Big Brother is Watching You

Big Brother could soon be keeping an eye on the staff. Several international companies are consulting scientists on ways of developing microchip implants for their workers in order to measure their timekeeping and whereabouts.

The technology which has already been successfully tested on pets and human volunteers would make it possible for firms to track staff around a building. The data could enable them to draw up estimates of workers’ efficiency and productivity.

British scientist Kevin Warwick hit the headlines recently when he had a silicon chip implanted in his forearm. He was subsequently able to show how a computer could monitor his every move, using detectors that were located around the building where he worked. In his experiment Warwick showed how the system could also be of benefit to workers by programming it to switch on lights, computers and heating systems when he entered a room.

It seems highly likely that the technology will have an appeal to companies with high labour costs, and for which small increases in productivity can have an immediate impact on profits. At just a few pounds per employee, it is also relatively cheap.

Vocabulary Exercises

Ex. 1.

A. Match each word in the left column with its definition in the right column.

1) technology a) meaningful to persons of specialized knowledge

2) technological b) a person who is trained in the methods of a practical field

3) technical c) the means (tools and machines) by which a social group obtains and produces the material objects of its civilization

4) technician d) relating to science and industry

5) technique e) a method for fulfilling the requirements of a particular task

B. Fill each gap with the appropriate word from the list above.

1. The article is a survey of jobs, new … and the world economy of the future.

2. Workers will need an understanding of sophisticated … information and communications systems.

3. The farm will be a place for people with training as electronic … .

4. The … revolution will create new jobs and professions.

5. Even workers in unskilled jobs generally develop their own … for doing their jobs more easily and quickly.

Ex. 2.

A. Use the word from the list to form a word that fits the space in the sentences below.

produce compute communicate coordinate inform automate operate

1. Advances in computer technology have (1) … tremendous changes both in office work and in the (2) … of consumer and industrial goods.

2. The article predicts a need for teleconferencing (3) … in the future to help business and government administrators in (4) … with one another.

3. Many workers are not happy about the (5) … of their workplaces because they fear that their jobs will be replaced by machines. Managers, on the other hand, often want to (6) … production quickly in order to increase their company’s efficiency and to reduce production costs.

4. Many (7) … can process all kind of (8) … depending on the type of program used to (9) … the machine. In business, computers are used to do both mathematical (10) … and word processing.

B. Fill in the appropriate form of the word in brackets.

1. He was turned down for the job because he wasn’t … . (QUALIFY)

2. In parts of the country the … situation is terrible. As many as 20% of the working population is without a job. (EMPLOY)

3. The world of computers is extremely … . (COMPETE)

4. In many countries the … get the dole. (EMPLOY)

5. She left school with good … . (QUALIFY)

6. The factory was … so the management tried to cut costs by making some workers redundant. (COMPETE)

7. He is completely … . Not only is he lazy but he is dishonest too. (EMPLOY)

8. Their best designer went to work for a … . (COMPETE)

9. More than a thousand workers are … here. (EMPLOY)

10. Three firms are in … for the same contract. (COMPETE)

Ex. 3. Choose the appropriate word.

Many kinds of work are disappearing as natural resources are used (up, over), and new technologies appear. Computers are already (surpassing, replacing) people to do (bored, boring) repetitive jobs and improve (effectiveness, efficiency). However, the new (techniques, technologies) will themselves generate new jobs both in the computer field and in the leisure industry.

It has been predicted that new technology could bring (up, about) a period of growth and prosperity. This does not mean that the ever-growing number of (unemployment, unemployed) will drop. What it does mean is that finance and resources will become available to change the division between the have and the have-not. The quality of life could be substantially improved with better facilities and a significant increase in the (workforce, workplace) behind the services.

Ex. 4. Give the English equivalents of the following words and phrases.

Cборочный конвейер, устареть, автоматизировать производство, рабочие низ­кой квалификации, экономить финансовые средства, сократить расходы, ус­пешно конкурировать, оказать сильное влияние на что-то, быть высококва­лифицированным специалистом, эффективность производства, вести наблю­дение за персоналом.

Ex. 5. Translate into English.

1. У меня недостаточная квалификация для того, чтобы получить это место. 2. Они оба участвуют в конкурсе на это рабочее место. 3. Внедрение новой компьютерной системы принесет всем большую пользу/ позволит повысить эффективность производства. 4. Очевидно, что внедрение передовых техно­логий приведет к сокращению рабочих мест. 5. Внедрение автоматизации на производстве способствует повышению производительности труда. 6. Для того, чтобы успешно конкурировать на рынке труда, работнику понадобится глубокое знание сложных систем коммуникации. 7. Если компания позволит высококвалифицированным служащим работать дома, используя компьютер, она сможет добиться значительной финансовой экономии. 8. Работа на дому импонирует служащим, которые предпочитают гибкий рабочий график или работают неполный рабочий день.