Reading (max. 15 min)
If you think of the jobs robots could never do, you would probably put doctors and teachers at the top of the list. It’s easy to imagine robot cleaners and factory workers, but some jobs need human connection and creativity. But are we underestimating what robots can do? In some cases, they already perform better than doctors at diagnosing illness. Also, some patients might feel more comfortable sharing personal information with a machine than a person. Could there be a place for robots in education after all?
British education expert Anthony Seldon thinks so. And he even has a date for the robot takeover of the classroom: 2027. He predicts robots will do the main job of transferring information and teachers will be like assistants. Intelligent robots will read students’ faces, movements and maybe even brain signals. Then they will adapt the information to each student. It’s not a popular opinion and it’s unlikely robots will ever have empathy and the ability to really connect with humans like another human can.
One thing is certain, though. A robot teacher is better than no teacher at all. In some parts of the world, there aren’t enough teachers and 9–16 per cent of children under the age of 14 don’t go to school. That problem could be partly solved by robots because they can teach anywhere and won’t get stressed, or tired, or move somewhere for an easier, higher-paid job.
Those negative aspects of teaching are something everyone agrees on. Teachers all over the world are leaving because it is a difficult job and they feel overworked. Perhaps the question is not ‘Will robots replace teachers?’ but ‘How can robots help teachers?’ Office workers can use software to do things like organise and answer emails, arrange meetings and update calendars. Teachers waste a lot of time doing non-teaching work, including more than 11 hours a week marking homework. If robots could cut the time teachers spend marking homework and writing reports, teachers would have more time and energy for the parts of the job humans do best.
Are the sentences True or False?
- Most jobs seem as if they can be done by robots or computers.
True False
- Robots are always better at diagnosing illnesses than doctors.
True False
- Many experts agree robots will replace teachers by 2027.
True False
- One advantage of robot teachers is that they don’t need to rest.
True False
- Robot assistants could help teachers by marking homework and writing reports.
True False
- Some teachers use robots to reduce their time answering emails and marking homework.
True False
Writing (max. 15 min)
Write an essay on the following theme /100-150 words/
My lifestyle thirty years ago and thirty years later. Which are the advantages and disadvantages of both lifstyles?
Grammar (max. 7 min)
- Write the sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence.
- Jack really likes football and never misses a match. Crazy
Jack is crazy about football and never misses a match
- My uncle worked on a sailing boat until he was thirty. Was
My uncle was working on a sailing boat until he was thity.
- John participated in a swimming competition last week. Part
John took part is a swimming competition last week.
- June and I had a game of tennis. Against
June and I had a game of tennis against each other.
- I played chess almost every day when I was young. Used
I used to play chess almost every day when I was young.
- Volleyball doesn’t really interest me. In
I don’t really find interest in volleyball.
- Young children like Disneyland. Popular
Disneyland is popular whit young children.
- Choose the correct answer
- It’s the first time ————- all the answers right in a test!
- I’ve got
- I’d got
- I’ve been getting
- I’d been getting
- The exam —————– when Jimmy finally found the right room.
- Has already started
- Already started
- Had already started
- Already starts
- ————that crossword for over an hour and you still haven’t finished it!
- You’ve done
- You’d done
- You’ve been doing
- You’d be doing
- When they let us go in, we ————– outside the exam room for over half an hour.
- Have stood
- Had been standing
- Have been standing
- Are standing
- Claire hasn’t finished her work ———-.
- Already
- Yet
- Just
- Ever
Choose the correct answer
- I got ———– the car, turned the key and realised I didn’t have any petrol!
- Into
- Off
- Onto
- On
- I hope our plane leaves on ———.
- Timetable
- Plan
- Schedule
- Hour
- We had a long way to go so we ————- off very early
- Made
- Set
- Put
- Had
- Public ———— in this city is quite good, and it’s not expensive.
- Travel
- Journey
- Vehicle
- Transport
- It’s easier to travel abroad when you can speak ————- language like English.
- A strange
- A foreign
- An unknown
- An outside
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