CROSSROADSCROSSROA DS Language
Languag e StudioÊs Newsletter July,
July , 201
20 1 8Many people, from Elon Musk to Stephen
Hawkins, have warned us to be terrified of thecomingofrobots,
cyborgs and artificial
intelligence. Hawkins,in fact, went as far to
say the invention of AI
could be the “worst event in the history ofour civilization!” Spurred by the first space
explorations of the 1950s,
countless tales abound in movies,
books and comics telling of aterrifying future where thehuman race is annihilated by theonslaught of artificial life, or very
often, a role-reversal whereby man-kindbecomes the subservient worker or slave ofa master robot race.
Popular culture, though, has been accusedof fear-mongering in its depiction of aEllableak
outcome for humans, and there are many
positive voices and reasons to be optimistic
about
Janis the dawning of this new era.
Bionic (robotics replicating humananatomy) limbs, such as prosthetic legs,
are already enabling amputees to run,dance and even rock-climb, and thefurther the interaction between thebrain’s neural networks and machinery,
the more fully the integration will be both
possible and beneficial to humans.

NET LESSONS: Too busy to come to CROSSROADS?
…. Try our lessons on the net!
Watch an interview in English with Sophia, theworld’s first robot citizen - of Saudi Arabia! – here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78-1MlkxyqI

Exoskeletons and implants will greatly
augment human’s physical abilities toallow us to become actual superheroes –with even the possibility of attaching
wings, allowing us to soar in the sky andhave
fully
personalized,integrated
transportation. We will also be able toprocess, assimilate and store information
at rapid speeds and in huge quantities –meaning everyone will be capable ofbecoming a genius, brimming withwisdom.
Of course there will be military
applications – super soldiers with greatstrength, vision, accuracy and replaceableparts if injured in battle – but the world ofsports, exploration, education and mostaspects of work and daily life will alsochange exponentially. In fact, as computers
and machines have already started toreplace many workers in factories andbeyond, several countries’ governments
around the world have started considering
ensuring a guaranteed universal income
for their citizens, to help support the economy
while there are lessemployment possibilities
around for humans. Theword ‘robot’ actuallystems from the wordrobota – in Slovak
meaning‘ work’, and inCzech, meaning ‘drudgery’- and so maybe
instead of fearing the future, we should
start to embrace the benefits that robotics
will bring us – and start making plans formore free time to study, play and develop
ourselves.

Article by MarkJoshua Says: I’m very pleased to see that at least one of our groups is back into the“creative mode.” Some of you may remember how we used to use drama and script
writing to study English with in the past. We no longer have drama lessons in thesame form as we used to, but you can still be creative while you study at Crossroads.
We have just “published” (in-house, of course) our first short story, written entirely by
the S(A)3 group. There is a copy available in our library – check it out!
Junko Says: It is still the first half of July, but this year’s summer heat is something quiteunusual. It reminds me of the experience I had in Dutch Guiana which lies right on theequator. There, the people take siestas. It’s too hot to do anything in the daytime. If you wore
sandals on your bare feet and walked under the Sun for 10 minutes, your feet would be left
with a trace of the sandals on them. This year we have heat on top of high humidity.
Moderate exercise, balanced meals and enough sleep can help you overcome this summer.
Mark Says: My recent thoughts have been with the flood victims throughout

Western Japan – and, more selfishly, with how lucky we are in Matsuyama tolive north of the mountains. As climate change brings ever-more extreme
weather, I hope we can use it as an opportunity to care more for ourcommunities globally, and care more for the planet that sustains us.
Darrin Says: After the recent flooding that hit much of Ehime a couple ofweeks ago, I sincerely pray that all your friends and family are safe andwell. I’d also like to pay tribute to the many volunteers, that are still now
selflessly working to clean up and help those in need. May the recovery
be swift and complete.
André Gide disait que pendant l’été la « Lumière profuse;splendeur. L'été s'impose et contraint toute âme au bonheur ». En effet, c’est
le moment parfait pour partager un repas, un pique-nique, un long apéritif et
beaucoup de petits avec les amis et la famille. Attention cependant à bien vous
couvrir et ne pas attraper une insolation.
Mandcy dit:

1ACROSS
4
2 take in or absorb
5 combining into a whole
7 filled to capacity
8 making an exact copy
9 offering little or no hope
8
10 make larger or increase
12 giving the ability to do something
13 hard monotonous routine work
14 exterior structure of many animals such as snails
16 stimulated, urged on
12DOWN
1 selling or offering for sale
3 destroyed completely
4 obedient to authority
6 sudden and severe attack
11 many or plenty of something
15 originates from(print version here)

2

35

6
7

9
10
11

www.CrosswordWeaver.com

13

14

1615

What do you mean....?
English is usually clear and precise in meaning, however sometimes meaning can beThat’s me!

ambiguous. Some words can even be their own antonym. For example:

Oversight is a noun formed from two verbs with contradictory meanings, “oversee”
and “overlook.” “Oversee” means to “look over” or to “supervise”, while“oversight” usually means to “fail to see”, or to “pass over withoutnoticing”.

Sanction can mean “to give approval” or “permission,” or it can mean “to impose a penalty.”
What do you make of the following sentence:“As a result of his mother’s oversight, the boy’s behavior was sanctioned.”
Does this mean “because the boy did something wrong while his mother was watching, she punished him insome way? Or does it mean “because his mother was inattentive, and therefore negligent in controlling hisbehavior, she overlooked his bad behavior and gave her approval by default?”
What do you think this sentence means? Because the content here is not sufficiently clear, it is not possible
to know for certain. But this exercise does illustrate the importance of content when trying to understandmeaning. Here are a few more examples of words that can mean their opposite:Left can mean either “remain” or “depart” – “half the group were left (behind) when half left the room.”
Fast means either “to move quickly” or “to fix” something to one place so that it can not move.
Weather can mean “to withstand or get through safely,” but it can also mean “to wear away” as in “therocks were weathered.”

Screen means “to show” (e.g. a movie) or “to hide or cover from sight.”
Bolt is “to secure” (something so it can not move) or “to flee” (run away from).
Off means “to deactivate” (as in turn off the lights) or “to activate” (the alarm went off).
Variety means “a particular type of something” or “many different kinds of something.”
A R T I F I C I A L L Y
EAPS P R O U TLOIOPSWR E L A T I V E L Y
S U R P L U SLSORUC A P A B L E
S T A C K I N GWOH
S E L F - S U F F I C I E N TIF
B O U N T I F U LIGL A W NEDLast Month’s Puzzle Solution
ACROSS
1 not by natural means
4 start to produce buds or branches
8 by comparison
9 more than what is needed
10 having ability
11 arranging in an orderly way
13 (hyphenated) in no need of help
14 produce in abundance
15 a cultivated field of grass

DOWN
2 gather, bring in
3 areas of ground used to growvegetables
4 place seeds in or on the grown
5 work the land by ploughing
6 break and turn over earth
7 spreading out in different directions
12 not free to move or expand

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