Step 82: Technology Today
The digital world — Tech vocabulary; language of trends
📖 Read — The Austin Tech Report
Welcome to the Austin Tech Report. Smartphone sales have risen sharply this year, and the number of smart-home devices has doubled since 2022. Downloads of learning apps increased dramatically after the holidays, while sales of printed books fell slightly. Experts say the trend will remain stable.
In other news, a local company launched an AI assistant that helps students practice English. “Users have tripled in two months,” the founder said. “People upload their voice, the app listens, and their pronunciation score goes up steadily.” Cutting-edge technology — and it started right here in Austin.
🧩 Grammar — The Language of Trends — Rising and Falling
Describe change like a reporter: verbs rise, increase, grow, fall, drop, decrease + adverbs for SPEED and SIZE: sharply, dramatically, steadily, gradually, slightly. With nouns: a sharp rise in…, a slight fall in…. Number magic: double (×2), triple (×3), halve (÷2). Present perfect is the reporter's favorite tense for recent change: Sales have risen. Downloads have doubled.
- Prices have increased dramatically.
- The number of users doubled in a year.
- There has been a slight fall in sales.
- Interest is growing steadily.
🏗️ Key structures
- The number of ___ has risen / fallen ___ — The number of students has risen steadily.
- There has been a sharp / slight ___ in ___ — There has been a sharp increase in prices.
- ___ doubled / tripled / halved in ___ — Our followers doubled in six months.
⭐ Idiom & natural phrases
This lab uses cutting-edge equipment.
🔤 New words
a machine or tool made for a special purpose (phone, tablet, sensor…)
This device measures your heart rate.
copy something from the internet onto your device
I downloaded the app last night.
send something from your device to the internet
She uploaded the video in minutes.
information, especially numbers and facts in a computer
The app collects data about your progress.
working without wires, through radio signals (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth)
Wireless headphones are everywhere.
fill a battery with electricity; also ask money for something
I need to charge my phone.
make something more modern; the new version of an app
The update fixed three bugs.
when a computer or app suddenly stops working
The app crashed twice today.
🎧 Say it with me
Downloads have risen sharply, users have doubled, and sales fell slightly. It’s cutting-edge — and the trend is growing steadily!
🎤 Your turn to speak
Give a 30-second tech report: one thing that has risen sharply, one that doubled, and one that fell slightly — about apps, school, or your city.
Say it out loud three times. Even better: record it on your phone and listen — your ear is your best teacher.
✍️ Your turn to write
Write a 5-sentence trend report about technology in your town or school. Use risen/fallen + adverbs, doubled, and a sharp/slight increase.
See a model answer
Technology is changing our school fast. The number of students with tablets has doubled since last year. Online homework has increased dramatically, and there has been a slight fall in printed worksheets. Teachers say the trend will remain stable. Our library even bought cutting-edge screens for group projects.
Self-check: capital letters? Full stops? Did you use the grammar of this step?
📝 Quick check
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