The Reading / Listening - Mind-Control Car - Level 2

Cars are becoming more advanced. In the past decade, we have seen better electric car technology, and driverless cars. The latest advance is a car that lets you use your mind to control certain things. The car giant Mercedes revealed its futuristic car at a mobility show in Munich this week. It is called Vision AVTR. The four letters at the end of its name are to make people think of the movie Avatar. A Mercedes spokesperson said the car would not be available for purchase in the near future. Vision AVTR is currently just a concept car.

Mercedes is using brain-computer interface (BCI) in the Vision AVTR. The car's computers "read" the driver's brain. The system needs a minute to get to read a new driver. The driver will then be able to do things in the car using just their thoughts. A Mercedes spokeswoman spoke about how exciting she thought the futuristic car was. She said: "Mercedes-Benz is setting another milestone in the merging of man and machine." The Mercedes website says: "As soon as you get in, the car becomes an extension of your own body and a tool to discover the environment."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Mind-Control Car - Level 0 Mind-Control Car - Level 1   or  Mind-Control Car - Level 3

Sources
  • https://mashable.com/article/mercedes-benz-vision-avtr-mind-read
  • https://www.techradar.com/news/mercedes-is-showing-off-actual-working-in-car-mind-control
  • https://www.thesun.co.uk/tech/16065137/new-mercedes-vision-avtr-mind-control-brain/


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. Cars are becoming more
  2. In the past
  3. we have seen better electric
  4. use your mind to
  5. The car
  6. The four letters at the end
  7. in the near
  8. Vision AVTR is currently just
  1. of its name
  2. control certain things
  3. future
  4. advanced
  5. a concept car
  6. decade
  7. giant Mercedes
  8. car technology

Paragraph 2

  1. brain-computer
  2. computers "read"
  3. The system needs a
  4. be able to do things
  5. the merging of man
  6. As soon as you
  7. an extension of
  8. a tool to discover the
  1. your own body
  2. in the car
  3. get in
  4. the driver's brain
  5. environment
  6. interface
  7. and machine
  8. minute

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Cars are becoming more advanced. In (1) ___________________, we have seen better electric car technology, (2) ___________________. The latest advance is a car that lets you use your mind to control certain things. The car giant Mercedes revealed (3) ___________________ at a mobility show in Munich this week. It is called Vision AVTR. The four (4) ___________________ end of its name are to make people think of the movie Avatar. A Mercedes spokesperson said the car would (5) ___________________ for purchase in the near future. Vision AVTR is currently just (6) ___________________.

Mercedes is using brain-computer interface (BCI) in the Vision AVTR. The car's computers (7) ___________________ brain. The system needs a minute to get to read a new driver. The driver will then be able (8) ___________________ in the car using just their thoughts. A Mercedes spokeswoman spoke about (9) ___________________ thought the futuristic car was. She said: "Mercedes-Benz is setting another milestone in the (10) ___________________ and machine." The Mercedes website says: "As (11) ___________________ get in, the car becomes an extension of your own body and a (12) ___________________ the environment."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Carsarebecomingmoreadvanced.Inthepastdecade,wehaveseenbett
erelectriccartechnology,anddriverlesscars.Thelatestadvanceisacart
hatletsyouuseyourmindtocontrolcertainthings.ThecargiantMercede
srevealeditsfuturisticcaratamobilityshowinMunichthisweek.Itiscalle
dVisionAVTR.Thefourlettersattheendofitsnamearetomakepeoplethi
nkofthemovieAvatar.AMercedesspokespersonsaidthecarwouldnotb
eavailableforpurchaseinthenearfuture.VisionAVTRiscurrentlyjustac
onceptcar.Mercedesisusingbrain-computerinterface(BCI)intheVisi
onAVTR.Thecar'scomputers"read"thedriver'sbrain.Thesystemneed
saminutetogettoreadanewdriver.Thedriverwillthenbeabletodothing
sinthecarusingjusttheirthoughts.AMercedesspokeswomanspokeab
outhowexcitingshethoughtthefuturisticcarwas.Shesaid:"Mercedes-
Benzissettinganothermilestoneinthemergingofmanandmachine."Th
eMercedeswebsitesays:"Assoonasyougetin,thecarbecomesanexten
sionofyourownbodyandatooltodiscovertheenvironment."

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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