IS FULL TIME WORK BAD FOR OUR BRAINS?

If you’re over 40, working more than 25 hours a week could be affecting your intelligence, new research suggests.

By: Georgina Kanyon

Published: BBC, 18 July 2016, http://www.bbc.com/capital/story/20160714-is-full-time-work-bad-for-our-brains

Level of difficulty: **

BEFORE YOU READ

·         Why the 8 hour workday doesn’t work http://www.forbes.com/sites/travisbradberry/2016/06/07/why-the-8-hour-workday-doesnt-work/#4048933f7981

·         Employers in Sweden introduce the 6 hour workday http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/sweden-introduces-six-hour-work-day-a6674646.html

·         Amazon tests 30 hour work week http://fortune.com/2016/08/28/amazon-tests-30-hour-work-week/ 

·         How many hour should you work each week  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdfPxX1WTrE

QUESTIONS

1.       Read the information concerning The Australian study. What was the underlying reason for their findings?

2.       Which of the conclusions below can we draw concerning the above study?

·         People should retire at the age of 40

·         40 Year-olds should work 25 hours a week

·         We shouldn’t test cognitive functioning in the evening

·         Awareness should be raised concerning optimum working hours.

·         All of the above

·         None of the above: please specify

3.       Do the findings of the Australian study come as a complete surprise? Why or Why not?

4.       What is surprising about the new findings concerning work and cognitive functioning?

5.       What does “That” refer to at the beginning of the last paragraph of the section and why is it significant?

6.       We understand from the section on sleep that sleeping 4 or 5 hours a night is nothing to be proud of if you want to be successful because…

7.       What is the implication of the findings concerning expert performers?

·         We need to hire more workers

·         We need to send people home early

·         We should shorten the working week

·         We should give people freedom at work

·         We should let people practice

8.       How does Salisbury support his contention that the research is exaggerated? By indicating that……..

9.       Why does Evans prefer a 4 day week although she says 3 days would work better for her? Because otherwise….

10.   We understand from the last section of the text that it is important for companies to allow for

·         Healthy work

·         Down time

·         Good work

·         Extra courses

WRITING TASK

Discuss the reasons why people may need to reduce their working hours in middle age.

IS FULL TIME WORK BAD FOR OUR BRAINS? KEY AND TEACHERS’ NOTES

This text has given me the opportunity to write questions requiring paraphrasing and questions concerning implications and conclusions.  As a result, though straightforward, the task is a cognitive challenge and cannot be completed by following context clues. It will be interesting to see what you think of the research; I, for example, completely disagree.

1.       Excessively long hours can cause fatigue and physical and/or psychological stress, which potentially damage cognitive functioning

2.       None of the above. If you are over 40 and working more than 25 hours a week could be impairing your intelligence OR work can be a double edged sword in that ….

3.       No they don’t because previous studies have shown that workers of various ages doing overtime can suffer chronic stress, cognitive impairment and also mental illness

4.       Health and cognitive issues can occur at a much lower threshold than previously thought.

5.       Having at least one person to look after, a child or an elderly adult, on top of working full time; It  creates a job on top of a job

6.       Restful sleep is critical to high levels of performance 

7.       We should shorten the working week

8.       He found that he dealt with demands on his time more easily as he gained experienceor just became older

9.       She wouldn’t be fully connected to her team

10.   Down time

DEVELOP YOUR SPEAKING SKILLS

Educational Videos

·         English speaking practice https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVWFGIyNswI

·         How to respond quickly in English https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYfq4uuvLbQ

·         Speaking English confidently https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9OkMTkeaEU

·         Spoken English learning video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhQt_fxGOcw

·         Daily English conversation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROZFmi1nQVc

·         Advanced English Speaking 1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fg19eSr7FRM

·         How Do You Speak English? Speaking Exercises To Improve Your English https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKuu3Wwr_3g

Tips from the Experts

·         14 Methods for Improving Your Spoken English Without a Speaking Partner

http://www.fluentu.com/english/blog/how-to-improve-spoken-english/

PROBLEMS, MISCONCEPTIONS AND CLASSIC MISTAKES

SUGGESTIONS

I suggest that you see the head master so that he can clarify the situation. (NOT advocate)

I advocate torture! (Used with a noun)

I suggest resorting to torture

I offered to drive him to work (Shall I drive you to work?)

OBLIGATIONS, GUARANTEES

Children should be compelled to go to school (by their parents even if they want to leave at 16)

Wear the life jacket so that we can ensure that / guarantee that you are safe

He assured me that he would be back for dinner (I will definitely be back for dinner)

EVEN AND ALSO (NEVER USED AT THE START OF A SENTENCE)

Jack was also involved in the project (NOT: Also, jack was involved in the project)

Jack also spoke at the meeting

She is a true-blue bookworm; she even reads during meals

This is nothing, in mid- summer, it gets even hotter

SUCH AS VERSUS LIKE

Vegetables such as carrots and potatoes are not good for diabetics as they contain too much starch (The carrots and potatoes are included in the list of vegetables that are bad for diabetics)

NOT: Some vegetables are bad for diabetics such as carrots and potatoes.

Vegetables like carrots and potatoes are not good for diabetics (Vegetables similar to carrots and vegetables - celeriac, parsnips, turnips etc. – are bad for diabetics)

NOT: Some vegetables are bad for diabetics like carrots and potatoes

REASONS, RESULTS, CONCEQUENCES, CAUSES AND EFFECTS

There are many reasons for his lack of cooperation

The cause of the accident is human error

The most important effect of alcohol consumption is changes personality

The right wing backlash in Europe is a direct consequence of the huge numbers of refugees trying to enter European countries. (A potentially negative reaction to an event)

The influx of refugees has had serious consequences (The effects are potentially negative)

Your objection is of no consequence (Your objection is not important)

If you continue ignoring my suggestions, you will have to face the consequences (potentially negative things will happen)

He had been relying on hamburgers and French fries for weeks. The result was that he gained a tremendous amount of weight. (Neutral in meaning, informal)

The most important outcome of the proposed budget cuts was a drop in standards (a synonym of result but technical and formal)

MUCH, MANY, FAR, MORE, LESS

He is much more talented than his twin

His twin has many more friends than him

NOTE: Much cannot be used by itself in the sentences above. Much is used in conjunction with a comparative

He is much less talented than Astor Piazola

He has far fewer friends than his brother

NOTE: The phrase much fewer is totally wrong

ENABLE AND PROVIDE

I provided him with a map so that he could find his way more easily

The map I gave him enabled him to find his way more easily

CONSIDER AND REGARD

I consider him to be the best crime writer in the world (NOT: I consider him as the best crime… because we don’t use as with consider)

When you consider / take in to consideration how hard he worked, his failure is a surprise.

Have you decided whether to promote him or not? I am still considering the issue (I am thinking about it, weighing the pros and cons)

Mozart is regarded as one of the best composers of all time.

DEFINITE ARTICLES: THE MOST COMMON MISTAKE

He could not locate the source of the problem

He spoke to the group which had congregated in front of the office

THE POSITION OF ADVERBS: MOST COMMON MISTAKES

·         The film was absolutely hilarious

·         It is absolutely wrong to disregard animal rights (NOT “Absolutely, it is wrong to disregard animal rights OR It is wrong to disregard animal rights absolutely)

·         It is extremely important to take this medicine regularly

·         It is totally wrong

·         This kind of behavior is completely unacceptable (NOT “This kind of behavior is unacceptable completely”)

IMPORTANT, VITAL, CRUCIAL, SIGNIFICANT

A clean air act is vital for a healthy society (critical, indispensible)

The findings are of vital interest.

Rehearsals or trial runs are crucial if you want a performance to perfect on opening night (essential to success)

The latest research into the zika virus is significant: it shows that the virus can be transferred from one person to another. (Important in effect)

NOTE: The word important is more neutral in meaning and can be a substitute for any of the words above but the reverse is not possible as there are shades of meaning)

WORD ORDER: MOST COMMON MISTAKE

The lecturer focused on the effects of malnourishment (NOT: Malnourishment’s effects)

THE USE OF THE PHRASE “IN TERMS OF” AND “WITH RESPECT TO”

These phrases mean roughly the same thing: in relation to and are introductory phrases. They can easily be omitted from most sentences but add style when they are used.

In terms of quality, your work leaves much to be desired.

With respect to what we discussed previously, I can safely say that the offer we originally made still stands

The phrase “In aspect of” is completely wrong. Adverb forms should be used instead. Consider the following:

CORRECT: Children are affected physically and psychologically

WRONG: Children are affected in aspect of physical or psychological

DURING VERSUS WHILE

While is used with continuous forms of verbs and while is used with nouns

John arrived while I was sleeping (Not …during I was sleeping)

John arrived during the night

RESPECT VERSUS SHOW RESPECT

The verb respect is used without a preposition while “show or have respect” is used with the preposition “for”

I have a lot of respect for my teacher.

The students showed their teacher a lot of respect

BUT

I respect my teacher (Not I respect for my teacher)

FEEL AND FEEL LIKE

The verb feel is followed by an adjective but the structure “feel like” is followed by a noun.

I feel stupid

I feel like an idiot (Not I feel like stupid)

THE MOST FREQUENT MISTAKES WITH PREPOSITIONS

1. Discuss something but talk about something
2. Are not confronted with but do not confront
3. Come face to face with something / face something / encounter something
4. Make contact with someone but contact someone
5. Have or gain access to something but access something
6. Do harm to/ do damage to something / damage or harm something
7. Has an impact on something but impact something
8. This problem can be solved in a lot of ways / by psychologists / with the right equipment
9. You respond to someone but you answer someone
10. You have respect for someone but you respect someone
11.  Something has an effect on something but plays or has a role in….
12.  Confuse something with something else: I confused him with his twin/ but confuse someone  Her remarks confused the police
13.  Have trouble with something but  Have trouble doing something

I am having trouble with my computer / I am having trouble understanding him

14.  Study something but  work on something ( He studied the evidence / He is working on a project)
15. Have an influence on something but  influence something (My teacher has had a great influence on me / My teacher has influenced my outlook on life)
16.  Consider something  but think about something (I will consider what you said/ I will think about what you said)
17. Depart from a place but leave a place
18. You have a way of doing something or a way to do something BUT you have a method of doing something
19. Benefits him / is beneficial to him
20. Providing support for / supporting
21. Escape from / flee
22. You have discussions about something / you discuss something
23. To be in search of something / BUT To search for something
24. You have control over something / BUT You control something (You don’t seem to have any control over your children /Try and control your temper!)
25. Something has an impact on something / BUT Something impacts something (The Russian embargo had a serious impact on tourism in Turkey / The Russian embargo impacted tourism)
26. They lack confidence BUT There is a lack of confidence in him
27. You have respect for something BUT you respect someone

WHY THERE MIGHT BE MANY MORE UNIVERSES LIKE OUR OWN

The idea of parallel universes may seem bizarre, but physics has found all sorts of reasons why they should exist

By: Philip Ball

Published: 21 March 2016, http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20160318-why-there-might-be-many-more-universes-besides-our-own

Level of difficulty: ***

BEFORE YOU READ

Watch the following videos, make notes and think about them

·         Why there could be many identical copies of you http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20161021-why-there-could-be-many-copies-of-you

·         Multiverse Theory by Dr Michio Kaku https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZiROWO6iVs

QUESTIONS

1.       The idea of multiverses has ceased to be science fiction thanks to…..

2.       Giordano Bruno based his view that the universe might be infinite on… (Use your own words)

3.       Why are Edmund Fournier d’Albe’s views of the universe described as “Russian doll multiverses”? Because his theory involves….

4.       Read the section titled “The Patchwork Universe” to the end and answer the following questions:

a.       Why can’t we see the different sections in the universe?

b.      This will not always be the case because

c.       We understand from the text that acc to the laws of probability the chances of there being a world exactly like ours is high / quite high / low / nil

d.      What does the phrase “this is not the case” in the sentence “It is possible that this is not the case at all” refer to.

e.      Why is it unlikely that other universes are empty?

5.       Read the section titled “The Inflationary Multiverse” to the end and answer the following questions

a.       The perceived uniformity of the universe is due to the fact that…

b.      What is the origin of the radiation that fills the universe?

c.       We understand that this theory has a concrete scientific basis from the fact that…

d.      The chances of our accessing the bubble universes is……… because…..

e.      The verification of the theory of eternal inflation may have an important bonus. What is it?

f.        What problem in current string theory would the above finding address? The need to select…

g.       What does “This” refer to in the phrase “This is just what is needed to make stars possible” Be careful; this is tricky!

h.      Does the multiverse theory make God unnecessary? Why?

6.       Read the section titled “Cosmic Natural Selection” to the end and answer the following questions:

a.       Cosmological natural selection makes it unnecessary to wonder why all universes might be the same / why all universes might be different / why our universe is the way it is / why our universe could be different. Mark as many as necessary.

b.      What important conclusion can be drawn from Smolin’s theory?

c.       What does “This” refer to in the phrase “This is like random genetic mutations…”?

d.      What principle is at the root of Smolin’s theory involving baby universes reproducing continuously?

e.      What is the major argument against Smolin’s theory?

7.       Read the section titled “The Brane Multiverse” to the end and answer the following questions:

a.       The idea of hidden dimensions was prompted by…….

b.      What does “That” refer to in the phrase “that looked promising” ?

c.       The example of the garden hose is provided to support the contention that...

d.      Everett’s theory implies that there are many worlds / the number of worlds is increasing all the time / quantum measurements determine the number of worlds / wave function collapse can’t be avoided. Mark the odd man out

Watch the following 2 minute presentation before you continue: String Theory in less than two minutes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTxoM5QvruY

e.      String Theory is premised on the idea that ….

f.        The example of the stack of papers is provided to explain how…

g.       The Big Bang could be explained by …..

h.      There are two explanations for the fact that gravity is weaker than other fundamental forces. They are:

8.       Read the section titled “The Quantum Multiverse” to the end and watch the following video: What Is the Wave Function? - Instant Egghead #50 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aowYf44gDRY. Then  answer the following questions

a.       What human limitation needs to be accepted in the case of the quantum universe?

b.      Why do wave functions collapse? Be precise

c.       The example concerning measuring the path of an electron proves that …

d.      What disturbing conclusion can be drawn from the explanation of quantum theory thus far as regards humanity:

There are multiple copies of you/ You have body doubles/You are becoming a distinct being/ Your body doubles are increasing in number every minute/You have vanished /There is no such thing as individuality

9.       Read the section titled “Testing the Multiverse” to the end and answer the questions.

a.       Why are multiverse theories termed “theories? Explain.

b.      Mark True / False: the multiverse theories don’t need to be tested/ the validity of multiverse theories can be deduced/ Multiverse theories can be tested indirectly/The inflationary theory of the Big Bang could show that  multiverses exist / The multiverse theories are pure speculation .

WRITING TASK

First Alternative: Which multiverse theory is more probable in your view? Explain.

Second alternative: Write a response essay detailing your reactions to the multiverse theory

WHY THERE MIGHT BE MANY MORE UNIVERSES LIKE OUR OWN? KEY AND TEACHERS’ NOTES

The idea of multiverses, which part physics and part metaphysics, is a very controversial one and has enough of a wow factor to be interesting. The text is divided into sections so it can be done in class. The class could be divided into groups and each group could focus on one theory and present it to the class. This would be beneficial as it would kill multiple birds with one stone.

1.       (Different aspects of) the laws of physics

2.       Possible answer: The views of Copernicus and Galileo

3.       Because his theory involves nested universes at different scales

4.       a. Because they are too far away for light to have crossed the distance; b. Because eventually light will cross the divide and the universes will merge; c. Low d. Maybe the universe isn’t infinite at all e. There is no sign so far that matter gets sparser the further away we look

5.       a. Inflation blew up the fireball to a cosmic scale before it had a chance to get too clumpy; b. Tiny chance variations which also got blown up by inflation; c. Several satellite telescopes have mapped out these variations in fine detail, compared them to current evolutionary theory and found that the match is unbelievably good; d. They are receding too fast for us to ever catch up; e. Physicists could discover the theory of everything; f.  Select from among the huge number of distinct solutions (each with its own…) ; g. The balance between gravity which pulls matter towards itself and so called dark energy which does the opposite; h. No because God could have set things up this way.

6.       a. The second and the third; b. Our universe may not be the product of pure chance; c. The fact that the new universe might have slightly different …; d. Cosmic natural selection; e. The fact that our universe is especially suited to making black holes

7.       a. The fourth dimension that Einstein allegedly invoked; OR Einstein’s theory of relativity; b. The fact that by adding an extra equation to the equations of Einstein’s theory of relativity, one / it was possible to obtain an extra equation that seemed to predict the existence of light; c. A dimension could be curled; Have you watched the video? d. Fundamental particles are the vibrations of smaller entities called strings; e. A multiverse of branes of various dimensions co exist; f. Brane’s colliding; g. The fact that gravity might leak and the fact that a brane could concentrate gravity and so look weak in a second brane nearby

8.       a. We only see one of the realities of wave function, b. An observation / measuring  forces the object to “choose” one particular state; c.  To build an entire parallel universe; d. Wave function collapse cannot be avoided; d. There is no such thing as individuality

9.       a. Because an alternative universe is separate from our own and out of reach, it cannot be tested; b. T, T, T, F, F