The Reading / Listening - Microchips - Level 0

Computer chip technology has advanced a lot. Smartphones can now stream movies, store lots of data and play amazing games. IBM has made a new chip with amazing performance. It uses 75 per cent less energy. This is good for the environment. Soon, we will only need to charge our phones every four days.

IBM cut the size of its chips. Computer engineers measure chips in nanometres. One nanometre is a billionth of a metre. IBM's new chip is 2nm. A computer expert said IBM's new chip could make artificial intelligence better. It could also let data centres store more information. However, data centres use lots of electricity.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Microchips - Level 1,  Microchips - Level 2   or  Microchips - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.computerweekly.com/news/252500454/IBM-Another-chip-in-the-wall
  • https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-57009930
  • https://edition.cnn.com/2021/05/06/tech/ibm-semiconductor-two-nanometer/index.html


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. chip technology has advanced
  2. store lots
  3. play amazing
  4. a new chip with amazing
  5. It uses 75 per cent
  6. good for the
  7. we will only
  8. charge
  1. games
  2. environment
  3. of data
  4. our phones
  5. a lot
  6. need four days
  7. less energy
  8. performance

Paragraph 2

  1. engineers measure chips
  2. One nanometre is a billionth
  3. IBM's new chip is
  4. a computer
  5. IBM's new
  6. artificial
  7. store more
  8. data centres use
  1. intelligence
  2. information
  3. of a metre
  4. lots of electricity
  5. 2nm
  6. expert
  7. chip
  8. in nanometres

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Computer chip technology (1) ___________________ lot. Smartphones (2) ___________________ movies, store lots of data and play amazing games. IBM has (3) __________________ chip with amazing performance. (4) ___________________ per cent less energy. This (5) __________________ the environment. Soon, we will only need (6) ___________________ phones every four days.

IBM cut (7) ___________________ its chips. Computer engineers measure chips in nanometres. One nanometre is a (8) __________________ metre. IBM's (9) ___________________ 2nm. A computer expert said IBM's (10) ___________________ make artificial intelligence better. It could (11) ___________________ centres store more information. However, data centres (12) ___________________ electricity.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Computerchiptechnologyhasadvancedalot.Smartphonescannowstr
eammovies,storelotsofdataandplayamazinggames.IBMhasmadean
ewchipwithamazingperformance.Ituses75percentlessenergy.Thisis
goodfortheenvironment.Soon,wewillonlyneedtochargeourphonese
veryfourdays.IBMcutthesizeofitschips.Computerengineersmeasure
chipsinnanometres.Onenanometreisabillionthofametre.IBM'snewc
hipis2nm.AcomputerexpertsaidIBM'snewchipcouldmakeartificialint
elligencebetter.Itcouldalsoletdatacentresstoremoreinformation.Ho
wever,datacentresuselotsofelectricity.

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.

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

Back to the top

Help Support This Web Site

  • Please consider helping Breaking News English.com

Sean Banville's Book

Thank You