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Exercise 3 Finding time to do things

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For IGCSE ESL Exercise 3 Finding time to do things, you have to read an article and make brief notes under supplied headings.

students, education, schools

This IGCSE ESL Exercise 3 about how we find time to do things these days which is in a computer-based version which is different in format from the paper-based version of the IGCSE ESL Examination.

IGCSE ESL Exercise 3 Finding time to do things

Read the article.  Write words under the different headings..

You may think that 24 hours in a day is not enough for everything that you want to do... and many people would agree with you.

Fortunately, researchers have found that there are many time-saving machines and gadgets in the home and at work nowadays. A decade ago, it would have taken 31 hours to do all the tasks that now take only 24 hours to complete.

For many people, the rush starts at breakfast time when they read text messages on a mobile phone while making toast. It continues in the car where the driver makes a phone call with a hands-free set while listening with one ear to the radio and checking the satellite navigation system.

This doesn’t stop when we get to work. There is a blizzard of emails, phone calls and meetings often happening simultaneously throughout the day. However, researchers have found that the busiest period of multi-tasking is still to come, at home in the evening.

“People will be operating the television remote control while surfing on the computer, texting their friends on their mobile phone and having a conversation with their family,” says Calvin Bilten, one of the authors of a report on multi-tasking. “They may be far more mentally engaged at home than at work.”

According to the report, television remains the main focus of attention in the evening, but an increasing number of people use computers to update their social network sites or download and listen to music. Even eating takes second place to internet activities in many homes.

Bilten’s team of researchers calculated that the tasks carried out in a typical day ten years ago would have taken 31 hours, with the old-fashioned email systems and mobile phones in use at that time. He adds, “On one hand, it’s good because you get more done. On the other hand, life was much simpler a decade ago. There was more talking face-to-face and more time spent over dinner or just doing nothing. Now there is the feeling that you have to be using one gadget or more all the time.”

However, the limits of present-day technology may mean that multi-tasking is nearing its peak for this generation. This is good news for many researchers and advisers on human behaviour. Zac Miller, a psychology professor, says that the thought of a 31-hour day is extremely depressing. He states, “Observations of the brain made during multi-tasking show that completing several tasks together takes longer than if they were done one at a time. Forty per cent of people cannot remember the previous task they were doing, so they become confused. This can be fatal on the roads.”

Moreover, there are signs of a revolt against multi-tasking. Many students and workers are feeling too much pressure and are deleting thousands of unread emails and no longer using social network sites.

More exercises available:

When learning vocabulary, especially helpful are exercises that are focussed on a theme or topic as these provide word retention practice so you can be confident to read, write, speak and listen successfully.

Technology Exercises and Puzzles

Here you can find more ways to practice the same topic with various activities.

Exercise 1 (Questions 1 -4) - Short answer exercises

Exercise 2 - (Question 5) Gap-filled exercises

Exercise 3 - Matching

Exercise 4 - Multiple Choice

The more words you encounter and understand, the broader your day-to-day vocabulary will become. So, our IGCSE ESL Word searches are an excellent way to help to reinforce spellings.Word puzzles require not just a good vocabulary and a knack for spelling, but the ability to think logically and strategically. In the case of puzzles like our IGCSE Crosswords, it’s crucial to spell linked words correctly to be able to complete the task. 
Learning English requires not just a good vocabulary, but a strong foundation of all skills to communicate well. Here we provide activities for the IGCSE ESL for all the skills required to be successful in this examination.

Levels Links:
Learn English with our free material for different levels of English. We add exercises on grammar and vocabulary as well as whole text activities on a regular basis. In addition, we provide test practise activities for students who are preparing for the Cambridge Assessment English Main Suite as well as the English Language B for the IB Diploma. The material will also support students studying for the Cambridge Advanced courses.

We provide free resources across the full range of levels to provide the tools to communicate in English well.

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