Article: Read the text below. (5 minutes)

Indian engineer Kranthis Kiran Vistakula developed a unique jacket which is flexible to both hot and cold weather.

Vistakula, who was then a student in Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Boston, came up with this idea because he wanted to have a kind of clothing that can keep him warm during winter and keep him cool when the heaters were on in the school rooms.

Vistakula applied the principle of Peltier effect which is used in cooling electronic gadgets like laptops. According to this principle, when electricity passes through the meeting point of two different metals, a difference in temperature occurs. As a result, one side ‘heats up’ while another side ‘cools down’. In electronic devices, built-in fans are needed to blow off heat to prevent overheating.

Vistakula was able to eliminate the need of fans by using special materials to create tiny, light, and immovable parts suitable to the clothing. He also attached rechargeable batteries which would produce the electricity needed in the clothing. The jacket can produce a temperature from zero to 100 degree Celsius.

Aside from jackets, Vistakula’s company, Dhamma Innovations, also manufactures mufflers, shoes, helmets, and knee and elbow pads which can be used to soothe joint pains.

Vistakula’s team targets to scale up production and to make their products more affordable for consumers. They are also hoping to become a hundred-million company in 3 to 4 years.

Words Difficult to Pronounce

flexible [flek-suh-buh l]

Massachusetts [mas-uh-choo-sits]

eliminate [ih-lim-uh-neyt]

temperature [tem-per-uh-cher, -choo r, -pruh-, -per-cher, -choo r]

Vocabulary Review: Read the following words/expressions used in the article and make sample sentences using them. (5 minutes)

1. flexible (adj.) – capable to adjust to a particular situation or use

Example: She can easily meet friends because of her flexible personality.

2. built-in (adj.) – made a part of something (usually not detachable)

Example: We plan to put built-in cabinets in the kitchen.

3. eliminate (v.) – to remove something (or someone)

Example: She was eliminated from the competition because she was over qualified.

4. suitable (adj.) – appropriate for some purpose or use

Example: The use of air conditioning is suitable in warm places.

5. joint (n.) – (in anatomy) it refers to the point of connections of bones

Example: People suffering from arthritis experience joint pains.

Comprehension Questions: Basing it from the article, answer the following questions. Answer using your own words. (5 minutes)

1. How did Vistakula come up with his invention?

2. How did he get rid of the fans needed for heating?

3. Why does Vistakula’s company target to scale up their production?

Viewpoint Discussion: Read the following statements and determine whether you AGREE or DISAGREE. Discuss the reasons with your tutor. (5 minutes)

1. People should have different clothing for different weather.

2. People should always consider comfort over cost when buying.

Article: Read the text below. (5 minutes)

A British researcher from Fashion and Textile Design at the University of the Arts in London has conceptualized a kind of clothing that gives off scent.

Jenny Tillotson calls her idea the Smart Second Skin. Designed to have tubes wired throughout the whole fabric, the scented clothing can help people improve their mood, communicate with others and even avoid memory loss.

Using a built-in timer, people can set the time when they want the clothing to release a particular scent. For instance, it can give off the scent of coffee in the morning to boost one’s energy or the scent of flowers at night to calm one’s mind and body before sleeping.

It can also be connected to body sensors which can monitor heart rate and stress levels of a person. Once the sensors read that a person is stressed, the clothing will release a relaxing scent.

Aside from improving one’s mood, scent can also be a communication tool as seen in insect behavior. Through the scent coming from the clothing, people can talk, find or remember each other.

Since scent aids memory, the clothing can help prevent Alzheimer, a disease which makes older people lose memory. As people grow older, their sense of smell weakens along with the deterioration of memory. The clothing can release familiar scents of people they know or places they love in order to sharpen their memory.

Tillotson got the inspiration for the idea when she worked with AIDS patients. She discovered that unpleasant hospital smell weakens patients, while pleasant smell improves recovery.

Words Difficult to Pronounce

conceptualize – [kuh n-sep-choo-uh-lahyz]

scent - [sent]

Tillotson – [ti-luht-sohn]

Alzheimer’s – [ahlts-hahy-merz]

deterioration - [dih-teer-ee-uh-rey-shuh n]

Vocabulary Review: Read the following words/expressions used in the article and make sample sentences using them. (5 minutes)

1. conceptualize (v.) – to make or form an idea

Example: Our team conceptualized the project after we finished the research.

2. give off (idiom) – to produce a certain smell

Example: Most flowers give off a pleasant smell.

3. fabric (n.) – a material made from thread woven together; cloth

Example: The fabric used for her wedding gown is expensive.

4. sensor (n.) – a device that sends a signal

Example: The door in the laboratory opens when light hits the sensors attached to it.

5. deterioration (n.) – the state in which something loses effectiveness or breaks down

Example: Old buildings suffer from deterioration because of poor maintenance.

Comprehension Questions: Basing it from the article, answer the following questions. Answer using your own words. (5 minutes)

1. What is the Smart Second Skin?

2. How can this clothing help people improve their mood?

3. Why is the Smart Second Skin helpful to people with weak memory?

Viewpoint Discussion: Read the following statements and determine whether you AGREE or DISAGREE. Discuss the reasons with your tutor. (5 minutes)

1. Some science inventions are unrealistic.

2. Technology will never be better than nature.

Article: Read the text below. (5 minutes)

Sea levels are at the steepest increase in 2,000 years according to a recent research done in the US. The unexpected rise poses a threat to coastal cities, like in US in which 50% of the population reside near the sea. Researchers suggest that climate change may be the cause of such rate.

According to researchers from University of Pennsylvania, the sea level has been rising 0.08 inches every year since the 19^th century. Previous data from fossils show that levels of water remained stable during the early years of the 2,000 period, specifically around 200 BC to AD 1,000.

Furthermore, the researchers claim that global temperature affect sea levels based on historical records. For instance, the rise of sea level during the 11^th century happened at the same time as the mysterious climate change during the medieval age. As the data suggest, sea levels rise when temperatures rise.

This data can help researchers understand the effect of global temperature to the sea level. If they are able to accurately predict the changes in sea level based on the data from the past, they can predict how much the sea level will rise in the future.

Words Difficult to Pronounce

threat [thret]

Pennsylvania [pen-suh l-veyn-yuh, -vey-nee-uh]

temperature [tem-per-uh-cher, -choo r, -pruh-, -per-cher, -choo r]

medieval [mee-dee-ee-vuh l, med-ee-, mid-ee-, mid-ee-vuh l]

Vocabulary Review: Read the following words/expressions used in the article and make sample sentences using them. (5 minutes)

1. steepest (adj.) – highest (usually of price or amount of something)

Example: The steepest rise in oil has been experienced by many countries recently.

2. reside (v.) – to live in a place permanently or for a long period of time

Example: I resided in my hometown for 23 years before I decided to move to a bigger city.

3. fossil (n.) – any remains, evidence, or trace of a living thing from the past

Example: Skeletons or skeletal patterns in stones are one type of fossils.

4. mysterious (adj.) – refers to something which is unknown or is not fully understood

Example: I am interested to read more information about the mysterious case.

5. medieval (adj.) – refers to something related or in the style of the Middle Ages

Example: We can learn more about the medieval life by visiting museums.

Comprehension Questions: Basing it from the article, answer the following questions. Answer using your own words. (5 minutes)

1. Who are or will be at great risk from unexpected rise in the sea level?

2. According to the researchers, what affects the rise in the sea level?

3. How can this data help researchers in the future?

Viewpoint Discussion: Read the following statements and determine whether you AGREE or DISAGREE. Discuss the reasons with your tutor. (5 minutes)

1. Climate change is impossible to prevent.

2. More laws for environmental protection should be established.