Unit 12: When Gamma went CRAZY 120
www.gammap.com GP HOME PROJECTS CONTACT SITE MAP Gamma Project: Lab Mission Statement We want to create robots which are capable of interacting with the world human intelligence by trying to implement it. Such interaction requires rich sensory and motor apparatus. Gamma, our most advanced creation, has two arms and two eyes, but is actually powered by over 30 actuated joints and dozens of sensors, including six cameras. We are also working on aspects of humanoid face design and personality. This involves developing faces for our robots using solid modelling and stereo lithography fabrication. Similarly, we are studying how people interpret robot faces as aspects of personality. TO: Alice FROM: Steve in the lab Subject: Gamma1 is missing! Hey Alice Have u seen Gamma1?? The lab door wasn t locked last night, and somebody has made a huge mess in here 121
In the texts 1 A New Day is the beginning of a narrative. Summarise what the author introduces. a about characters b about setting 2 When you see Chapter 1, what do you expect to know after reading three pages of A New Day? 3 What questions do you have about what happens next? 4 What is the purpose of the text Gamma Project on page 121? 5 How do you know this text is from a website? 6 Describe some of the differences between the language of A New Day and Gamma Project. Why are they different? 7 Write different past tense verbs for these words from A New Day. stirred a filtered d flowed b pulled e scanned c peered f 122
Read and learn 1 How does the author let you know that Tyson is confused? 2 In this story, Master means 3 Write three things that the illustrations add to the narrative. 4 What other text types are in the Gamma Project text? Give examples. 5 Write definitions for these words. a interacting b implement c apparatus d artificial e humanoid f fabrication 6 The following sentence is written in the third person. Rewrite it below in the second person. Is Master Tyson trying to trick R622? 7 How did Tyson know it wasn t his room? 8 What does Tyson say that shows the reader: a he is not happy as he wakes up. b he is very confused by what he hears. 123
9 Why did Tyson close his eyes tightly and open them again? 10 In what year do you think this story takes place? Explain your answer. 11 Summarise the Gamma Project s mission in one line. 12 To what does such interaction on page 121 refer? Write the exact words. 13 What is a mission statement? Who writes them? 14 What could you see if you had more than two eyes looking at the same object, like Cog on page 120? Your turn 1 Draw what you think Gamma1 looks like. Your drawing should include the features described t have to draw all 30 joints! 124
2 Steve s email to Alice says the robot is missing and there s a mess in the lab. Write a story about what happened to Gamma1. Narrative checklist Decide who your audience will be. Done Describe the setting and the characters. Done Outline a complication. Done Describe a sequence of events. Done Resolve the complication. Done A narrative tells a story that entertains, guides or teaches. It has a beginning, middle and end. It has: complications problem, either good (happy ending) or bad (sad ending). Ideas for complications Gamma1 was stolen! But by whom? Gamma1 escaped and headed to the airport. Why? Gamma1 is hiding in the lab. It s scared because Gamma1 is reprogramming itself. 125
Figurative language As well as using adjectives and adverbs, good descriptive writing uses figurative language, such as metaphors, idioms and personification. Metaphors Metaphors compare one object with another without using the words as or like, eg the sea was a heaving cloth of grey. 1 Circle the metaphors in this passage. I slumped onto my refuge, my warm bed, and sighed. A blanket of leaves lay outside. What a sanctuary, safe from the demands of my beast of a brother! That boy has a heart of stone. And now Mum thinks next week is some gift she can unwrap. It s my holiday, Mum! Time is money, she replies, so I ll have to do chores. How do I explain that to my friends, guardians of my sanity? 2 What do you think the writer means when the brother is described as a beast? 3 Write metaphors to describe these characters. clever person: a house of knowledge a strong person: b lazy person: c cheeky person: d angry person: Idioms Idioms are common phrases with fixed meanings, eg it s raining cats and dogs means it is raining heavily. Some idioms are also clichés. 4 Explain the meaning of these sentences. The idioms are underlined. a My grandfather used the carrot and stick method to teach his children. b Uncle Bill was a rough diamond. 126
c Pull yourself together, screamed the hero. d The detective thought about calling again, but he decided it was a red herring. e You ve got your head in the sand, said the coach. Personification Personification gives animals and objects the characteristics and abilities of people, eg the branches sighed and whispered among themselves. 5 Explain how the underlined words use personification to describe actions. a The waves caressed the beach with strokes of salty foam to soothe it. b Troops of dogs patrolled the streets, keeping the peace and managing everyone s business. c The gnarled and knobbly fingers of Old Man Oak s arms clawed at the wind. 6 Match an example of personification with a noun. a the vixen b a chasm c a cave yawned wide hid its secrets behind a veil of vegetation checked her face in the stream s mirror 127
My stuff Books read great websites Cut and stick pictures from magazines or newspapers Unit 11: I loved it, but 128
DRAWINGS plays poetry Unit 12: When Gamma went CRAZY 129
Assessment: Units 11 and 12 Print your name here: (First name) This is a test to see how well you understand what you have read, and to see what you know about using language, spelling and punctuation. It is also a writing test. Instructions Read each question carefully. Some questions will ask you to read a text from another page in this book before answering. (Family name) There are three different ways to show your answer: answer. O Use a pencil. DO NOT use a pen. If you make a mistake, rub it out and try again. Start of test Read the text on page 112, and answer questions 1 to 4. 1 This song was written as though sung by O a farmer. O an office worker. O a cowboy. O a fencer. 2 The singer doesn t like O noisy trees. O tall mountains. O poor-looking houses. O being alone. 3 What makes straddle my old saddle and wander over yonder attractive to the reader? O They describe the setting very well. O They describe what cowboys do. O They are noun groups. O They rhyme in the same line. 4 Just turn me loose means O I have sore muscles. O I have nothing to lose. O Let me go where I want to. O Stop annoying me. Read the two reviews on page 113, and answer questions 5 to 8. 5 What does butcher it mean in this context? O The song is cut into verses. O The band performs terribly. O The song is made to sound angry. O The tune is changed to sound wilder. 130
6 What is Pete Friendly struggling to think of? O what neo punk means O what could be worse than listening to The Butchers O a new tune for The Butchers to play O a better tune for The Butchers to play 7 Pete Friendly s protest is that O The Butchers were out of tune. O The Butchers have no talent. O The Butchers wrecked a song. O All of the above. Read A New Day on page 120, and answer questions 12 to 13. 12 How many sentences does R622 speak? Write a number in the box. 13 What tells the reader that Tyson can t remember the robot? O R622 asks if Tyson is trying to trick him. O The light is artificial. O Tyson thinks he is dreaming. O Tyson pulls the blanket over his head. 8 According to Tony Nice, The Butchers explore which aspects of human experience? O laughter and tears O only loneliness O happiness and joy O anger, fury and joy 9 Look at the ticket stub on page 112. What is the House of Rock? O a concert venue O a music TV show O The Butcher s new CD O The Butcher s new song 10 People who write responses always like the performances. O True O False 14 Shade two bubbles to show where the missing quotation marks ( ) should go. O O O O R622 beeped Master Tyson, wear this. Shade two bubbles O O Read the Gamma Project website on page 121, and answer questions 15 to 18. 15 This website is probably for O anyone interested in robots. O a science fiction authors conference. O children doing school projects. O robots to practise their reading skills. 16 Write the website s address in the box. 11 Responses are also called recounts. O True O False 131
Assessment: Units 11 and 12 17 Which statement sums up what the Gamma Project is all about? O We want to create the smartest robots. O We are concentrating on how people interpret robot faces. O This lab aims to build machines that behave like humans. O Gamma has more than 30 joints. 22 Which sentence doesn t contain a simile? O Our trip was like a journey to heaven. O Giraffes with legs like ladders ambled along in front of us. O Hyenas, those comedians of the wild, competed for attention. O Wearing their manes as crowns, the lions were in no hurry. 18 What would the site map show? O who works on the Gamma Project O a map of the lab O other projects run by the lab O other pages on the website 19 What is the main problem with sexist language? O It is always about the other sex. O It assumes the reader is female. O It is too complicated. O It puts people down and excludes them. The spelling mistakes in these sentences have been circled. Write the correct spelling for each circled word in the box. 23 The labratory door was ajar and Gamma1 had escaped! 24 I past Gamma1 as it sped down the hall. 20 Many hands make light work is a cliché because O hands don t make lights work. O it is overused and unimaginative. O it describes something else. O no-one understands what it means. 21 Which of the following correctly completes the sentence? R622 whirred and about the room. O whizz O whizzes O whizzing O whizzed 132
25 Write a response to a song you like. Ideas at the moment Christmas carol s song ve written Plan Think of a title for your sum up your opinion. Introduce the song, outlining its style. Is it like other songs? Who performs it? Do you recommend other people hear it? Remember need to convince people why it is such a good song. Use similes and metaphors to make your description interesting. Make sure the reader knows your opinion! 133