ADVANCED ENGLISH Student Worksheet

Module 4 • New and Improved Test

Name: Alejandra David

Reading

Read an article about a man who became an inventor. Then circle the correct answers.

Young Inventor
Akhil Madhani first saw robots in action while studying for his Ph.D. at the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology. He was particularly fascinated to see how they were used to deal
with suspicious objects. From a safe distance, a police officer or soldier could command a
robot to dismantle an explosive device. The job could be done without endangering lives or
5 causing injury. Akhil began to reflect on the possibility of using robots instead of people in
other difficult and dangerous situations.
If his father had not been a surgeon, the idea of using robot technology in the operating
room might never have occurred to Akhil. It concerned him that his father was operating
with instruments which had been around for hundreds of years. It didn’t make sense to him
10 that surgeons were still using such old equipment when other areas of medical science had
seen improvements like antibiotics, anaesthetics and imaging techniques.
“Engineers have to invent things, because that’s their job, to develop something as a
solution to a problem,” he said. So Akhil set about creating a robot the Black Falcon.
The robot consists of a long thin arm, with a metal wrist and two tiny finger-like forceps
15 attached at the end. It responds to a surgeon’s commands, and can actually perform delicate
surgical procedures. According to its inventor, it can make all kinds of surgery easier,
especially heart operations. In fact, the tiny robot fingers could be considered even more
versatile than the human variety.
Akhil made the Falcon extremely small so that it could actually go inside the patient,
20 precisely accessing the part of the body to be operated on. The two incisions one for the
robotic arm and one for a camera are tiny, and this minimizes the shock to the patient,
the length of time the operation takes and the time the body will take to heal. The surgeon
watches a monitor, which magnifies images of the patient’s organs, and uses a joystick to
manipulate the robot’s fingers inside the body.
25 The robot has another advantage. As a child, Akhil had noticed how tired his father was
after operating for hours. Giving commands to a robot requires far less effort on the
surgeon’s part than actually carrying out a procedure himself. It is less exhausting for the
surgeon and so eliminates much of the risk of human error mistakes can easily be made
when you are tired.
30 By the time he was 30, Akhil Madhani had already come up with a revolutionary medical
invention. Since then, he has expanded his career to the fields of aerospace and even theme
parks. “As you get better and better at being able to tinker with things, people let you
do it for a living,” explains Madhani. Today, NASA is using two of his inventions and he is
currently employed by Walt Disney Imagineering Research and Development, working on
robotics, computer-controlled systems, and digital technologies.

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ADVANCED ENGLISH Student Worksheet
Module 4 • New and Improved Test
Name:

1. Akhil was inspired by seeing how security forces used robots to ... .
A collect suspicious objects
B give commands
● C set off explosive devices
D take apart bombs

2. In what way did Akhil plan to use robot technology?

● A to improve operating rooms

B to replace traditional operating equipment
C to redesign old instruments
D to develop imaging techniques

3. What is suggested about the Black Falcon in paragraph three?

A It closely resembles the human arm in appearance.
B It does not require the supervision of a surgeon.
C It is intended for use in heart operations only.
● D Its fingers may be preferable to those of a surgeon.

4. According to the text, the Black Falcon ... .

A can only be used for small operations
B slows down the operating time
● C speeds up the patient’s recovery
D has a built-in camera inside it

5. What does the word It refer to in line 27?

A operating for hours
B making an effort
● C giving commands
D carrying out a procedure

6. Which of the following has contributed most to Akhil’s career?

A the support he got from his father
B his experience in the field of medicine
C his creativity and technical ability
● D his contacts at Walt Disney and NASA

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ADVANCED ENGLISH Student Worksheet
Module 4 • New and Improved Test
Name:

Grammar & Vocabulary

Circle the correct answer.

1. An invention like the washing machine is something that many people take for … .
a. given c. having
● b. granted d. made

2. John was told to … a patent application to the Patent Office to secure the rights to his invention.
a. supply c. enlist
b. refer ● d. submit

3. It took a … deal of time just to get the device to work properly.

● a. great c. large
b. long d. giant

4. Please … that on Wednesday October 8, the office will close an hour earlier than usual.
a. detect ● c. note
b. signal d. attend

5. The first … of the experiment involved 20 volunteers.

a. stair c. setting
● b. stage d. limit

6. In case of fire, sensors will … an alarm.

● a. sound c. make
b. give d. ring

7. The book was so … that I couldn’t put it down all weekend.

a. ridiculous c. exclusive
● b. fascinating d. simple

8. The teacher … the students with all the materials needed for the science project.
a. gave c. acquired
● b. supplied d. invested

9. The students’ results improved … the second time they took the test.
a. much ● c. extremely
b. exclusively d. significantly

10. Dogs’ ears are very sensitive … loud noises.

a. of c. about
b. from ● d. to

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ADVANCED ENGLISH Student Worksheet
Module 4 • New and Improved Test
Name:

11. Sally asked me when … the light bulb.

● a. did I last change c. I had last changed
b. I did last change d. had I last changed

12. Harry promised that he … me the following day.

● a. would call c. had called
b. will call d. is calling

13. The professor advised me … the prototype.

a. that I will redesign c. redesigning
● b. to redesign d. redesign

14. The inventor warned us … the model he had built.

a. don’t touch c. no touching
b. that we don’t touch ● d. not to touch

15. My brother denied … my backpack without asking me.

● a. taking c. his taking
b. to take d. he didn’t take

16. The police officer … the suspect to empty his pockets.

● a. ordered c. suggested
b. said d. accused

17. The students wanted to know whether the instructor … their work or not.
a. that checked c. if he checked
● b. had checked d. for checking

18. Jane apologized for … my computer without my permission.

a. use ● c. using
b. to use d. that she used

19. He asked … a blue motorbike and I replied that I did.

a. me I owned c. me whether owned
b. if owned ● d. if I owned

20. I explained that … the movie.

a. I already see c. already I had seen
● b. I had already seen d. I will already see

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ADVANCED ENGLISH Student Worksheet
Module 4 • New and Improved Test
Name:

Writing
Write a composition following the guidelines below.

Using about 150 words, write about a useful gadget you own. Include the following information:
■ a general description of the gadget (including its function and how to use it)
■ the reasons you find it useful
■ who you would recommend it to and why

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