Learn key phrases and vocabulary to help you discuss different types of technology, their uses, advantages and disadvantages, and the impact of social media.
There are lots of problems that could be associated with technology that you may read or hear about. Here are some helpful words.
| la adicción | addiction |
| el ataque cibernético | cyber attack |
| el ciberacoso/el acoso cibernético | cyber bullying |
| el ciberdelito | cyber crime |
| la dependencia | dependence |
| el engaño | trick/fraud |
| la estafa | scam |
| el fraude | fraud |
| el robo de identidad | identity theft |
| el virus | virus |
Here is an article from a technology blog about young people and technology.
First, read the introduction to the article then answer the questions in English.
Las adicciones tecnológicas constituyen un problema preocupante en la sociedad moderna, sobre todo entre padres y profesores, debido al hecho de que muchos menores no quieren hacer otras actividades durante su tiempo libre, por ejemplo, estar al aire libre, salir con amigos, hacer deporte, porque prefieren dedicar más tiempo a la tecnología.
Read this text carefully as the word order may be confusing. There is a lot of familiar vocabulary, eg salir con amigos, hacer deporte but this isn't needed for any of the answers.
For the next section of the article, there is a different style of question to practise. This section is a longer text with a mix of question styles. Read it carefully before attempting the questions.
Los niños pasan prácticamente la misma cantidad de tiempo en el colegio que frente a una pantalla (aproximadamente 950 horas al año). Además, un 50% de los jóvenes de entre 12 y 19 años pasa más de tres horas al día en internet y un 58% de los adolescentes juegan a los videojuegos por medio del ordenador y de los teléfonos móviles durante una hora cada día. Estos juegos y apps son más populares que el cine, la música y las películas en DVD.
Which three statements are true? Write the correct letters.
| A | Children spend the same amount of time at school as they do in front of screens. |
| B | 50% of young people have never used the internet. |
| C | All young people go on the internet every day. |
| D | 50% of young people spend more than three hours a day on the internet. |
| E | More than 50% of young people play games on their phones or on a computer. |
| F | 58% of young people own a mobile phone. |
| G | Videogames are not very popular any more. |
The correct answers are A, D and E.
There are lots of numbers and percentages in this article, which can be confusing. This doesn't mean it's a maths question, but you do need to work out which fact goes with which figure. Just because you see a percentage written down in the statement, it doesn't mean it's correct. Read what it says carefully and compare it to the text.