. Neuroscientific Concerns
Reduces efficiency, increases stress hormones.
Notifications hijack focus.
3. Changing Communication Norms
Smartphones demand constant availability.
Unread messages lower cognitive performance.
4. Learning Impacts
Distractions misplace information in memory.
Harder to retrieve knowledge.
5. Decision Fatigue
Small choices drain mental resources.
Weakened impulse control affects decisions.
6. Information Overload
Mixed messages compel constant checking.
Overwhelmed by irrelevant and critical inputs.
Takeaways
Multitasking harms focus, learning, and decisions.
Reducing distractions is essential.
Sample answer
Technology and the Brain
In this era, when technology is developing at a (1)______________ (BREATHE) rate, we are constantly required to do several things at once. Besides, our smartphones have facilitated a 21st-century mania for cramming a lot into every spare moment of (2)_______________ (TIME); a habit we call multitasking.
Neuroscientists are (3)_____________ (INCREASE) voicing concern, however, that this practice actually makes us (4)_______________ (DEMONSTRATE) less efficient. Although people think they are expert (5)______________ (JUGGLE), they're actually just switching from one task to another very (6)______________ (RAPID). This has been found to increase the production of both adrenaline and the stress hormone cortisol, which can (7)______________ (STIMULATION) your brain and cause (8)_________________ (CONFUSE), (9)_________________ (FORGET), and a lack of focus.
To make matters worse, the prefrontal cortex- an area which plays a significant part in directing focus and (10)_______________ (PURSUIT) goals- is also attracted to novelty. This means that its attention can easily be hijacked by the constant influx of notifications that flood our daily lives- most of which demand some sort of action.
This wasn't the case in the old days. When all phones were wired to a wall, there was no expectation of being able to reach people at all times and get an immediate response. But with smartphones, it is taken for granted that people can be contacted by text, instant messaging or email (11)_______________ (REGARD) of whether they're in a meeting or (12)_________________ (DESPERATION) trying to meet the (13)_____________ (LINE) for a project.
Certainly you can choose to ignore these attempts to get your attention. However, findings from a recent study have shown that simply having the opportunity to multitask is (14)______________ (DETRIMENT) to cognitive performance.
Indeed, it turns out that the knowledge of an (15)______________ (READING) email sitting in your inbox while you're trying to concentrate on a task can reduce your effective IQ by 10 points. In other words, the sense of a (16)________________ (LOG) building up contributes to a state of information (17)__________________ (LOAD).
Yet another problem with multitasking is its impact on acquiring new knowledge. If students, for example, study and watch TV (18)_________________ (SIMULTANEITY), the information from their (19)__________________ (SCHOOL) goes into the region of the brain specialised in storing new procedures and skills, not facts and ideas. Without distraction, it heads to the hippocampus, where it is organised in a way that makes (20)_________________ (RETRIEVE) easier.
And this isn't the end of the negative impact that multitasking can have on your brain. It also requires you to make (21)_________________ (END) series of choices: Do I answer this text message or ignore it? How do I file this email? Do I continue what I'm working on now or take a break?
While this may appear trivial, it turns out that they are just as demanding on our neural resources as bigger ones, And one of the first things we lose when our brains lack energy is impulse control; something essential when it comes to making (22)_______________ (INFORMATION) and logical decisions. This (23)_________________(INEVITABLE) leads to poorer (24)______________ (COME) when we must determine the right course of action for something that has real importance.
Part of the problem is that nowadays the medium for any kind of interaction is the same. Until recently, each of the many different modes of communication we used signalled its (25)_________________ (RELEVANT), importance and intent. Now emails and texts are used for all life's messages. We (26)_________________ (COMPULSIVE) check them in part because we don't know whether the next one will be for leisure or (27)______________ (AMUSING), an (28)__________________ (DUE) bill, a 'to do', a query... something you can do now, later, or something life-changing, something (29)_________________ (RELEVANCE). No wonder we are suffering from information overload!
KEY
1. breathtaking
2. downtime
downtime: the time when somebody stops working and is able to relax.
E.g.
Everyone needs a little downtime.
3. increasingly
4. demonstrably
demonstrably: in a way that can be shown or proved.
E.g.
demonstrably unfair
5. jugglers
6. rapidly
7. overstimulate
8. confusion
9. forgetfulness
10. pursuing
11. regardless
12. desperately
13. deadline
14. detrimental
15. unread
16. backlog
backlog: a quantity of work that should have been done already, but has not yet been done
E.g.
When she eventually returned to work, there was a tremendous backlog of paperwork to catch up on. We are faced with a backlog of orders we can’t deal with.
17. overload
18. simultaneously
19. schoolwork
20. retrieval
21. endless
22. informed
23. inevitably
24. outcomes
25. relevance
26. compulsively
27. amusement
28. overdue
overdue: not paid, done, returned, etc. by the required or expected time
E.g.
an overdue payment/library book
The rent is now overdue.
Her baby is two weeks overdue.
This car is overdue for a service
29. irrelevant
Ready for C1 p 26. The Benefits and Drawbacks of Changing Clocks. Speaking. Sample Answer
What are the benefits and drawbacks of changing clocks in the spring and autumn?
Sample Answer:
Anna: So, we need to discuss the highlights and challenges of adjusting (1)___________ in the spring and autumn. What are your (2)______________ on this?
Tom: Well, one clear benefit is that when we put the clocks (3)______________ in spring, we get longer evenings, (4)__________ is perfect for (5)_______________ activities. Don’t you agree?
Anna: Absolutely. I love the extra daylight too—it feels like you have more time in the day. However, (6)____________ an hour of sleep when the clocks (7)____________ forward is tough. My alarm clock goes (8)____________ an hour earlier, and I feel like I’m racing (9)___________ the clock to get ready.
Tom: Same here. That adjustment is hard at first. Yet in autumn, when we put the clocks (10)_____________, we get that extra hour of sleep, which feels amazing.
Anna: Definitely! Besides, I like how everything feels slower in autumn. When the evenings get (11)___________, it’s nice to hear the tick-tock of a (12)______________ in a quiet room. It makes me (13)____________ cosy.
Tom: Certainly, but don’t you think (14)____________ days in autumn can be a drawback too? Some people find it depressing when the clocks go (15)_____________ and it gets dark earlier.
Anna: That’s true. I suppose it depends on how you look at it. On the practical side, the original idea of changing (16)____________—saving energy (17)_________ using more daylight—made a lot of (18)_____________ when people worked around the (19)______________ or relied on natural light.
Tom: But is it still reasonable now? We have electric lights and flexible working hours. Some people say the disturbance to sleep patterns and routines (20)_____________ any benefits.
Anna: I can understand that. Plus, when the clock says it’s time to change, it affects everyone, (21)____________ they like it or not. That can be frustrating for people who already have a tight schedule.
Tom: Exactly, but I think some people still enjoy the tradition. There’s something comforting about hearing a grandfather (22)_______________ chime softly or strike the hour after the (23)____________ change. It feels like a connection to the passage of (24)__________ and the changing seasons.
Anna: I hadn’t thought of it like that, but you’re right. Changing the clocks (25)___________ make us pause and reflect. So, to sum up, the advantages are longer evenings in spring and the (26)___________ to rest more in autumn, while the disadvantages are the disruption (27)______________ sleep and routines, especially in spring.
Tom: My thoughts (28)______________. It’s a (29)_____________ bag, isn’t it? (30)____________ we’re setting clocks (31)_____________ or setting clocks (32)______________, there are (33)_____________ and roundabouts. I guess it just depends on (34)___________ you handle the change.
KEY
1. clocks
2. thoughts
3. forward
4. which
5. outdoor
6. losing
7. go
8. off
9. against
against the clock: as fast as possible. If you do something against the clock, you do it as fast as possible and try to finish it before a certain time.
E.g.
against the ~
to work against the clock (= to work fast in order to finish before a particular time)
I was racing against the clock, but I finished the test just before the bell.
10. back
11. darker
12. clock
13. feel
14. shorter
15. back
16. clocks
17. by
18. sense
19. clock
around/round the clock: all day and all night without stopping.
E.g.
Staff have been working around the clock to resolve the problems.
20. outweighs
21. whether
22. clock
23. clocks
24. time
the passage of time: the passing of time
E.g.
With the passage of time, things began to look more hopeful.
25. does
26. chance
27. to
28. exactly
29. mixed
30. Whether
31. ahead
32. back
33. swings
34. how
Ready for C1 p 24. Review of Stranger Things. Word formation
Stranger Things takes us back to the early 1980s. The narrative begins in 1983, in a quiet Indiana community called Hawkins. A 12-year-old boy is cycling back to his house at night, through the woods and close to a secret government research centre. When he never makes it home, his friends and family set out to find him. (1)______________ (COINCIDENCE) with his (2)_____________ (MYSTERY) (3)_______________ (APPEAR) is the (4)___________ (ARRIVE) of a young girl with (5)______________ (EARTH) powers, and a monster constantly (6)____________ (LURK) in the shadows.
The series is (7)________________ (BRIM) with references to the popular culture of the period. In between scenes of horror and suspense, viewers are treated to snapshots of 1980s life, from (8)_______________ (ICON) fashion and (9)______________ (HAIR) to the music and movies that defined the decade. We are offered an (10)______________ (SIGHT) into the gender norms of the era: mothers managing (11)_______________ (HOLD) duties while fathers went to work. (12)__________________ (ADD), the characters' (13)_______________ (RELY) on (14)_______________ (RELY) (15)_________________ (LAND) during emergencies will likely leave modern viewers feeling grateful for their smartphones.
It's difficult to suggest ways the (16)______________ (CREATE) could have improved Stranger Things as a (17)_________________ (VIEW) experience. The show is (18)____________ (GENUINENESS) creepy, and the acting of the young cast is absolutely superb. The concept of the small-town cop trying to get to the bottom of a mystery with no support from his department is (19)______________ (HARD) original, but makes sense given he is facing a supernatural enemy.
The series excels in (20)______________ (BLEND) horror, complex emotions, and (21)_______________ (NOSTALGIC) into a (22)______________ (COMPEL) package. If you're looking for a show that will (23)_______________ (THOROUGH) entertain and terrify you in equal measure, this is an (24)_____________ (MISS) choice
KEY
1. Coinciding
2. mysterious
3. disappearance
4. arrival
5. unearthly
6. lurking
to wait somewhere secretly, especially because you are going to do something bad or illegal.
Sp. acechar, merodear
E.g. Why are you lurking around outside my house?
7. Brimming
Brim: to be full of something; to fill something.
Sp: rebosar
E.g.
The team were brimming with confidence before the game.
8. iconic
9. hairstyles
10. insight
(C/U) an understanding of what something is like
E.g.
The book gives us fascinating insight(s) into life in Mexico.
11. household
12. Additionally
13. reliance
14. unreliable
15. landlines
16. creators
17. viewing
18. genuinely
19. hardly
20. blending
21. nostalgia
22. compelling
that makes you pay attention to it because it is so interesting and exciting
Sp. cautivador
E.g.
- Her latest book makes compelling reading.
23. thoroughly
very much; completely.
E.g.
We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.
I'm thoroughly confused.
a thoroughly professional performance
24. unmissable
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