UNIT Proficiency

9
Giving opinions on the future

Modern Life
Discussing technology
Introducing an app or website

READING: Future predictions for technology

A.Read about what Sam, Ellen, Rachel, and Pete think will happen in the future. Who do you agree
with and why?

1. AI (Artificial Intelligence) and jobs

Sam: I’m sure that if artificial intelligence, AI, continues to develop, there will be
very few human jobs that robots and machines cannot do. Driverless cars and
trucks will take over all public transportation and delivery jobs. Online shopping
will make stores unnecessary. Already, machines can even make food and do surgeries!
Because of these advancements, there will be massive unemployment. Because there
won’t be many jobs, poverty will increase. More of the world’s wealth will be in the
hands of the richest 1%. They won’t leave much for the rest of us.
Ellen: I agree with Sam in that AI and technology will continue to develop and
replace jobs, but new kinds of jobs will become available. Back in the 1950s,
nobody had any idea about jobs like programmers and graphic designers that would be created by computers
and the internet. Also, even if there are fewer jobs, people will not have to work as much. We’ll have more free
time to pursue hobbies and just enjoy life. The government will make this happen because people will demand
it. How will big companies be able to prosper if nobody has money to buy things and use their services? We’ll be fine.

Do you agree more with Sam or with Ellen?

• I agree with (Sam, Ellen) because...

2. Technology and healthcare

Rachel: I know that advances in medicine and health are helping people live longer
and longer. With developments like organ cloning, cancer prevention, and stem cell
treatments, the average lifespan of people will continue to increase. Well, let me
rephrase that sentence: The average lifespan of some people will increase. Healthcare
is already expensive. A lot of treatments are just not affordable to many people.
New technology and treatments might be amazing, but only the rich will be able to
afford them. Just look at the world! People in poor countries still do not have access
to many common medicines and treatments. This will only get worse.
Pete: I agree with Rachel in that medical advancements will continue to help people live healthier and longer.
I’m not so pessimistic about who will receive these benefits, though. True, some new treatments can be very
expensive. However, over time, the costs will come down low enough for most people to afford them. Also, many
governments in the world provide good healthcare to all of their people. I see no reason why this won’t continue.
Advances in health will happen for everyone. We will all benefit.

Do you agree more with Rachel or with Pete?

• I agree with (Rachel, Pete) because…

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GRAMMAR: Adverb clauses

Adverb clauses show how one idea or event is related to another idea or event.

Time relationship: When I was a teenager, I played sports often.

Cause and effect: I don’t watch much TV because I am very busy these days.
Contrast or unexpected relationship: Even though I’m busy, I have time to meet my friends.
Condition: We’ll go to the beach tomorrow if it doesn’t rain.

The adverb clause can come before or after the main clause. Separate the clauses with a
comma if the adverb clause comes first.

Adverb clause Main clause Main clause Adverb clause

When I was a teenager, I played sports often. I played sports often when I was a teenager.

Time relationship Cause and effect relationship

Before you leave, please lock the doors. Because you are young, you heal quickly.
I got a job after I finished high school. Let’s finish and go home since it is late.
While you are waiting, let’s talk. Now that the table is set, we can start eating.

Contrast relationship Condition relationship

I can’t lose weight even though I exercise. If you have a chance, give me a call.
Although I’m tired, I need to keep working. I’ll come to the party unless I have to work.
Though I’ve asked twice, she still says no. Whether or not it rains, we’re going hiking.

A. Combine the two sentences using when, because, or even though.

1. I will get home. I will call you.

When I get home, I will call you.
_______________________________________________________________________________

2. I get annoyed. Friends don’t respond to my texts right away.

_______________________________________________________________________________

3. It was raining. We went fishing anyway.

_______________________________________________________________________________

4. I was tired. I kept studying.

_______________________________________________________________________________

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5. I will study all night. I have a test tomorrow.

_______________________________________________________________________________

6. I am with my best friend. I usually have a good time.

_______________________________________________________________________________

7. I went home early. I felt sick.

_______________________________________________________________________________

8. I got a bad grade on the test. I studied hard.

_______________________________________________________________________________
9. I received a good grade on the test. I studied hard.

_______________________________________________________________________________

10. I can buy a new phone. I earned money from my part-time job.

_______________________________________________________________________________

B. Complete the following sentences with your own information. Share your sentences with
your partner.

Simple present
Time
1. When I feel lonely, I__________________________________________________________
2. When I feel sad, I ____________________________________________________________
3. I __________________________________________________________when I am in trouble.
4. I _____________________________________ when __________________________________

5. Before I go to bed, I usually____________________________________________________

6. Before I leave my house in the morning, I________________________________________
7. I ____________________________________ before_________________________________

8. After I wake up in the morning, I_______________________________________________

9. After I arrive in class, I _______________________________________________________
10. I _____________________________________________________________after I get home.
11. I ___________________________________________________________ after I have dinner.

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Cause and Effect

12. I don’t _________________________________________ because my parents will be upset.
13. I never __________________________________________ because I care about my friends.
14. Because I have some free time this weekend, I ___________________________________
15. I ______________________________ because ____________________________________

Conditional
16. If I have free time during the day, I ____________________________________________
17. If my friends say something rude to me, ________________________________________
18. I _____________________________________ if I have too much homework this weekend.
19. I ___________________________________________________ unless it rains this weekend.

Simple Past
Time
20. When I was ________________________, I liked to ____________________. Now, I don’t.
21. I __________________________________________________ when I was in middle school.
22. Before I came to class today, I_________________________________________________
23. I ___________________________________________________after I went home last night.

Cause and Effect

24. I didn’t ______________________________________ because I didn’t have enough money.
25. Because _________________________________________________, I came to this school.

Conditional
26. If I had problems when I was young, I ___________________________________________.
27. I __________________________________________ if I needed money when I was a child.

Future
28. Before I graduate, I’m going to _______________________________________________
29. I will probably _______________________________________ before I go home tonight.
30. After I finish class today, I will probably ______________________________________ .
31. After I graduate from this school, I am going to ________________________________ .
32. I will ___________________ this weekend because ______________________________ .
33. If I have a chance, I will _____________________________________ on my next vacation.
34. I’m going to ____________________________ if ________________________________ .

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LISTENING: Character Q&A

A. Listen to the characters answer several questions. Following the example, write their answers
in note form.

1. What do you do before you go to bed?

Diana: reads and prays
Ann: chooses clothes, watches TV, and checks social media
Tom: brushes teeth and puts on pajamas

2. What is the first thing you do after you get home from school or work?
Carlos:___________________________________________________________________________
Ellen: ___________________________________________________________________________

3. Why did you choose to come to this school?

Sam:_____________________________________________________________________________
Rachel:__________________________________________________________________________

4. What will you do this weekend if the weather is good?

Tom:____________________________________________________________________________
Ann:_____________________________________________________________________________

5. If you follow all of your plans and goals, what will you be in 10 years?
Diana: __________________________________________________________________________
Ellen:____________________________________________________________________________

WRITING & SPEAKING: Q&A

A. Answer the following questions. Use adverb clauses (before, after, because, and if).
Example: What do you do before you go to bed?
I usually read a book before I go to bed.

1. What do you do before you go to bed?

_________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________

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2. What is the first thing you do after you get home from school or work?

_________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________

3. Why did you choose to come to this school?

_________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________

4. What will you do this weekend if the weather is good?

_________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________

5. If you follow all of your plans and goals, what will you be in 10 years?

_________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________

LISTENING: Ann’s problem

A. Listen to Carlos and Ann talk about Ann’s problem. Answer the questions.
1. Why was Paul angry with Ann?

_________________________________________________________________________________
2. What does Ann do a lot in class?

_________________________________________________________________________________
3. What happens during Carlos and Ann’s conversation?

_________________________________________________________________________________
4. What does Carlos do that makes Ann angry?

_________________________________________________________________________________
5. What is Carlos’ advice to Ann?

_________________________________________________________________________________

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GRAMMAR: Verb tenses

A. Complete the dialogue between Carlos and Ann. Possible verb forms:
• Simple present
• Simple past
• Present progressive
• Past progressive
• Present perfect

Carlos: I sssaws(see) Paul the other day. How saresthingssgoings (go) with you two?
hasn’t called
Ann: He___________________(call, not) me for a while.
Carlos: Oh yeah?___ (be) something wrong?
Ann: I ______ (think) so. He ________ (be, not) very happy the last time we _____ (go) out.
Carlos: What ______________ (be) he upset about?
Ann: He _______________ (complain) that I ____________ (be) on my phone too much
during our date.
I ____________ (think, not) I ______________ (be), though.
Carlos: Ann, you ____________ (be) on your phone a lot. In class you _____________ (send)
messages constantly or doing something on your phone.
Ann: I just _____________ (get) bored easily.
Carlos: Didn’t you get a C- in social studies?
Ann: How did you know? Well, there’s an explanation for that. I...hold on...Ellen just
_______________ (send) me a text.
Carlos: See?
Ann: Oh, come on. It just ______ (take) me five seconds to reply. There...done. So what
______________ we _________________ (talk) about?
Carlos: Your probably now ex-boyfriend Paul is ...you’re texting again?
Ann: Ellen just ________________ (reply) back. Check out this meme that she sent me.
________________ (be, not) it hilarious?
Carlos: Uh...yeah. Ann, can I see your phone for a second.
Ann: Sure. Isn’t that meme funny?
Carlos: Yeah, it’s great.
Ann: OK...you ________________ (take) my phone...and now you ___________________
(put) it in your pocket. What’s going on? Give me my phone back.
Carlos: No. We _____________ (have) a conversation. You. Me. Right here in the real world.
Ann: Don’t be silly. Ellen might _____________________ (text) me back right now.
Carlos: Ellen can wait.
Ann: Ok, you made your point. Maybe I’m on my phone a little too often.
Carlos: It __________________ (affect) your studies, and clearly it ______________________

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(affect) your relationships now.

Ann: You’re right. It’s a big problem. I ____________ (learn) my lesson. Now give me my
phone back.
Carlos: No. We’re not finished talking yet.
Ann: I can hear that I _____________ (get) a lot messages right now. What if it’s something
important?
Carlos: It’s not, Ann. You ______________ (know) it’s not.
Ann: You ___________________ (start) to make me angry, Carlos.
Carlos: Why? Why can’t you focus on talking to me for just five minutes?
Ann: Because...it’s just annoying that I can’t see the texts.
Carlos: And it’s even more annoying that you let your phone interrupt our conversation. It’s
incredibly rude, Ann.
Ann: Ugh...I know. You’re right. I am terrible. Of course things __________________
(work out, not) with Paul.
Carlos: You ______________ (know, not) that. And you’re not terrible. You just
___________________ (need) to have a little more self control.
Ann: I know. I’ll try.
Carlos: Good.
Ann: Good. So...are we done talking about this now? Because…
Carlos: Fine, here’s your phone back. But seriously, Ann, _____________ (think) about what
you _________________ (do).

B. Listen to the dialogue again and check your answers.

READING: The Downside of Being Digitally Connected

A. Vocabulary: Match the terms with the definitions.

A. Terms B. Definitions

1. ___ mobile device A. to spend time meeting and talking with people for fun
2. ___ research B. an item such as a cellphone, tablet, iPad, etc.
3. ___ entertainment C. any activity or event that is done just for fun
4. ___ socialize D. to meet someone directly (not by phone, computer, etc.)
5. ___ in person E. a n activity that scientists and scholars do to answer
questions or better understand something

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B. On a typical day, how much time do you spend on each of the following activities?
Complete the chart and discuss your answers with a partner.

Texting friends ______ minutes/hours a day

Using social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc.) ______ minutes/hours a day

Playing video/computer/cellphone games ______ minutes/hours a day

Using computers/cell phones for other entertainment

______ minutes/hours a day
(reading, videos, music, etc.)

Exercising or playing sports ______ minutes/hours a day

Meeting and talking with friends in person ______ minutes/hours a day

Sleeping ______ minutes/hours a day

Studying in class and doing homework ______ minutes/hours a day

The Downside of Being Digitally Connected

It’s no surprise that people, especially the young, spend a lot of
time on their cell phones and other mobile devices. According
to recent research, the average American teen spends an incredible
nine hours a day on their cell phones, tablets, and computers
just for enjoyment. That’s more time than any other single
activity, including hours spent in school or sleeping! The
reasons for this trend are obvious: Mobile devices such as
smartphones allow us to be connected to the internet, and thus
the world, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Do you need to know
something right now? Google it. Do you want to communicate
with someone? Call or text. Are you feeling bored? A wide
variety of entertainment options are at your fingertips. The
advantages are truly remarkable. However, what are the costs of this modern convenience?
As time spent on mobile devices has gone up in the past 10 years, young people are socializing
in person far less than in the past. Time spent going out to concerts, movies, plays, and sporting
events has dropped about 27%. Time spent attending and hosting parties has dropped by over 50%!
Is this really a problem? In many cases, it’s just easier, and certainly cheaper, to watch these events
at home on the computer. It can be a hassle to go out. People can also argue that even though we
are not meeting other people in person so often, we are probably spending more time connecting
with our friends and family online than ever before.
However, researchers have found that young people are facing more difficulties interacting with
others face to face. We still need to develop these social skills if we are to succeed in our careers
and make meaningful relationships in our lives. Additionally, research suggests that we are losing
deeper connections and our ability to empathize with others. Communicating online is a fantastic

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way to keep in touch, but to establish deeper relationships and empathy, we just have to spend
time together in person. We may have more ‘friends’ and ‘followers’ than ever before thanks to
media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, but how many of these people are real friends who
you can turn to when you need help? How many are willing and able to talk to you about personal
subjects?
Other research on happiness and well-being has confirmed the negative effects of spending too
much time with mobile devices. Mobile devices, as useful as they are, are not making us happier.
Researchers have found that children and teens who spend the most time on computers and
mobile devices are far less happy than those who spend more time being physically active and
meeting with friends in person. These ‘screen teens’ are also less happy than teenagers who spend
more time reading books and magazines.
So should we just throw our computers and cell phones away? Of course not. The answer is to
find a healthy balance between screen time and socializing. The happiest teens are those who use
digital media a little less than one hour per day. The same probably applies to adults as well. That
might seem hard to do, but even just reducing your screen time a little should have a positive effect
on your well-being.

C. Complete the following summary. Fill in the blanks with appropriate words from the reading.
On average, American teenagers use their mobile devices and computers ___ hours a day.
These devices allow people to be _________________ to the world ___ hours a day and
___ days a week. However, there are some _____________ to these devices.

Young people aren’t ___________ as much as before. The time spent going out to activities
has ____________ by 27%. Because of this, young people are not developing _________ skills.
They also do not have deep ____________ with other people, even though they have many
friends online. Young people who spend the most time on the Internet are less ________ than
those who do not.

The author suggests that teenagers and young adults find a better __________ between time
online and time socializing in person.

SPEAKING: Technology and you

A. Discuss the following questions with a partner.

1. What are your favorite activities to do on a cell phone or other mobile device?
2. What were your answers to the questions in part B (page 128)? For each of those activities,
do you think you spend too much time, the right amount of time, or not enough time?
3. What ‘offline’ activities (sports, concerts, parties, etc.) would you like to do more often?
4. Do you worry about this kind of technology for your future (or current) children? What
guidelines and rules will (or do) you make for them?

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B. Are you addicted to technology? Answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to the following questions to find out.
1. Do you always check your phone or turn on the computer or TV as soon as you come home?
2. Are you in front of a screen (smartphone, computer, TV, etc.) for more than three hours
per day (not including time for studying or work)?
3. Do you often lose sleep because you watch TV or play on your computer or smartphone
too long?
4. Do you sometimes choose to watch TV or play on the computer instead of meeting
friends?
5. Would it be very difficult to stay away from your computer, TV, and cellphone for an
entire weekend?
6. Does it make you feel nervous and upset if you forget your cellphone at home?
7. Do you often interrupt your studying to use your cellphone for calls or text messages?
8. Do you usually send more than 30 text messages a day?
9. Do your friends or family members often complain that you use your cell phone too
much when you are with them?
10. Do you usually check your cell phone for missed calls and messages at least once every
fifteen minutes?

C. Calculate your score for all 10 questions: Score one point for each question you answered
“yes.”

Your total: ____________

Scoring:
0-4: You are probably not addicted to technology. Your technology habits are OK.
5-7: You might have some problems with technology addiction. Your habits might not cause
you any major problems at the moment, but your social life and studying are being af-
fected to some degree. Consider lessening your dependence on technology.
8-10: You do not control your technology; your technology controls you! Your addiction to
technology is probably already causing problems for you in your relationships and your
education. Take strong action to reduce time spent in front of a screen or looking at
your cell phone. You can’t achieve your dreams just by looking at screens!

D. Discuss your results with your partner. What is your opinion about your results?
A. I don’t see any reason to change my habits.
B. I might change my habits a little.
C. I want to change my habits a lot.

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LISTENING: Introducing an app
A. Sam is giving a presentation in class on a new app. Listen
to the presentation and mark the following statements
True or False.

1. _____ This presentation is probably for a Spanish class.

2. _____ Sam studies Spanish because he thinks it is a

useful language to know.

3. _____ The program can be used by any level of learners.

4. _____ The program teaches vocabulary and grammar.

5. _____ You can decide how much time you want to study per day.

6. _____ The program can only be used on a smartphone.

7. _____ Sam pays money to use the site.

8. _____ The website can be used for free.

SPEAKING: A new app

A. Find a useful app or a website that is unknown to most of your classmates.

B. Create a presentation file to help show the app or website. Give the following information:
• What the app or website does
• Why you like it
• How your classmates can get it

Notes:
• Make sure the app/website is appropriate to show in class (nothing with illegal, sexual,
violent, or other inappropriate content).
• Do not plagiarize! Say all the information in your own words.
• Include some pictures to help show the app/website.

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