When discussing ideas, speakers oflen need to present different sides of an argument. To do this effectively, they use transitional phrases to distinguish belween various viewpoints. To compare different sides of an issue, a speaker might use phrases like this:

. . . but I think. . .

. . . but other people. . .

. . . but the other thing is.. .

. . . on the other hand. . .

. . . however, some people. . .

It is important to pay attention to transitional phrases so that you understand both sides of the argument as well as the opinion of the speaker.

1 Before you listen to the interview with Nina, read these incomplete excerpts. Notice that at the end of each one, Nina indicates that she is going to present another side of the issue. Think about what she might say.

1 It’s fun to spend hours a day surfing the net, investigating something that interests you, but…

2 It’s wonderful on one hand to have the Internet at your disposal, but. . .

3 You get to discuss books with your friends, to share the ideas with others, but. . .

4 I know a little bit about the Internet, but. . .

5 I really like e-mail, but. . .

6 Computers might be great for writing and editing things, and everything looks great and all that, but. . .

Listen to Kina describe her feelings about computers and the Internet. As you listen, take notes about the opinions she expresses after each of the excerpts in step 1. Then compare your answers with a partner.

INTERVIEW WITH KELLY: The benefits of computers and the Internet

Here are some words and phrases from the interview with Kelly printed in bold and ‘ given in the context in which you will hear them. They are followed by definitions.

Letters make better keepsakes: small objects that you keep because they remind you of someone or some event

E-mail is just so much more convenient: easier

for more extended interaction: longer conversations

I have IM (Instant Messaging) configured: set up on a computer

once vour get over your initial fear: first, preliminaiy

just fiddling around with them and testing things out: using them to leant what they are like

My generation is hooked on the Internet: addicted to It makes a lot of things accessible: available

All of my syllabi for my classes are online: plural of "syllabus” (Latin)

The Internet could increase the disparities between different classes: differences / levels of society

Or maybe technology just illuminates existing disparities: highlights, points out

О GETTING STARTED

In this section you are going to discuss the changes in our world that are occurring because of the rapid introduction of new technology. You will also hear a mini-history of the computer and practice listening for dates.

READING AND THINKING ABOUT THE TOPIC

1 Read the following passage.

Today’s world is changing faster than ever before. We have seen technological progress in areas we could not have imagined only ten or twenty years ago. Using computerized robots, a surgeon is now able to perform an operation on a patient in a different continent; music lovers can download their favorite music at the touch of a button and then bum their own CDs at home; digital photography allows us to take photographs and transmit them instantly to the other side of the world.

What is the impact of all this technology on the way we interact with each other? Nobody is quite sure vet. Some people have embraced and celebrated new technology, which allows them to save time and effort. Others are not sure if the supposed benefits are actually worth it. They are concerned that new technologies have too much importance in our lives. They believe that some new technologies are having a negative effect on the way people interact with each other.

Answer the following questions according to the information in the passage.

1 What are some recent innovations in the world of technology?

2 Why are some people in favor of technology?

3 Why are other people concerned about technology’s impact?

Read these questions and share your answers with a partner.

1 In what ways has new technology improved your relationships with other people?

2 What is the most difficult experience you have had with new technology’?

3 What technological innovations do you think will occur in the next fifty years?

О RECORDING NUMERICAL INFORMATION

1 Look at the mini-history of the computer below. Work with a partner. Using your own ideas and knowledge, guess in which year each of the technological innovations in items 2 through 10 was made. Write your guesses in the “Guess” column.

Mini-history of the Computer

Guess Fact

1 In 500 B. c. the abacus, a tool for counting, was in common use.

2 Blaise Pascal invented the first calculating machine. ______________

3 The first computing machine was built that used a binary – not decimal – method of operation.

4 The term “artificial intelligence” was first used.

5 The first commercial computer with a monitor and a keyboard _______ _______

was developed.

6 The mouse was invented as a time-saving device for giving commands to a computer.

7 The first personal computer was marketed.

8 The laptop computer appeared. _____ _______

9 “Deep Blue,” a supercomputer, beat the world chess champion in a six-game match.

10 The first teraflop computer was installed in a laboratory’. It_______________

could perform one trillion operations per second.

Listen to the mini-history of the computer. Fill in the dates that you hear in the "Fact” column. Then compare vour answers with your partner.

Q AMERICAN VOICES: Nina and Kelly

Jn this section you will hear two people discuss how technology has changed the way we interact with other people. Nina, a social worker, is unsure about the benefits of computers and the Internet. Kelly, a university student, is more positive about them.

his unit concerns ways in which contemporary life is different from life in the past. Chapter 9 examines the impact of technology. You will hear two people with different views talk about how computers and the internet have changed our world. The lecture is about how technology has impacted the job market. Chapter 10 presents information about the increasing tendency of people to move to cities. You will listen to interviews about the advantages and disadvantages of living in cities, near cities, and in the country’. Then you will hear a lecture about how cities have changed and will continue to change.

Many professors in English-speaking countries expect you to ask questions and make comments during or after their lectures. In this way, information can be clarified and a variety of opinions can be introduced that increase the depth of the discussion and make it more interesting.

In Chapter 7, you practiced writing questions in the margins to remind you to clarify information that you did not understand. You can also use the margins to write comments that you would like to make. Here are some reasons you might want to ask a question or make a comment:

• You did not understand something the speaker said and want clarification.

• You would like additional information about some point of the lecture.

• You want to contribute additional information about a point of the lecture.

• You disagree with something the speaker said and want to discuss it.

• You agree with something the speaker said and want to express your support.

Even if you do not have a question or comment, it is a good idea to take notes on questions and comments of other students. You should also take notes on the lecturer’s response and any class discussion that follows. This will increase your knowledge and understanding of the topic.

1

Listen to Part One of the lecture and take notes on your own paper.

Write your questions and comments in the margins of the paper on which you take notes. Write at least one question and one comment.

3 ! Discuss your questions and comments with a partner.

LECTURE, PART TWO: Questions, answers, and comments

GUESSING VOCABULARY FROM CONTEXT

1 The following items contain important vocabulary from Part Two of the lecture. Work with a partner. Using the context and your knowledge of related words, take turns trying to guess the meanings of the words in bold.

1 People’s moods and opinions are difficult to understand through statistics.

2 This figure might reflect people’s concern about violent crime.

3 If you’ve suffered the loss of a loved one, your immediate response is to want revenge.

___ 4 This form of retribution is not the answer.

___ 5 The legal system is supposed to elevate us: it is set up so that it is better

than us.

6 Individually, we are flawed, but as a society we are strong.

7 In many ways, capital punishment is very arbitrary.

8 If you really believed in the death penalty as a punishment for a horrific crime. . .

9 Nobody would stand for that.

Work with your partner. Match the vocabulary terms with their definitions by writing the letter of each definition below in the blank next to the sentence containing the correct term in step 1. Check your answers in a dictionary if necessary, a punishment for the person who hurt you b terrible c number d not perfect e unfair f punishment g help us become better h accept, allow і feelings

Q NOTE TAKING: USING YOUR NOTES TO ASK QUESTIONS AND MAKE COMMENTS

Listen to Part Two of the lecture. You will hear five students address Mr. Stack. Take notes on their questions and comments and on Mr. Stack’s responses.

Compare your notes with your partner from Part One of the lecture. Were the questions and comments the students addressed to Mr. Stack similar to or different from yours?

The Death Penalty

In this section you will hear and take notes on a two-part lecture given by Jonathan Stack, a filmmaker who has made several documentaries on prisons. Mr. Stack frequently lectures on criminal justice. The title of this lecture is The Death Penalty.

BEFORE THE LECTURE

EXAMINING GRAPHIC MATERIAL

1 Look at the graph below. It shows the number of prisoners executed (put to death) in the United States between 1930 and 2000.

—

250 200 150 100 50 0

1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 Source: U. S. Department of Justice, 2000

Discuss the following questions with a partner.

1 What does the graph show about the death penalty in the United States?

2 What is your reaction to the information in the graph?

О NOTE TAKING: RECORDING NUMERICAL INFORMATION

Lecturers often present numerical information when they refer to research studies and other examples that support their ideas. It is important to listen to the context of the numerical information so that you understand what the number represents. Here are some examples of what numbers can represent:

• a year (examples: 1983, 1832)

• a percentage (examples: twenty percent, forty-four percent)

• a fraction (examples: one-eighth, three-quarters)

1 Read the following descriptions. Each of them refers to numerical information that you will hear in the lecture.

1 The date the U. S. Supreme Court ruled that capital punishment was unconstitutional (Capital punishment is another term for the death penalty.)

2 The date when capital punishment was reinstated 3 The number of executions that have been carried out since capital

punishment was reinstated

4 The percentage of people in the United Slates who say they favor the death penalty in cases of murder

____ 5 The people in the United Stales who say they favor the death

penalty in cases of murder, expressed as a fraction

____________ 6 The number of murders per 100,000 people per year in the United

States

7 The number of murders per 100,000 people per year in Japan 8 The number of murders per 100,000 people per year in France

Now listen to excerpts from the lecture. Write the correct numbers in the blanks in step 1. Then compare your answers with a partner.

LECTURE, PART ONE: Arguments Against the Death Penalty

GUESSING VOCABULARY FROM CONTEXT

The following items contain important vocabulary’ from Part One of the lecture.

Work with a partner. Using the context and your knowledge of related words, choose the best synonym for the words in bold by circling the correct letters. Check your answers in a dictionary, if necessary.

1 The U. S. Supreme Court ruled that capital punishment was unconstitutional,

a illegal b immoral c impossible

2 But later, the Court reinstated it.

a continued to discuss it b put it back in place c repeated its argument

3 Executions are usually carried out by lethal injection or electrocution,

a cruel b deadly c painless

4 States with the most executions are also the states with the highest homicide rates,

a assault b fraud c murder

5 I have another major objection to capital punishment.

a interest in b criticism of c opinion about

6 They were released because they were improperly convicted.

a immediately b angrily c incorrectly

7 There were 26 people on death row, and 13 of them were I’eleased.

a waiting to go to court b waiting to be freed c waiting for execution

8 That should not be in the domain of the state.

a interest b world c power