Holly老師的英語新天地

以下來個幾組完整的Part2及Part3 Questions之參考答案，幫助考生腦力激盪囉！加油J

Describe an invention before the Age of Computer.

  You should say:

  what is it

  what’s it used for

  what advantages / disadvantages it has

and explain how it affects your life.

Notes:

²  Plastic — can be found in many products / things made of plastic are lighter and last longer; causing environmental problems because it is not bio-degradable

²  Anti-biotic — has saved a great many lives, e.g. people dying from pneumonia or TB, negative effects include side-effects and abuse.

²  Nuclear power — can supply more power and save fossil fuel, disastrous once an accident happens

²  Chemical pesticide — can increase crop yield by killing insect population; ensures food supply / causing pollution and food safety concern

Follow-up Questions

1. How important is this new invention to people’s life?

2. Have you ever tried any new product?

Part 3

1.   Will today’s technology or electric apparatus still be popular in 50 years?

2.  What different uses are there between the young and the old?

3.   Are there any differences in attitudes about technology between men and women? // What are those?

4.   Do young people nowadays rely too much on technology?

5.   How does technology influence people? // Does it make life better?

6.   Do you think the development of science and technology will bring people much more convenience? // In what ways?

7.   What are the advantages and disadvantages of new technology?

8.   Are modem inventions superior to ancient inventions such as paper?

9.   Do you think modern inventions are necessary in the countryside?

10. How does the government popularize and apply the new technology? // What can it benefit from new inventions?

Reference:

3   Are there any differences in attitudes about technology between men and women? // What are those?

• Ø  Generally speaking, yes. — Men are good at science subjects and have more interest in new technology and technical or mechanical skills. They are more curious about novelties and are more ready to use them to improve efficiency for doing things in everyday life.
• Ø  Not necessarily. — It just depends on the personality of a particular person. Both men and women can be very keen on trying new technological items if they are open-minded. Or they can be very reserved and always wait and see until their friends or neighbours use it and prove that it is really good and helpful.
• Ø  Almost all the people can demonstrate their curiosity about new technology. Many people want to have access to the new inventions. But they are very practical and believe that it is not worthwhile to buy and use them at the beginning stage. While others just cannot afford them before they are commonplace and become household items.

5   How does technology influence people? // Does it make life better?

• Ø  Automobiles — allow a person to move around freely; car culture; greater mobility; greater efficiency; travel made easier and more comfortable; exchange of goods and personnel; holiday; commuting; sport racing; car accidents; pollution; congested roads; laziness; dependence on cars
• Ø  Penicillin — pneumonia or TB; infection; infectious diseases; anti-biotic; medical breakthrough; wonder drug; life-saving; make a difference between life and death; life expectancy; infant mortality; inexpensive; in common use
• Ø  Telephone — change the way of life; handy and convenient; always at the other end of phone; easy to reach; save time and money; overcome distance; easy to get help once in trouble; save the trouble of travelling; make business easier; reduce the chances of meeting each other

8   Are modern inventions superior to ancient inventions such as paper?

• Ø  They usually are. — accumulated knowledge and experience; scientific research and discoveries; knowledge-based, not skill-based; experiment; upgrade; improve; industrial revolution; machinery, machine-made; computer’s role in industry; digital age; high-tech; the newer, the better; the newest, the best
• Ø  Not always. — Making things is not about science; it is an “art”; simple things are the most useful; things invented don’t always need to be sophisticated; underestimate wisdom and skills of our ancestors; a million years from now, things like paper will still be in use.

Additional Topic-related Questions

1    What is your understanding of being creative?

• Ø  Being creative is not limited to scientists or artists. Actually, ordinary people also do creative work in their lives. Many amateur inventors have found new and more convenient ways of doing everyday things. For example, the paper clip was invented by a man who kept losing his paperwork. Thanks to his own invention, he’s now very well organized.
• Ø  “Being creative” means one can think of things that others cannot. It also means one can solve problems in a simple and original way. And it means one can think and do things in an unusual way.

2   Can ordinary people be inventive in doing things?

• Ø  Many people mistakenly think that creativity is the ability to think thoughts that no one else has ever thought. In fact, creativity is just a way of looking at the ordinary in a different way. Actually almost everyone is more creative than he thinks. We usually don’t recognize our good ideas as creativity in action. For example, in a large mid-western city a group of thieves had invented a very efficient system. They could go into a clothing store, take all the clothes away and be out of the store before the police arrived. Then a young man had an idea. He told stores to change the way they hung the clothes. He told them to place some hangers with the hook facing in and some with the hook facing out. The next time the police arrived, they found the young thieves removing the clothes one at a time. Everyday creativity is just looking at things from a new point of view.

3   What can teachers do at school to encourage inventiveness?

²  Employ a new approach of combining the basics with activities where the students must use their imagination.

²  Ask questions and meanwhile praise their ideas and new thoughts.

²  Try their best to facilitate the process; create an atmosphere in which there is no risk in being creative, a place where wild ideas are honoured and valued, never scorned or dismissed.

²  Guide the students to learn how to research a topic on their own.

²  Encourage hands-on work and a D-I-Y service to make students learn that self-reliance is an important principle in life.

4   What can parents do at home to encourage creativity?

²  Involve children in family decision-making.

²  Help children to understand the consequences of various decisions.

²  Encourage them to talk out loud about things they are doing and the reason for doing so. The children can see creativity in its purest form.

²  Give children choices from an early age. Examples: when they are very young, let them choose between two food items for breakfast. When they grow older, parents should let them decide how to use their time or spend their money.

5   Which should be emphasized in education, knowledge or creativity?

²  Both are equally important, and no system should only emphasize one. Knowledge involves facts and skills that are essential, but creativity allows you to do original things with your knowledge. If I had to emphasize one, I would choose creativity since it is more important than facts and figures which are easily forgotten.