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TARGET CONTENT #6: Science and Technology

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Learning Objectives

1. Identifying key vocabulary in spoken material (Listening)

2. Expressing your opinion about advantages of disadvantages of technology (Speaking)

3. Identifying information from complex texts ( Reading)

4. Writing short statements about opinion in favor or against technology (Writing)

Key Vocabulary 1. Advantages:_________________________

2. Disadvantages:______________________

3. Database:___________________________

4. Applications:_________________________

5. Cloud storage:_______________________

6. Trend:______________________________

7. Websites:___________________________

8. To leak:____________________________

9. Delete:____________________________

10. Attachment:_________________________

11. Devices:____________________________

12. Turn on:____________________________

13. Switch on:_________________________

14. sharing :__________________________

15. Disable:____________________________

16. Stolen:_____________________________

17. Account:____________________________

18. Forward:____________________________

19. Waste:_____________________________

20. Send:_____________________________

21. Receive:____________________________

22. Password:__________________________

23. Texting :____________________________

24. Strangers:__________________________

25. Messaging :________________________

26. Cheating:___________________________

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Section #1 Reading

Advantages and disadvantages of using smartphones

Texting

Stolen

Applications

Examination

Touch

Internet

Emergency

Car Accidents

Games

Waste

Stranger

Interacting

Hackers

Camera

Problem

1. Complete the reading using the words from above

Advantages

A cellphone can help you during an ________________________

Parent can stay in constant ___________________ with their children .

People can have lots of useful ______________________ with one device like calendar ,

calculator and ____________________

You can have constant ______________________access on your phone to browse the web.

Disadvantages

Some people get so much addicted to cell phones for talking, video, messaging,

____________________ and __________________ large part of their time in unnecessary

interaction over their cell phones.

Cell phones are increasingly becoming a _______________________ for the schools during

classroom hours and are becoming a means of cheating during _________________________.

There has been car____________________________ due to people ______________while

driving.

People stop ________________________ with real people

Personal information can be accessed by an _________________ if your phone is lost or

_____________

_______________________ can still break into your information remote so think twice before

putting sensitive information on your phone.

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Advantages and Disadvantages of Video games

Waste of Time

Unfitness

Socializing

Cost

Enjoyment

Vision improvement

Isolation

Pick from the words above to what the following sentences refers to

1. You can play with your friend sitting on the couch or online with other

people:__________________________

2. Some games are aimed for a single player:___________________________

3. The hardware and software tend to be very expensive:______________________

4. They take a lot of hours :________________________________

5. Some games don’t need you to exercise more physical activity:______________________

6. Video games are played for fun and help improve your mood:_______________________

7. They train the visually impaired to view things more sharply.____________________

Are You Losing Your Life To Television?

Wasting time

Missing out social interaction

It creates unrealistic expectation

Feelings of Inedecuacy

Write the name of the title that the paragraph that is refers to

Life is never going to be like a TV show and this can make people very disillusioned when they compare it with

their real life:______________________________________________

Television distorts our understanding of reality. It’s filled with beautiful people doing amazing things and having

great adventures every show: ___________________________________________

Every hour you spend in front of the TV is another hour you’re not making the most of your life. You could be

playing with your family, hanging out with friends or doing an activity you

enjoy:________________________________________

It’s pretty obvious that when you’re watching TV you’re not doing anything else. Time spent watching television

is similar to being asleep:_____________________________________________

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The Fappening and the Snappening Photo Hacking.

Hackers seem to have found a new hobby. They now break in to cloud storage accounts and third

party applications. Two hacks have been a trend in social media sites lately , one of them is The

Fappening which refers to the hack to celebrities suffered as their photos and videos have been

leaked into numerous websites , the other hack was The happening which refers to the hack that

Snapchat users suffered as hackers admit they have collected a giant database of intercepted

snapchat photos and videos that they plan to make public.

The following is a list of recommendations to keep your private data secure:

Do not use public sharing sites: The best method is NOT to share any pictures or information

on the internet, but this method will kick you back to the age of no internet so share carefully

and responsibly.

Do not use third-party applications: Make sure you use the official application of your social

media as third party application can have vulnerability issues.

Password protect your device, photos and applications: Make sure to have your phone ,

photos and applications protected with a password so if your device is lost or stolen , your

sensitive photos and information will be secure.

Disable automatic sharing in your phone and computer: Make sure that you aren’t automatically

sharing your photos to services if you don’t want the photos to be store online.

Set up a Strong password for your email account: Make sure your passwords include numbers

and both uppercase and lowercase letters and special characters, don’t use personal information

such as names , birthday , and places.

Don’t open email attachments: Only open attachments if you know exactly what they are or

who they are from.

If you must take nude photos of yourself, keep your face (and any other identifiable markings)

out of the photo.

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Answer the questions based on the reading

1. “Two hacks have been a trend in social media sites lately ”

According to the sentence above, the hacks have been ___________

a) Popular

b) Barely known

c) Unpopular

d) Barely popular

2. “photos and videos have been leaked into numerous websites”

The word “leaked” means __________

a) Make unknow

b) Make secret

c) release

d) Make unpopular

3. The recommendation when sharing images on social networks is :______

a) Share freely

b) Share everything

c) Share without worries

d) Share prudently

4. “Disable automatic sharing in your phone and computer”

The word “Disable” in the text means _____________________

a) to switch off

b) to turn on

c) to switch on

d) to resume use

5. A strong passwords according to the text might look like this :______

e) britanny1985

f) brittanydaniels

g) Britannyoregon

h) Brit@nnY@14

6. The recommendation for email attachments is :______

a) Open attachment from strangers

b) Forward emails with attachment from stranger

c) Open the attachment if you know the sender

d) Delete the attachment if you know what it is

7. The recommendation if taking nude photos is :______

a) Include your face in the picture

b) Don’t leave any part of your body out

c) Leave your face out

d) Make sure your tattoo in in the picture

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Section #2 : Listening

Listen the conversation and complete the dialogue using the words from the list

online

credit

click

Player

website

computer

An Easy Way to Shop

G:Hey, Steve. Look at my new MP3 ______________!

B:Wow! It looks cool! Where did you buy it?

G:I bought it online at an electronics _______________.

B:I’m not very good at using a _______________. Is it hard to buy things_____________?

G:It’s really easy. All you do is go to the website, and choose the item you want to look at. There

are so many items to choose from on the website! After you choose what you want to buy, you

_________________ on the “check out” button.

B:That does seem easy!

G:Yes, it is. It only takes about a week for your item to come. Of course, if you are in a hurry, you can

pay more to get it sent faster.

B:Do you pay for the item when it comes? G:No, you have to pay for it online with a __________ card.

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Listen to the conversation and fill in the blanks with the missing words from the list

receive

messages

call

time

money

useful

talk

cellphone

send

Cellphone Messages

W:I need to check my__________________.

M:How are you going to do that? We are in the middle of the freeway!

W:I’m going to use my ______________. Haven’t you ever done that?

M:No. I just use my cell phone to______________ to other people.

W:Now you can also use a cell phone to_____________ and___________________ short text

messages. It’s very____________.

M:How do you send a message that way?

W:I just use the keys on the phone to type a short message. Then I press the “send” button. It’s

cheaper than making a phone _____________.

M:That’s a great idea! You can save both ___________and ___________ that way.

W:Right. All my friends usually send me text messages now.

M:Thanks for telling me about this. I’ll have to try it!

W:You’re welcome. I think you’ll find it useful

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Listening Activity

Listen to the recording and fill in the blanks with the missing words from the list

good

Fast

tool

internet

unhealthy

games

communication

telephone

face

seconds

online

lonely

Communicating Online (Listening Practice Through Dictation 4 , Track #9)

M: Computers have transformed the way people communicate. In some ways this transformation

is_________________________, but in other ways it could be harmful. Statistics show that millions of

people use the ___________ every day. People shop _____________, play ______________, and search

for information. Studies also show that people use the Internet mainly for ________________________.

The Internet has made communication fast and convenient. Email can travel anywhere within

________________________. Chat room include people from all over the world. People can even make

Internet __________________ calls. However, this type of communication is very different from what

people did in the past. People spend less time talking ___________ to face. They might “chat” for days

without being in the same room with a real person. They also might communicate with many people at

the same time. Some researchers think this is _________________. One study on Internet use found that

people who used the Internet a lot were _______________. Also, they did not communicate as much with

members of their family. Many people have criticized this study. They say it did not include enough

people and that loneliness is hard to measure. In my opinion, all types of communication are good. It is

great to email someone and get a ____________ response. It is also nice to talk face to face. We can do

both. The Internet is a fantastic ______________. We should use it wisely to benefit from it.

Write twelve new words that you learned in this short paragraph

______________________

______________________

______________________

_____________________

______________________

______________________

______________________

______________________

______________________

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Listening Activity

Listen to the recording and fill in the blanks with the missing words from the list

airplane

cost

jam

interesting

traffic

car

computer

flying

newspaper

Flying Cars (Listening Practice Through Dictation 2 , Track #6)

M:Listen to this! This ________________article says that some scientists are working on a new kind of

__________________. People can use these “______________ cars” for short trips.

W:How _______________________!

M:The article says the first flying car might be ready within the next few years.

W:That’s quite soon! How would this flying car work? Can anybody use one, or is it only for people

who know how to fly airplanes?

M:You don’t need to be an airplane pilot to use a flying car. The article says there would be a

______________________ inside the car that would know where you want to go. The driver does not

need to control the ______________ unless something goes wrong.

W:Does the article say how much a flying car would ______________? It will probably cost too much

money! We would not be able to afford one

M:True, but wouldn’t it be nice to fly over _____________ jams, instead of sitting in the middle of

them?

W:Yes. But then we might end up with traffic ____________ in the sky!

Write twelve new words that you learned in this short paragraph

______________________

______________________

______________________

_____________________

______________________

______________________

______________________

______________________

______________________

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Section #3 Writing

Choose four technological devices or science inventions and write two advantages and

disadvantages of their use

a) _________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

b) _________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

c) _________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

d) _________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

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Section #4 : Additional Readings

COMPUTERS: HUMAN’S NEW ADDICTION.

Computers have gradually revolutionized our lives. In the future, we will see many more changes and a

faster rate. The postal system will virtually disappear due to e-mail use. Communications will be

done through the computer. Libraries will become obsolete; information will be obtained via network.

Computer physicians will be the new doctors and perform medical examinations to diagnose and

recommend the most efficient treatment.

Teachers too will be replaced by learning machines, and children won’t have to go to school anymore.

Students will interact with their classmates by computer. Many of these technologies are already in use.

For many years, airline companies have been training their pilots on simulators.

Computers have become part of our daily lives, and some people cannot live without them. They become

addicted to the screen and to the multitude of video games and simulations that the computer provides.

1. The use of computers has _________________________.

A) made libraries disappear

B) made doctors quit

C) changed our lives

D) become obsolete

2. People will continue communicating by ______________________.

A) learning machines

B) electronic mail

C) video games

D) train

3. In the medical field, computers will be in charge of ________________________

A) examining the addiction of the computers

B) substituting patients for machines

C) the most inefficient treatments

D) diagnoses and treatments

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4. One disadvantage of using computers will be that ____________________ .

A) they will make communication faster

B) doctors will give worse diagnosis

C) a lot of libraries will be overused

D) users can become addicted

5. The expression, ―Computers have become part of our daily lives‖ means that

_______________________________________.

A) people never use them

B) people use them everyday

C) people occasionally use them

D) only skillful people can use computers

6. The text talks about the technology which ___________________________.

A) people used, are using and will use in the future

B) will make the kids go to school more often

C) teachers will change

D) libraries will replace

COMPUTERS

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Computers are machines that help people find answers to their questions. There are many kinds of

computers. Some are very large; others are so small that we can put them in our pockets. The two basic,

main kinds of computers are analog and digital. Computers can do many things. They can solve

mathematics problems, record airline reservations, help in space flights and direct nuclear weapons. They

can even speak and make translations from one language to another. Computers are becoming more and

more popular. Many small businesses such as shoe stores and restaurants are using small office

computers. These businesses use computers for jobs, such as keeping inventory counting how many shoes

they have sold, and counting how many and what kinds they still have.) These computers can help the

business-people make decisions about what to order, buy, deliver and so on. Home computers are also

very popular. Everyone in the family can use these small, inexpensive devices. Children enjoy playing

video games, like Pac-Man and River Raiders, on them. In addition, they can use these aids to learn and

review schoolwork. Adults often use these computers to help with the household budget, amount of money

to spend. These versatile machines can also type letters.

1. What do children use computers for? For _________________________.

A) making more money

B) keeping records of their video games

C) playing games and doing school work

D) keeping records of their family budget

2. How do computers help human communication? By ___________________.

A) directing nuclear weapons to other countries

B) playing Pac-Man and River Raiders alone

C) putting them in our pockets

D) translating languages

3. How do office computers help business people? By ____________________.

A) keeping updated sales inventories

B) ordering from small restaurants

C) promoting the delivery of shoes

D) buying in small stores

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4. Why are computers getting more and more popular? Because they _____________

A) serve humans in many fields

B) are getting larger everyday

C) represent money to spend

D) can be analog

5. How many kinds of computers are there? There are ___________________.

A) three: office, home, and letter-typing ones

B) only two, analog and digital

C) only large and small ones

D) many sizes and kinds

6. How are computers used in war and defense? To ______________________.

A) guide nuclear weapons

B) reserve tickets in airlines

C) control the household budget

D) know the amount of shoes in the stores

Read the text below.

AIBO

AIBO ( Artificial Intelligence roBOt), translated from Japanese as “partner”, is one of several types of

robotic pets designed and manufactured by Sony. There have been several different models, for users

of all ages, since their introduction in 1990. AIBO is able to walk, “see” its environment via camera,

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1- AIBO is a(n) _____________________________________.

2- This robotic dog ___________________________________.

3- The Japanese word ”AIBO” means “___________________ in English.

4- How long will AIBO be serviced? Until_______________________.

Graduation Broadcast Online

A) robot just for adults C) item for children and adults B) toy just for children D) pet that doesn’t{t play with children

A) will be supported beyond 2013 C) was manufactured just for seven years B) can understand 100 languages D) is programmed to interact only with its owner

A) pet C) partner B) robot D) artificial intelligence

A) 1999 C) 2008 B) 2006 D) 2013

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When 17-year-old- Reyniza Sherrell was handed her high school diploma, 2 of her family

members watched with admiration, from thousands of miles away. Sherrell´s father is a soldier in Iraq

and her older sister is in Germany, but both of them were watching live video online of her graduation

on a Friday night in Clarksville.

Seven high schools near Fort Campbell, the home of the Airborne Division, broadcast their

graduation ceremonies live over the Internet for the first time for their family members stationed

overseas. The ceremonies were broadcast on a Web site that soldiers´ relatives accessed wherever

they were stationed. Reyniza´s mother, Vander, said, “seeing the graduation was important to my

husband, Trodell, whose 10-year career in the military meant missing a lot of birthdays, anniversaries

and holidays. I think he was so proud, popping his collar, patting himself on the back.” More than 250

graduating seniors from the seven schools have parents who are on duty abroad, spokeswoman

Kelly Ann Tyler said. XOS Technologies, which provides audio and video software and Internet

products to professional and college sports teams, set up the video service free for the base. Wykoff

said: “I think it means a lot, when you´re do far away, to see your kids graduate when you can´t be

there”

1- Where was Reyniza´s father watching from? He was watching from?

A-) Iraq B-) Germany

C-) Clarksville D-) Fort Campbell

2- How was Reyniza´s sister watching her graduation?

A-) In person B-) On a VCR

C-) On a computer D-) On a recorded video

3- How many students were graduating?

A-) seven B-) seventeen

C-) around two hundred fifty D-) less than two hundred fifty

4- Besides the soldiers, who else accessed the online broadcast service during the graduation?

A-) Students B-) XOS Technologies

C-) Other family members D-) The Airborne Division

Technology

Please Fix my Stuff!

Vilma Lope is a chef who Works in a prestigious restaurant in Paseo de Las Flores, Heredia. During the last few

days, she had a lot of trouble with her car, so she decided to take it to Johnny Valverde’s garage. Very early in

the morning, the mechanics at Johnny’s began fixing the car. It will be ready by noon.

Vilma’s watch isn’t working well either, so she will take it to the locksmith’s shop in the afternoon because Mr.

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1. Vilma’s work _____________________________________

a. Consist on repairing vehicles

b. Is related to clocks and watches

c. Deals with meals and beverages

d. Requires wrecks and screwdrivers

2. Mr. Valverde is Vilma’s _________________________

a. Boss

b. Employer

c. Mechanic

d. Head chef

3. The text clearly indicates that _________________ starts working afternoon.

a. Arnoldo

b. Johnny

c. Ismael

d. Vilma

4. The ______________ will fix Vilma’s stuff sooner than the rest.

a. Locksmith

b. Mechanic

c. Repairman

d. Restaurant

5. Two of the things that Vilma need to fix ____________________

a. Are related to food

b. Serve to know what time it is

c. Have to do with transportation

d. Facilitate to move from one place to

another

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6. The objective of the “Costa Rica Free of Viruses” campaign is to ____________________

a. Protect users against computer viruses

b. Spread viruses through internet

c. Quadruple the number of viruses

d. Send 70% of the unwanted e-mails

7. This campaign will________________________________

a. start in two weeks

b. last more than two weeks

c. be in charge of hackers

d. be directed by virus creators

8. Computer viruses ________________________________________

a. Are created in the Ministry of Science

b. Attack the content in the hard-drivers

c. Destroy 100% of hackers effectively

d. Usually infect owners and users

9. The article says that these viruses ________________________

a. Are inoffensive

b. Occur every half a day

c. Attack around every 4 days

d. Can’t attack the operating system

10. Programs against viruses are ______________________________

a. Totally effective

b. Partially effective

c. One hundred percent effective

d. One hundred percent ineffective

Read the text

Technology Ministry Attacks Viruses

In an effort to keep the country technologically healthy, the Science and Technology Ministry has announced a

campaign called “Costa Rica Free of Viruses”

The two-week campaign, which began the last week, aims to ensure computer owners and users take all the

available precautions against the treat of viruses, which are mischievous computer programs that spread

through internet and e-mail and destroy hard-drive content and operating system, among other things. This

year, the number of virus treats hitting computers will quadruple, on average attacking every four days,

according to the Ministry. E-mail continues to be t he favorite method used by hackers and virus creators.

Seventy percent of all e-mails are unwanted, the Ministry estimates. Although no program is 100% effective

against viruses, the ministry is encouraging the use of antivirus programs.

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11. What does the book E-MAIL FOR ENGLISH talk about?

a. The use of internet for teaching English

b. The books learners bring to the language classroom

c. An e-mail that language teachers found in a computer

d. A computer every teacher has to bring to the classroom

12. How does the first part of the book start? By __________________________________________

a. Explaining how the internet is applied in teaching

b. Explaining the revolution of the English writers

c. Sending an e-mail through the internet

d. Talking about how to introduce a writer

13. What does the article says about the contents of the book?

a. The contents design lacks essential data

b. They offers the reader useless information

c. The contents give unnecessary information

d. They provide useful tools for teaching English

14. Who is this book addressed to? To ___________________________________

a. English teachers

b. Students of pedagogy

c. Teachers without computer

d. Students who lack colleagues

15. Is E-MAIL FOR ENGLISH a good book to make students learn English?

a. No, this book simple talks about the history of the English writers

b. Yes, this book includes pedagogical topics and orientation

c. Yes, because it covers the history of the internet partially

d. No, it just talks about how the English send their e-mails.

The book E-MAIL FOR ENGLISH is about bringing the internet and computer learning networks into

the language classroom. In the introduction, the writer talks about the e-mail revolution, and how

it applies to English language teaching and learning. The book is designed to provide all the essential

information an English teacher needs to begin using e-mail and the internet as tools for teaching

English. The book looks at pedagogical factors for teachers to consider when bringing their students

into computer learning networks. The book covers a variety of topics including an overview and

history of e-mail and ideas on how to use e-mail and internet for collaboration and communication

with colleagues.

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16. Jorge A. Diaz invented a ___________________________

a. Huge space rocket

b. Propulsion device

c. Gas spectrometer

d. Space monitor

17. The gas spectrometer is important because _____________________________

a. It made NASA spend more money than usual

b. It became a space rocket for NASA

c. A Costa Rican scientist created it

d. Houston tested it

18. Chang brother’s goal was to make Costa Rica_____________________________

a. Monitor the gases of the laboratory in Houston

b. A center of investigation for NASA

c. The place to test space rockets

d. Spend all the NASA’s money

NASA to Test Tico Invention

It is small just over 1 square inch; however, it holds a promise for Costa Rican science and it is able to

monitor the gases of a huge space rocket. It might also boost (help) NASA’s interest in Costa Rica. The

miniature gas spectrometer developed by Costa Rican scientist Jorge A. Diaz is to be tested in Houston,

Texas, USA, at NASA’s advanced space propulsion laboratory whose director is the Costa Rican-born

astronaut Dr. Franklin Chang. The invention would also mean major saving for the U.S. Space Program

since it costs $1,000 contrary to similar devices currently costing $25,000. Astronaut Chang’s brother

Ronald asserted (affirmed) that Costa Rica must be leader in Latin America. “Our goal is for this country to

become a regional research center for NASA,” he remarked (affirmed).

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19. Nowadays, computers make______________________________________________________.

a. Misspelling a letter much easier

b. Job duties and daily tasks simpler

c. Correcting word mistakes a hard task

d. Short periods of time more complicated

20. With a computer, the information can be reproduced__________________________________.

a. Only a few times

b. Many times

c. Only once

d. Just twice

21. If you need to type the same information again, you simply have to _____________________ it.

a. Rewrite and save

b. Write it and erase

c. Copy it and paste

d. Save it and erase

22. Nowadays, computers offer ____________ features that make our work easier.

a. Very few advantages

b. A lot of features

c. No programs

d. Little defects

COMPUTERS

Computers have come to our lives and it seems that they are not ready to leave us yet. They have made our

work easier. A long time ago every written paper, letter or research had to be typed on a typewriter which

didn’t have the large amount of improvements computers have nowadays. For example, if you misspelled a

word, you had to use a corrector to change the letter. In contrast, today you only have to press one key on

the keyboard to erase the misspelled word. Now you don’t have to write everything twice. You just seven

the document on a diskette and when you need to make any correction, you just erase what you need to

and make the necessary changes. The same information doesn’t need to be typed more than once. All you

have to do is “COPY” the information and “PASTE” it as many times as you need. Computers also offer a

wide variety of features and programs that help us improve our tasks in a shorter period of time:

multimedia, Interned, Excel, Power Point, among others. Definitely, computers have come to stay and make

our life easier every time.

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23. Discarding technology garbage has been a (n) ___________________________________.

a. Hard personal task

b. Environmental problem

c. Good plan to save the land

d. Solution to protect the environment

24. Technology garbage is dangerous because it ____________________________________.

a. Lasts forever

b. Can be usable

c. Contains contaminants

d. Can be destroyed easily

25. According to the university director “recycle materials” should be ___________________.

a. Reused

b. Displayed

c. Hammer Salazar Specialized

d. Thrown away

26. The writer mentions that the environmental fair was sponsored by ____________________.

a. The municipal officers

b. The University of Costa Rica

c. The biologist Hammer Salazar

d. All Costa Rican students in Grecia

TECHNOLOGY TRASH AND GARBAGE

One of the great puzzles of our times is what to do with our technological throwaways to rescue the

environment. Computers, monitors, scanners, printers, fax machines, and cell phones don’t last forever,

and sometimes their life’s end arrives a lot of sooner than planned. They may be usable but, alas, of an

older generation and are put on shelves to languish. They are not wanted in landfills, so you can’t just toss

them out in the garbage. They contain poisonous components such as lead, titanium, cadmium, plastic,

rubber and wires that pollute the environment.

During the last years, an environmental fair financed by the University of Costa Rica in Grecia, showed that

technological trash can be safety unloaded. Thus, a group of students and Hammer Salazar, a biology

professor and dean of the university recollected computers, keyboards, monitors, cell phones, iPods and

printers. All those items were displayed along the curb for everyone to see and realize that technological

trash can be recycled. Salazar who also teaches a course on health and environment said: “Normally people

just don’t know what to do with their old computers and other electronics leftovers; however, a lot of this

material can be reusable. Fortunately, a company in Cartago, Fortech, specializes in recycling materials that

are considered dangerous to the environment. They’ll take everything apart, and see when it can be reused.

He concluded saying: “it was a very positive experience with a good response, and we hope to do this at

least once a year to protect the environment.”

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27. Why are satellites being used now? They are being used to ___________________________________.

a. Provoke weather events

b. Cause natural catastrophes

c. Change the direction of natural disasters

d. Collect information about environmental problems

28. How will Costa Rica be able to share data in Central America? Through ___________________________.

a. Joining the GEOSS

b. Collecting particle clouds

c. Gathering specialized agencies

d. Launching a new type of satellites

29. How will information from satellites help other countries? By ______________ dangerous natural events.

a. Expecting

b. Preventing

c. Preparing them to face

d. Minimizing the quantity of

30. As a member of GEOSS, what will Costa Rica be able to do? Costa Rica will be able to ___________________.

a. Operate satellites

b. Avoid any earthquakes

c. Have only information of itself

d. Get worldwide weather information

31. According to the text, how are disasters provoked on Earth? They are provoked by _____________.

a. Satellites’ information

b. Particle clouds’ information

c. Human and natural damages

d. Volcanoes’ and clouds’ structures

SPEACE TECHNOLOGY HELPS TO MITIGATE DISASTERS

As natural and human-induced catastrophes dictate a more uncertain future on Earth, scientists believe that

satellites may hold the key to keep the planet’s life forms intact. Scientist and space technicians are now using

remote sensing satellites to predict the possibility of extreme weather events. According to presenters in the 32nd

International Symposium Remote Sensing of the Environment at the Ramada Herradura Hotel, Costa Rica will be

an important link for the sharing system of information in Central America. Environment and Energy Minister

Roberto Dobles announced that Costa Rica would join the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS).

GEOSS is a system for sharing current data like weather satellites, hurricane monitoring, and predicting

earthquakes. Costa Rica will now improve access to information gathered by high-tech-agencies in other countries,

including information about volcanoes and particle clouds which produce earthquakes, floods, and climate changes

that affect human lives day by day. Thus, defensive measures and warnings to civic defense departments in charge

of natural disasters will improve for the benefit of the regions.

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32. The very first attempt at television consisted just of ________________________________.

a. Electromechanical signals of pictures

b. Inventing the electronic system

c. Regular transmissions of EMI

d. The most practical system

33. The first TV transmissions were broadcasted by ____________________________________.

a. EMI

b. RCA

c. John Logie Baird

d. Vladimir Zworykin

34. The first home TVs consumed a lot of power due to the _______________________________.

a. Price of the luxurious screens

b. Duration of the transmissions

c. Size of the picture tubes

d. Effects of World War II

35. Later on, ______________________________ substituted the TV tubes.

a. Transistors

b. Calculators

c. Larger screens

d. Great amounts of power

36. Nowadays, the electronic components of the TVs are _________________________________.

a. Just pockets

b. Very compact

c. Large equipments

d. Wider than befo

TELEVISION THROUGH THE YEARS

Using electromechanical methods in 1926, the Scottish inventor John Logie Baird was the first to

demonstrate a working method of turning pictures into electric signals, but his system was mostly

impractical. It was the electronic system invented by the U. S. citizen of Russian origin Vladimir Zworykin

(and perfected by a group or EMI in England) which eventually became accepted. Television transmissions,

as we know them today, started until 1936 by the Radio Corporation of America, RCA.

The early home TV receivers had picture tubes of 9 inches in diameter, though just before World War II

larger tubes which consumed great amounts of power were introduced. After the war, researchers

concentrated on making the picture larger and the electronics more compact; however, during the 1950s,

the 21-inch screen was regarded as a luxury. In 1948, the revolutionary invention of transistors, which

widespread their use during the following 10 years, gave the components of the television sets different

and smaller dimensions. Today, all electronic equipment is compact. Electronics has even developed

miniature TVs which have solid-state screens and can be about the size of a pocket calculator.

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