Need Something? Talk To My Right Ear

We humans prefer to be addressed in our right ear and are more likely to perform a task when we receive the request in our right ear rather than our left. In a series of three studies, Dr. Luca Tommasi and Daniele Marzoli from the University "Gabriele d'Annunzio" in Chieti, Italy, show that a natural side preference, manifests itself in everyday human behaviour.

            Until now, the majority of studies looking at ear preference have been controlled laboratory studies and there is very little published observational evidence of spontaneous ear dominance in everyday human behavior.

            Their three studies specifically observed ear preference during social interactions in noisy night club environments. In the first study, 286 clubbers were observed while they were talking, with loud music in the background. In total, 72 percent of interactions occurred on the right side of the listener. These results are consistent with the right ear preference found in laboratory studies and they demonstrate that the side preference is spontaneously displayed outside the laboratory.

            In the second study, the researchers approached 160 clubbers and mumbled an inaudible, meaningless utterance and waited to see which ear they offered. They then asked them for a cigarette. Overall, 58 percent offered their right ear for listening and 42 percent their left. Only women showed a consistent right-ear preference. In this study, there was no link between the number of cigarettes obtained and the ear receiving the request.

            In the third study, the researchers intentionally addressed 176 clubbers in either their right or their left ear when asking for a cigarette. They obtained significantly more cigarettes when they spoke to the clubbers' right ear compared with their left.

            According to the authors, taken together, these results confirm a right ear/left hemisphere advantage for verbal communication and distinctive specialization of the two halves of the brain. They conclude: "Our studies corroborate the idea of a common ancestry of lateralized behaviour during social interactions, not only for species-specific vocal communication, but also for affective responses."

Question 1 (2 points) Indicate whether the following statements are true or false and write down which part of the text justifies your answer.

a. Not much research has been done into ear side preference based on live interaction.

b. The three studies combined laboratory and spontaneous perception.

c. In one of the studies, they addressed participants to a specific ear on purpose.

d. The results prove that each side of the brain works for particular purposes.

Question 2 (2 points) Answer the following questions in your own words.

a. How was the first study conducted and what were the results?

b. Why did researchers get more cigarettes in the third study?

Question 3 (1.5 points) Find words or phrases in the text that correspond in meaning to the words and definitions given.

a. fulfill (par.1)                          b. data (par.2)               c. first choice (par.3)

d. statement (par. 4)                 e.sum up (par. 6)

Question 4 (1.5 points) Complete the following sentences without changing the meaning.

a. Their three studies specifically observed ear preference.

     Ear............

b.  Researchers obtained significantly more cigarettes when they spoke to the clubbers' right ear.

     If researchers.............

c.  The researchers approached 160 clubbers. They then asked them for a cigarette.

     After.......

Question 5 (3 points) Write a short essay (120-150 words) on the following topic:

“A noisy disco is the perfect place to have fun”. Do you agree with this statement?

Linkers in an Essay

Complete the gaps in this essay by means of the linkers provided. There is more than one possibility in some gaps.

Another reason / As a consequence / As a result / as a result / as a result / Because / caused by / Consequently / even / For all these reasons / However / however / In contrast / in order to / On the other hand / Otherwise / result(s) in / so much...that / so...that / The main cause / therefore

            Two 12-year-old girls are standing outside a mini-mart. They are wearing matching tube tops and short skirts like Britney Spears clones. One holds a cigarette, like an adult, where everyone can see her.   She looks around to make sure other girls are noticing her.  When asked why she dresses the way she does, she says that she likes it. 1___________ ,  it seems that the reason for her behavior is more complex.   More specifically, it has more to do with her ambiguous role as a pre-teen in society.  A young girl's wanna-be look is 2____________ personal insecurity and peer pressure.

            3____________ for mimicking teen-idols is personal insecurity.   Pre-teens are in between child and adult stages. They are no longer children and, 4____________ , the ways they behaved in the past are no longer appropriate. 5____________,  they are not yet adults; 6____________, they do not know the ways of the adult world. This conflict can 7____________ feelings of insecurity. 8____________, when they were younger, they could whine and cry to get attention from their parents and other children. 9____________, that kind of behavior would be "uncool" around their teenage peers. Often 10___________ , the preteen does not know how to act his or her age. 11____________ preteens do no know what to do, they often turn to copy-cat behavior as a way to fit in and be more secure.

            A second cause is that preteens feel they need to be popular 12____________ be more secure within their own age group. 13____________, they turn toward models of popularity - teen idols - and start dressing like them. Unfortunately, many of their idols dress and behave in ways that are not age-appropriate. Teens need better role models than Hollywood currently has to offer.  14____________, they interpret "dressing up" as wearing provocative, sexy clothing, rather than clothing that makes them look good and feel comfortable and secure. 15____________ of their need to be popular, young girls start dressing and acting as if they were much older than they really are.

            16____________ for young girls mimicking teen idols is peer pressure. They often see the adults closest to them, their parents and teachers, as "uncool", 17____________ as enemies. 18____________, they turn to peers who pressure each other to look, act, and dress exactly alike. This peer group can exert 19____________ pressure ____________ often preteens do things as a group that they would not normally do. One of these things is spending ridiculous amounts of money on idol clothing-lines.  That's right!  Young Hollywood celebrities are making money off  their twelve-year old "peers" who give in to peer pressure.  The peer pressure here is 20____________ great ____________ most normal girls will succumb. 21____________, we can see that personal insecurity, desire to be popular and peer pressure can cause a young girl to look like a little "tart" standing outside of a mini-mart.

KEY

1 However / 2 caused by 
3 The main cause / 4 as a result / 5 On the other hand / 6 therefore / 7 result in /

8 In contrast / 9 However / 10 as a result / 11 Because
12 in order to / 13 Consequently / 14 Otherwise / 15 As a result/consequence
16 Another reason / 17 even / 18 As a consequence/result / 19 so much...that / 20 so...that / 21 For all these reasons

Faltar

There are different words and expressions you can use in English to translate the Spanish verb “faltar”. 

Choose from the ones below and translate the following sentences.

To need               to lack                  to be short of                   to be missing                   

There’s no need                             it’s only                              it’s nearly/almost

1. Faltan unos minutos para el comienzo del partido.
2. ¿Puede abrirme la puerta, por favor? – No faltaba más.
3. Faltaban tres libros de la biblioteca.
4. Falta poco para las ocho.
5. A esta novela le falta originalidad.
6. Queríamos jugar al balonmano pero nos faltaban jugadores.
7. Nos falta tiempo para acabar el trabajo.
8. Lo que me faltaba. Y ahora, ¿qué voy a hacer?
9. No hace falta decirle lo que tiene que hacer.
10. Me faltan dos más para completar la serie.

Key

1. It’s only a few minutes till the start of the match.
2. Could you open the door for me, please? – Of course / Sure / Certainly.
3. There were three books missing from the library.
4. It’s nearly /almost eight.
5. This novel lacks originality.
6. We wanted to play handball but we were short of players.
7. We lack the time to finish the work.
8. That’s all I needed. And now, what am I going to do?
9. There’s no need to tell him what to do.
10. I need two more to make up the series.

Britain's first ever pedestrian fast lane introduced

Markings have been painted onto the pavement to allow those who are hurrying to bypass crowds. Speedy shoppers will no longer get stuck behind people who dawdle or stop to check their phones - thanks to the UK's first ever pedestrian fast lane.

Argos has painted new markings on the pavement outside its Liverpool store after research revealed almost half the nation found the slow pace of high streets to be their biggest shopping bugbear. The new lane, being trialled this week in the Liverpool One shopping complex, hopes to help pick up the pace for those who are hurrying by bypassing the crowds.

New statistics show 31 per cent of people find pavement hoggers frustrating, while more than a quarter (27 per cent) get annoyed by slow pedestrians.

Dr Alastair Moore, an independent retail expert, said: but I do have my own shopping bugbears, from middle of the street chattering to battling through the crowds. As the research demonstrates, a faster high street could vastly improve the overall shopping experience for British shoppers across the UK. The pedestrianised fast track lane is a great way of making this possible and with nearly 30 million Brits saying they'd like one on their own high street, the pilot is set to be a success. We hope it alleviates some of the biggest shopping high street frustrations”

In total, 28.8 million Britons said they would like a pavement fast lane installed in their local high street to ensure less time is spent dodging the masses.

Shoppers are testing out the experimental pavement fast lane for one week from Monday until this Sunday.

Andy Brown, central operations director at Argos, said: "Shoppers have also told us that speed is critical when simply getting around the high street or town centre, so we want to test consumer reaction to a dedicated pavement fast lane.

Question 1 (2 points) Indicate whether the following statements are true or false and write down which part of the text justifies your answer.

a. More than a quarter of the nation find it is really slow to get around the high street.

b. Dr. Moore enjoys analyzing life in the high streets.

c. The new fast lane has been permanently installed in Liverpool.

d. Citizens seem to want these fast lanes only to make their shopping faster.

Question 2 (2 points) Answer the following questions in your own words.

a. Where is the new fast lane introduced and how long will it be tested?

b. According to the text, what makes high street shopping so slow?

Question 3 (1.5 points) Find words or phrases in the text that correspond in meaning to the words and definitions given.

a. avoid (par.1)                   b. make known  (par.3)                             c. talk (par.4)

d. reduce, mitigate (par.4)                                                               e. guarantee (par.5)

Question 4 (1.5 points) Complete the following sentences without changing the meaning.

a.     Markings have been painted onto the pavement to allow those who are hurrying to bypass crowds.

Markings have been painted onto the pavement to let ………

b.    Dr. Moore said :”  We hope it alleviates some of the biggest shopping high street frustrations”

Dr. Moore said that ………..

c.     High Street shoppers get frustrated because they can’t walk walk as fast as they wish.

If shoppers  ………

Question 5 (3 points) Write a short essay (120-150 words) on the following topic:

What’s the worst shopping experience you’ve had?

Are you a tourist or a New York resident?

A fun experiment was carried out in New York.  A group called Improv Everywhere painted lanes on the sidewalk.  Tourists, who usually walk slower had to use one lane and New York residents the other lane, because they usually walk very fast!
One of the Improv Everywhere representatives interviewed New Yorkers and visitors.  
She received a wide variety of feedback. Many people thought it was hilarious.The most common complaint was that part of the fun of visiting New York is experiencing the hustle and bustle of the sidewalk as you walk amongst New Yorkers. Some were upset at the idea of the new lanes taking away from that experience.

Watch the video - would you like this to be painted on the pavements in your town?

Need Something? Talk To My Right Ear

KEY

Question 1

            a) TRUE “there is very little published observational evidence of spontaneous ear dominance in everyday human behavior.”

            b) FALSE  “Their three studies specifically observed ear preference during social interactions in noisy night club environments“

            c) TRUE “ the researchers intentionally addressed 176 clubbers in either their right or their left ear“

            d) TRUE “ these results confirm a right ear/left hemisphere advantage for verbal communication and distinctive specialization of the two halves of the brain”

Question 2

            a) -286 people observed in a night club with loud music / -72 people spontaneously talked on the right ear of their listeners

            b) -they talked to their right ears intentionally, which proves that our brain parts are specialized and the left is related to verbal communication.

Question 3

a)     perform

b)    evidence

c)     preference

            d)   utterance

            e)   conclude

Question 4

a)     Ear preference was specifically observed in their studies.

b)    If researchers had not spoken to clubbers' right ear, they would not have obtained significantly more cigarrettes.

c)     After approaching / having approached 160 clubbers, researchers asked them for a cigarette.

Britain's first ever pedestrian fast lane introduced

  KEY

Question 1

a. True. “ almost half the nation found the slow pace of high streets to be their biggest shopping bugbear.”

b. True.  "Perusing the high street is one of my favourite past times.”

c. False. “The new lane, being trialled this week in the Liverpool One shopping complex…” Shoppers are testing out the experimental pavement fast lane for one week from Monday until this Sunday.”

d. False.  "Shoppers have also told us that speed is critical when simply getting around the high street or town centre”

Question 2

a. The new fast pedestrian lane has opened in Liverpool city centre, outside an Argos store. It will be tested for one week.

b. Shopping in high streets becomes slow because of people who walk very slowly or stop to chat or to look at their phones. There are also people who seem to occupy all the street making it hard to get around.

Question 3

a.  Bypass / to bypass                  b. revealed / to reveal               c. chattering / to chatter

d.   alleviates / to alleviate              e. ensure/ to ensure

Question 4 

a. Markings have been painted onto the pavement to let those hurrying bypass crowds.

b. Dr. Moore said that they hoped it alleviated some of the biggest shopping high street frustrations.

c. If shoppers could walk faster, they wouldn’t get frustrated.

Tower sucks in smog and turns it into fine jewelry

The Dutch city of Rotterdam has opened the world’s first smog-free tower. Co-designed by Dutch artist Daan Roosegaarde, the seven-metre high tower sucks in dirty air like a giant vacuum cleaner. Ion technology then filters it, before returning bubbles of smog-free air through the tower’s vents. It is able to clean 30,000 cubic metres of air an hour.

            But the well-designed air purifier doesn’t just clean up smog, it can also be used to make fine jewellery. The fine carbon particles that the tower collects can be condensed to create tiny “gem stones” that can be embedded in jewellery pieces like rings and cufflinks. Each of the tiny stones is the equivalent of 1,000 cubic meters of air.

            But it’s not Rotterdam where the need for air filters is greatest. According to the World Air Quality Index, most of western Europe enjoys clean air, with exceptions including London, where air quality is classified as moderate. It’s a different story in the booming cities of the developing world and the Bric countries. Air quality is much poorer in China and Malaysia, for example, where most cities feature air was deemed as unhealthy for sensitive groups.

            The tower’s creators recognise this and, after its run in Rotterdam, the tower moves to Beijing, a city suffering from very poor air quality. Earlier this month, Chinese authorities shut hundreds of factories in Beijing and banned half of the country’s 5m cars from the roads in preparation for a gigantic military parade. In the days leading up to the parade, the air quality improved, resulting in pristine blue skies for the parade, only to return to smog when the ban was lifted.

            Bob Ursem, a nanoparticles expert at the Delft University of Technology claims that in outdoor tests, the filter has cleaned the air by 60%, measured by the share of nanoparticles removed, and in indoor environments the reduction is even more significant.

            In the tower’s case, the filters would be costly too. While neither Roosegaarde nor Ursem would disclose the cost of the tower, the filters they have developed range in price from €1,600 to more than €118,000; but as Rotterdam’s mayor says, “the smog-free tower contributes to a debate that shouldn’t be confined to politics.”

Question 1 (2 points) Indicate whether the following statements are true or false and write down which part of the text justifies your answer.

a. The problems caused by pollution will increase in the future.

b. Rotterdam is a very polluted city.

c. Not everybody is affected by polluted air in Chinese cities.

d. Rotterdam's mayor think the problem of pollution is the responsibility of politicians.

Question 2 (2 points) Answer the following questions in your own words.

a. How does the tower work?

b. What happened in Beijin earlier this month?

Question 3 (1.5 points) Find words or phrases in the text that correspond in meaning to the words and definitions given.

a. to consider (par.3)                            b. clean (par.4)                         c. prohibition (par.4)

d. percentage (par.5)                            e. to reveal (par.6)

Question 4 (1.5 points) Complete the following sentences without changing the meaning.

a. It is said that more than three million people die prematurely due to air pollution each year.

            More than...

b.  The tower moves to Beijing, a city suffering from very poor air quality.

            If Beijing did not...

c. “The smog-free tower contributes to a debate that shouldn’t be confined to politics.”, tha mayor said

            The mayor said that...

Question 5 (3 points) Write a short essay (120-150 words) on the following topic:

Should people take better care of the environment?


Would you like to check the World Air Quality Index?  Follow this link:
http://waqi.info/

Nintendo Wii game console outsells Sony PS3

Competition in the video game console market is heating up to furnace-like conditions ahead of Christmas. Nintendo’s new Wii console sold out at many major Japanese electronics retailers on its launch day on December first. The player is seen as a viable competitor to Sony Corporation’s PlayStation 3 and Microsoft's Xbox 360. Nintendo is the last of the makers to launch its new product. Sony had a much-troubled launch in November. After months of delays due to technical difficulties, the electronics giant could not produce anywhere near enough PS3 units to satisfy demand. This frustrated and angered many fans, especially in Japan, where sales of the product were made by lottery. Even worse for European fans, who have to wait until March for the console to reach store shelves.

           

            Like the PS3, the new and oddly-named Wii sold like hotcakes. Japan’s largest electronics store, Yodobashi Camera, opened its doors at 7 a.m. – two-and-a-half hours early - to cope with the demand. However, at 8 a.m. it had sold out of Wii units. One satisfied enthusiast, Tomokazu Nakajima, said: “I'd waited outside the store since 6:30 p.m.” He added: “The Wii is amazing fun, while the PS3 is too expensive.'' His sentiments sum up Nintendo’s game plan in capturing a significant part of the games console market. Rather than opt for expensive graphics, Nintendo has gone for easy-to-learn games with a wireless, palm-sized motion sensor that is brandished like a sword or tennis racket. Nintendo expects to sell four million units worldwide by Dec. 31, compared with Sony's target of two million PlayStation 3’s.

Look at the article and decide whether these sentences are true or false:

a. Sales of computer games in London outstrip supply.

b. Nintendo sold out at its launch in Japan on December first.

c. European fans will have to wait until May 2007 for the new Sony console.

d. Sony had a troubled launch in November of its product.

e. Sony could not produce enough of its new PlayStation 3

f. Sony’s sales target is three million PlayStation 3’s.

g. The new and oddly named Wii sold like pancakes.

h. Nintendo expects to sell 4.5 million Wii’s worldwide.

SYNONYM MATCH: Match each of the following words from the article to its synonym:

            heating up                    choose

            retailers                        realistic

            viable                           strangely

            delays                          stores

            satisfy                          fan

            oddly                            strategy

            cope with                     intensifying

            enthusiast                    meet

            game plan                   handle

            opt for                          hold ups

KEY

TRUE / FALSE:

a. False

b. True

c. False

d. True

e. True

f. False

g. False

h. False

SYNONYM MATCH:

1.heating up/intensifying

2.retailers/stores

3.viable/realistic

4.delays/hold ups

5.satisfy/meet

6.oddly/strangely

7.cope with/handle

8.enthusiast/fan

9.game plan/strategy

10.opt for/choose

Essay Writing Lesson Plan

1. Vocabulary

Land	Sea	Air
car jeep bus coach motorbike scooter bike walking!	ship boat ferry motorboat rowing boat	plane helicopter  hot-air balloon

Read out a list of different transports and students put them in the correct column.

Students suggest others.

2. Discussion

What's your favourite type of transport and why?

Is there any of the above transports you wouldn't use and why?

Feedback ideas to the board.

3. Reading

a. Read the essay and tick the types of transport mentioned and add any others.

b. Read the essay and try to complete the gaps (in pencil)

What is your favourite way of travelling and why?

--------------, people have a huge variety of transport to choose from when they are considering a ----------- or journey. From the more---------- means like, planes, trains, cars and ships to the less conventional like hot-air balloons, camels and-----------.

For the purposes of this essay, I will -------------the many advantages of travelling by plane.

Flying has ----------------a revolution in the last decade or so. Low cost airlines like Ryanair and Easyjet have changed our ---------------of travelling opening up new possibilities and horizons for even the------------- of students. These airlines have managed to ----------------reduce the cost of an air ticket, making flying both relatively economical, safe and certainly very-------------.

Flights are ------------- as you do not have to concentrate on where you  are driving to, as well as the fact that you can enjoy the -----------below from a window seat or spend your time reading your latest novel or-----------.

Even time spent at the airport checking in, going through---------------- control and reclaiming baggage has  --------------as people now use technology to manage their bookings and choose to take only hand luggage on board and so avoid the wait for suitcases at their----------------.

Personally, I think these are very ------------- arguments in favour of air travel and that is why I would choose it when I need to travel.

c.  Now circle the words in the lines below and add them to the text. How do they compare with the words you had thought up?

outlinedestinationundergoneconceptfastrelaxingmagazinepassportdecreased

traditionalnowadaystriprickshawspoorestdrasticallyscenerystrong

7. Reread the text and make a note of the most important ideas. Can you think of anymore?

Collection of photos related to this theme on our pinterest account:

https://www.pinterest.com/selfaccess/travel/

And a fun video - Louis Cole’s year of travel. Task could be to write down all the different means of transport he uses, the animals, places they see.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8hWSmppvUk&feature=youtu.be

And an attractive infographic about miscellaneous facts about transports:

http://www.princeton.edu/~ina/infographics/transportation.html

Weaving the Bridge at Q’eswachaka

Watch the video and answer the questions.

1. How often is the bridge rebuilt?
2. How long does it take to rebuild it?
3. What are the cables made of?
4. How are the small cords transformed into ropes and the ropes into cables?
5. Where are the ropes pulled to stretch them out?
6. How many cords are needed to form a rope?
7. How many ropes are needed to form a cable?
8. How is the old bridge used?
9. What do they do with the old bridge?
10. Who is Victoriano Arizapara?
11. How many cables are used for the structure of the bridge?
12. What happens when the bridge is finished?

KEY

1. Every year.
2. 3 days.
3. Grass
4. By twisting.
5. Upon the highway.
6. 30 cords.
7. 3 ropes.
8. To pass the first cable.
9. They cut it and it falls into the water.
10. The architect of the bridge.
11. 6. 4 for the floor and 2 for the handrails.
12. The communities come together to celebrate. 

Tower sucks in smog and turns it into fine jewelry

KEY

Question 1

            a) TRUE “This is projected to double by 2050 if the problem isn’t tackled.”

            b) FALSE “ But it’s not Rotterdam where the need for air filters is greatest”

            c) TRUE “ Air quality is much poorer in China and Malaysia, for example, where most cities feature air deemed unhealthy for sensitive groups“

            d) FALSE “but as Rotterdam’s mayor says, “the smog-free tower contributes to a debate that shouldn’t be confined to politics.”

Question 2

            a) It purifies the air by

                        -absorbing polluted air / -filtering air with ions / -giving back bubbles of clean air / -30000                      cubic metres an hour

            b) -military parade / -factories shut / -cars banned / -air quality improved

Question 3

a)     deemed / (to) deem

b)    pristine

c)     ban

            d)   share

            e)   (to) disclose

Question 4

a)     More than three million people are said to die prematurely due to air pollution each year.

b)    If Bejing did not suffer from very poor air quality, the tower would not be moved there.

c)     The mayor said that the smog-free tower contributed to a debate that shouldn’t have been confined to politics.”