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Learn English with this technology lesson

Date: Apr 17 2013

Themes: Tech

Grammar: Present Progressive Tense

Intro

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2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

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“No, no, Marie, honey. Listen, I can explain. It’s not… Marie? I’ll explain everything.” A man in a suit walks down the street, and he’s looking right at you. He’s alone, but he’s speaking in an emotional manner. With one hand he carries a briefcase, while he holds a coffee and gestures with the other hand. You look behind you, but you are the only one on the street. Who could this man be talking to?

In the past, we may have thought this man and others speaking by themselves in public were suffering from a mental illness. Now, because of hands free cell phone technology, we can’t be sure. In this English lesson, learn how Mason and Greta feel about hands free cell phone technology.

“不,不,玛丽,亲爱的。听着,我可以解释。事情不是……玛丽?我可以解释一切。”街上走来一位身穿西服的男士,他正在看着你。他独自一人,但正在满含感情地讲话。他一手拎着公文包,另一只手拿着咖啡还在不停比划。你看了看身后,发现整条街上只有你一个人。他在和谁讲话?

在过去,我们可能会认为这个男人以及其他在公共场合自言自语的人都患有精神病。但现在,由于免提电话技术,我们就不能肯定了。那些在街上走着大声讲话的人,是在自言自语吗?还是在和我们说话?又或者是,他们正在用蓝牙耳机或带有麦克风的耳机,同另一个地点的某个人谈话?在本节英语课上,听听梅森和格里塔对免提电话技术的看法。

Dialog

1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.

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2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Mason

Mason

Greta

Greta

Mason:  I am really bummed out because my phone is kind of like, half-broken right now.

Greta:  Oh, that’s terrible. What’s wrong with it?

Mason:  Well, one of the microphones stopped working, so I can’t use it if I just hold it up to my ear and talk on it. But I can use it if I have a headset connected to it.

Greta:  Like a bluetooth, or an earpiece thing that you would wear?

Mason:  Yeah.

Greta:  Yeah, I think, I think the thing that weirds me out about people who wear their bluetooths all the time is that I’m never quite sure if they’re talking to me or if they’re talking to somebody on the phone. Like, they’ll be standing in line in a coffee shop and they’ll be talking very excitedly, and I’m don’t know if I’m supposed to turn around and engage in the conversation or if they are on the phone. It’s just, I can never read if they’re interacting with just that person in their ear. They also look crazy when they walk down the street and they are just talking because something about having a hand up to your ear with a phone in it makes you look, you know, legitimate.

Mason:  Yeah, there’s definitely kind of a social signal that goes out on that. It’s funny. I mean, it’s really cool technology, right?

Greta:  Sure.

Mason:  But it’s almost like our brains haven’t evolved from the days when there were phone booths and phone conversations are private things that you have to be in a deliberate space and use very deliberate tools to do it. Now it’s just anytime, anywhere, talking on my phone doing whatever I want.

 

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Discussion

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Mason’s cell phone microphone is broken, and he must use hands free technology to talk on his cell phone.

Greta feels confused when she sees or hears someone talking on the phone using a bluetooth or headset. She doesn’t know who that person is talking to! Mason thinks that in the past, a phone conversation was private, but now people talk on their phones whenever and wherever they want.

Do you use bluetooth technology or a headset? What do you think when you see people using this technology in public? Do you think that it is acceptable for people to have cell phone conversations anytime and anywhere?

 

Comments

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Gramsmith

United States

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07:12 AM Aug 13 2016 |

timchang

Germany

No, it is usually not quite acceptable to have cell phone converstaions anytime and anywhere.  But not all instances are created equal.  Talking in a libarary, movie theatre, wedding, etc. is more unacceptable, while parks or streets would be OK.  How one behaves speaks volumes about that person’s character.  Talking in a library definitely shows his inconsideration to other people’s rights or feelings.   

03:07 PM Sep 18 2013 |

join qing

China

yes,it isnot easy to define the one is talking with you or somebody else. But it is really make ours life more convinient .i like it.

08:28 AM Apr 26 2013 |

NightiNgale

Sudan

I never use headset to talk on the phone, they say its healthy and prevent the direct contact between the ear and the phone but it makes me feel like a crazy.
I love to use it to listen to music or when I want to ignore peeople and look busy : p

04:58 AM Apr 24 2013 |

CyrilCui

CyrilCui

China

This lesson is interesting.


I like to use headset to talk on my cell phone.But it really hurt my ears.I’m not only talking on the phone using headset,but also use headset to listen to music in usual.After a long time my ears are painful.So don’t use headset for too long time and adjust the volume to fit your ears.


I always call somebody in a private place,and I don’t like people using this technology in public.It makes the others feel confused and makes a lot of noise.


I can’t acceptable for people to have cell phone conversations anytime and anywhere.It is not polite.We should consider other people’s feelings and retain some privacy.

04:14 PM Apr 20 2013 |

TranceSoul

TranceSoul

Poland

Ahahahahahahahahaaa, dayu1 it was really funny and sorry for that :D

07:28 PM Apr 17 2013 |

1 person likes this

dayu1

dayu1

Mexico

I love this lesson this happens common In my house with my dad he say : hey how are you? And I answer :good I told u before :) and later he just smile and I see the Bluetooth :)

06:18 PM Apr 17 2013 |

1 person likes this

dreadslayer

Turkey

while i’M listening to music with my headset if somebody calls me i answer the call and speak via headset .even though they dont hear me well 

06:14 PM Apr 17 2013 |

rghenglish

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

I think it is harmful to use headset a lot.:D



05:36 PM Apr 17 2013 |

koxa

koxa

Ukraine

I don’t really like to speak through bluetooth technology or a headset but from the side of health I would tend to use headset as a less harfmul device with all of those influential magnetic waves for my brain. Speaking about my attitude to the people who use the way of making the call via Blue or heaset I don’t understand those ones that using bluetooth even when their hands are free and they are not drivers. Initial purpose of creating such technologies was to facilitate the process of making calls for drivers in order to make autotrip safer. 

05:22 PM Apr 17 2013 |

TranceSoul

TranceSoul

Poland

I don’t use a bluetooth and a headset because I don’t like to talk on the phone,so I don’t care about this technology. I try to limit the personal telephone conversations, because I do it all day long at my work and after that I have really enough.


What do I think when I see people using this technology in public…actually irritate me only those ones who do it in buses,trams and etc and they talk laud and about theirs private matters. They don’t need to do this now but they like it and just have a free time.I think that they don’t care only about their privacy, but about ours either”


And this is not even about a new technology but about phone conversations IN PUBLIC.

03:43 PM Apr 17 2013 |

DarknessLight

Germany

No, I don’t use any…yet, but I might need to someday. Well, if I heard someone talking to himself I’d look to make sure that he’s using a bluetooth or headphones, so I wouldn’t embarrass him by not answering or myself by answering when he’s not even talking to me. Also, there are women here who put their phones inside their scarves, so it’s impossible to tell if they’re talking on the phone or not, and I was embarrassed a couple of times because of that. Well, there are some places where using cell phones is prohibited, and even if it’s not, in some places people might get annoyed by hearing other people’s phone conversations, like in formal meetings, presentations, etc.

12:18 PM Apr 17 2013 |

Ali Sadeghi

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

I think hands free are not good for ears,so i advise my dear friends to use them rarely just in vital positions.


i think bluetooth is really good for tranfering data to our mobiles.


09:50 AM Apr 17 2013 |

1 person likes this

Sphenothalami

Syrian Arab Republic

Good lesson.

Well, I think some people speak publicly on the phone in order to show off, I don’t like talking on the phone publicly, and I encourage people not to do so.

It is better to have a private phone call than a public on, because I can’t focus on the call.

Thank you Englishbaby. 

09:31 AM Apr 17 2013 |

joodiaboot

joodiaboot

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

i love phone,and i use it all the time.it s so good because u can connect with all people that u want,it s nice.


bluetooth is so better than headset i think.u can use it easier:)

08:56 AM Apr 17 2013 |

naira71

naira71

Azerbaijan

I dont use bluetooth and these headsets , my mobile phone is usual one.I think that use of these phones while driving is very dangerous and a driver disperses his attention writing a message or talking by headsets.

08:31 AM Apr 17 2013 |

masoudhsn

masoudhsn

Canada

Technology has changed the way we live. I assume almost two decades ago, thinking about having cell phone and talking with others everywhere was like a dream. However, this idea has changed dramaticly that people in all of the world have access to this impressive technology. Since using cell phone isn’t legitimate in my country while we are driving, I would rather to use headset and earpiece most of the time. In additon, in some ocassions like being in some private places when we are talking on heaset, it should weird people out  around us which it is a social signal to leave that locaton. As a result, this technology aims us to live more comfortable than before if we shoud struggle not make other peple bummed up with our actions. 

08:03 AM Apr 17 2013 |

1 person likes this

Michaelwang

China

never use bluetooth or headset,never, if somebody use this technology i see in public, i feel its amazing, maybe sometimes what the hell he or she fucking talking to ,maybe god.but i am not sure. what i just care about is that if you talk on the phone no matter what you taking about by useing thechnology or hand free around me, plz keep your voice lower, ok? dont disturb other people, come on, calm down. 

07:10 AM Apr 17 2013 |

sherryleio

sherryleio

China

I do not have many calls, so not so often to use bluetooth or a headset. I think it is not so polite to talk loudly in pubic anytime and anywhere. Especially in an elevator, or something like that. Better to find somewhere you can have some kinda of privacy. It also shows your respect to other ppl. Well, maybe nowadays, many young ppl do not care about this any more, they just want to have cell phone conversations no matter where they are and when it is.

04:38 AM Apr 17 2013 |

Ngubo Sixtus

South Africa

technogy is  more improved,look at those tools like bluetooth and headsets. these stuff are like hell. you can walk and talk now.i do admire these tools.

03:23 AM Apr 17 2013 |

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