Teaching steps
T might want to give guidance on how to approach the questionnaire. It will be more interesting if Ss answer what they would really do rather than state what they think is the officially correct thing to do. If this is unlikely to work, they could be asked to predict what they think most people would do.
Vocabulary support
Topics: copyright piracy, unauthorized copying, privacy, dis/honesty, personal morality
Phrases and sentence patterns:
I think that would be unacceptable.
My conscience would not allow me to do that. Would you really feel comfortable about ….?
Additional activity
Ss could be asked to put the least honest options in order of unacceptability (for example, from 7c to 1c).
T can suggest other acts and ask for views on their acceptability with reasons for the answers. borrowing a friend’s phone without permission keeping money found in the street
taking a bar of chocolate in a shop when no one is looking not repaying a debt
writing in a library book
making false excuses for late work
Active reading (1)
Teaching steps
Ask Ss to look at the picture. Ask if anyone can identify the people or know about Catch Me If You Can. Accept short answers or move on after telling the Ss they will find out when they read the passage.
1 Work in pairs and discuss the questions
1 What proof do you have of your identity?
Various official documents, especially ones with photographs on them (identity cards, passports, birth certificates and so on).
2 Why / When do you need to prove your identity?
For security, for example, when you enter buildings and airports; to prevent dishonest acts such as when taking examinations or do banking things.
3 How much do you worry about someone stealing your identity?
Most of us are aware there is a risk but do not do anything very active about it.
4 Could you convince people you were someone else?
Ss must decide how good they are at acting and how cool their nerve is.
5 How easy is it to pretend to have a qualification you don’t have?
Many people and organizations are trusting, busy and lax so fake diplomas are often accepted.
2 Look at the title and the first sentence of the passage and answer the questions.
1 What sort of people did Frank Abagnale pretend to be? He pretended to be professionals (pilot, doctor, lawyer).
2 Was Frank young or old when he pretended to be these people? He was young (still in high school) when he did so.
3 What do you think happened to Frank?
As we know his story he was obviously found out and we might speculate that he was sent to prison.
Stolen Identity
Teaching steps
Ask Ss to read the text silently to themselves, giving them time to look through the Language and culture items before they do the Reading and Understanding activities.
Language and culture points
The text is American in origin and vocabulary. Some British equivalents are noted here. American English in the British equivalent passage airplane aeroplane check cheque mail post trash rubbish pocketbook wallet bathroom toilet/lavatory Pilot school / medical school / law school: In American English “school” is used far more widely than for primary and secondary education. Here it refers to places where you train to be a pilot, doctor or lawyer. The latter two would be parts of universities.
Jr- is used when a father and son have the same name. For example, one might have Edward Norris Senior and Edward Norris Junior.
Leonardo DiCaprio is known for his roles in This Boy’s Life, Titanic, Romeo + Juliet, The Departed, Blood Diamond and others.
Tom Hanks is known for his roles in Forrest Gump, Saving Private Ryan, Cat Away, Road to Perdition and others.
impersonate: to pretend to be someone else, to take on their identity or person
Fraud is a broad term referring to any form of cheating by deception. Forgery is a narrower term referring to the making of false documents.
White-collar is a term relating to office workers and managerial staff. See also blue-collar for people who work with their hands in factories etc, and the less common grey-collar (an in-between group such as technicians and security personnel).
A fraudster is someone who commits fraud. The suffix ster means someone whose identity is largely connected to a certain quality / thing: pollster, songster, speedster, trickster, youngster.
Never go away means the crime will always remain a possibility; there is a constant risk.
Baby boomers: After the disruption to daily life caused by the wars with Japan and Germany in the 1940s, the birth rate in the US and Europe went steeply up for some time. This large generation of individuals born in the late 1940s and early 1950s are the baby boomers. The term was created mainly by marketing people interested in identifying different groups of the population. Similar terms are yuppies (young upwardly mobile professionals), dinkies (double income no kids) and bobos (bourgeois bohemians).
count on: rely on
the ink is trapped: held firmly in place
Google is one of the most commonly used search engines for finding information on the Internet.
Social networking sites refer to websites that bring people together in virtual communities of people linked in some way (classmates, common hometown, work etc.) My Space, Facebook and Bebo are widely used examples of such sites.
Log on means to access use of the computer by means of User Name and password. Log off menas to finish the session.
An opportunistic crime is a crime that is not planned, but someone sees you leaving your computer with your account open and takes the opportunity to gain some private information.
Store cards refer to credit cards which can be used only in the issuing store (not to be
confused with store discount cards). If fraud is committed with a store card obtained on the basis of a stolen credit card, the blame will be accorded to the owner who may be placed on financial blacklists without knowing or even be reported to the authorities.
Without the victim’s knowledge means the unfortunate person may not know that his or her identity is being used to make purchases or apply for things.
Reading and understanding
3 Choose the best way to complete these sentences
1 The film Catch Me If You Can (c) . (a) was written by Carl Hanratty
(b) shows how you can steal someone’s identity (c) was based on the life of Frank Abagnale
(d) shows how to protect yourself against identity theft
2 The writer uses the film Catch Me If You Can to (d) . (a) illustrate what good actors Tom Hanks and Leonardo DiCaprio are (b) explain the work of the FBI
(c) show how to get personal information from computers
(d) introduce the idea of identity theft (This is an example of a hook, to attract and catch readers.)
3 The writer says that most victims of identity theft (a) . (a) are not known to the thieves (b) are white-collar criminals (c) are rich and famous people
(d) forget to cancel their credit cards
4 The writer gives some practical hints for (b) . (a) accessing someone’s computer
(b) preventing someone from stealing your identity
(c) destroying documents (d) catching identity thieves
5 The writer suggests that identity theft (c) . (a) was more common in the past than it is today (b) can be avoided if you’re careful
(c) is very likely to happen to you (This can be seen in the final paragraph.) (d) only happens to people who use computers
Dealing with unfamiliar words
4 Match the words in the box with their definitions.
1 the crime of obtaining money from someone by tricking them (fraud)
2 something done to protect people or things against possible harm or trouble (precaution) 3 the act of tricking someone by telling them something that is not true (deception) 4 rubbish such as paper and plastic bags (trash) 5 used in homes, or relating to homes (household) 6 from one evening to the next morning (overnight)
5 Replace the underlined words with the correct form of the words and phrase in the box.
1 It is clearly distressing to be the victim of a crime. (obviously)
2 Your computer is at risk when you are connected to the Internet. (online)
3 You don’t need to switch your computer off, but remember to sign out of the program when you leave your desk. (log off)
4 These sorts of crimes are not unusual, they often happen. (commonplace)
5 He developed a way to create false documents to show qualifications he didn’t have. (forge)
6 Answer the questions about the words
1 If you impersonate someone, do you (a) sell information about that person, or (b) pretend to be that person?
2 Is a fraudster (a) a violent, dangerous criminal, or (b) a criminal who deceives people? 3 Is someone in custody (a) held by the police, or (b) committing a crime?
4 Is a consultancy (a) a company that offers advice, or (b) someone who breaks the law? 5 When you leave your mail for pickup, do you expect (a) the mailman to collect it, or (b) to find it when you come home?
6 When you shred documents, do you (a) tear them into small pieces, or (b) keep them carefully?
7 Is an anonymous person (a) famous, or (b) unknown?
8 Is your mindset (a) information about you, or (b) the way you think?
9 Is hacking (a) illegally accessing a computer to get information, or (b) damaging a computer programme and destroying information?
Reading and interpreting
Teaching tips
The important thing here is get the Ss to see how the writer tries to catch the attention of readers, draw them in and then get them to do something. The aim is not merely passing on information, but inspiring action.
7 Look at these sentences from the passage and answer the questions.
If you use a ballpoint pen, the ink can be removed with the help of a regular household chemical and the sum of money can be changed.
1 Why does the writer include this information? (a) To teach the reader how to commit cheque fraud.
(b) To warn the reader about how criminals commit check fraud. (It should worry us to think how easily someone could change our check / documents.) (c) To give advice about how to write checks.
So how can we prevent identity theft before it happens to us?
2 Why does the writer ask this question?
(a) Because he wants the reader to make suggestions.
(b) Because he wants to make the reader focus on the answer. (Such rhetorical questions are a feature of persuasive writing.)
(c) Because he doesn't know the answer.
Your turn will come.
3 What is the writer trying to do?
(a) To warn the reader that identity fraud is very likely. (To some degree this is the same as frightening the reader, but the aim is not a thrill such one obtains from a horror movie, but a stimulus towards a practical result – precautions.) (b) To frighten the reader.
(c) To explain to the reader that they have to wait for something to happen.
8 Work in pairs and discuss the questions Teaching tips
Ask some pairs to report their discussions and answers to the class.
1 Who is the passage written for?
The passsage is written for everyone who lives a reasonably prosperous modern life (that is, uses computers, has a bank account, owns a credit card etc.)
2 What is the tone of the passage?
Different aspects can be noted. It is informal and conversational, addressing readers directly and giving straightforward examples from daily life and popular culture. It is persuasive in that it should make us worry and think about protecting our confidential data far more carefully. It appears well-researched (there are statistics). It is practical (use gel ink pens).
3 What are the main points of the passage about identity theft?
It is quite easy for criminals (examples of the ways they can do it); we make it easier (leaving our mail unprotected, using inks that can be erased, leaving our computers on and so on), and it can cause us considerable pain (bad checks and criminal records).
4 Do you think the passage is effective? Why/Why not?
It is a matter of opinion – changing people’s behaviour is very difficult, but the writer does try hard with a good tone and sufficient detail and information to prove the main points of the article.
5 Do you feel more or less worried about identity theft after reading the passage? For me, I am more worried. And I will take every precaution to prevent identity theft.
In general, university students are the sort of people who would suffer from identity theft more than, for example, an agricultural worker.
6 Will you now change the way you use your computer and deal with documents? Yes, I will. I will remember to log off before leaving the computer.
Most students may make changes in one way or another. But most may soon forget them and return to our careless ways.
Developing critical thinking
9 Work in pairs and discuss the questions
1 How do you know that your doctor, dentist and driving teacher are qualified?
Probably, largely a matter of trust we assume someone else has checked them. We also observe them at work. We would soon notice complete incompetence. They may have
diplomas hanging in their offices but it is unlikely we look at them or ever dream of checking them in any way.
2 What makes a qualification valid?
The question can be answered at tow levels- it is valid if earned in the correct way and issued by a competent, authorized institution; its validity is affirmed by seals, chops and signatures.
3 Do you believe someone on TV wearing white coat is a doctor? If one does, one is very naïve and likely to be the victim of any advertiser who targets you.
4 Do you trust the certificates showing people’s qualifications?
Most of us do unless we are in a new place with a dubious reputation. It makes life easier to be trusting. Unfortunately, news stories show us that our confidence and trust is often misplaced. Ask if any students can recall any such story.
5 Do you believe what you read in the newspaper?
The answer will probably depend on the particular newspaper; some are far more reliable than others. Some are famous for their far-out stories about UFOs and monsters.
6 Is information in books more reliable than information on the Internet? It probably depends on the particular website/publisher.
Talking point Teaching tips
Ss can practice using adverbs of frequency:
never, hardly ever, rarely, seldom, sometimes, occasionally, routinely, usually, normally, regularly, often, frequently, mostly, always
These adverbs are used before their verbs apart from in the case of the verb to be.
Ss can also put the actions in order of riskiness and suggest other measures to be taken along with ways of ensuring we keep to our resolutions.
Active reading (2)
Teaching steps
Ask Ss to describe and comment on the bottom picture, and then the larger illustration. Ask Ss to go through the questions and think of as many points as they can. Ask selected Ss to report their answers to the class.
Ask one or two Ss to predict the content of the passage from the title.
The bottom picture shows people trying to avoid having their pictures taken. It reminds one of pictures of celebrities trying to discourage media photographers and camera men (in their worst form referred to as paparazzi). The dark glasses (shades) and raised hands are a part of their attempt to protect their privacy. In the context of this chapter, Ss may be able to predict the theme is the use of various surveillance devices in the modern world.
The larger picture shows someone keying in his number at an ATM (automated teller machine) and is intended to make us think of the large amount of data about us stored in computers and its vulnerability.
1 Work in pairs and discuss the questions.
1 Which organizations store personal information about people?
Government bodies, employers, educational institutes, commercial organizations, financial organizations and so on.
2 What sort of information do they collect?
Age, sex, date of birth, education, address, telephone numbers, sales history, web-surfing preferences, group membership and so on.
3 When and where do they collect it?
Whenever we fill in a form, perform any online transaction or perform banking operations. It can be on paper or automatically electronically recorded by websites and cookies.
4 Do we know when our personal information is collected and stored?
Probably if we pay attention to small print we can find out, but most of us do not have time and are unlikely to be conscious of a lot of it.
5 Do you worry about your personal information being stored?
The unit is not making much impression on Ss if they are not nervous by now.
2. Look at the words and phrases that are repeated in the passage. What do you think the passage is about?
Is it scary if ; they’re trying to sell me things; problem; my face is scanned by a camera ; identity theft; information; we don’t yet know; worse things
The clues can be put together to suggest the passage is about the dangers (scary, problem, worse things) of the information being gathered on us (scanned by a camera, information) falling into the wrong hands (identity theft).
In the context the title seems to refer to the modern age when privacy has become almost impossible to maintain.
By the numbers
Teaching tips
Ask Ss to read the passage. Tell them it is especially important to follow the flow of the
writer’s thinking from paragraph to paragraph as he likes to build up to his points and lead us along his thought-path step by step.
Language and culture points
The numbers in the title are the many numbers we are identified by (credit cards, identity cards, accounts etc.) There may be a reference to the Biblical saying “by their fruits shall you know them” (we can tell what people are really like by means of their deeds and what results from them). Nowadays it is by our numbers that we are known.
available to: If something is available to you, you can get it easily and use it.
scary: an informal synonym of frightening
They go about it means they do it, perform it.
The word scanned suggests close examination, movement across the face looking for significant information.
in current possession: holding it now
Action movies are films full of car chases, adventure and fights (typical topics are bank robberies, hijackings and so on).
extracting money from people: Credit cards make it easy for us to spend wherever we are.
stuff: informal synonym of things/items
ruined: made poor through loss of all one’s money and assets
universal identifier: something, maybe a number, which allows all the different bits of information about us lying in different places to be brought together
in the presence of: faced with, confronted by
Reading and understanding Teaching tips
To vary the way answers are collected and checked, T can ask Ss to indicate their answers for each question by show of hand and then reveal the correct answers.
3 Choose the best way to complete the sentences.
1 The writer objects to personal information being collected because (c) . (a) he doesn’t like having his photograph taken
(b) he thinks it’s illegal to collect personal information
(c) he doesn’t know who is collecting the information (d) he doesn’t want people to sell him things
2 The writer thinks that collecting personal information (a) . (a) might be used for the wrong purposes (b) protects society against terrorists (c) is only done by ethical people (d) is only useful for salespeople
3 The writer thinks that identity theft is (d) . (a) something we should be very frightened of (b) a legitimate use of personal information
(c) something we have to accept if we want to use credit cards (This is in a way implied but not directly stated or a major point.)
(d) not the most serious result of personal information databases (There are worse things than identity theft, and a universal identifier may lead to those things as well.)
4 The writer is worried about personal information databases because (b) . (a) identity theft can kill or ruin people
(b) we don’t know how the information will be used (…information moves everywhere. Sooner or later, it moves to a place where the owner … can do whatever he or she likes with it.)
(c) terrorists use tools as weapons
(d) databases are tools for extracting money
5 The threat that the writer describes is (c) . (a) something that will be easy to avoid (b) a new weapon that terrorists can use (c) frightening, even though it’s not certain (d) not something we need to worry about
Dealing with unfamiliar words
4 Match the words in the box with their definitions.
1 an example of something happening (instance) 2 by a lot of people, or in a lot of places (widely)
3 the activity of buying and selling goods and services (commerce)
4 unpleasant or insulting, and likely to make people upset or embarrassed (offensive)
5 an object that can be used to hurt people or damage property, for example a gun, knife or bomb (weapon)
6 happening or existing now (current)
7 to get something from someone who does not want to give it to you (extract)
Additional activity
Ask Ss for synonyms of the words.
1. example 2. commonly
3. business, trading, buying and selling 4. objectionable, unpleasant, rude 5. arms
6. present, existing 7. remove
5. Answer the questions about the words.
1 Are tasteful things (a) attractive and suitable, or (b) rude and offensive?
2 When things are consolidated, are they (a) broken up into small pieces, or (b) combined into one large unit?
3 If something is done globally, is it done (a) in some places, or (b) everywhere? 4 If something is ethical, is it (a) morally good, or (b) criminal?
5 Does friction mean (a) disagreement and conflict, or (b) differences of opinion?
6 If you perpetrate something, do you do something (a) harmful and illegal, or (b) good and useful?
7 When things are correlated, are they (a) deliberately connected, or (b) placed together by chance?
8 If something is undoubtedly, is it likely to be (a) accepted, or (b) not accepted by everyone?
Additional activity
Ask Ss which of the words these are fairly similar in meaning to:
a) internationally (globally) b) resistance (friction) c) polite (tasteful) d) certain (undoubted) e) united (consolidated) f) good (ethical)
g) brought together (correlated) h) commit (perpetrate)
Reading and interpreting
Teaching tips
This is quite a demanding exercise and may take some time. It could be prepared out of class, or T could assign each feature to one or two pairs only. The individual devices could then be presented to the class by those who worked on them.
6 Work in pairs and find more examples of :
1 repetition and association 2 negative words and phrases 3 parallel structures
4 vague or non-specific words and phrases 5 passive structures
Repetition That party might be ethical – might. … that a tool … are tools … they’re tools So it’s not a problem. And it’s not a problem … But it might be a problem … … use of the information…my information is known … The more information … … we don’t yet know … We don’t yet know … Association Negative words and phrases Parallel structures Vague or non-specific words or phrases Passive structures weapons with credit cards death and ruin with universal identifiers weapon, problem, theft, perpetrate, fraud, damage, died, ruined, worse, peril [see some of the repetitions] The more widely my information is known, the greater the number of places where it may be found, and the more likely that theft will occur. The more information is correlated to a single identifier, the more damage an instance of identity theft may cause. might, probably, may, sooner or later, anyone in current possession, whatever he or she likes, worse things, wherever, vague, but apparently near … my information is known … information is correlated … can be linked to me 7 Work in pairs and discuss the questions.
1 Do you think the passage is effective in creating a feeling of fear?
Personal opinion- but a great many techniques have been noted above. Of course, one might still be unconvinced by the writer’s fears even if they have been presented effectively.
2 Does the writer explain why organizations collect so much personal information?
It is left fairly vague (typical of the writer’s chosen style here), but some information is given. Amazon wants to target consumers with books they are likely to be attracted to, and the credit card companies want to make shopping easy.
3 Does the writer describe a specific, current threat?
The writer does discuss identity theft, but the main emphasis is on what comes next with even more organized and developed forms of information collection and storage. The full implications of this are not known to us so the threat is not very precise as yet.
4 Does the writer suggest that the danger is growing? Yes, this is stated in the final three paragraphs.
5 Does the writer say whom we should be frightened of? No, only of vague hostile forces.
6 Are you more worried about personal information being collected after reading the passage? Nervousness seems the natural reaction, but one might feel one is already taking adequate precautions, or feel the writer is indulging in scare-mongering. Does it really matter if
someone can gain access to our address, hobbies and bank balance? Possibly the very quantity of information available these days makes its detailed analysis less probable.
Developing critical thinking
8 Work in pairs and discuss the questions.
1 What sort of information does your school have about you?
Perhaps one should distinguish selected information in a personal file (whether on paper or in a computer) and potential information which someone could put together. Schools store
information on where students come from, their parents, their school grades and memberships, their ages and so on. If a student pays any bills with a credit card, the school will have card details somewhere in its system. If the school uses CCTV for security, it could potentially discover a student’s comings and goings. If the school issues references / testimonials for students it may also have a system of recording comments on people. Rules and procedures vary from place to place.
2 Do you think it’s legitimate for shops to automatically collect personal information? A matter of personal judgment; some people object very strongly to this invasion of their privacy; others are content as long as it does not go too far. As with the passage, in the case of a reputable company trying to get to know its customers better, it is not offensive, but when it comes to companies selling our data to other organizations, we are likely to become less happy about it.
3 Do you think it’s legitimate for other organizations to collect personal information? Which ones? Why?
There are many issues one can go into on this. It might be of great benefit to us if a hospital has full records of our health and of any problems we have, but if this information is in the hands of insurers or employers, it might be less beneficial and cost us many opportunities. An airline might keep a record of our travelling patterns so they can email us offers on those routes, but there might be other people who we do not want to know of our movements.
4 How worried are you that criminals could obtain your personal information?
This will vary from person to person. Considerations are the size of the risk, the amount of damage which might be done and where the risk is most severe (as mentioned above, it is not only criminals we might wish not to have access to all our information).
5 Which is more frightening, a paper record or a computer database? Why?
Paper is in one place and takes time to access. Information on computer databases can be accessed from anywhere and sorted far more quickly. Hacking might also be more probable than entering a building and changing information on a paper document.
Additional activity
Questions 2 and 3 can be used for short role-paying exercises. Select fluent students to be: a. a worried consumer and a shop manager, and
b. a private individual and a representative of a suitable organization (a hospital, transport company, library etc.) The Ss can then exchange views on data collection trying to persuade one another of the correctness of their positions.
Talking point
Teaching tips
If there is enough time, this activity could be widened by asking SS to gather examples of strange laws before class (an Internet search will reveal plenty) and then sharing them at the start of the lesson.
Work in pairs and discuss the questions.
1 Which of the laws above do you think are easy to obey?
The 1st and 3rd seem very easy to obey. The 5th might be a little inconvenient, but is easy enough. The 4th depends on where you come from. The British eat little garlic and would be able to cope, but the garlic-loving French would be far more seriously affected. Many of the regional cuisines of China use a lot of garlic so Ss form those areas might find the law very restrictive. The 2nd law seems impossible to obey if there is to be a rail service!
2 How can the government make sure people obey these laws?
Only with the greatest difficulty – even with CCTV watching every beach and clothes line would be far from easy – and without garlic-scanners that law might be a problem?
Presumably the point is that these things offend some people, so they have the law on their side if, for example, they find themselves sitting next to someone smelling strongly of garlic or are shocked at the sight of their neighbour’s mixed underwear. The Texan law seems beyond enforcement.
3 What laws would you like to introduce in your town or region?
This final question is probably best treated light-heartedly. T can introduce the concept of “pet hates”, small things which drive us personally mad: people putting their bags on seats in crowded places, people walking slowly down the middle of crowded streets, or whatever. Ss can then share their pet hates and devise laws to put an end to them.
Language in use
have something done Teaching steps
This is rather a complex section and the Ss will probably need the T to lead the class and help them through it. T can explain that at beginner levels the pattern have something done is often taught as being used when we arrange for someone to do something for us: - I am going to have my hair cut.
- She is going to have the room painted.
- I must comb my hair. I am going to have my photo taken.
Clearly, when we arrange for something to be done it is for our benefit. This is not always, however, true of this usage, and here Ss are alerted to the alternative negative sense of have something done.
1 Decide what have something done means in this context.
If you haven’t had your identity stolen, it’s only because they haven’t got to you yet.
(a) Arrange for something to be done, or for someone to do something for you (b) Have something unfortunate happen to you by someone you don’t know
2 Look at the sentences with have something + past participle. Decide which meaning in Activity 1 they have.
1 (b) 2(a) 3 (b) 4 (b) 5(b) 6 (a)
mention
3 Match the uses of mention with the sentences.
1 (b) - our experience of terrorists shows tools can become weapons (dramatically, an airplane can be crashed into a building); if you need any further examples think of action films in which heroes make use of all sorts of unlikely objects to conquer their
enemies. Not to mention adds extra examples to the main one, adds something which emphasizes the main idea.
2 (a) - mention = said anything about, referred to.
There’s no escaping the fact that ...
4 Complete these sentences so that they’re true for you, even if you prefer to think they’re not. Teaching tips
Let the Ss write their answers and then call on individuals to read out their responses until the class seem to have control of the pattern.
There is no escaping the fact that when I 1 speak English, I make a lot of mistakes.
2 go online, I waste a lot of time chatting to people about nothing. 3 do an assignment, I always start it too late.
4 go back home to see my parents, I spend too much time on the phone instead of talking to them.
5 stay up late, I am useless in class the next day. 6 go shopping, I spend far too much money.
Collocations
5 Answer the questions about the words and expressions.
regular
1 … the ink can be removed with the help of a regular household chemical … Is this likely to mean (a) frequent, or (b) ordinary?
2 It looked like a regular dollar bill, but actually it was a fake. Does this mean the dollar bill was (a) damaged, or (b) normal? bad
3 More than 1.2 million bad checks are issued every day … Is a bad check one which is (a) doesn’t pay the money it offers to pay, or (b) likely to cause problems?
4 ... they have also got a lot of bad publicity. Is this publicity (a) of very low quality, or (b) likely to cause problems? stuff
5 So it’s not a problem if they’re trying to sell me stuff. Is this likely to mean (a) a variety of objects and things, or (b) a basic material used for making something?
6 Banks keep all this personal stuff about you on computer. Is this likely to mean (a) your clothes, or (b) information about you? false
7 ... to create a false identity. Is this likely to be an identity (a) based on a mistake, or (b) not real and intended to trick people?
8 Pierre gave me the false impression that he was rich. Does this mean (a) he didn’t tell the truth, or (b) his documents contained wrong information?
6 Translate the sentences into Chinese.
1 That was the strapline of the 2002 film Catch Me if You Can, which tells the story of Frank Abagnale, Jr. (Leonardo DiCaprio), a brilliant young master of deception who at different times impersonated a doctor, a lawyer, and an airplane pilot, forging checks worth more than six million dollars in 26 countries. He became the youngest man to ever make the FBI’s most-wanted list for forgery. （注意同位语 a brilliant young master of deception的译法，应采用重复主语的办法把长句拆分成若干短句。）
这是2002年的电影《有种来抓我》的剧情简介。影片讲述了弗兰克·小阿巴格纳尔（列奥纳多·迪卡普里欧饰演）的故事，影片的主人公是一位聪明绝顶的年轻骗术大师，曾在不同时间扮演医生、律师和飞行员的角色，在26个国家伪造了价值六百万美元以上的支票。他成了联邦调查局伪造罪头号通缉令名单上最年轻的人。
2 Since 2003, identity theft has become increasingly common. Few people could imagine how important things like taking mail to the post office and not leaving it in the mailbox for pickup, shredding documents instead of throwing them out with the trash, even using a pen costing a couple of bucks, have become to avoid life-changing crimes. （第二句的to avoid life-changing crimes 应提前，把整句变成“为了……做什么事变得很重要”结构。）
2003年以来，身份盗窃案变得越来越常见。很少有人会想象到，为了防止改变人生的犯罪，像把邮件拿到邮局去寄而不是丢在信箱里等人来取、把文件切碎而不是把它们连同垃圾一道扔出去，甚至使用价值一两块美元的笔之类的事情已经变得多么重要。
3 If we’ve learned one thing from terrorists, not to mention action movies, it’s that a tool is also a weapon. Globally accepted credit cards and the databases that support them are tools for taking the friction out of commerce. That’s another way of saying that they’re tools for extracting money from people with minimum effort on everyone’s part. （注意插入和补充部分的翻译。not to mention action movies 在译文中的位置可用破折号处理。 ）
假如说我们从那里——更不用说从动作电影那里——学到了一招，那就是，工具也是武器。全球通用的信用卡和支持它们的数据库是去除商业摩擦的工具。换句话说，它们是以让各方最省事的方式从人们那里取钱的工具。
4 Wherever universal identification leads, we don’t yet know how to manage a world in which everything can be linked to me, wherever I am. We don’t know yet how to balance the undoubted convenience of this world with the peril—vague, but apparently near—that we sense in the presence of all that information combined and consolidated, if only logically. （第一句中的 in which 可以译成“在其中”；第二句要把破折号中的内容后置，单独处理，还要注意 if only logically 的所指。）
无论通用身份的前景如何，我们尚不知道该如何应付这样一个世界：在其中，无论我身在何
处，一切都可能与我有关联。我们尚不知道该如何在这世界给予我们的无可置疑的方便和我们
在面对一切组合、强化了的（要是合理的话那该多好啊）信息时所感到的危险之间保持平衡。这危险模糊，但显然很近。
7 Translate the sentences into English.
1 这些文件很重要，内容要绝对保密。如果要处理掉的话，应先把它们切碎，而不是直接当垃圾扔掉。请您在这张表格上签收一下。(shred; sign)
These are important documents, the content of which should be kept strictly
confidential. If you need to dispose them, you must shred them instead of throwing them out with the trash. Would you please sign for them in this form?
2 现在，像伪造支票、身份证和信用卡这类的白领犯罪已变得相当普遍。尽管我们学会了许多防止被骗的招数，可是看起来我们随时都可能被骗。(forge; prevent…from)
Nowadays, white-collar crimes such as forging checks, ID cards and credit cards have become very common. Though we have learnt much about how to prevent ourselves from being cheated, it seems that we could be its victims at any time.
3 如果他们能以更低的价钱把这台机器卖给我们当然好，其实按现在这个价格也可以了，这价格已经很公道了。问题不在于价格，我关心的是我们把这个机器买回去干什么。(not even bad; problem with; do with …)
It is certainly good if they can sell us the machine at a lower price, but it is not even bad if they sell it at the present price, which is already quite reasonable. Now the problem is not with the price, what I care now is what we can do with it.
4 为什么说一个图书馆拥有大量可供随时阅览的新书及电子图书资源很重要呢？因为那样的话，学者们就可以了解自己学科领域里的最新进展，知道自己的研究是否有价值。(matter; so)
Why does it matter that a library has many new books and electronic resources readily available to the readers? This is because if so, the scholars know the latest development in their own fields and know whether their research is valuable.
Reading across cultures
Teaching tips
T can introduce the topic by starting a conversation on music, leading to a question about where Ss get their music from. This should lead naturally to some mention of the Internet and file-sharing, at which point the class can turn to the reading passage. Alternatively, the picture could be used as a starting point. The Ss can then proceed to reading the passage.
Language and culture points
Supreme Court is the top court whose decision is final.
tracks: songs, divisions on the CD
find out the hard way: an idiom meaning you learn a lesson in a painful way, making a mistake and suffering as a result
TV themes: tunes used to introduce regular television programs
receive a percentage: These are their royalties.
doesn’t look good: give the companies the public image of being mean and greedy
sue: In a dispute between two people [or groups of people] if one side takes the other side to court claiming money from them, they are said to be suing them.
1 Read the passage and answer the questions.
1 How difficult is it to share files on the Internet?
It is simple. (an easy way to build up your collection. You simply log on to a website …)
2 Why do music companies feel threatened by file-sharing?
People are obtaining the music for free so the companies are not receiving revenue from sales.
3 Why are some artists in favour of file-sharing?
They think it is a way of spreading their music and getting it better known. People will then be willing to buy it.
4 Is it a good idea for music companies to prosecute file-sharers?
It may protect their sales, but it has also upset a lot of consumers and this may in turn make them unpopular with the public.
5 What do most Americans think about file-sharing? They see no problem with it.
6 Does file-sharing definitely harm CD sales?
In some ways probably; in others probably not. It is unclear what the effect is overall.
7 Why does the music fan think the companies will need a lot of lawyers? There are so many people taking part in file-sharing.
2 Work in pairs and discuss the questions.
1 Do you think that file-sharing should be made legal? 2 How much would you pay to legally download music?
3 Do you think music companies can benefit from file-sharing?
4 Will file-sharing and downloading eventually make it impossible to sell CDs? 5 How can companies stop file-sharing without prosecuting potential customers? 6 Who do you think will win the battle – the companies or the file-sharers?
These notes may help if the discussions do not seem to proceed smoothly.
Problem File-sharing is theft of intellectual property and will take away the incomes of musicians, recording companies and record shops. It will result in there being far less music available. But - file-sharing may be a form of advertising and when people have heard a sample of the music they may go and buy the CD - taking legal action against file-sharers is a troublesome and unpopular method which can only work as a deterrent as it is impossible to sue everyone involved - some consumers feel the music industry over-charges, puts few good songs on any one CD and offers a generally poor product - pop stars do not seem to be poor - there was a panic over copying cassette tapes but it never led to ruin - the music industry is fighting progress and has an out-of-date business model Solutions - Legal action and education - Taxes on ipods, MP3 players, blank CDs and certain websites with the money collected being paid to the music industry - Allow downloading groups as long as each member voluntarily pays a small fee every month’ There might still be some illegal ones, but a lot of people would cooperate. Make it easy to buy tracks people want for a small fee easily paid online Guided writing
Expressing personal opinions Teaching steps
To alert Ss to the topic of expressing attitude, T can present a statement with different modal adverbs and adjectives. Ask Ss to explain the difference, and then tell them the book has more to say on this issue and turn to page 41. e.g. Definitely it won’t rain. [It is definite it won’t rain.] Surely it won’t rain. [It is sure it won’t rain.] Probably it won’t rain. [It is probable it won’t rain.] Possibly it won’t rain. [It is possible it won’t rain.] It is impossible it won’t rain.
A photocopiable worksheet with exercises on sentence adverbs [such as unfortunately and significantly] is supplied at the end of the unit.
1 Find other examples of adverbs and impersonal structures that give the writer’s opinion.
Impersonal structures: It’s important to realise that It’s worth noting that It seems that
Adverbs: surprisingly, significantly
2 Decide which of these arguments are for and which are against downloading essays from the Internet.
For 1 3 5 Now add two more arguments for and against downloading essays from the Internet.
Against 2 4 6 For: Most assignments are a waste of time anyway. It leaves time to do something more important. You can learn from reading the essays and choosing which one to use.
Against: It is dishonest. It wastes the teacher’s time reading it. If everyone did it, there would be no purpose in assignments. It is unfair to other students who have done the work. The topics of the assignment and downloadable essays are rarely exactly the same.
3 Write a passage about downloading essays. Use impersonal structures and adverbs to give your opinion.
Teaching tips
In addition to following the plan in the book, Ss will need to add connectors to make the passage flow smoothly. For example: Introduction
It’s true that …(main point in favour)
Elaboration
Significantly … (introducing other important points and arguments in favour; joining words: and, also, in addition, as well.)
Other side
It’s important to say that … (introducing arguments against – joining words needed) a contrast word early on to signal the change of direction (but, however) Summing up
Clearly … (introducing opinion; logical connector: then, as a result, all in all, therefore.)
A suggested passage
It’s true that downloading essays from the Internet instead of writing your own saves a great deal of time and effort, which you can then spend on other activities.
Significantly, you would not be alone in doing this as lots of people use downloaded essays. Reading a few essays to choose one does not take long and can give you an idea of the topic, and you know the essays are good as otherwise they would not be on the Internet.
It is important to say that doing this, however, does not help you understand the
subject properly. It is also dishonest and unfair to other students who actually do their work. You may also be caught by your teacher and find yourself in big trouble.
Clearly, then it is best to be organized, do your own research and write your own essays.
Additional activity
Photocopiable worksheet: Sentence adverbs
Sentence adverbs usually appear at the start of sentences and tell us about the attitude of the speaker/writer towards what they are saying. Examples:
Unfortunately, file-sharing, although cheap and easy, is illegal. The writer thinks it is a shame we cannot do something which is so convenient to us.
Clearly, file-sharing is wrong.
The writer thinks that no one should disagree with this point of view.
Stupidly, he lit a cigarette in the gas station.
The writer thinks the action was one no thinking person would carry out.
Fill in the blanks with adverbs from the box. A. Actually Apparently Inevitably Regrettably Wisely 1 __________, the students decided not to use the essays they had found on the Internet. (Wisely) (You think the students took the right decision.)
2 __________, she believed what the letter said and ended the friendship. (regrettably) (You feel sad about what happened.)
3 ___________, the pilot could no longer control the plane. (Apparently) (You cannot be sure of what happened.)
4 ___________, the recording companies sold fewer and fewer CDs and closed down one by one. (inevitably) (You think that given the facts this was sure to happen.) 5 ___________, the questions were not at all difficult or unreasonable. (Actually) (You wish to correct a mistaken view.) B. Basically Disgracefully Luckily Presumably Surprisingly 6 ___________, her problem was her weakness at languages. (Basically) (You are simplifying the issue.)
7 ___________, despite her lack of attention in class, she did well in the test. (Surprisingly) (You would not have expected this to be so.)
8 ___________, he did not know whose bag it was when he took it. (Presumably) (You are not sure but are making a reasonable guess.)
9 ___________, the company agreed not to sue her. (Luckily) (You feel the girl had a lot to be thankful for.)
10 ___________, the company continued to sell the product even after they knew the danger. (Disgracefully) (Their behaviour makes you angry.)
UNIT TASK
Giving advice to new students about digital information Teaching tips
Ask Ss working on their own and using the list of questions as a stimulus, to write down 5-6 measures which we can take to keep our information safe.
1 Think about what students need to know about using digital information safely. Use these questions to help you.
How can you protect yourself against identity theft?
Do you know who collects personal information and what they do with it? How do you make sure professional people are really qualified? How can you make sure a digital (computer) database is secure? How can you keep private documents private?
Is it safe to throw documents away that contain personal information? What do you need to know about downloading material from the Internet?
1. Give out as little information about yourself as possible. 2. Do not join lucky draws and competitions which demand a lot of personal information. 3. Be alert. Read privacy statements and small print about what use may be made of your information. 4. Do not carelessly throw away documents with your bank account numbers, address, telephone number etc. on them. Tear them up or burn them. 5. Make enquiries if documents you usually receive do not arrive. Someone may have changed the address. 6. Only give out important information [such as credit card numbers] on secure sites of well-known companies. 7. Do not fall for the tricks of criminals who set up false sites to trap people [so-called phishing]. 8. Have spare email addresses for open access websites and for casual use with companies etc. 9. Protect your computer with a good up-to-date security system. 10. Do not put too much information about yourself on your personal webpage. 11. Be careful what you download. Listen to warnings from your browser. Save downloads and run first offline so they can be checked for malware or viruses before full use. 12. Ask questions about and check the qualifications of doubtful professionals with the authorities. 13. Use a variety of passwords which are hard to predict and complex. 14. Avoid using open access computers for confidential matters. 15. Log-off if you go away from a shared computer. Do not leave your account open.
2 Choose one of the topics and write a paragraph about it. Think about these points as you write.
Read the plan with the Ss and explain it.
How important is it to be aware of the problem? This creates an introduction.
What can students do about it?
The content for this comes from the list already made. As this is a passage of
continuous English, the grammar of advice-giving needs to be used (should, ought to, good idea to).
What is the best way to help students without frightening them?
This reminds Ss of the question of style. Some of the articles in this unit have aimed to alarm readers by means of questions and negative associations. This is not wanted here and the aim should be to stress the positive rather than the negative.
Sample passage
Unfortunately, there are various ways in which our personal information can be misused by dishonest people and do us harm. It is sensible, therefore, to be cautious about who we give such information to and how we do it.
Although joining lucky draws and store clubs can be fun, we ought to be careful about the information we give away free on entry forms. If we have spare email addresses which are not used for anything important, it is better to use those on such occasions. Shopping online should only be done on a secure website and from a well-known company. It is also best to use a private computer with good, up-to-date anti-virus software. Another good tip is to use passwords which no one could ever guess!
If we take these precautions we can feel much safer as we enjoy the advantages of modern technology.
3 Work in groups. Prepare a web page containing the most useful pieces of advice.
Sample webpage
PERSONAL INFORMATION KEEP IT SAFE BY FOLLOWING THESE STEPS General 1. Give out as little information about yourself as possible. 2. Be alert. Read privacy statements and small print about what use may be made of your information. On paper 3. Do not carelessly throw away documents with your bank account numbers, address, telephone number etc. on them. Tear them up or burn them. 4. Make enquiries if documents you usually receive do not arrive. Someone may have changed the address. 5. Do not join lucky draws and competitions which demand a lot of personal information. Online 6. Only give out important information [such as credit card numbers] on secure sites of well-known companies. 7. Do not fall for the tricks of criminals who set up false sites to trap people [so-called phishing]. 8. Have spare email addresses for open access websites and for casual use with companies etc. 9. Protect your computer with a good up-to-date security system. 10. Do not put too much information about yourself on your personal webpage. 11. Be careful what you download. Listen to warnings from your browser. Save downloads and run first offline so they can be checked for malware or viruses before full use. 12. Use a variety of passwords which are hard to predict and complex. 13. Avoid using open access computers for confidential matters. 14. Log-off if you go away from a shared computer. Do not leave your account open. It’s your information. Keep it safe by keeping alert!
Translation of the passages
Active reading (1)
窃取的身份
“弗兰克从未上过飞行学校、医学院、法学院……因为他还在上高中。” 这是2002年的电影《有种来抓我》的剧情简介。影片讲述了弗兰克·小阿巴格纳尔（列奥纳多·迪卡普里欧饰演）的故事，影片主人公是一位聪明绝顶的年轻骗术大师，曾在不同时间扮演医生、律师和飞行员的角色，在26个国家伪造了价值六百万美元以上的支票。他成了联邦调查局伪造罪头号通缉令名单上最年轻的人。在影片中，阿巴格纳尔被虚构的联邦调查局特工卡尔·汉拉提（汤姆·汉克斯饰演）追捕，但后来逃脱了。他最终成了联邦调查局专攻白领犯罪的顾问专家。
那是一部很棒的电影，但那种事情会在现实生活中发生吗？其实，《有种来抓我》是根据弗兰克·阿巴格纳尔的真实故事改编的，他的行骗生涯持续了六年；被抓住后，曾三次逃脱监管（有一次是从飞机上的厕所逃走的）；在法国、瑞典和美国的监狱中总共度过了六年时光。他现在开办了一家咨询事务所，为企业界提供防造假咨询。他挣到了足够的钱，赔付了所有的受害者，如今是一位数百万富翁。
2003年以来，身份盗窃案变得越来越常见。很少有人会想象到，为了防止改变人生的犯罪，像把邮件拿到邮局去寄而不是丢在信箱里等人来取、把文件切碎而不是直接把它们连同垃圾一道扔出去，甚至使用价值一两块美元的笔之类的事情已经变得多么重要。
越来越多的人正在变成身份盗窃案的无名受害者。我们花费许多时间和金钱，去努力挽回我们的名字、我们的信用、我们的钱和我们的生活。我们需要想方设法来保护自己。我们可以增加防止此类犯罪的机会，但是它永远不会消失。
这不仅仅是要求我们列一份“该做”和“不该做”的事情的单子，我们需要改变我们的心态。虽然网上银行现在很常见，但国内有一大群人——生育高峰时期出生的一代人，占人口的15％——还是更喜欢用纸。而且，30％的诈骗案都发生在这群人当中。支票上有身份盗贼所需的你的所有信息。如果你用圆珠笔，笔迹可以用一般的家用化学药品除去，钱数可以改变。每天发出的有问题的支票高达一千两百万以上，平均每秒13张以上。
支票造假是个大产业……每年以25％的速率增长。犯罪分子指望我们犯错误，好让他们更容易得手。那么我们怎样才能在身份盗窃发生之前就防范它呢？
采取一些预防措施。不要把你的邮件留在邮箱里过夜或过周末。小偷就等着危险信号的出现，以便通过你向外投寄的邮件找寻有用的个人信息或支票。用签字笔填写支票和重要表格，签字笔的墨水会渗进纸张的纤维中，无法用化学药品除去。还有，切碎或撕碎含有个人信息的所有文件，然后再把它们丢进垃圾桶。
记住，网络上有大量机会可以被小偷利用来根据你自己的身份伪造假身份。我们都知道黑客行为和木马软件对电脑数据库中个人信息的威胁。但是在谷歌上搜索某人也会透露大量个人信息，在线社交网站如“我的空间”、“相册”和“毕波”也一样。正如我们离开办公室去厕所时要随身带上钱包一样，注销你的电脑以防临时起意的盗窃也是值得的。
最后一点，假如你遭遇较传统方式的抢劫——在大街上——挂失你的信用卡显然是要做的第一件事。但是别忘了，即使挂了失，信用卡也可以用作身份证来获得购物卡……那你就有了犯罪记录。
身份伪造可以肆行多年而不为受害者所知。一个无法回避的事实是：现在的诈骗者觉得身份犯罪简直是太容易了。如果你的身份尚未失窃，那只是因为他们还没有对你动手。就会轮到你的。
Active reading (2)
就数量而言
企业需拥有大量的资讯可供随时调用，为什么这很重要呢？因为那样的话，亚马逊就知道你阅读什么，能够给你提供你喜欢的书，而不是试图让你买你不喜欢的书。那么，有什么不妥吗？
要是我正走在大街上，有人主动过来要卖给我什么东西的话，是不是很吓人？也许没没那么吓人。人们试图卖给我东西并不很吓人。就算他们不停地试图卖给我东西——显然他们已经老于此道，或者他们推销的方式令人不太舒服，也没什么吓人的。推销并不吓人，除非你是推销员。
要是我走在大街上，我的面孔被一个推销员的照相机拍照，这是不是很吓人？那也许令人恼火，也可能是合法的。吓人吗？也许不。推销员对面孔背后的人又了解多少呢？
要是我走在大街上，我的面孔被一个推销员的照相机记录下来，而那照片可以与某银行或信用卡公司档案上我的正面相片自动比对，这是不是很吓人？这样的话，那推销员就可能了解我大量的底细：我的姓名、我在哪家银行存款、我住在哪儿等等。
如果照相机不是推销员的，是不是很吓人？
在日益集权化、全球化、网络化的经济格局中，信息到处流通。迟早它会到达它的主人——或目前拥有它的任何人——能够随意处置它的地方。对方也许是遵守道德规范的——也许。
假如说我们从那里——更不用说从动作电影那里——学到了一招，那就是，工具也是武器。全球通用的信用卡和支持它们的数据库是去除商业摩擦的工具。换句话说，它们是以让各方最省事的方式从人们那里取钱的工具。
所以，如果他们是想卖给我东西，那没什么问题。如果对方是亚马逊，那也没问题。但如果都不是的话，那就有问题了。
我还没有提到身份盗窃，但这肯定是朝着那方向发展的。身份盗窃是指未经许可使用我的身份信息来行骗。我的信息流传得越广，可以找到它的地方就越多，发生盗窃的可能性就越大。与一个标识符相关的信息越多，一桩身份盗窃案所造成的改变也越多。
在我们的社会里，虽然没有人因此而丧命或被它毁掉，身份盗窃是很令人担心的事情。还有比身份盗窃更糟糕的事；通用标识符也会导致那些更糟糕的事情。
无论通用身份的前景如何，我们尚不知道该如何应付这样一个世界：在其中，无论我身在何处，一切都可能与我有关联。我们尚不知道该如何在这世界给予我们的无可置疑的方便及我们在面对一切组合、强化（要是合理的话那该多好啊）的信息时所感到的危险之间保持平衡。这危险模糊，但显然很近。
Reading across cultures
美国最高宣布文档共享不合法
“既然可以免费下载，为什么我还要花所有的钱去买昂贵的音乐呢？”奥地利因斯布鲁克的杰克·斯派罗问。的确，文档共享是一种扩大收藏的捷径。你只需登陆到一个像奈普斯特或卡杂那样的网站，搜索你想要的音轨，再免费下载就行了。不幸的是，文档共享尽管廉价而便利，却是违法的，十二岁的布里安娜·拉哈拉就是吃了亏才明白了这个道理的。布里安娜从网上复制了数百首歌曲和电视主题曲。她妈妈不得不为此支付一千多美元的罚款。另一位文档共享者，美国明尼苏达州的詹米· 托马斯，因为共享了24个音轨而被罚款222,000美元。
当你购买一张音乐光碟时，艺术家会得到购碟款的一部分，认识到这一点是很重要的。所以，要是你不为音乐付钱，艺术家和公司就挣不到一分钱。音乐产业认为，要是人们能免费下载的话，他们就不会购买光碟了。这就意味着公司没有钱投资创作新的音乐了。故此，他们视下载为主要的威胁。
令人称奇的是，并非所有的艺术家都反对文档共享。来自英国诺里奇的本是一个乐队的成员；像所有新乐队一样，本和他的朋友们发现让他们的音乐在电台播放或把他们的光碟放到店里去卖是件很难的事情。本说，互联网“给数百万人提供了下载音乐的机会。”通过给人们一个免费试听的机会，乐队希望他们最终能卖出更多的光碟。所以，现在还不清楚文档共享是否真的降低光碟的销量。
值得注意的是，虽然音乐公司以文档共享的罪名把人们告上了法庭，但是它们也落下了许多坏名声。重要的是，文档共享者主要是年轻人；大企业起诉十几岁的少年有失体面。而且，多数美国人认为，文档共享是可以接受的；他们并不认为那是违法的。看起来，音乐产业必须要么使下载合法化要么使购买光碟比文档共享更有吸引力。正如英国伦敦的一位乐迷所说：“他们要想起诉我们所有人的话，最好聘请一大帮律师。”
Further Teacher Development
Evaluating arguments
An important part of critical thinking instruction is developing in students the ability to judge the strength of any particular argument. As this unit covers arguments about the effects and morality of file-sharing, it is a good place to reflect on things which can go wrong with or invalidate arguments.
Some problems, logical and otherwise Co-occurrence mistaken for causation Marriage was not good for her. She got married in December and in January she developed heart disease. Just when young people started dyeing their hair, crime rates increased. CD sales have fallen just as file-sharing has become widespread. Hidden presuppositions/unacceptable assumptions Sequence in time does not show causation. Evidence shows students in large schools do better than those in small ones, so we should increase the size of all our schools. Actually, experts think the first part is true, but not because of their size, but because urban schools are larger than rural ones and students in urban schools perform better because they receive more resources and back-up. Correlation does not prove causation. There is a strong correlation between higher education and longevity, but education does not cause long life; it represents a better start in life, and confers a safer lifestyle and a higher income. These are the causative factors. A lot of people take part in file-sharing. As an argument in favour of file-sharing it assumes that what lots of people do is right, an assumption which very few people would be willing to actually argue. Morality has never been seen as a matter of voting. Humans will themselves admit they are weak. We all do things which we do not approve of and would not defend sometimes. To solve the traffic problem we should build more roads. It sounds sensible, but it assumes that the number of cars will stay the same. If instead, it leads to many more people getting cars, we may end up worse off than before. Traffic congestion may discourage car use. You cannot trust him; his brother went to prison. Are all brothers exactly the same? When someone downloads a song, money is Fact False dilemma Biased language / begging the question Vagueness lost to the music company. Perhaps people download songs when they do not like the rest of the disc and would not buy it anyway. You know it’s an essay that got a good grade. How do you know this? The owner of the website might think it good, or might not really care and just puts anything to hand there. Also, if the topic is not exactly the same, however good the essay it will not do well. You either buy the CD, or participate in file-sharing. As noted above, it may not be an either-or situation. If we do not fine litter louts, everyone will throw rubbish in the street. Are people only motivated by fear of punishment? Of course, she’s a criminal: she murdered her cousin. The argument does not work if she killed him by accident or in self-defence. All reasonable people agree with me. You should not download music- it’s wrong. As an expression of opinion it works, but not as an argument. A lot of people take part in file-sharing. Lots of people speak Swedish [a few million of them in Sweden], but it is still Misuse of figures Equivocation (shifting the meaning of a word) very much a minority language on a world scale. Is the a lot above a number or a percentage of the population, or what? We should all be responsible citizens. Easy to agree, but harder to know what that entails. Most road accidents involve male drivers –so we can see women are safer drivers than men. Only if there are comparable numbers of male and female drivers driving roughly the same sort of vehicles in the same places. Absolute numbers are tricky – percentages are more reliable for comparative purposes. Better food? What’s wrong with rice? It’s the staple food, and green vegetables are one of the best things you can eat. Better food? You could not have better than you are getting. A canteen serves only the same steamed rice with over-boiled green vegetables every day. Someone complains they want better food. You think you should be given more free time? Time to lie in bed and do nothing? Time to waste? Time to start smoking? You come to college to learn. Please be more serious. In a way, it is true – but it has not answered the actual complaint. It has changed the ground and equivocated. Note the way the phrase free time is hi-jacked. As a teacher one needs to be alert to the use of weak or unclear arguments from students and insist they define their terms carefully and understand their own hidden assumptions. To consider briefly the arguments about file-sharing on page 41 (Activity 2):
1. A lot of people do it. We have commented on the vagueness of a lot, and the underlying presupposition that following the crowd guarantees something is all right.
2. It doesn’t help you understand the subject. This implies that understanding the subject is the main purpose of doing assignments (useful to extract this and compare it with one of the presuppositions in 5). It also implies you won’t learn anything by reading and selecting an essay to download.
3. It’s easier than writing your own essay. This assumes ease of doing/ avoidance of trouble is a major justification for an action.
4. It’s illegal. This is a matter of fact which can be confirmed or denied. There is of course a distinction between illegality and wrongness and the students should not confuse two separate arguments.
5. You know it’s an essay that got a good grade. We have noted this is far from sure and anyway seems to presume a good essay is good for any purpose. As an argument it presupposes that getting a good grade is the most important factor, and hence that a good education = obtaining high grades.
6. Your teacher may realize that you didn’t write it yourself. Firstly, this is a matter of fact (though hardly fact which is in dispute- if the language is not your usual standard and the quality unusual, the teacher only needs to sue a search engine to uncover the deception). There is also a reasonable assumption that the teacher would punish the student and, furthermore, that avoiding punishment is desirable.
Worksheet Making an Argument
Speaker A is very enthusiastic about Information Technology and all the new things we can do. Speaker B agrees, but can also see some problems. B offers arguments against A’s point of view. Based on what you have learned in this unit, fill in the blanks to
complete the dialogue. Read forward and backward to follow the flow of the conversation. At the end, let A sum up and express a final opinion.
A: You know it’s wonderful how shops are much safer now with CCTV to watch what is going on!
B: It’s true that _____________________________________, but don’t you worry _____________________________________________________________? Anyway, there is nothing we can do about it. One would look very strange always wearing dark glasses or a mask!
A: Well, you don’t have to go to the shops. I love shopping online. It’s so easy and there are some great bargains.
B: I agree it is easy. However, there is a serious problem. When
you____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________. To avoid this happening only shop from companies that are well-known, and make sure the shopping pages are secure.
A: Yes, I would hate someone to buy things with my money! But I don’t think there are any dangers with the social network sites. Why don’t you join Facebook? We have an old school group.
B: Certainly, it is nice to meet old friends online, but be careful. Do not put lots of information on your page or people you do not like can read it. If I were you, I _______________________________________________________________.
A: Okay, it is easy to get new email accounts. I have just read that soon they will be able to connect all our information online together by means of a universal identifier. I suppose you will not like that either.
B: No, I think that is really scary. I fear there will be lot more_________________________________________.
A: That sounds bad.
B: Yes, someone will be able to impersonate you and won’t know about it for a long time.
A:______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Note the patterns It’s true that….but… I agree…However… Certainly…but… If I were you…
A possible dialogue
A: You know it’s wonderful how shops are much safer now with CCTV to watch what is going on!
B: It’s true that the shops are safer with CCTV, but don’t you worry about the loss of your privacy and about shops perhaps knowing who you are and what you are doing? Anyway, there is nothing we can do about it. One would look very strange always wearing dark glasses or a mask!
A: Well, you don’t have to go to the shops. I love shopping online. It’s so easy and there are some great bargains.
B: I agree it is easy. However, there is a serious problem. When you buy things with your credit card online criminals might get your card details and be able to use the information for fraud. To avoid this happening only shop from companies that are well-known, and make sure the shopping pages are secure.
A: Yes, I would hate someone to buy things with my money! But I don’t think there are any dangers with the social network sites. Why don’t you join Facebook? We have an old school group.
B: Certainly, it is nice to meet old friends online, but be careful. Do not put lots of
information on your page or people you do not like can read it. If I were you, I would not give out too much true information- certainly nothing important, and do not use your main email account. You can always use a spare account on your personal page.
A: Okay, it is easy to get new email accounts. I have just read that soon they will be able to connect all our information online together by means of a universal identifier. I suppose you will not like that either.
B: No, I think that is really scary. I fear there will be lot more cases of identity theft .
A: That sounds bad.
B: Yes, someone will be able to impersonate you and won’t know about it for a long time.
A: Now I can see there are two sides to the I.T. revolution. On the one hand, we can do many interesting new things or do old ones far more conveniently, but on the other hand we are at greater risk of fraud and crime. I can see we must be very careful when we use the Internet and not become careless with our most important data.
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