Bahasa Inggeris notes, unit 11
High-Tech World
Textbook English Download B1+ Student's Book Form 5 (KSSM, Hamilton House / KPM 2020), pages 135-146
What this chapter covers
- {'I can use technology vocabulary': 'green energy, hybrid vehicle, nuclear power, robotics, space exploration, GM food and compound nouns such as flat screen, remote control and touch pad (11.1)'}
- I can describe technology with cutting-edge, hands-free, labour-saving, outdated, user-friendly and voice-activated (11.1)
- I can read an article about kinetic energy and off-grid communities and fit missing sentences into gaps (11.2)
- I can use the causative forms have/get something done, have somebody do something and get somebody to do something (11.3)
- I can use wish and if only for the present, the past and complaints, and prefer, would prefer and would rather for preferences (11.4)
- I can use prepositions after nouns (access to, credit for, talent for), phrasal verbs (plug in, move on, play back, tell off) and confused words (access/excess, except/accept, program/programme) (11.5)
- I can recognise word derivatives in listening and sequence my ideas when I compare and describe (11.6)
- I can write an article about what I prefer, using quick notes for and against and conditional sentences to explain my reasons (11.7)
This unit is about technology: new inventions, energy and the gadgets we use every day. You will learn the vocabulary, the causative forms (have something done), wishes and preferences, and how to write an article that explains what you prefer (textbook pages 135 to 146).
11.1Technology vocabulary
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| green energy | power from clean sources such as the sun, wind and water |
| hybrid vehicle | a car that uses both petrol and an electric motor |
| nuclear power | electricity made by splitting uranium atoms |
| robotics | designing and using robots |
| space exploration | travelling into space to find out about it |
| GM food | food from plants or animals whose genes have been changed |
Many technology words are compound nouns. Learn them as pairs.
| Device | Compound nouns |
|---|---|
| Television | flat screen, remote control, satellite dish, volume key |
| Laptop | built-in microphone, memory card, touch pad, wireless network |
| Mobile phone | text message, touch screen, memory card |
Describing technology
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| cutting-edge | the most modern and advanced |
| outdated | old-fashioned |
| user-friendly | easy to use |
| voice-activated | controlled by speaking to it |
| hands-free | lets you do other things while you use it |
| labour-saving | cuts down the work you must do |
Off-grid: describes a place with no access to public utilities such as electricity.
Which word fits? "This washing machine saves me a lot of work, so it is ______ technology."
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labour-saving.
11.2Reading: "Powered by play"
The article contrasts a short power cut at home with life in off-grid communities. Over 1.3 billion people have no electricity. They burn kerosene and wood, and the fumes harm health. Kinetic energy is the energy an object has because it moves: the heavier and faster it is, the more it has. The Soccket is a football that captures the energy of rolling and bouncing and stores it in a battery, which gives families light and replaces kerosene lamps.
Gapped sentences
- Read the text before and after the gap and find what links them.
- Look for reference words (these, this solution, it) and for contrast words (however, but).
- Check the missing sentence fits the idea and grammar, and remember there is one extra sentence.
A missing sentence often explains an idea. If a gap comes after "generate electricity" and before "stores it in a battery", the sentence must explain how the electricity is made.
Reference words
"Families use kerosene lamps and stoves. These, however, harm the environment." The word These points back to the lamps and stoves, so the gap sentence must come straight after them.In the article, which words mean (a) "to change from one form to another" and (b) "to switch off the supply"?
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(a) convert (converting). (b) disconnect (disconnected).
11.3Causative forms
Use the causative when someone else does the action.
| Form | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| have/get + object + past participle | we arrange for someone to do it | I got my television fixed by the technician. |
| have + object + past participle | something unpleasant happens to us (not get) | We had our laptops stolen. |
| have + person + bare infinitive | we tell or ask someone to do it | My boss had me stay after work. |
| get + person + to + infinitive | we persuade someone | We got our son to apply to the college. |
These forms work in many tenses: will have her mother drive us, had the factory install robotics, has not had the essays graded yet. Use by to name the person who did it.
Common mistakes.
- "We got our laptops stolen" is wrong. For bad luck use had.
- After have somebody use the bare infinitive: "had me stay", not "had me to stay".
- After get somebody use to: "got him to help".
Rewrite with the word in brackets: "The technician installed our satellite dish." (had)
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We had our satellite dish installed (by the technician).
11.4Wishes and preferences
| Use | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Present or future, not how we want it | wish / if only + past simple | I wish I worked in a computer company. |
| Regret about the past | wish / if only + past perfect | If only you hadn't broken my iPad. |
| Ability | wish / if only + could | If only I could travel to Mars! |
| Complaint about an annoying habit | wish / if only + would | I wish you would stop playing games all the time. |
For another person's wish you must use wish: "Ben wishes he had a hybrid car." Do not use "if only" there.
| Preference | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| In general | prefer + noun/gerund (+ to + noun/gerund) | We prefer using this program to using that one. |
| In general | prefer + to infinitive (rather than + bare infinitive) | I prefer to send texts rather than phone. |
| One situation | would prefer + to infinitive | I would prefer to work tonight. |
| One situation | would rather + bare infinitive (than + bare infinitive) | I would rather work tonight than work at the weekend. |
Complete: (a) "I'd rather ______ (stay) at home." (b) "If only we ______ (bring) the charger!" (past regret)
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(a) stay. (b) had brought.
11.5Prepositions, phrasal verbs and confused words
| Type | Examples |
|---|---|
| Noun + preposition | access to, credit for, dedication to, a habit of, a talent for, the process of, knowledge of, a fondness for |
| Phrasal verbs | plug in (connect to power), look to (think about), pick up (detect), move on (go to the next topic), tell off (scold), play back (replay), play up (cause problems), call off (cancel) |
| Pair | Difference |
|---|---|
| home page / web page | the first page of a site / any single page |
| program / programme | computer software / a TV or radio show |
| invented / discovered | made something new / found something that existed |
| access / excess | the right to use or enter / too much |
| except / accept | apart from / agree to take |
| recent / modern | happening a short time ago / up to date |
Choose: "I have no ______ to the Internet here." (access / excess)
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access (the right to use it).
11.6Listening and speaking
In listening tasks the question wording is often different from what the speakers say. A word may appear in another form, for example technology / technological, popular / popularity, convenient / convenience. Learn the noun, adjective and adverb forms together.
Before you listen, underline the words that make each option different from the others, because the speakers all talk about the same topic.
When you compare photos, put your ideas in order.
| Step | Phrases |
|---|---|
| Begin | To begin with, ... / First of all, ... / I'll begin by saying ... |
| Continue | Next, ... / Secondly, ... / Another thing is that ... / For one thing, ... |
| End | Finally, ... / Lastly, ... |
11.7Writing an article about what you prefer
Make two sets of quick notes: what you like about your choice and what you dislike about the other choice. Then turn each note into a positive reason. For example, "I have to wait for online orders" becomes "shopping on foot lets me take things home at once".
| Part | Job |
|---|---|
| Title | short and interesting |
| Paragraph 1 | catch the reader's attention (a question works well) and state your preference |
| Paragraphs 2 to 4 | one reason for each paragraph |
| Paragraph 5 | restate your preference in a new or amusing way |
Length in the book's task: 140 to 190 words.
Use conditionals to explain reasons.
| Meaning | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| always true | If + present, present | If you send a text, you wait for a reply. |
| likely | If + present, will / imperative | If you really want to talk to me, come over. |
| imaginary | If + past, would | If a friend was unhappy, I would give them a hug. |
Write a conditional sentence for: "Eating out can be disappointing."
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Sample: If the service is slow, eating out can be disappointing. (Any correct "if" sentence that explains the idea.)