- •Vocabulary 253
- •Information for study
- •If it keeps up, man atrophy all his limbs but the push-button finger.
- •1. Read and translate the text.
- •2. Check up your understanding.
- •3. Retell the text briefly using the following expressions:
- •4. What's missing? You can help yourself referring to the text.
- •5. Rearrange the words and get the right sentences.
- •6. Put the letters in order to make words, then use the words to complete the sentences.
- •7. There are two words given in each item. You must explain
- •8. Give the opposites of the following words.
- •9. Give the synonyms of the following words:
- •10. What verbs frequently precede these words?
- •11. Supply the articles where necessary:
- •12. Translate into English:
- •13. Are you up to giving a right explanation?
- •Who can express the most precise meaning of the word? Are you getting on well with your English? Try to do your best!
- •14. Fairly and rather
- •1. Match the words given in the left column with their definitions in the right column, e.G. 1-21:
- •2. Invent sentences using the expressions from the list below:
- •3. Reading comprehension
- •Computer terms in use
- •If it’s beyond your reach, give Russian explanations at least.
- •Information for study
- •We live in a time when automation is ushering in a second industrial revolution.
- •1. Read and translate the text.
- •2. Are you an experienced person?
- •3. Retell the text briefly using the following words and expressions:
- •4. What’s missing? You can help yourself referring to the text.
- •5. Rearrange the words and get the right sentences.
- •6. Put the letters in order to make words, then use the words to complete the sentences.
- •11. Supply the articles where necessary:
- •12. Translate into English.
- •13. Are you up to giving a right explanation?
- •3. Vocabulary training
- •Identification of words.
- •4. Computer terms in use
- •1. Read and try to understand the given above text.
- •2. No doubt, a person who is willing to establish a new business must have certain skills, such as:
- •Phrasal verbs
- •If there is a possibility of several things going wrong, the one that will cause the most damage will be the one to go wrong.
- •If anything just cannot go wrong, it will anyway.
- •If everything seems to go well, you have obviously overlooked something.
- •Information for study
- •1. Read and translate the text.
- •2. Check up your understanding. Give full answers:
- •3. Retell the text briefly using the following expressions and terms:
- •4. What’s missing? If you are in doubt refer to the text.
- •5. Rearrange the words and get the right sentences:
- •6. Put the letters in order to make words, then use the words to complete the sentences:
- •12. Translate into English:
- •13. Are you up to giving a right explanation?
- •If you’re in doubt we can help you.
- •He did his best and won the prize.
- •3. Vocabulary training
- •1. Identification of words
- •2. Useful expressions
- •Invent sentences using the expressions from the left column:
- •3. Reading comprehension
- •4. Computer terms in use
- •If it is beyond your grasp give at least Russian explanation:
- •Information for study
- •3. Vocabulary training
- •Fig. 1 Basic Computer Architecture
- •Moor’s law
- •1. Information for study
- •3. Vocabulary training
- •Inflation
- •Infidelity
- •1. Information for study
- •If builders built buildings the way the programmers wrote programs, the first woodpecker to come along would destroy civilization.
- •1. Read and translate the text.
- •2. Check up your understanding. Give full answers:
- •3. Retell the text briefly using the following terms and expressions:
- •4. What is missing? If you are in doubt refer to the text. Take it into account that in each item the first letter of the missing word is used:
- •5. Rearrange the words and get the right sentences:
- •6. Supply the preposition if one is missing. If necessary refer to the text:
- •12. Translate into English.
- •13. Are you up to giving a right explanation?
- •3. Vocabulary training
- •Identification of words
- •2. Useful expressions
- •3. Phrasal verbs
- •If necessary use the dictionary at the end of this book.
- •4. Reading comprehension
- •5. Computer terms in use
- •Read and try to understand the given above text.
- •What’s your opinion concerning software piracy? Will it exist always?
- •It is a rather pleasant experience to be alone in a bank at night.
- •1. Information for study
- •Information.
- •1. Read and translate the text.
- •2. Check up your understanding. Give full answers.
- •3. Retell the text briefly using the fallowing expressions and terms:
- •4. What’s missing? If you are in doubt refer to the text. Take it into account that in each item the first letter of the missed word is used.
- •5. Rearrange the words and get the right sentences.
- •6. Supply the preposition if one is missing.
- •12. Are you up to giving a right explanation?
- •3. Vocabulary training
- •Identification of words
- •Useful expressions
- •Invent sentences using the following expressions and words:
- •Reading comprehension
- •4. Each sentence contains a word that is wrong.
- •5. Fill the gaps with the appropriate word. Then refer to the text.
- •Give the explanation to the following acronyms and abbreviations (p. 223 will help you):
- •Multimedia
- •Programming languages and functions
- •Real-Time Communication
- •I give myself sometimes admirable advice, but I’m incapable of taking it.
- •Inject a few raisins of conversation into the tasteless dough of existence.
- •It is a human zoo.
- •I’ve had three wives, six children, six grandchildren, and I still don’t understand women.
- •Vittorio Gassman
- •I prefer the company of women. I’m buzzed by the female mystique.
- •If Restaurants Function Like Microsoft
- •I don’t know why women want any of the things men have when one of the things that women have is men.
- •Fairly, rather
- •Vocabulary training
- •1. Match the words with their definitions:
- •3. Reading comprehension
- •Vocabulary training
- •1. Identification of words
- •3. Reading comprehension
- •4. Computer terms in use
- •Do and make
- •3. Vocabulary training
- •1. Identification of words
- •2. Reading comprehension
- •4. Computer terms in use
- •Vocabulary training
- •Verb study practice
- •Vocabulary training
- •Vocabulary training
- •Vocabulary training
- •Webster’s Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language.
- •Vocabulary
- •I. Funk, n. Lewis
- •Webster’s Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary Of the English Language
14. Fairly and rather
You could notice in the main text two sentences which, at first glance, are similar:
«At times we feel at the machines' mercy, propelled in directions we would rather not go» and «Indeed, the computer is a fairly intelligent machine».
Here is another example. Suppose two representatives from a foreign company come to your office for an appointed meeting. After a few words of greetings you, of course, offer your guests some coffee. One of them sips a bit from his cup and says, «This coffee is fairly hot». The other one does the same but adds, «This coffee is rather hot». You are confused, you don’t understand the sense of their remarks. Take it easy. We will help you look into the «mystery» of these words.
Both fairly and rather can mean moderately or to a modern degree.
Fairly is used when the speaker expresses some positive idea. Hence, it goes with «favorable» adjectives and adverbs, such as good, nice, clean, clear etc. On the contrary, rather is chiefly used when the idea is negative, i.e. it goes with «unfavorable» adjectives and adverbs, e.g. bad, stupid, difficult etc. For example:
This person is fairly clever, but that one is rather stupid.
Now the sense of all the previous examples is absolutely transparent. So we use rather in «… directions we would rather not go» because these directions are not desirable for us. On the other hand, the statement «the computer is fairly intelligent machine» reflects our positive attitude to it.
When a person mentions that «coffee is rather hot» it means he does not drink hot coffee. But when he uses in this case «fairly» instead of «rather» it means that he likes hot coffee.
If rather is used with positive ideas than it is an understatement for very:
This book is rather interesting.
I’ve got rather good news for you.
If rather is used before different, similar, alike, like etc. it means «slightly» or «a little». Fairly cannot be used in these ways as well as before the comparative and superlative degrees of adjectives.
Now have a bit of practice. Fill the gaps with fairly or rather.
–This computer program is …. simple.
–No, I think it’s …. difficult.
(At a shop) Buyer: This box is …. small. I like it.
Seller: Take lap-top than.
Buyer: I don’t think I’ll take it. It’s …. expensive.
I won’t be able to read this instruction today. It’s …. long.
–What are you doing this evening?
–I’m going to install a new program. It’s …. interesting.
–I’ll advise Tom to upgrade his computer.
–I’m afraid he is …. ignorant and won’t understand what you mean.
–What’s up? You look …. upset.
–Your homework is …. good.
–I know him …. well. He is a …. dull person.
–I’ve …. good memory for numbers, but I’m rather bad on names.
–I can finish this exercise …. quickly if you keep quiet for a while.
–Your homework is done …. correct.
–Read this book. I think it’s …. interesting.
–This computer program is …. more interesting.
–Our team is now …. stronger than before.
3
Who
has words at the right moment?
Charlotte
Bronte