Lesson 4A Reading — Virtual reality walking in someone else’s shoes

• 30 □ I can identify specific details in a text and talk about Virtual Reality.

Before you read: is this scene positive or negative?

♩ 8.4 SPEAKING Read and listen to the first paragraph of the article. Does it describe a positive or a negative experience?

Does it describe a positive or a negative experience?

What other experiences are described in the article?

Check what the writer says

1 Why does the writer start by describing an experience of going shopping?

a to explain exactly why some people suffer from ASD b to demonstrate why having ASD can cause someone to get upset c to emphasise the social problems created by large shopping malls

2 Which of these statements best reflects what the writer says about ASD?

a Many people feel upset or angry about having ASD.

b Different people will experience ASD in different ways.

c Public places should be better designed for people with ASD.

3 The writer cites Chris Milk to illustrate that a VR can also be a way for people to communicate over a distance.

b video may actually separate us from the people we see onscreen.

c VR has the potential to alter how we interact with each other.

4 What do the examples in Paragraph 4 indicate?

a that it is relatively easy to trick people into doing something b that many people are inspired to visit the places they see through VR c that VR can stimulate people’s willingness to take action

5 What attitude towards VR is expressed by the writer in the last paragraph?

a It has some value but should be treated with caution.

b It is fairly pointless compared with real life experience.

c It is a passing fashion that will fade away.

Phrasal verbs from the article

1 You can’t expect to keep a job if you’re always late! (replace «keep»)

2 I have never really felt part of the group at school. (replace «felt part of the group»)

3 Every time she thought about it, the anxiety made her feel very bad. (replace «made her feel very bad»)

4 He stopped what he was doing to talk to his friend. (replace «stopped»)

5 The noise was too much for her and she finished by running from the room. (replace «finished by»)

6 I didn’t expect to see you here! (replace «see»)

7 Experiencing something difficult can help you to grow as a person. (replace «Experiencing»)

8 Relax – it’s going to be OK. (replace «Relax»)

9 If you encounter any problems, let me know. (replace «encounter»)

Talk about VR and technology

What is the shopping scene really describing?

This is a description of what it might feel like for some people with ASD (autism spectrum disorder) to go to a shopping centre.

What happens when the stress becomes too much?

• Some people are able to cope with this kind of sensory overload reasonably well, though the stress might eat away at them inside.

• This can make it difficult to fit in with or to keep friends because other people just don’t understand the pressure that has led the person with autism to act in this way.
• It can also lead to people with autism having problems at school or with holding down a job, as they may come across as unreliable or bad-tempered.

Can VR let us feel what others feel?

In order to help people understand what it’s like to have autism, could Virtual Reality (VR) help?

• According to Chris Milk in his TED talk, Virtual Reality connects humans to other humans in a way which can change people’s perceptions of each other.

• People can watch the video using special 3D glasses, which take them more fully into the experience.
• So far, it has had six million views, and the comments certainly indicate that it’s having a powerful effect.

Does a virtual experience change what people do afterwards?

• VR has also been used to give people the experience of being disabled, or being in a flood.
• But can these experiences really help us to walk in someone else’s shoes?

Why a headset is not the same as real life

• A major difference between simulated and actual experiences is that we volunteer to put on the VR headset.
• We can break off at any time and go back to our normal lives, whereas the people whose lives we’re experiencing don’t have that luxury.
• And, while we can experience the sounds and sights of a flood, we don’t come up against the same difficulties.