Vocabulary

 

 
 
 
 
 
 

Video

 

 
 
 
 

Transcript

 

Reading the newspaper over a cup of coffee — that’s Dagny Carlsson’s morning ritual. She’s a woman of principle and has been for a hundred and six years.

She still enjoys life to the fullest and has retained her sense of curiosity.

Dagny Carlsson: “I live in the here and now. I don’t think about tomorrow or that I could die tomorrow. I’ll be gone soon enough anyway.”

But Dagny Carlsson’s life isn’t over yet, and she doesn’t want to miss a single thing that’s happening in the world outside her little apartment in Stockholm.

So, she spends a lot of time . . . on the internet.

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Her computer is like a friend who helps her keep in contact with the outside world. Relatives gave her the PC, and she gradually familiarized herself with the strange contraption — after doing without one for a century.

Dagny Carlsson: “I’ve had the computer since I was 99 or a hundred. When you’re over ninety, buying a computer doesn’t seem too sensible.”

But now Dagny Carlsson couldn’t do without her PC; it’s given her life a whole new meaning.

Dagny Carlsson: “I’ve gotten very used to it. I can keep in touch with my friends without even having to pay postage. I can read the news — it’s really good.”

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But just reading what others have written isn’t exciting enough for this sprightly senior. So, she’s also a passionate blogger. Her blog is entitled Blogga Med Mig — Swedish for Blog With Me.

Dagny Carlsson: “When I was young, I always wanted to be a writer, but there were so many good books around that it made no sense to produce a poorly written one.

When I blog, I don’t have to write about a specific topic; I do what I want. But if I weren’t this old, no one would pay much attention.”

But since she is a hundred-and-six, she’s amassed a huge following.

Dagny Carlsson: “Nine-year-olds write comments and say, ‘You’re really cool!’ That makes me really proud.”

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This new channel for her zest for life has led her to Lund University, a five-hour journey south from Stockholm.

Dagny Carlsson is receiving an award from the Swedish Gerontological Society, lauded as a model for how older Swedes can keep active.

And this centenarian is happy to share her passion with others.

Dagny Carlsson: “If a day goes by and I don’t post anything on my blog, folks think that I’ve died,” she laughs.

The gerontology award comes with 2,000 euros in prize money, and Dagny Carlsson plans to use it to throw herself a nice birthday party.

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But she’s happiest while spending time on her computer at home. She says that the comments she receives about her blog are always very polite and nice, though she knows not everyone on the net believes seniors have something to say.

Dagny Carlsson: “Not many people think that smart old folks exist, but it does happen.”

She believes using computers helps the older generation stay young, and Dagny Carlsson still feels young herself — even at the age of 106.

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Questions

 

Infant, Baby (0 to 1 Year). Dagny Carlsson lives with her husband and two children in a house in a village. Every morning, she eats breakfast, gets dressed, and goes to work. True or false?

Toddler (1 to 3). Does she only read books, magazines, and newspapers? Does she (only) watch TV and listen to the radio?

Early Childhood (3 to 6). Has she always used computers, ever since she was a child? Did she buy a laptop from a consumer electronics store?

Middle Childhood (6 to 12). Dagny spends most of her time visiting friends, and hosting guests at her home. Is this right or wrong? Does she have many friends?

Adolescent, Teenager (13 to 19). Does she reminisce about her youth, and worry about the future?

Young Adult (20 to 40). In the video, Dagny attended a high-class banquet. Is this correct or incorrect? Does she really enjoy and relish parties?

Early Middle-Age (40 to 50). Will she invest her prize money in her great-grandchild’s education or a mutual fund?

Middle-Age (51 to 65). Dagny thinks devices, the internet and social media is only for teenagers and a waste of time. Do you agree?
 
 
 
Retiree, Pensioner (65 to 79). My friends and I spend a lot of time online. We are very attached to the internet. Yes or no?

Senior Citizen, Old Age (80 and Older). Are there generational differences in internet usage and attachment?

Blog, Website, Quora, Reddit. Are blogs and social media good, bad, both good and bad, neither good nor bad, in the middle, it depends?

YouTube, Tik-Tok. What might happen in the future?

Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter). Should people, the government, and high-tech do anything?