Scientists test WiTricity – wireless electricity

Listening Comprehension

Task 1. Listen to the text “Toyota shows video of driverless car” and complete the following sentences with the information from the text:

1. Toyota has released a video of its new ______________________________________________.

2. The car can also communicate with ________________________________________________.

3. This would be useful if the driver wants to use _______________________________________.

4. In May 2012, the Swedish company Volvo tested _____________________________________.

5. The search engine Google has also _____________________________________________.

Points

Task 2. Listen to the text “Toyota shows video of driverless car”. Define whether the sentences given below are true or false. Write a “plus” if the sentence is true and a “minus” if it is not true in the boxes.

a.	Toyota has shown a video of a car that needs no driver.
b.	The car is full of special "intelligent" safety features to make sure it does not crash.
c.	The car has technology that means it can "communicate" to any other car.
d.	Toyota's aim is to cut the number of car crashes by 50 per cent.
e.	Toyota is the first car maker to make cars that do not need a driver.
f.	It uses radars and video cameras to understand where other cars are.

Points

Reading Comprehension

Task 1. Read the text “Scientists test WiTricity – wireless electricity” and put the following words into the gaps in the text:

beam fields distances unplug transmission breakthrough source plugs ensure poor

Scientists test WiTricity – wireless electricity

A team of US researchers has come up with an electricity system that does not need wires. This is a 1) _________________ in what will hopefully be a wireless future. The scientists, from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, lit a 60-watt light bulb using magnetic 2) ______________. In the test, the power 3) __________ was just two metres away from the light, but the team hopes they will soon be able to send electricity longer 4) ____________ through the air. They have dubbed their new invention “WiTricity”, or wireless electricity. Although wi-fi has been around for some years now, it has been limited to the 5) ______________ of information, especially between computers and modems, printers and scanners. This is the first time electrical appliances have been powered wirelessly.

This new development means that our houses may be free from tangled wires. Gone will be the days of having to 6) ____________ the vacuum to go from room to room, and of having countless 7) ______________hidden behind the TV and stereo. The new source of delivering power to gadgets remotely may also reduce the number of fires caused by 8) __________ wiring and overloaded sockets. It turns out the concept is not so new. A century ago, inventor Nikola Tesla struck upon the idea of building a huge tower in New York that would wirelessly 9) __________power to the city. Unfortunately, his idea never came to fruition, until today, that is. It will still be a while before we have wireless homes and offices. Safety experts will be checking closely to 10) ____________ the power source causes us no harm.

Points

Task 2.Read the text “Scientists test WiTricity – wireless electricity”. Define whether the sentences given below are true or false. Write a “plus” if the sentence is true and a “minus” if it is not true in the boxes.

a.	Scientists have tested a radio that doesn’t have wires inside it.
b.	In another test, scientists lit 60 different light bulbs.
c.	Scientists have sent electricity two metres through the air.
d.	Wi-fi is a concept that first originated at the end of last year.
e.	The invention of WiTricity signals the end of vacuum cleaners.
f.	WiTricity may reduce the number of household electrical fires.
g.	An inventor struck upon the idea of WiTricity a hundred years ago.
h.	Wireless offices and homes will be with us before the year is out.

Points

Task 3. Match the following phrases from the article (sometimes more than one combination is possible):

	A team of US researchers has come	a) appliances have been powered
	a breakthrough in what	b) wiring and overloaded sockets
	lit a	c) from tangled wires
	They have dubbed	d) will hopefully be a wireless future
	the first time electrical	e) up with an electricity system
	our houses may be free	f) 60-watt light bulb
	having countless	g) upon the idea
	fires caused by poor	h) their new invention “WiTricity”
	inventor Nikola Tesla struck	i) fruition, until today
	his idea never came to	j) plugs hidden behind the TV