NC BOOK4 UNIT 9

Not only do most people in the country have multiple cell phone subscriptions, 90% of the population owns at least one smartphone!. Why do you think some people need more than one cell

New Connection—Book 4

countries for smartphone penetration According

to the data he compiled, Singapore is leading the way Not only do most people in the country have multiple cell phone subscriptions, 90% of the

population owns at least one smartphone!

What do you think the rate of smartphone ownership

is in your country? Why do you think some people

need more than one cell phone or cell phone

subscription? How do you think a significant rise in

smartphone ownership in your country would impact

c Browsing the Internet

2 What does the clerk say about cell phone processors?

a Most phones have similar ones.

b The Neon 4’s is twice as good as the Supersonic’s.

c They determine how well a phone operates.

3 Which phone will the customer most likely buy?

Audio Transcripts:

GETTING READY

Clerk: Good afternoon, sir How can I help you today?

Customer: I’d like to get a new smartphone However, I’m not very tech-savvy 1,

so I’m not sure what kind I should get

Clerk: No problem Let me show you the Berry alphaPhone first

Customer: Wow, it looks pretty small What are its dimensions 2?

Clerk: It’s about four and a half inches long and two and a third inches wide

Customer: Sorry, but I need a larger phone They feel more comfortable in my

hands

Clerk: All right How about the HTZ Supersonic 3? It has a

4.7 inch screen with a pixel 4 density 5 of 440 pixels per inch, or ppi.Customer: What does that mean?

Clerk: Basically, the higher the ppi, the more vivid images will appear

Customer: Well, that’s definitely important I like watching movies and stuff on

my phone

Clerk: How about taking pictures?

Customer: If I could get a phone with a decent camera, I would probably do that,

too

Clerk: Well, the Supersonic has an eight-megapixel 6

Audio Transcripts:

GETTING READY

Customer: Is that the best camera available?

Clerk: Actually, that’s the standard resolution nowadays

So, most phones have the same

Customer: So then besides screen size, what differentiates 7 one phone from

another?

Clerk: It mostly comes down to the performance of its

processor 8 and the size of its RAM 9 and internal storage 10.Customer: Huh?

Clerk: Well, the first part relates to how smoothly the phone will run And the amount of RAM determines how much the phone can do at one time For optimal performance, you’ll want at least a

gigabyte 11 of RAM; two or more gigs would be even better

Customer: I see Does the Supersonic have the most RAM?

Clerk: No, the LR Neon 4 has double what the Supersonic has

Customer: How many gigabytes of storage does the Neon have?

Clerk: It has 16 gigs, but you can expand it by inserting a memory card

Customer: Can I do that with the Supersonic?

Clerk: Unfortunately, neither of the other phones has a

memory card slot 12

WORD POWER

A Listen Up

Listen to the audio and choose the correct words from the options below.

WORD POWER

Audio Transcripts:

Christa: Hey, Leon Are you on an unlimited data plan 1?

Leon: No Why?

Christa: Well, I wanted to try out this new video chat app 2 with you, but it’s not

recommended for those with a small data limit 3 Is there a Wi-Fi connection 4 available here?

Leon: There is, but I still can’t use the app with you, Christa My

phone doesn’t have a front-facing camera 5 Christa: Really? I thought every smartphone came with one

Leon: Not mine It’s one of its many flaws 6 Christa: Oh, well Are there any new apps that you’d recommend I try?

Leon: Hmm I’ve been using a nice accounting app lately

Christa: That sounds boring

Leon: No, it’s really great! As you go through your day, you input information about everything you buy Then, this app will calculate your

weekly and monthly expenditures 7 , and you’ll receive notifications 8

about ways to cut back on your spending

Christa: Sorry, but I prefer entertainment-related apps Have you played that

game where you get to be a zombie 9 killer?

WORD POWER

Audio Transcripts:

Leon: Nope I detest 10 violent games

Christa: This one isn’t so bad The graphics are quite cute, actually You see, all

of the zombies are different types of food, like vegetables or cakes

Leon: Strange

Christa: I love it And what’s really cool is that you can take a snapshot 11 while

playing to use as wallpaper 12 for your phone.

Leon: I might be willing to give it a try if it would run on my outdated

OS 13, but since it’s a new game, I doubt that it’ll work

Christa: I think you’re right As far as I know, you need the newest version to

play this game

WORD POWER

B Word Focus: Smartphone Functions

Explain the meanings of the phrases below.

1 Surfing the Web → searching the Internet for

WORD POWER

C Speak Out Loud

Pair up with a classmate and decide which of the features below is the most useful Then give a presentation to convince your classmates that all cell phones in the future must have it.

CONVERSATION ZONE

（（（（（（（

Carl: Maggie, is that a new phone? Why did you scrap 1 the one you recently bought?

Maggie: Smartphone technology improves so fast nowadays that these

① 2 are out of date in a few months.

Carl: Perhaps But I think the improvements 3 over your last phone

will be pretty negligible 4

Maggie: I doubt it This phone has 64 gigabytes of ② , 2 gigs of RAM, an

8-megapixel camera, and a screen with a pixel density of 326 ppi

Carl: That could be ③ _ provided 5 that you understand what it means Do you?

Maggie: Well, some of it is Greek to me, but I know this one is better than the

Carl: Honestly, even if you compared them side-by-side 6, I doubt that you’d

④ _ 7 much difference in how the two phones perform

despite the fact the new one has better specifications 8

Maggie: Even if you’re right, I feel like I have my hands tied Unless I have the

newest phone, I can’t download the latest games!

Carl: I don’t understand why so many people use their phones

⑤ _ 9 as game systems now

Maggie: It isn’t rocket science People perpetually 10 have phones with them

When you’re bored, it’s a convenient option for keeping occupied 11

Carl: I’m too busy ⑥ _ 12 my mind with books to waste time

on games

Maggie: You seem to have a lot of hostility 13 towards smartphones They can

also be used for pursuits that require more ⑦ _ 14, like reading digital copies of books

Carl: I know those phones are state of the art and can do many things,

but I prefer to read novels as they were intended to be read

Maggie: Suit yourself.

_ 3 have one’s hands tied

_ 4 isn’t rocket science

_ 5 state of the art

_ 6 suit oneself

a difficult to understand

b not difficult to understand

c do what one wants

d unable to do what one wants

CONVERSATION ZONE—REVIEW

B Complete the Passage

Fill in the blanks with the correct forms of the words provided Change the parts of speech if necessary.

side-by-side perpetual

negligible

intellectual

provided

In studies where the health of people from urban and rural areas

is compared  , city dwellers usually show a

higher risk for health disorders Researchers claim that city

residents’  exposure to pollution is the main

problem These effects can be seen in people of all ages and are far from  Additionally, spending too much

time indoors on  pursuits, like studying,

rather than playing outside, has led to an increase in vision

problems, ADHD, and asthma among city youths It is expected

that these problems will continue  that city

CONVERSATION ZONE—REVIEW

C Multiple Choice

Choose the answers.

1 How does Carl think Maggie’s new phone compares to her

old one?

a It has several significant advantages.

b It looks more impressive.

c It is unlikely to perform much better.

d It has considerably more storage.

2 What does Maggie admit?

a She prefers her old phone.

b She doesn’t understand her phone.

c She only plays games for a short time.

d She doesn’t update her phone enough.

(c)

(b)

CONVERSATION ZONE—REVIEW

3 Why did Maggie purchase the new phone?

a To play games recently released

b To keep herself occupied

c To read novels

d To have the newest one available

4 What is Carl’s opinion about reading books on one’s phone?

a It can help broaden his mind.

b It’s not as fun as playing games.

c Reading a real one is better.

d He should consider it.

(a)

(c)

1 I tried to explain to my friend what I was currently studying in medical school, but she _ what I was talking about.

2 The city’s residents thought the reason why more stoplights needed

to be erected , so they worked together to get the politicians to put them up.

3 Ms Walters could always tell when her lectures _ her students because they would just stare at her and not contribute to the discussion.

Fill in the appropriate expressions.

EXPRESSION SPOTLIGHT

A Being Confusing or Comprehensible

couldn’t make heads or tails of

was as plain as day

• be Greek to (someone)

• go over (someone’s) head

• can’t make heads or tails of (something)

• isn’t rocket science

• be as plain as day

• be crystal clear

were Greek to

EXPRESSION SPOTLIGHT

B Doing What One Wants

Rewrite the parts in bold with the expressions above Practice saying the

sentences with a partner.

1 Teresa hated working in groups She felt that the people she was

forced to work with limited her creativity.

→ Teresa hated working in groups She felt that the people she was

forced to work with cramped her style

2 Since Donald wasn’t familiar with the techniques of interior design,

he allowed his decorator to do whatever she wanted.

→ Since Donald wasn’t familiar with the techniques of interior design,

he allowed his decorator to do as he/she pleased / have free

• suit (oneself)

• do as (one) pleases

• have free rein

• have (one’s) hands tied

• be hemmed/fenced in

• cramp (someone’s) style

Pair up with a classmate and create dialogues using the expressions above and the words provided.

EXPRESSION SPOTLIGHT

C Talking About Modern Things

• state of the art

• (on the) cutting edge

• light years ahead

A: I can’t believe that newspapers still

exist They are really past their prime.

B: In my opinion, they are still important

They just need to find more

state-of-the-art ways to deliver the news.

EXPRESSION PRACTICE

A True or False

Listen to the audio and select if the statements are true (T) or false

(F).

1 T ■ F ■ Luke is baffled by the original set of directions.

2 T ■ F ■ Megan is able to ascertain why Luke got lost.

3 T ■ F ■ Luke often makes use of his phone’s map application.

4 T ■ F ■ Megan understands Luke’s difficulty with reading

Audio Transcripts:

EXPRESSION PRACTICE

Megan: Hi, Luke What’s the matter?

Luke: Oh, hi, Megan It seems I’ve gotten myself lost

Megan: Where are you trying to go?

Luke: I want to go to this new pastry shop that is supposed to have

the most delicious pumpkin tarts ever, but I can’t make heads or tails

of these directions I have

Megan: Let me see Hmm, looking at these, the reason you’re lost is as plain as

day Do you have the exact address of the place?

Luke: Sure It’s 405 Whitmore Avenue, but how does that help?

Megan: I’m going to check it on the map application on my smartphone

Luke: I have one of those, but the information in them always goes over my head.

Megan: Reading a map isn’t rocket science.

Luke: There are too many icons on them, and they’re all Greek to me.

Megan: OK, well, it looks like you need to turn left at that next intersection up

there, and then go north for six blocks The place should be on your right Got that?

Luke: Your directions are crystal clear

4 Are you aware that you can’t do

whatever you want?

5 Only Donna has the privilege of

working on her ideas.

Alvin Kathy Kathy Kathy Alvin

EXPRESSION PRACTICE

Audio Transcripts:

Kathy: Alvin, can I speak to you for a moment?

Alvin: Sure, Kathy What’s going on?

Kathy: I’ve been receiving a lot of complaints from your coworkers about your

teamwork abilities You do know that you can’t just do as you please,

right?

Alvin: Sure But the problem is that I’m more creative than everyone else The

people in my group are really cramping my style.

Kathy: I’m sorry to hear that you feel that way, but I believe you are

exaggerating things At this company, we do everything we can to make

sure no one’s creativity is hemmed in.

Alvin: Are you kidding? The only one who has free rein to do what she wants

is our team leader, Donna Everyone else has to follow her orders

Kathy: You’re incorrect about that Everyone on your team submits ideas to

Donna, and then she picks which one to move forward with

Alvin: That’s crazy You have no idea what really happens on my team!

Kathy: OK I see that there’s no changing your mind about this Now, I’ve got

my hands tied With an attitude like yours, I have no choice but to let

you go

Alvin: Suit yourself I’ll just get a job at a company that appreciates me!

EXPRESSION PRACTICE

C Fill out the Chart

Decide which type of game fits each statement (3D or phone) and

give your reasons based on the audio.

Statement Game Reason

1. People interested in the

latest technology will want

to try this kind of game.

2. Recent past versions of

this type of game are

already outdated.

3. These games will continue

to progress as the devices

they are played on

improve.

4. These games are much

more advanced than

anything else currently

available.

3D phone

phone

3D

Jessica states that anyone who wants to play a

cutting edge game has to try one in 3D.

Owen admits that cell phone games become old

hat in just a few years.

Owen believes that the advancement of cell

phones will keep games for them from going out

of date.

Jessica says that 3D games are light years

ahead of the games available on other gaming

systems.

Owen thinks that 3D games won’t be considered

EXPRESSION PRACTICE

Audio Transcripts:

Owen: Hey, Jessica Is that the new 3D game console?

Jessica: It sure is! I’ve been playing it all day The games available to play on

this are light years ahead of those for every other system.

Owen: Perhaps, but I just downloaded a new one on my smartphone, and it still looks great to me

Jessica: Oh, come on, Owen! The graphics might look state of the art

compared to what else you can play on your device, but there’s no way they’re as advanced as what I’ve got here

Owen: I admit that cell phone games released over a year ago are

already old hat, but as phones develop and become more advanced, it will keep the games played on them from going out of date.

Jessica: Whatever I think that anyone who wants games that are cutting edge

has to start playing ones in 3D They’re the future!

Owen: Honestly, in a few years we’ll be having this conversation

again, but 3D games will be the ones that will be past their prime

However, we’ll still have cell phones, and we’ll have even better games for them!