25.Ingenious inventions.

What are ingenious inventions we couldn't live without? What the effects of technological progress on our life? What famous inventors do you know? As the years go forward our life becomes faster, a lot of new things appear, our mind develops and it can't stop. Many centuries ago people even couldn't imagine that will be able to exchange information using telephone, fax, Internet. During the centuries people have been invented the things to make our life easier. We couldn't imagine our life without such inventions like lamps, gas - stove, central heating and others. A great invention such as transport plays one of the most important roles in our life. We live in flats, can appear in different point of Earth within a day, can say hello to people who live in another point of the world. All those things are a product of technical progress. Nowdays we live surrounded by machines & other inventions. & with new inventions we became happier because nearly everything is making by machines, not by ourselves. We use at home a vacuum cleaner, a washing machine, a hand mixer, microwave, a toaster, a coffee-maker. Our century is a century of developing informational connection. Faxes, TV, Internet, and Telephone became the most popular way of getting and sending information. One of the greatest inventions of the century, in my opinion is computer. When Charles Babbage (1792- 1871), a professor of mathematics at Cambridge University invented the first calculating machine in 1812 he could hardly have imagined the situation we find ourselves today. Computer becomes like a brain of the human being but the only thing it cannot do is to feel. Another interesting thing in our life is the robot. For many jobs a robot is much better than the human being. Robots have the ability to work constantly. It means that if it is necessary they can work 24 hours a day& several days a week without breaks for food, rest or sleep. Robots never get bored, get tired & do mistakes. They can work in dangerous conditions, when it is too hot or too cold for people to work in. They can work underwater, in poisonous gas & in radioactive areas. But at the same time robots have disadvantages - they are rather expensive. Today many scientists try to make an intelligent robot. They try to make it move & speak like a human being. The most successfiil in this branch of science are the Japanese. They "teach" robots to be able to understand speech & writing, to communicate with man. Many science fiction writers predict that one day robots, possessing artificial intelligence, will be able totally replace human beings & become the Lords of the Earth. In conclusion I'd like to say that the technical progress won't stop & machines will substitute everything except one - man because it's impossible to give emotions & feelings to machines.

27.Gadget dependence

Gadget is a small electronic arrangement which penetrated just in all the spheres of our life for the last few years. Gadgers can hear see, sing, talk and do other trifles whout we can do easily some time ago. But business made such offer and we cant decline to use them.

Gadgets had appeared in the middle of XX cent.buty they were changing and improving in development of the new technologies. Gadgets became faster, more junctional, more practical, more compact. For ex. everyone remembers that cassette player came up to take tape recorder place, then appeared mp3 player and today a lot of gigabytes of music are hold in flash cards. Such story was with the computers. Original hungus devices (computers) changed into compact pads and pocket computers. There are also appeared such gadgets as media combines and navigators for the cars. Today the leaders in gadgets are different types of communicators. They allow to call all around the world, look through photos, programes, TV channels, listen music throug player and through the Internet. They go easy into pockets or bag. Certainly gadgets can be useless toy in unsillful hands or the important assistant for the person who know much about the lates digital technologies.

So such devices can save a lot of time as well as storage. For instance, an electronic book can contain the same amount of information as several thick books.

However, opponents of this point of view are definitely sure that gadgets affect people negatively. People are reluctant to work due to the influence of machines. People become lazy and disorganized. They just expect their latest gadgets to do everything instead of them. Moreover, according to scientists, a great number of widespread devices produce radiation that can cause serious health problems. Furthermore, more and more people are becoming addicted to their modern gadgets, for instance computers, TVs or mobile phones. So, they neglect their home obligations, work or school and spend all their spare time in front of a laptop screen or a TV-set.

In conclusion, I firmly believe that in spite of all drawbacks, gadgets have, their benefits are much more considerable, as they save people`s time and let them enjoy life.