Hype or Hyper-Reality?

Virtual reality will connect your senses up to a computer - and take you to the realms of dreams. Discover how virtual reality will revolutionize your world.

Looking for a new thrill? Perhaps you'd like to meet Madonna or Harris on Ford; wander the marbled halls of a palace that was destroyed a thousand years ago; go climbing up Olympus Mons on Mars- the Solar System's highest mountain. Virtual reality (VR) promises to make it possible.

(1) It aims to be more fan just like being there. It is claimed that it will be impossible to tell the difference. Indeed, the boundaries between real and virtual are already breaking down, thanks to technological improvements such as touch-sensitive body suits and 3-D surround sound. The hope is that one day we will be able to do 'virtually' the things we cannot do in real life – because in VR we won't be bound by boring restriction like the law of physics.

(2) Current VR technology grew out of developments in the flight-simulator industry. The skills needed to fly a plane are incredibly complicated, and the ability to land at different airports requires careful practice. The dangers of practicing in real aero-planes have been avoided for a long time by building an artificial cockpit with controls linked to a simulation of the real plane. Pilots in the simulator see and feel nothing but the artificial world and have direct control over it.

(3) Today's still quite limited technology is now quietly being used for all kinds of projects-planning telecommunication systems, designing drug molecules, and, in Japan, a scheme has already been successfully developed to use VR in furniture showrooms so customers can plan the layout of new kitchens. The plan is to integrate this with a complete computerized system - so the virtual kitchen designed by the customer goes through an automated process until delivery to the home.

(4) Iain Brown, a psychologist from Glasgow University, is worried that virtual reality will be extremely addictive. He has studied children whose dependence on computer games makes them behave like drag addicts. They spend all their money on arcade games and sometimes turn to crime to pay for their habit.

(5) Some psychologists think computers can be addictive because they are so predictable. Real life is often hard to control, but a computer will always do exactly what you tell it to. For some, to sit in front of a screen is to be secure.

Brown worries that people who spend a lot of time in simplified, virtual worlds might not develop many of the skills they need to deal with the uncertainties of real life. But VR enthusiasts prefer to talk of the exciting possibilities like becoming a musical instrument or a robotic insect on Neptune.

Task 1

Predict how each passage will continue:

• By giving details of …

• By giving examples of everyday/industrial use of …

• By describing how … is/are used in …

• By giving the history of …

Task 2

1. Identify common technical terms used in the text.

2. Recognize the difference between fact and opinion in the text.

3. Recognize new information. Answer the question: How does this new information change your knowledge of subject?

Task 3

Give the correct translation of Paragraph 3.

Task 4

Answer the questions and give your own opinion.

1. Is there danger of young people becoming “addicted” to computer games?

2. Is there a danger that people will become unable to function properly in the real world because they spend too much time in virtually real worlds?

3. What are the most useful fields of virtual reality application?

4. Do you know any centers or laboratories practicing virtual reality (in Russia or abroad)?

5. What kind of equipment is needed to organize such practicing center?

6. Do you think VR will become popular in a big way? Why? Why not?

Task 5

Render the text into English.