LESSON 7

Modern Means of Communication (Telephone, Mobile Phone, Internet, Skype, ICQ)

Two monologues do not make a dialogue.

Every improvement in communication makes the bore more terrible.

The more elaborate our means of communication,

the less we communicate.

Communication is not only the essence of being human,

but also a vital property of life.

The trouble with talking too fast is you may say something you haven’t thought of yet.

I just wish my mouth had a backspace key.

Good communication is as stimulating as black coffee, and just as hard to sleep after.

Introductory text

Notes to the text:

transmitting and receiving messages – передача та отримання повідомлень

flat images – пласкі зображення

satellite communication channels – канали супутникового зв’язку

cells – стільники

effective range – радіус дії

cluster – кластер

digital cell communication – цифровий стільниковий зв’язок

long-distance telephone service – міжміське телефонне обслуговування

Telegraph and Telephone

Communication is a set of electrical and electronic means of messaging. Electrical means of communication were invented in the 19-th century. They were telegraph and telephone where information was transmitted by electrical signals through wires.

The basis of telegraphy was laid by Shilling in 1832 in Russia. Shilling designed the first complex of devices for electrical telegraph communication. In 1837 an American inventor Morse constructed an electromechanical telegraph apparatus for transmitting and receiving messages by means of a special code. The transmitter of his apparatus was a telegraph key, the receiver was an electromagnet. The first telegraph communication line equipped with Morse apparatus was put into operation in 1844 in the USA.

Since that time telegraph communication has been improved. Modern means of telegraph communication are telex and fax. Telex is an international teleprinter exchange service and fax is phototelegraphy. It is based on the achievements of electronics, radio engineering, electrical engineering and optics. Fax (abbreviation of ‘facsimile’) is the system of transmitting stationary flat images using cable radio relay and satellite communication channels. It is widely used for quick transmission of central newspapers’ texts and photos, documents, schemes and drafts. But for telex and fax we shouldn’t receive the latest news so fast.

The history of telephone communication goes back to 1876 when an English inventor Bell designed the first telephone apparatus. The first telephone station was built in 1878 in the USA. Telephone communication is based on converting sound vibrations into electrical signals at the microphone, transmitting these signals along the cable and reconverting them into sound vibrations of speech at the receiver. Telephone communication with moving objects is performed by means of radiotelephone. Without radiotelephone we couldn’t communicate with ships, aircrafts, automobiles and other vehicles.

The first generation of mobile communication systems dates back from the middle of 1940-s when the Bell Laboratories Research Centre (USA) put forward an idea of dividing an area into small parts called cells. Every cell is served by a transmitter of a limited effective range and a limited number of channels. Different frequencies are used in different cells. Several cells are grouped into a cluster. A cluster may have up to 15 cells. Such a system is called an analogue system of cell communication.

The second generation of mobile communication systems was born in the late 1980-s on the basis of digital methods of signal processing. Such systems represent a fully connected network of computing devices. The Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) was developed in 1982. It is a unified all-European standard of digital cell communication used in many countries. Digital cell communication possesses the best technical and economic characteristics. It is widely used in telephony, radio broadcasting and television. The number of users of analogue and digital mobile communication systems in the world amounts to tens of millions. Digital cell communication is generally used in long-distance and international telephone service. At present almost all of long-distance and international telephone stations work on the basis of digital cell systems.

1. Comprehension questions.

1. What is communication?

2. When were electrical means of communication invented?

3. Who designed the first complex of devices for electrical telegraph communication?

4. What are modern means of telegraph communication?

5. What is telephone communication based on?

6. What is the Global System for Mobile Communications?

7. Where is digital cell communication mostly used?

2. Find in the text English equivalents to the following.

Засоби передачi повідомлень, за допомогою спеціального коду, уводити в дію, канали супутникового зв’язку, пропонувати ідею, єдиний загальноєвропейський стандарт, цифровий стільниковий зв’язок, технічні характеристики, міжміське телефонне обслуговування, міжнародна телефонна станція.

3. Find the synonyms to the following words.

device, to transform, up-to-date, to send, net, technology, investigation, subscriber, territory, to construct.

4. Make the annotation of the text, completing the following sentences.

1. The title of the text is ...

2. The main problem touched upon in the text is ...

3. There are ... logically connected parts in the text ...

4. The first (second, etc.) part describes (speaks about, discusses, touches upon, etc.) ...

5. The conclusion made by the author is that ...

TOPICAL VOCABULARY

1. General	1. Загальна лексика
apparatus / device	апарат, пристрій
advantage	перевага
amount / to amount(ed) to	кількість, сума / доходити до, рівнятись
access / to gain(ed) an access	доступ / отримати доступ
to advance(d) / advanced	удосконалюватися, робити успіхи, просувати / сучасний, досконалий, передовий
aerial	антена
broadcasting / radio broadcasting, telecasting	передача, трансляція (радіо та телебачення)
to communicate(d) / communication	передавати, повідомляти / зв’язок, спілкування
channel	канал
to convert(ed) / to transform(ed) / conversion	перетворювати / перетворення
to carry(ied) / to carry on / to carry out	нести / продовжувати, вести (справу) / виконувати
to call(ed) / call	викликати, називати / виклик
to conduct(ed) / conductor	проводити (електрику, світло) / провідник
digit / digital	цифра / цифровий
to develop(ed) / development	розвивати(ся) / розвиток
to equip(ed) / equipment	устаткувати / устаткування
to exchange(d) / exchange	обмінювати / обмін
frequency	частота
to generate(d) / generation	виробляти, виробництво / покоління
to improve(d) / improvement	покращити, удосконалити / удосконалення
information / datum (pl. data)	інформація, дані
to message(d) / message / messaging	повідомляти / повідомлення / обмін повідомленнями, передача повідомлень
means / by means of	засіб, засоби / за допомогою
net / network	сітка, мережа
to operate(d) / to put (put; put) into operation / to operate on-line	працювати, діяти / вводити в дію / працювати в режимі “он-лайн”
to process(ed) / processing	опрацьовувати (дані) / опрацювання (даних)
to provide(d) / provider / supplier	забезпечувати, постачати / провайдер, постачальник
to receive(d) / receiver	отримувати / приймач
to range(d) / range	коливатися у відомих межах / діапазон, межа
reverse charge call (Br.) / collect call (Am.)	дзвінок, що погоджується оплатити особа, якій телефонують
to serve(d) / to service(d) / service	слугувати / обслуговувати / обслуговування
telephone directory / phone book	телефонний довідник
to transmit(ted) / transmission / transmitter	передавати / передача / передавач
to unify(ied) / unified	об’єднувати, уніфікувати / єдиний, уніфікований
user / subscriber / customer	користувач
up-to-date / modern	сучасний
wave	хвиля
2. Useful Expressions	2. Корисні вислови (фрази)
to ring someone (up) / to give someone a ring (all Br. only) / to give someone a buzz (informal)	дзвонити кому-небудь
to phone someone (up) / to make a call (to a place) / to call someone (up) (mainly Am.)	телефонувати
to make a private (business) call	телефонувати за особистим питанням / у справі
trunk call	міжміський виклик
to get through	додзвонитися
the line is engaged / the number is busy (Am.)	номер зайнятий
to put smb through / to connect smb (Am.)	з’єднати
to cut off / to be cut off	роз’єднати / бути роз’єднаним (про телефонну розмову)
to cancel the call	скасувати виклик
the phone is out of order	телефон не працює
a poor / bad line	погано чути через пошкодження на лінії / поганий зв’язок
a crossed line	лінія, на якій чути розмови інших людей
the line may go dead	зв’язок може бути втрачений
not to take the call	не приймати виклик
to hold the line / hold (Am.) / hold on	чекати на лінії / не класти слухавку
to hang up / to ring off (Br. only)	покласти слухавку
to ring someone back(Br.) / to get back to someone (Am.) or to phone / call someone back	зателефонувати пізніше
to clear the line / to get the caller off the line	звільнити лінію
to be on the phone	мати приватну телефонну лінію, чекати на лінії, розмовляти зараз по телефону
ex-directory number (Br.) / an unlisted number (Am.)	приватний номер, незазначений у телефонному довіднику