What do you use the Internet for? Does everyone have access to the Internet in your country? Do you think older people are scared of new technology? Do you think young children should have mobile phones?
What do you use the Internet for? I mainly use the Internet to read newspapers and news items, mostly about sport. I also use it to do a bit of research on things to do and things to see at the weekends. I do a bit of internet shopping, like booking flights and accommodation for my holidays.
Does everyone have access to the Internet in your country? I think so. Obviously, people in urban areas have wider access to the Internet. Irs still a very rural country though, so, on second thoughts, rm not sure that everybody is connected. And certainly not everyone has broadband.
Do you think older people are scared of new technology? Some older people embrace new technology. My granddad, for example, was a technophile and wanted to keep up to speed with the latest technology. However, I would say that most older people don’t bother learning about new technology simply because they can ‘t see what it would bring to their lives.
Do you think young children should have mobile phones? I can’t see that young children have much use for mobile phones, at least in terms of using the phone as a phone. They might find it interesting to have a device to listen to music and take photos. But I can ‘t imagine many young kids making calls.
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The piece of equipment I’d like to talk about is my iPhone, which is a smartphone. It has various uses. It functions as a normal phone so you can make calls and text people. But, more unusually for a phone, you can also surf the Internet and send emails. It also acts as a camera, though admittedly not a very good one. You can b1JY applications from an online store, which allow you to find your way, play games, read e-books, and much more besides. New applications are being added all the time, and some of them are really crazy, like one that lets you record your voice and then it plays it back to you but making you sound like an alien! And last but not least, you can listen to your music and watch videos. It was a present from my parents. I’d been pestering them for months to get me one and at last they gave in, when it came round to my birthday. I think they bought it online as it was cheaper that way. I was the first of my friends to get one, and I think they were all really envious. It is the latest must-have. People love it because it is so beautifully made, so intuitive, so robust and so clever. It is because it is so many things rolled into one that it is so useful. I just love my iPhone, and if I lost it I wouldn’t know what to do with myself. I use it on the way to university to entertain myself, I use it to stay in touch with my friends, I use it to check where I am. Irs not so much useful to me as absolutely essential.
What piece of electronic equipment would you not miss? That’s a difficult question because I love gadgets and all things technological. If I had to choose something, rd say kitchen gadgets.
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See pages 52-53 for text.
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Technological developments
What have been the most significant technological developments of recent years? In what ways have these developments changed society for the better and for the worse? Are people in your country nostalgic about life before technology?
Science and ethics
Why do you think some people claim scientists interfere too much with nature? Do you have anything against animal testing? Is scientific progress always for the greater good?
What have been the most significant technological developments of recent years? Undoubtedly. ones connected with the Internet. The Internet has created a global village where everyone can easily and cheaply contact almost anyone in the world. just to chat or to do business or to find love. Irs a revolution. the like of which I don’t think has been seen before. We have the Internet at home through our personal computers but also on the move through the use of smartphones and laptops. so wherever we are we have access to almost limitless sources of knowledge.
In what ways have these developments changed society for the better and for the worse? Well. as I said. they have brought people closer together in many ways. However. there are disadvantages. First of all. some people believe everything they read online. which is dangerous. Then. many people spend too much time sitting in front of their computers rather than going out and socialising. so they put on weight. they don’t develop and maintain friendship circles. Last but not least. it can cut dead debate. When I”m in the pub with my friends. we no longer have a friendly. informal debate about which band has sold the most albums. We just check our smartphones and find the answer in a few seconds. and then have nothing left to say to each other!
Are people in your country nostalgic about life before technology? Yes. I think so. and not just the older generation. Younger people. too. are beginning to see that community is not what it was and that is largely due to technological developments. For example. before the car most people walked to work. This meant that they lived close to their place of work. and so everyone lived and worked in the same area and they all knew each other.
Why do you think some people claim scientists interfere too much with nature? In my view. people are scared because scientists seem to be all-powerful. They come up with some new discovery almost every week. There seems to be no end to it. So people are bound to question whether irs right or not to delve so far into nature’s secrets. manipulating genetic codes and so on. But then maybe progress is always scary and thars what keeps us interested. It is challenging and thought-provoking.
Do you have anything against animal testing? I do if irs for the purposes of cosmetics and other unnecessary luxuries. I”m not sure what I think of testing on animals for reasons of finding cures for human illnesses. But I think irs something I”d rather not talk about. to be honest. I don’t feel comfortable discussing it.
Is scientific progress always for the greater good? Not necessarily. After all, scientists developed the atom bomb and all the efficient new ways we have of killing each other. What matters is that we keep on questioning scientists, letting them know that we are grateful for their discoveries but will not give them free rein. They need to keep morality in mind when they’re working.
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What would you say were the advantages of having a mobile phone?
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Technology brings people closer together, for example by allowing friends on opposite sides of the world to chat to each other online. But then again, it can isolate people, for example if someone spends hours in front of their computer alone.
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What do you think of online shopping?
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My friend Kate and her mum went to see a movie in 3D for the first time the other night. She really enjoyed it.
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People from my country are very enthusiastic about technological advances. People from my country often go straight out and buy the latest gadget as soon as it’s available in the shops. To be honest, I think people from my country are a bit materialistic and like to show off with their possessions.
In Britain, we are very enthusiastic about technological advances. We often go straight out and buy the latest gadget as soon as it’s available in the shops. To be honest, I think we are a bit materialistic and-like to show off our possessions.
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What do people in your country think of new technology?
