Module G Practice

VISUAL MEDIA AND THE WRITTEN WORD LINES 1-4Complaints from teachers and parents that children today are reading less are all too familiar. How is it, they wonder, that youngsters somehow manage to find plenty of time for video games, TV and the Internet, and yet there is a constant decline in their reading? Could it be that the lure of the visual images in electronic media is much greater than that of the written word?LINES 5-9Some educators claim that without a vigorous campaign to restore reading to its rightful place, we risk raising a generation that is cut off from a rich historical and cultural heritage. Before we rush into action, however, it might be wise to change the way we view both visual media and the written word. What we have here is not a clash between entertainment and culture, but simply two technologies, each representing a different mode of communication.LINES 10-16It's easy to forget that writing too is a form of technology. Long before humans invented the alphabet, they passed their traditions orally from generation to generation by telling stories. Only after thousands of years did the new technology of writing come into being. It might seem that the 20th-century move from paper to the screen brought about a similar revolution, creating as great a change in the means of expression as the alphabet did. But in fact, much of the new technology — text messaging and email, for example — isn't as revolutionary as it seems. It merely extends the original invention of writing by allowing the written word to be published electronically.LINES 17-24Video games and other visual media, however, rely not on texts but on pictures, and are therefore an entirely different form of communication — a form that is actually more natural for humans than the written word. "We have a highly developed visual sense, making it easy for our brain to absorb visual images almost instantly," says neurologist Marcel Just. "Reading, on the other hand, is a technically difficult skill that takes years to learn. In fact, it's quite surprising that we invented reading and writing." Dr. Just also allays fears that children's preference for visual media over books will adversely affect their intellectual development. He has found that the brain's ability to perform complex tasks, such as following a plot or grasping irony, remains the same regardless of how it gets the information.LINES 25-29Like it or not, there is no doubt that additional technological advances will further increase the use of visual media at the expense of the written word. Does this mean that in the future people will be unable to deal with a novel? Perhaps. But on the other hand, eventually we are quite likely to develop a visual medium that is just as good as books, or even better. And so the intellectual well-being of future generations is probably secure.(Adapted from "The end of the word as we know it," Newsweek, September 19, 2005) 1. In lines 1-4 the writer speaks of the decline in reading and presents (— ). a practical solution to the problem probable effects of the problem his own attitude towards the problem a possible cause of the problem 2. COMPLETE THE ANSWER. What is the move from paper to the screen compared to? (lines 10-16) To the change from telling stories orally / passing traditions orally to writing / using the alphabet. 3. COMPLETE THE SENTENCE. In lines 10-16 the writer explains why the new technology is not revolutionary as it seems. / writing too is a form of technology. / new technology merely extends the original invention of writing. 4. What does Marcel Just claim regarding visual media and the written word? (lines 17-24) Both were developed by accident. It is harder for the brain to deal with writing than with visual media. Both are highly developed forms of communication. Both are highly developed forms of communication. 5. Why are people worried about the decline in reading? Give TWO answers, each from a different paragraph. (1) They feel there is a risk / it may risk raising a generation that is cut off from a rich historical and cultural heritage.(2) It may / will affect children's / people's intellectual development. People may / will be unable to deal with a novel in the future. 6. What is the writer's conclusion regarding the decline in reading? Something must be done to promote reading. Visual media will never replace books. Concerns about the decline may be exaggerated. Not only children are affected by the decline. What are the most important values children should be taught? Write 120-140 words.MAKE SURE YOU HAVE:1. title2. 4 paragraphs3. at least 3 connectors4. one of each: perfect, passive, conditional, relative clause and modals / semi modals.