The changes that have taken place in society as a

whole since I was a child in the 60s and 70s are

phenomenal. This has much to do with the fast rate at
which technology has developed.
When I was a child TV was still new in Australia and
life didn't revolve around it. People were accustomed
to entertaining themselves and children spent more
time playing outdoors. There also weren't anywhere
near so many children's TV programs - so we spent
more time playing with toys, reading books, drawing,
etc.
The world has become much smaller in so many ways
with the explosion of the media, the Internet and
telecommunications in general. Yet people really
don't connect as much as they used to. These days,
most people have a mobile with them constantly like
some sort of bodily appendage - and use it far more
than anything else they carry. Text messaging has
made communication even more impersonal. People
aren't talking to each other as much - they just send
text messages back and forth. Relationships are
becoming almost robotic.
Also marriage is no longer seen as something sacred
and honourable like it was in the past. Many couples
don't even see the need to get married at all. Even
families that stay together are often under intense
pressure. Part of this is due to the fact that so many
couples are working long hours nowadays. Parents
are absent for the majority of the day, having less
opportunities to discuss important issues with their
children.
Another problem is the incredible amount of activities
people are involved in. Many families are rarely, if
ever, together for an evening meal, and when the
individuals do eat, it's often something reheated in
the microwave, which they gobble down while fixated
on the TV.
Children's lives are often so highly-organized they
barely have time to be kids any more. When they're
home they're likely to be glued to one form of
technology or another, and so communication suffers
further.
There have been countless changes in our society's
values since I was a child - but one thing is for sure D. Explain how the following words are
change is not always for the better. We have so
formed
many amazing conveniences which should
20 make our
and the function of each element added.
Follow the EXAMPLE. communicate (verb)
COMMUNICATION

A. TRUE or FALSE? Quote from

25
the text to support your answer.
1) Ruth used to watch TV a lot when
she was young.
2) People dont live without their cell
phones anymore.
3) Getting married is still important to
people.
4) Nowadays most people enjoy a
relaxed dinner with their family.
5) Today childrens free time is
controlled by technology.
B. Answer these questions in your
30
own words as far as possible:
1) How did children use to spend their
free time?
2) Why do parents have less time for
their children nowadays?
3) Does the author have a more
positive or a more negative opinion
about the impact of technology on
peoples lives? Justify.
C. What do the underlined words
15
refer to in the text?
1) which
4) it
that

2) it
5) their

3) it
6)

E. Explain these sentences from the

20
3rd # in your own words.

1) The world has become much

smaller in so many ways with the
explosion of the media, the Internet
and telecommunications in general.
2) Relationships are becoming
1) explosion (#3)
almost robotic.
2)
(#3) (different) between the past and the present
1)impersonal
There is a clear
F. rarely
WORD
FORMATION Complete the sentences with the correct
3)
(#5)
regarding
family life.
20
form of the words in brackets.
2) Machines are (capable) of thinking for themselves.
3) The Internets (popular) exploded as it became more (access) to
everyone.
4) Ive bought the last IPad its absolutely (fascinate).
5) Its really (believe) what this small cell phone can do.
+ ion. The suffix is used to form a
noun.

G. RELATIVE CLAUSES Link the sentences with a relative

20
pronoun.
Use
commas
where needed.
1) The
cell phone
belongs to my father. Its a state-of-the-art
model.
2) Beth feels very lonely sometimes. Her parents have a very busy
life.
3) The dog AIBO is the most advanced toy-robot. It has been sold
around the world.
H. WRITING
50
Do the following using about 150 words.
Bearing in mind the text and the picture below, express your own opinion on how
technological advance has changed our lives.

KEY

A.
1. F When I was a child TV was still new in Australia and life didn't revolve around it.
2. T - ...most people have a mobile with them constantly (...) far more than anything else they
carry.
3. F Many couples don't even see the need to get married at all.
4. F Many families are rarely, if ever, together (...) they gobble down while fixated on the TV.
5. T- When they're home they're likely to be glued (...), and so communication suffers further.
B.

1. Children used to spend their free time outside playing with friends. Instead of watching TV all day,
they played with their toys, or read and made drawings.
2. Parents have less time for their children nowadays because both, the father and the mother, have
a job. They are working long hours every day and are thus more absent from home.
3. The author has a more negative opinion about the impact of technology on peoples lives. First
technological advance has nearly destroyed socialisation. Children now spend more time alone in
front of any form of technological entertainment. Also TV rules meal time, leaving no time for any
kind of conversation. Even the way people communicate has been affected. Text messages, for
example, have replaced face-to-face contact. And finally, life has become more frenetic people are
more stressed out and depressed because of their jobs. In many ways technology has made our lives
much easier however, we dont have time to enjoy it.
C.
1. fast rate

2. TV 2. mobile

3. marriage

4.parents 5. family values

D.
1. explode (verb) + sion. The suffix is used to form a noun.
2. im + person (noun) + al. The prefix is used to form the opposite. The suffix is used to form an
adjective.
3. rare (adjective) + ly . The suffix is used to form an adverb.
E.
1. This means that through technological development it has become easier for people to
communicate with each other, to share and exchange information and to have access to all sorts of
data and information without the constraints or restrictions of geography or time zones. People now
live in a global village in which everything is easily accessible, even if it is happening on the other
side of the planet.
2. This means that relationships are becoming more impersonal and mechanical, since people almost
dont communicate with each other face to face anymore. Instead, they connect using all sorts of
technological means: e-mails, text message, etc.
F.
1. difference 2. incapable 3. popularity / accessible
1.
2.
3.
4.

4. fascinating

5. unbelievable.

The photo which she is looking at shows her parents in France.

Beth, whose parents have a very busy life, feels very lonely sometimes.
The dog AIBO, which has been sold around the world, is the most advanced toy-robot.
The woman who I was talking to has got a big family.

G.
1.
2.
3.
4.

The cell phone which/that is a state-of-the-art mode belongs to my father.

Beth, whose parents have a very busy life, feels very lonely sometimes.
The dog AIBO, which has been sold around the world, is the most advanced toy-robot.
The woman who I was talking to has got a big family.