Summary: KIWI PHOTO Sculpture at Waterworks, Coromandel, New Zealand ACADEMIC WORD A futile action is a waste of time, because it has no real value. For example, spending time in the university library is futile, if all you do there is chat to your friends and look at Facebook! There have been many books, films and songs about the futility of war – in other words, arguing that war is a waste of time. TEST Here are FOUR sentences with the word of the day. But only THREE are correct. Which is the Odd One Out? He should have known it was futile to argue with the referee. He just got a yellow card for his trouble. There’s nothing worse than working for a futile manager, who lacks the basic skills and motivation for the job. Speculation regarding the reasons for his decision is futile, as he is unable to discuss these for legal reasons. Her complaints were no more than a futile gesture, as it was already clear that she would lose the game. PRACTICE Are there any aspects of your work or study which you regard as futile? Are there any situations in which speculation, war or anxiety might NOT be futile? KIWI QUIZ Tomorrow, April 25th is Anzac Day, a public holiday in New Zealand and Australia, in which people remember those who served – and especially those who gave their lives – in wars. In which country, between Europe and Asia, is there an especially large celebration of Anzac Day? VIDEO Today’s video (from TED) features the behavioural economist, Dan Ariely, talking about what makes us feel good at work. 1) How does Dan Ariely characterise the traditional view of human behaviour in Economic theory? simplistic / animalistic / irrational 2) Dan Ariely uses the example of mountain climbing to illustrate the ___________ of human motivation. unpleasantness/ simplicity/ complexity 3) Dan Ariely describes the Greek story of Sisyphus as ‘the essence of doing futile work’ because it involves ____________ a job that is never started a project whose value continues to declinea task that can never be completed 4) The difference between the two groups of participants in the first experiment was whether or not __________ they received less money for each new model they built they saw their models being taken apart they could create their own unique designs 5) When people were asked to predict the results of this experiment, they _________ correctly identified the condition in which participants would produce more exaggerated the difference between the two conditions were unable to distinguish between the two conditions 6) They also found that people’s enjoyment in the activity was dependent on how ______________ it was. meaningful / useful / achievable 7) The second experiment suggested that ignoring people’s achievements is _____________ destroying their achievements before their eyes. much worse than / nearly as bad as / the same as 8) Early cake mixes were unsuccessful because the instructions were too ________ complicated / undemanding / unclear 9) The origami experiment showed a correlation between the amount people were willing to pay for an object and _______ the effort they put into making it the objective beauty of the creation the clarity of the instructions for making it 10) Dan Ariely believes that traditional, industrial economic theory, first formulated by the Scottish economist Adam Smith, puts a higher value on the __________ of work than on its meaning. value / efficiency / complexity A Poem: Futility by Wilfred Owen (1915) Move him into the sun— Gently its touch awoke him once, At home, whispering of fields unsown. Always it awoke him, even in France, Until this morning and this snow. If anything might rouse him now The kind old sun will know. Think how it wakes the seeds— Woke, once, the clays of a cold star. Are limbs so dear-achieved, are sides Full-nerved,—sti(continued)
