Different input and output devices

The most common ________ are the keyboard and the mouse. We can also interact with a computer by using a lightpen, a scanner, a trackball, a graphics tablet, a voice recognition device or a _________.

A keyboard is a set of keys on a terminal or computer, including the standard typewriter keys, _______ and several special keys.

A mouse allows you to control the ______ and move around the screen very quickly. As you move the _______ on your desk, the pointer on the ______ moves in the same direction.

A scanner ‘sees’ images and converts the _______or pictures into electronic codes that can be understood by the ______. With a flatbed colour scanner, the paper with the image is placed face down on a glass screen. Once the scanner is activated, it reads the image as a series of ____ and then generates the digitized image that is sent to the computer and stored as a file.

A digital camera takes photos electronically and converts them into digital data (_____made up of 1s and 0s).

A camcorder, or ______, records moving pictures and converts them into _____ that can be stored and edited by a computer with special video ______. They are also used to send live video images via the Internet. In this case they are called web cameras, or ______.

Displays, often called ______ or screens, are the most used _____ on a computer. They provide instant feedback by showing you text and graphic images as you work or play. Most desktop displays use LCD or CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) technology, while portable computers incorporate _____. Because of their slimmer design and lower energy consumption, LCD monitors (also called _____ displays) are replacing CRTs. An LCD is made of two glass plates with a _____ material between them. Active-matrix LCDs use TFT (thin film transistor) technology.

Listening

Exercise 22. (Track 1.3). A) You are going to listen to two people making enquiries in a computer shop. The shop assistant is telling them about the two models below. Listen and fill in the missing information.

	iMac Processor speed 2.33 GHz RAM ____________ Hard drive capacity ______________ DVD drive included? Yes Operating system _______________ Internet software Yes Price ______________
	MacBook Processor speed _________________ RAM ____________ Hard drive capacity ______________ DVD drive included? ____________ Operating system _______________ Internet software Yes Price £1,029

B) Listen again and answer the following questions.

1. What does Core Duo technology actually mean?

2. What is the iMac more suitable for?

3. What is the MacBook more practical for?

Language work. Function of an item.

Rule: We can describe the function of an item in a number of ways. Study these examples. 1. Using the Present Simple. ROM holds instructions which are needed to start up the computer. 2. Be used + to-infinitive. ROM is used to hold instructions which are needed to start up the computer. 3. Be used for + ing-form. ROM is used for holding instructions which are needed to start up the computer. 4. Emphasizing the function. The function of ROM is to hold instructions which are needed to start up the computer.

Exercise 23. Match each item in with its function and describe its function in two ways.

Item	Function
1) RAM 2) CPU 3) mouse 4) clock 5) monitor 6) keyboard 7) DVD-ROM drive 8) ROM	a) controls the cursor b) inputs data through keys like a typewriter c) displays the output from a computer on a screen d) reads DVD-ROMs e) holds instructions needed to start up the computer f) stores information while you are using it g) controls the timing of signals in the computer h) controls all the operations in a computer

Exercise 24. Describe the functions of these items.

Scanner Software Flash drive Peripherals

Webcam Hardware Hard disk drive Motherboard

Grammar. Past Simple / Past Continuous.

Exercise 25. Complete the sentences by putting the verbs in brackets into the Past Simple or Past Continuous.

1. While the company … (plan) its move to another factory site, the chairman … (decide) to retire. 2. The thieves … (break) into Joan’s flat while she … (visit) her aunt. 3. They … (get) married when they … (travel) through India. 4. John … (stay) with his friends when he … (hear) the news. 5. I … (have) dinner, when they … (shoot) the president. 6. While they … (discuss) the problems of farming, the animals … (escape).

Exercise 26. Complete these stories using the Past Simple or Past Continuous of the verbs given.

Simon 1) … (walk) home from work the other day when he 2) … (notice) something shining on the pavement on the other side of the road. A car 3) … (come) down the street, so he waited until it had driven past, then he 4) … (cross) over. When he 5) … (get) to the other side he saw it was a shiny gold coin! He 6) … (look) around to make sure no one 7) … (look), then he 8) … (bend) down to pick it up. Imagine his surprise when he 9) … (not/ can) move it! He 10) … (be) just about to give up when he 11) … (hear) a strange sound behind him. Someone 12) … (laugh) at him, but he couldn’t see who it 13) … (be). Two little boys 14) … (hide) behind a hedge, laughing at anyone who tried to pick up the coin they had stuck to the pavement with glue!

Pre-reading task

Exercise 27. Discuss these questions.

1. What types of storage devices do you know?

2. What do a CD and DVD stand for?

3. What formats of CD and DVD do you know?

4. What storage device is the most convenient for you? Why?

5. What is the origin of the words ‘floppy’, ‘Blu-ray’ and ‘flash drive’?

Jigsaw reading and speaking

Exercise 28. Divide into 3 groups (group A, group B and group C).

Stage 1. Read the text of your group, write down key words from the text, translate them, explain their meanings in English and write a set of questions based on your text. Complete the table below with the information from your text.

Stage 2. Tell your partners from other groups about the text you have read. While listening to other groups complete the table with appropriate information.

Stage 3. Ask questions you have prepared, and other groups will try to answer them using the information from the table.

	Characteristics or Operation	Types, formats and capacity	Advantages Disadvantages	Possible uses
Magnetic storage
Optical storage
Flash memory