SLOW LIVING
As technology has accelerated, so has the speed of life. Conversations, information and news travel faster than ever before. People are expected to be connected 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The faster things become, the more we want to slow them down and that is where slow living comes in. Slow living is quality over quantity, it is doing things with presence. Ultimately, it is about doing things at the right speed, doing everything as well as possible instead of as fast as possible.
Taking the first step towards slow living involves redefining your relationship with your phone, tablet or other gadget and making more room in your life for screen-free time. The basis of slow living is to develop a more balanced, healthier, happier and more humane relationship with our technology. Put differently, it means knowing when enough is enough and to stop scrolling through Instagram or just simply stop being in front of a screen. Another key element of slow living is to let go of the fear of missing things out, and instead of trying to do everything, focus on the things that matter. The roots of being slow is learning the art of saying no, it is prioritizing, taking your time to reflect upon what is really important and then focus your time and attention on those things and let everything else go.
Slow living is good for the body, mind and soul. It can improve your mood and sleep pattern while simultaneously reducing stress levels which can lead to better physical health. Valuable slow living benefits include not having to stay well informed about everything in the world, appreciating life’s most precious gift – time –, and living with an attitude of gratitude that helps you feel more joy.
The slow living movement removes the negative connotations of the word ‘slow’ which some may associate with laziness or unproductiveness. Slow living is not about being lazy or moving at a snail’s pace: it is about switching off the state of autopilot and taking your time to live life in a more creative, fruitful and rewarding way.
1. In what social context and circumstances does the slow living movement emerge?
"As technology has accelerated, so has the speed of life. Conversations, information and news travel faster than ever before. People are expected to be connected 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The faster things become, the more we want to slow them down and that is where slow living comes in."
UNIOVI: The slow living movement emerges in a social context dominated by technology, the speed that life demands, and the need to be connected every day of the year and at all hours.
ALTERNATIVE: The slow living movement appears because life has become very fast due to technology. People are always connected, and that makes them want to slow down.
"as technology has accelerated" → "life has become very fast due to technology".
"expected to be connected 24/7" → "people are always connected".
"That is where slow living comes in" → "that makes them want to slow down"
2. Indicate two crucial steps that must be taken to enter the slow living movement.
"Taking the first step towards slow living involves redefining your relationship with your phone, tablet or other gadget and making more room in your life for screen-free time."
"Another key element of slow living is to let go of the fear of missing things out, and instead of trying to do everything, focus on the things that matter."
UNIOVI: It is necessary to act in two directions: learning to say no and to prioritize, as well as taking time to think about what is really important, leaving aside the rest of the things.
ALTERNATIVE: First, people need to use their devices less and have more time without screens. Second, they must stop worrying about missing things and pay attention to what is really important.
"Redefining your relationship with your phone..." → "use their devices less".
"Let go of the fear of missing out" → "stop worrying about missing things."
"Focus on the things that matter" → "pay attention to what is important".
3. How does slow living bring multiple benefits to human beings?
"It can improve your mood and sleep pattern while simultaneously reducing stress levels which can lead to better physical health. Valuable slow living benefits include not having to stay well informed about everything in the world, appreciating life’s most precious gift – time –, and living with an attitude of gratitude that helps you feel more joy."
UNIOVI: Slow living has all the benefits: it improves your mood as well as your sleeping routine, it reduces stress and improves your physical health, you value your time much more and enjoy life more.
ALTERNATIVE: Slow living helps people feel better, sleep better and feel less stress. It also helps them enjoy time more and feel happier and more thankful.
"improve your mood and sleep pattern" → "feel better, sleep better."
"Reducing stress levels which can lead to better physical health" → "feel less stress" (more general but easier).
"Living with an attitude of gratitude" → "feel more thankful."
4. Why is it wrong to associate being ‘slow’ with being lazy or unproductive?
"The slow living movement removes the negative connotations of the word ‘slow’ which some may associate with laziness or unproductiveness. Slow living is not about being lazy or moving at a snail’s pace: it is about switching off the state of autopilot and taking your time to live life in a more creative, fruitful and rewarding way."
UNIOVI: The slow living movement has nothing to do with being lazy or doing things slowly: it is about switching off the autopilot and living life in a more conscious, creative and fruitful way.
ALTERNATIVE: Because slow living doesn’t mean being lazy. It means not living on autopilot and doing things in a better and more meaningful way.
"Removes the negative connotations..." → explained in plain terms: "doesn’t mean being lazy."
"Switching off the state of autopilot" → "not living on autopilot."
"Creative, fruitful and rewarding way" → "better and more meaningful way."
Fill the gaps with the correct, most appropriate word in each case. (0,25 por acierto = 1 punto)
5. The Slow movement is a cultural current (A) _____ promotes living more calmly, with the aim of having a healthier and fuller life. (B) _____ to Wikipedia, it began in Italy with the slow food movement, (C) _____ emphasized traditional and cultural foods (D) _____ the emergence of fast foods in the 1980s and 1990s.
5. The Slow movement is a cultural current (A) that / which promotes living more calmly, with the aim of having a healthier and fuller life. (B) According to Wikipedia, it began in Italy with the slow food movement, (C) which emphasized traditional and cultural foods (D) over the emergence of fast foods in the 1980s and 1990s.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Social media has become so integrated in our society that it is virtually impossible for people to take you seriously if you are not on a social media platform. Everyone is on social media: young, old, rich, poor and so on. As the popularity of social media such as TikTok, Instagram or X (Twitter) spreads around the world, there have been mixed feelings about how these networks affect young people. We need to analyse the positive and negative effects of social media on the youth.
On the positive side, social networking has reduced the world to a global village. Teenagers can interact with people in other parts of the world at the click of a button. Through these interactions, young people can share ideas, get information and also be exposed to many opportunities out there. Social media can also be lifesavers for adolescents who feel isolated or marginalised – in fact, social networks helped young people feel more connected and not so alone during the pandemic – and those teenagers who are naturally shy may express their opinions freely in public forums without fear of serious consequences.
On the negative side, the internet is an unregulated world that has no form of morals or laws. Young people are exposed to images of murder victims, accidents or even video recordings of gun shootings and explicit sexual content. When consumed for a long time, this kind of content can lead to serious mental breakdowns. For instance, teenagers begin to have anxiety attacks and fear of the real world. Too much social media also leads to addiction. Young people spend more time with their social media friends than with their families, friends and loved ones. When they wake up, the first thing they look at is their social media accounts; before they go to sleep, the last thing they check is the updates.
Social media is a great way to pass the time and see what is going on in the world, but it is also very addictive. Eliminating social networking may not be practical or advantageous for society. However, some form of regulation should be put into place.
Do not copy literally from the text. (1 punto por respuesta = 4 puntos)
1. Why are social networks an integral part of today’s society?
2. What kind of adolescents particularly benefit from social networking?
3. What are the negative effects of social media on young people’s health?
4. What is the source of these negative effects?
1. Why are social networks an integral part of today’s society?
"Social media has become so integrated in our society that it is virtually impossible for people to take you seriously if you are not on a social media platform. Everyone is on social media: young, old, rich, poor and so on."
Because social networks are used by people of all ages and backgrounds, and being active on them is often necessary to be considered socially relevant.
"young, old, rich, poor" > "people of all ages and backgrounds"
"take you seriously" > "Socially relevant"
UNIOVI: Nowadays, if you want to be taken seriously, you have to be on a social media platform. In fact, on social networks you find all kinds of people: young, old, rich, poor.
2. What kind of adolescents particularly benefit from social networking?
"Social media can also be lifesavers for adolescents who feel isolated or marginalised [...] and those teenagers who are naturally shy may express their opinions freely in public forums without fear of serious consequences."
Teenagers who feel lonely or excluded, and those who are shy, can benefit from social media because it helps them connect with others and express themselves more freely.
adolescents who feel isolated or marginalised → teenagers who feel lonely or excluded
teenagers who are naturally shy → those who are shy
may express their opinions freely in public forums → express themselves more freely
without fear of serious consequences → helps them connect with others and express themselves
UNIOVI: Social networking can be very beneficial for young people who feel lonely or marginalised (this was particularly true during the pandemic), as well as for those who are shy. Social networks help them to be more connected and to express themselves more freely.
3. What are the negative effects of social media on young people’s health?
"When consumed for a long time, this kind of content can lead to serious mental breakdowns. For instance, teenagers begin to have anxiety attacks and fear of the real world."
It can cause mental problems like anxiety and fear, which affect teenagers’ ability to cope with real life.
serious mental breakdowns → mental problems
begin to have anxiety attacks → anxiety
fear of the real world → fear, which affect teenagers’ ability to cope with real life
UNIOVI: Some young people may suffer from mental disorders, anxiety attacks, addictions and are afraid of living in the ‘real’ world.
4. What is the source of these negative effects?
"The internet is an unregulated world that has no form of morals or laws. Young people are exposed to images of murder victims, accidents or even video recordings of gun shootings and explicit sexual content."
They come from the lack of control on the internet, where teenagers are exposed to violent and inappropriate content.
an unregulated world that has no form of morals or laws → lack of control on the internet
are exposed to images of murder victims, accidents, gun shootings, explicit sexual content → exposed to violent and inappropriate content
UNIOVI: The source of these problems is the exposure of young people to images of murders, accidents, video recordings of gun shootings and open sexual content.
Fill the gaps with the correct, most appropriate word in each case. (0,25 por acierto = 1 punto)
5. Social networks (A) _____ adolescents the opportunity to make new friends and also allow them to maintain their old ones. They can locate their former friends by (B) _____ typing their names or indicating the school they attended. The network will then do (C) _____ the dirty work and link them to the people they went to school (D) _____ .
5. Social networks (A) give adolescents the opportunity to make new friends and also allow them to maintain their old ones. They can locate their former friends by (B) simply / just / merely / only typing their names or indicating the school they attended. The network will then do (C) all the dirty work and link them to the people they went to school (D) with.