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A. Pre-viewing:
Before watching a video about how human brain processes information, familiarize yourself with the following entries:
  1. evolution - the way in which living things change and develop over millions of years
  2. consciousness - the state of understanding and realizing something
  3. Tweeter - an online social networking service and micro-blogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based messages of up to 140 characters, known as "tweets".
  4. Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) - is a neurologically based condition characterized by problems with attention, impulse control, and hyperactivity.
  5. RAM - abbreviation for random access memory: a type of computer memory that can be searched in any order and changed as necessary
  6. hack - gain unauthorized access to data in a system or computer
B. Comprehension

Watch the video and answer the following questions:

Click here to watch the video

Video ©natgeotv.com
  1. “…we are literally stretching the amount of information that our brain can process at any given time. We’re living in the age of multi-tasking…”
    What does the word ‘literally’ mean in the above context?
    simply actually physically
  2. Over-extending our attention faculty can cause us…
    anxiety distraction frustration
  3. “I think that human beings dovetail their mind to their tool, and when the tools start dovetailing back, then the line between user and tool becomes flimsy.”
    What does ‘dovetail’ mean?
    to keep something in place
    to move something over a line
    to cause something to fit exactly together
  4. The host describes a human brain as
    a useful tool
    a central office
    an energy saving system
  5. “The brain is primed to notice the new, the differences…”
    What does ‘is primed’ mean?
    is hacked
    is pre-programmed
    is intended
C. Synonym
In the exercise below, three synonyms are provided for each bolded word in the following sentences taken from the talk. Watch the video again and observe how these words are used in a larger context. Select the synonym that best fits that context. Consult a dictionary when necessary.
  1. I think the ongoing evolution of human consciousness is the ongoing ability of the brain to process greater amount of information.
    addition developing progressing
  2. We are overextending our attention faculty.
    ability reason gift
  3. We need to come up with techniques and ways to engage with this multiplicity of options, while still retaining the intentional focus that allow us to function.
    complexity abundant load
  4. We need to come up with techniques and ways to engage with this multiplicity of options, while still retaining the intentional focus that allow us to function.
    absorbing possessing maintaining
  5. The evolution of human is to transcend our boundaries, human beings that didn’t stay in the caves, they didn’t stay in the planet...
    go beyond excel rise above
  6. I think that human beings dovetail their mind to their tool, and when the tools start dovetailing back, then the line between user and tool become flimsy.
    feeble fragile transparent
D. Using Vocab
Complete the following sentences using the words in the box. Use the correct grammatical form of the words.
  • consciousness
  • transcend
  • faculty
  • anxiety
  • dovetail
  • flimsy
  • prime
  • ongoing
  • multiplicity
  • retain
  1. The underlying message of the film is that love transcends everything else.
  2. You won't be warm enough in that flimsy dress. Please put on a jacket.
  3. She succeeded in retaining her lead in the second half of the race despite her injury in the previous competition.
  4. He lost consciousness after his accident and never regained it.
  5. She has an unusual faculty for inspiring confidence in people.
  6. There is a multiplicity of fashion magazines to choose on the rack but please take only one at a time.
  7. The negotiations are still ongoing until an agreement is reached.
  8. We dovetail our plans with theirs and hope that the cooperation can go smoothly.
  9. Children normally feel a lot of anxiety about their first day at school so teachers need to be more caring and understanding.
  10. I'd been primed so I knew not to mention her son.
E. Antonym

You can expand your vocabulary by learning antonyms. Antonyms are words that have opposite meanings. Knowing antonyms can increase your comprehension of English and allow you to express yourself with greater clarity.

  1. Match each word in the left column to its antonym on the right. Consult a dictionary when necessary.
  1. Select the most appropriate answer to complete the following sentences.
  1. An baby was found in a box on the hospital steps.
  2. She invited loads of friends to her party, but only a of them turned up.
  3. That ladder doesn’t look enough to hold you.
  4. Her for decision-making doesn't make her a very good boss.
  5. We spent the stormy night in a wooden hut without any utilities.
  6. She succeeded in her lead in the second half of the race.
  7. An investigation is in progress and all suspects must be retained behind bars until the investigation is completed.
  8. Studying has certainly sharpened my critical as I was taught to think and judge effectively.
  9. The real answer to this is as complex as the and variety of belief structures that one can find out there.

Transcription – National Geographic - Jason Silva on Focus

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ine-3hKDYLM

I think the ongoing evolution of human consciousness is the ongoing ability of the brain to process greater amount of information. With our relationship with technology now, we are literally stretching the amount of information that our brain can process at any given time. We’re living in the age of multi-tasking, we’re living in the age of watching TV, while you text, while you’re on Facebook, while you tweet , while you’re watching a video on Youtube, all at the same time. In fact, I like to say, if you don’t have ADD today, you’re not paying attention. We are overextending our attention faculty and it’s causing a kind of, we handle things with anxiety. We just don’t have the RAM for the amount of open apps that we have opened. We need to come up with techniques and ways to engage with this multiplicity of options, while still retaining the intentional focus that allow us to function.

The evolution of human is to transcend our boundaries, human beings didn’t stay in the caves, they didn’t stay in the planet, they ……their biology. I think that human beings dovetailed their mind to their tool, and when the tools start dovetailing back, then the line between user and tool become flimsy indeed.

I think the brain is the energy saving system, sort of decides what the useful information is and everything else you can delete. The brain has a mental map, an internal model of the world that it has to interface with. And so if I take the same route to work every day and if I always sitting in the same office, I could go with my eyes closed and pretty much get there. Cos it’s already inside, therefore I am not noticing anything. When you change something in the world, then your brain notices it. The brain is primed to notice the new, the differences, it’s biological selected to notice the new. If we know that, we know that our brain is awaked by the new. Then if we want to play with what we focus on and what we don’t focus on, we can spell it out, we can take an active step to form a metacognical hack on our own brain, and force ourselves to notice what we never notice before.

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