Part A (Questions 1 to 4) 10 marksPart B (Questions 5 to 9) 20 marks
• Answer all questions• Write your answers in this question booklet• Refer to information from the texts when answering Questions 1 to 9• Allow approximately 75 minutes
Reading time • 10 minutes• You may begin writing during this time
Writing time • 2½ hours• Use black or blue pen
Total marks 60
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SECTION 1: Comprehending Multimodal TextsPart A (Questions 1 to 4)
(10 marks)
Text 1 will be presented twice. You will have a 2-minute break between the first and second presentations of the text. You may make notes in the space provided at any time. After the second presentation of the text you will have 10 minutes in which to complete your answers.
Answer all the questions in this part, using information from the text.
TEXT 1
1. Why are Australians spending more on healthcare, according to the text?
Text 2 will be presented twice. You will have a 5-minute break between the first and second presentations of the text. You may make notes in the space provided at any time. After the second presentation of the text, you will have 30 minutes in which to complete your answers. You may then begin writing your answer to the question in Section 2 if you wish to do so.
Answer all the questions in this part, using information from Text 2 (the listening text) and Text 3 (the advertisement on page 6). Your answers to all the questions must be in extended prose/paragraphs.
TEXT 2
5. In Text 2, how does Ray, the radio host, show that he does not agree with Dr Barb Thompson? Give evidence from the text to support your answer.
6. Identify two persuasive techniques that Dr Barb Thompson uses in Text 2. Give an example of each of these techniques and explain how each is persuasive.
• Do you suffer from aching bones and muscle weakness?
• Are you constantly tired?
• 77% of all Australians are defi cient in Vitamin D. Are you?
Taking Vitamin D for your metabolism is like a spark plug igniting an engine. Just like plants need water to grow, your body needs Vitamin D every day to thrive.
Vitamin D is a crucial building block for better health.
DSun contains more Vitamin D than any other vitamin supplement on the market.
Listen to your body and give it a DSun boost — your mood and energy depend on it!
TEXT 1Hello and welcome to the fi rst episode of ‘Health In-depth’ for 2018. In this series of podcasts, we will be discussing modern health issues. Today’s story focuses on the booming healthcare industry in Australia and globally. Australia’s largest employment growth in the last 15 years has been in the healthcare sector and this expansion shows no sign of slowing down. As the nation becomes increasingly wealthy, Australians can aff ord to spend more of their income on healthcare. And as medical science advances, more products, services, and treatments are becoming available for us to purchase. An ageing population is increasing our demand on health services.
This growth in the health industry has several positive impacts in Australia. Firstly, it employs more and more workers who have high-level educational qualifi cations. Secondly, more money is being spent on building hospitals because people always support the need for better public healthcare. Thirdly, more businesses are coming into the market to provide medical services ranging from pharmaceuticals to medical diagnostic equipment.
This thriving healthcare trend is occurring around the world, with wealth levels and life expectancy increasing in emerging economies such as India. It is clear that, in the future, enormous numbers of healthcare workers will be required globally to meet this demand. Some estimates suggest that by the year 2030, there will be 663 million people employed in the healthcare industry and 86 million people employed in the aged-care industry.
For Australia, this probable expansion presents a major opportunity for economic growth. Australia is ranked approximately 6th in the world for healthcare effi ciency, with an exceptionally high level of medical expertise and cutting-edge medical research in its universities and medical businesses. The government could encourage more trade in health-related products and services, which will contribute to the country’s economic growth.
Healthcare in Australia has been growing at twice the rate of the rest of the Australian economy. Therefore, the government needs to continue to attract and retain the best employees for this sector. It also needs to continue to fund research that focuses on developing cures for common health issues.
All in all, the healthcare industry is fl ourishing and will provide major opportunities for the Australian economy, as long as we act now. Is there more to be done? Yes there is! By responding positively to change and providing compassionate care to those who need it most, Australia could be at the forefront of an exciting new era of healthcare services.
Thanks for listening. If you have any feedback on tonight’s podcast, please go to the Health In-depth website where you can leave your comments.
Source: Based on Bartlett, C, Butler, S & Rogan, C 2016, ‘Australia’s healthcare system: an opportunity for economic growth’, viewed 25 June 2018, www.strategyand.pwc.com, and Wade, M 2016, ‘Healthcare is a
booming industry and Australia is in the box seat’, viewed 25 June 2018, www.smh.com.au
TEXT 2[Ray’s tone is like a confrontational reporter (not necessarily polite)
Barb has a confident tone – that of an expert]
Ray: This is 782 Summer FM and you are listening to Ray, your radio host. As the temperatures here in Australia begin to rise, the issue of whether or not you should protect yourself from the sun has become a hot topic! The human body needs sunlight in order to produce Vitamin D which has major benefi ts for your physical and mental health. Huge numbers of Australians are now suff ering from Vitamin D defi ciency as a result of protecting themselves from dangerous ultraviolet or ‘UV’ rays. Some ‘experts’ think that Vitamin D supplements shouldn’t be taken! But I do take them and I can see the benefi ts!
Today, I hope to sort the facts from the fi ction in regard to being sun smart and our need for Vitamin D. Australia has had some high-profi le public awareness campaigns about the need to be sun smart, but what about promoting the need for Vitamin D supplements?
It seems the advice is constantly changing, because new scientifi c discoveries about Vitamin D requirements then seem to be contradicted by so-called ‘experts’! To update you on some of the latest fi ndings, I’m speaking with one of Australia’s most prominent skin experts and asking for her key messages on this issue.
Dr Barb Thompson, Senior Researcher at the Melbourne Institute of Medical Advancements, welcome to 782 Summer FM. How much sun exposure should we be getting?
Barb: Well, Ray, research shows that three times a week about 35 per cent of our body should be exposed to the sun. This means exposing our legs to above the knee, our arms to above the elbow, and our faces.
Ray: Is it true that exposure to the sun’s UV radiation is the best source of Vitamin D?
Barb: That’s correct. Vitamin D is essential for bone and muscle health. Global health organisations, including the Australian Sun Exposure Clinic, now agree that a little daily unprotected sun exposure should be part of our general health routine.
Ray: But how much is ‘a little’?
Barb: In summer, when the UV Index is three or above, most people can maintain adequate Vitamin D levels by just spending a few minutes outdoors each day.
Ray: But many high-profi le reports show that people should be taking a Vitamin D supplement because we have a nationwide epidemic of Vitamin D defi ciency. Do you agree?
Barb: Well, it’s true that Australians have become more careful to avoid the sun, by covering up and using sunscreen. So they are getting less exposure to the sun. However, my team of experts at the Melbourne Institute of Medical Advancements believe there is little evidence that an Australian who goes about their daily life needs a Vitamin D supplement.
Ray: This appears to contradict much of the research I have been reading lately!
Barb: Perhaps so, but humans have been living for thousands of years without taking Vitamin D supplements and have survived — so why take a tablet if it is unnecessary?
Ray: Thank you for being our guest speaker today Dr Thompson, and for your interesting insights. You have given us a lot to think about.
Question booklet 2• Section 2: Written Paper (Question 10) 30 marks• Write your answer in the separate script book• Remove the tear-out sheets on pages 5 and 7 • Refer to the tear-out sheets when answering Question 10• Allow approximately 75 minutes
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SECTION 2: Written Paper (Question 10)
(30 marks)
Write your answer in the separate script book.
10. Read the following three texts about the future of A (artificial intelligence) and produce an extended written response of approximately 500 words. Your response should develop a point of view about the use of A in the future. Use and reference information, ideas, and opinions from the texts provided.
TEXT 4
Our AI futureTechnology reporter Robert Heyes explores how different our future might be from the present day.
Welcome to the exciting world of the future! With advances in artificial intelligence (AI), life in the next 40 years will look vastly different from the world we know today.
You may be wondering — what is AI? AI is the ability of a computer or a computer-controlled robot to complete tasks that would require human thought and the ability to make decisions. However, it should be noted that not all robots have artificial intelligence.
Imagine the following: you arrive home in your computer-controlled car, your front door senses your arrival, automatically opens, and asks how your day has been. The fridge tells you when dinner will be ready. A robot has already put the food in the oven and ensured that the oven will switch itself on to ensure a perfectly cooked meal. A screen maps where your children are as they make
their way home from school and shows that your partner will arrive in 15 minutes. Your elderly mother is visiting from the nursing home. Having been given her medication by a robotic nurse, she will arrive in time for dinner. Furthermore, a complete update on her medical condition has been sent to your phone and you are happy to see that she is in good health.
This might appear to be fantasy, but the technologies needed to make it happen are already being developed and the potential savings from employing robots rather than people are enormous. Studies by the University of Athelstone show that AI and computerisation are changing the way we work and live, and the pace of change isn’t set to
slow down any time soon. In fact, some new homes are being built with such technological advances in mind, and major IT (information technology) companies are already creating the products to fill them. It is likely that in the developed world every home will soon have a robot or two and not just for domestic duties. Robots will also be able to interact with us, sense our emotions, read our body language, and empathise with us in a way that will allow for meaningful and enjoyable conversations. If we are tired and feeling a bit down, a robot will cheer us up with our favourite music and prepare a nice scented bath.
The preparation of food will be perfectly tailored to meet our personal nutritional needs.
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According to famous dietitian Professor Wendy Plane from the Dietitians Organisation of Australasia, there will be incredible health benefits for humans. For example, your friendly robot will already know what food your body needs from the bio-sensing data that it receives while you sleep. All this will take away the time-wasting chores and leave us more freedom to
spend quality time with our friends and loved ones. This is now more than ever a real and exciting vision of our future.
And these contributions are only on the domestic front! Think about all the incredible advantages that AI will bring to society. With robots able to work all day, every day, people won’t have to work long and demanding hours in mundane
employment. We will also be able to use robots in hostile and dangerous environments, such as war zones, scenes of natural disasters, areas overrun with bushfires, and countries with extreme temperatures.
AI is here, and our future will be all the better for it.
An AI future — proceed with caution!By Dr Claire DaversFans of the AI (artificial intelligence) future beware — life will not be quite as rosy as we think! For all the hype about robots running our world while we sit back in luxury, there is a downside that few people want to talk about.
As psychologists, we need to be concerned about the impact of robots on human well-being and the social impact that will come with the loss of human interaction. One area we hear about robots making a huge contribution to is the medical world. We already have robots delivering meals and medicines to patients and some even performing surgery. Yet there are problems with this. Imagine the elderly patient lying in their bed distressed and unwell and then given their meal by a robot. Where is the human touch? Where is the human interaction that means so much to people? Life would be a very lonely existence if we eliminate human contact. And what of the nurses who are no longer required? What will they do to earn a living? Where will they find satisfaction in helping others during the day?
There is also a more practical issue regarding the use of AI. While the technological companies love showing off what their latest robot can do, it only takes a quick look online to see that even the most advanced robots struggle with basic skills. Tasks that are incredibly simple for humans such as walking up steps or opening a door can be
very challenging for robots. At a recent science expo, a robot was programmed to open a fridge door and pull out a can of soft drink. When the door became stuck, the robot punched a hole in the door and lifted the entire fridge off the ground! Despite amazing advances in their technology, robots are very limited in their capacity to perform functions and find it incredibly difficult to carry out the most basic human tasks.
However, one of the greatest concerns about AI is how it will affect the employment sector. If robots replace many jobs, this will result in many people being out of work. Unemployment is already a huge issue worldwide and reducing the number of jobs won’t help this. It would be foolish to think that the companies who currently make huge profits by not paying workers are likely to share these profits with the unemployed. The world is more technologically advanced now than it ever has been and yet the divide between rich and poor is increasing, not decreasing.
So, although an AI future is undoubtedly on its way, we would be naive not to consider that for every benefit there will be some disadvantage. Proceed with caution!
Plenary session speech given by psychologist Dr Claire Davers from the University of New State at the Future of Human Interaction Conference, January 2018.
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