For IGCSE ESL Exercise 3 Finding time to do things, you have to read an article and make brief notes under supplied headings.
IGCSE ESL Exercise 3 Finding time to do things
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:
Technology Exercises and Puzzles
Here you can find more ways to practice the same topic with various activities.
- Exercise 1 & 2 (Extended)
- Exercise 3 & 4 (Extended)
- Exercise 5 & 6 (Extended)
- Listening Questions 1-5
- Listening Exercise 3 & 4
- Listening 5 (Extended)
- Videos (Extended)
- Speaking Test
Exercise 1 - Read a text and answer a series of questions.
Exercise 2 - Read a text and answer a series of questions testing more detailed comprehension.
Exercise 3 - Make brief notes related to a piece of text.
- Exercise 3 Being Bilingual
- Exercise 3 Extended Video introduction
- Exercise 3 Finding time to do things
- Exercise 3 Frozen Caveman
- Exercise 3 Kite Surfing
- Exercise 3 Life in 2069
- Exercise 3 World’s Sporting Champions
- Exercise 3 Young Mountaineer
Exercise 4 - Write a summary.
Exercise 5 - Write an informal email.
- Bonfire Night
- Exercise 5 Birthday Party
- Exercise 5 Cousin Visiting (Description)
- Exercise 5 Favourite Film
- Exercise 5 Going for an Interview (Advice)
- Exercise 5 Going on Holiday
- Exercise 5 Interesting Meeting
- Exercise 5 New Attraction
- Exercise 5 Restaurant Visit (Narrative)
- Exercise 5 Returning Home
Exercise 6 - Write a report, review or article.
- Animal Sanctuary
- Becoming Vegetarian Article
- Ed Sheeran Concert Review
- Exam Advice Article
- Exercise 6 Career’s Talk Report
- Exercise 6 Dangerous Shopping Book Review
- Exercise 6 Eating Out in Berlin Travel Report
- Exercise 6 Important Developments Article
- Exercise 6 Living in Different Places
- Exercise 6 Recycling Centre Report
- Exercise 6 Subject Choices Article
- Exercise 6 Thai Restaurant Review
- Mission Impossible – Fallout Review
- Online Gaming Article
- Smartphone Review
- Snack Machine Article
- Sports Lessons Article
- Work Experience Day Report
- Working in the Summer Holidays Report
Exercise 1 (Questions 1 -4) - Short answer exercises
Exercise 2 - (Question 5) Gap-filled exercises
Exercise 3 - Matching
Exercise 4 - Multiple Choice
Exercise 5 - Gap Fill Part A
Exercise 5 - Gap Fill Part B
Here are videos to help you with the reading and wrting sections.
- Exercise 1 Extended Video introduction
- Exercise 2 Extended Video introduction
- Exercise 3 Extended Video introduction
- Exercise 4 How to write a Summary (Extended)
- Exercise 5 How to write an Informal Advice Email
- Exercise 5 How to write an Informal Descriptive Email
- Exercise 5 How to write an Informal Narrative Email
- Exercise 6 Becoming Vegetarian
- Exercise 6 How to write a Film Review
- Exercise 6 How to write a report
- Exercise 6 How to write a review
- Exercise 6 How to write an Event Report
- How to write a school magazine article
- Report Writing with Subheadings
Speaking Test Examples:
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