1. As you read the text: a) look for the answers to these questions:

1. According to the author, how do most British people spend their evenings? 2. What has prompted an enormous growth in television’s popularity? 3. What is the effect of continual violence on television in the author's opinion? 4. Why does the author think that television may be "sowing the seeds of its own downfall"?

b) Find in the text the arguments the author gives to illustrate the following:

1. The statement that television is destroying the art of conver­sation seems to be irrelevant 2. Television is dulling viewers' reac­tions to violence and tragedy. 3. Television is broadening people's horizons.

c) Summarize the text in 3 paragraphs.

2. Use the thematic vocabulary in answering the following questions:

1. What are your favourite programmes? Refer to specific pro­grammes to illustrate your preferences. 2. What qualities do you look for in a television programme? 3. What are the programmes that appeal to specific age groups? 4. What is the amount of week­end TV time devoted to sports programmes? Would you rather watch a favourite sport on TV or view it in person? Give your argu­ments/reasoning. 5. What genres seem to dominate prime-time viewing? First check a week's TV schedule and make a list of all prime-time TV and break it into genres. 6. Should musical concerts and theatrical performances be broadcast on TV? 7. What are the challenges of video? 8. Do you think the emergence of music video clips presents some problems to musicians? What problems? 9. What advantages, if any, does television have over radio? Will television oust radio in the future?

TEXT 3 "Children and television" is an issue about which teachers and parents arc naturally very concerned.

a) The two extracts by American authors given below present rather conlrol the problem. Read them attentively for further discussion:

1. There have been more than 2,300 studies and reports on the effects of television on American society. Most of them show that these effects are mainly negative. Researchers have been especially concerned about children. In the past decade researchers have had children participate in numerous studies. They had children watch television intensively for three weeks. The results showed a drop in children's creativity. The researchers concluded that television makes the children lose some of their creativity.

Teachers can't get children to pay attention for any length of till because today's children want everything to be as fast and entertaining as TV. Dr Benjamin Spock, an expert in child raising, once complained that he couldn't get his grandchildren to leave the TV s when he wanted to take them to the zoo. Some of today's children are so addicted to TV that nothing else interests them. Parents have to make them turn off the TV and go out to play or read a book. They can't get them to do these traditional childhood activities without having an argument over the TV.

Although most of these studies have shown the negative effects television, some sociologists argue that television has become a part of our lives. They do not think that parents should make their children limit the amount of TV that they watch to one or two hours a day. They believe that parents should let their children decide for themselves what and how much they want to watch.

2. Although most studies show the negative effects of television, there are also some important positive influences. There are many excellent educational programs, especially for children. Some schools have children watch certain programs in the classroom. They often get them to watch worthwhile programs at home by encouraging them to discuss what they have seen the next day in class. "Sesame Street” is a program that is watched by millions of children around the world. It uses bright colors, fast timing, and humour in order to get children to pay attention. It makes children enjoy learning about the alphabet, reading, and numbers.

Television also exposes children to different people and places. A little girl who had never seen a ballet before watched a famous ballerina on TV. This program got her to decide to become a ballerina herself. TV also increases young people's understanding of other people's views of life. Many people feel that "Roots", a program on the history of black people in the United States, is an example of this. Because viewers of this program became emotionally involved with the characters, "Roots" got some people to think more compassionately about the difficulties of black people in the United States.

Read the text and make a list of your arguments for and against.

TEXT 4 Television is doing irreparable harm

'Yes, but what did we use to do before there was television?' How often we hear statements like this! Television hasn't been with us all that long, but we arc already beginning to forget what the world was like without it.

Before we admitted the one-eyed monster into our homes, we never found it difficult to occupy our spare time. We used to enjoy civilised pleasures. For instance, we used to have hobbies, we used to entertain our friends and be entertained by them, we used to go outside for our amusements to theatres, cinemas, restaurants and sporting events. We even used to read books and listen to music and broadcast talks occasionally. All that belongs to the past.

Now all our free time is regulated by the 'goggle box'. We rush home or gulp down our meals to be in time for this or that programme. We have even given up sitting at table and having a leisurely evening meal, exchanging the news of the day. A sandwich and a glass of beer will do -anything, providing it doesn't interfere with the programme.

The monster demands and obtains absolute silence and attention. If any member of the family dares to open his mouth during a programme, he is quickly silenced.

Whole generations are growing up addicted to the telly. Food is left uneaten, homework undone and sleep is lost. The telly is a universal

pacifier. It is now standard practice for mother to keep the children quiet by putting them in the living-room and turning on the set. It doesn't matter that the children will watch rubbishy commercials or spectacles of sadism and violence - so long as they are quiet.

There is a limit to the amount of creative talent available in the world. Every day, television consumes vast quantities of creative work. That is why most of the programmes are so bad: it is impossible to keep pace with the demand and maintain high standards as well. When millions watch die same programmes, the whole world becomes a village, and society is reduced to the conditions which obtain in pre-literate communities. We become utterly dependent on the two most primitive media of communication: pictures and the spoken word.

Television encourages-passive enjoyment. We become content with second-hand experiences. It is so easy to sit in our armchairs watching others working. Little by little, television cuts us off from the real world. We get so lazy, we choose to spend a fine day in semi-darkness, glued to our sets, rather than go out into the world itself. Television may be a splendid medium of communication, but it prevents us from communi­cating with each other. We only become aware how totally irrelevant television is to real living when we spend a holiday by the sea or in the mountains, far away from civilisation. In quiet, natural surroundings, we quickly discover how little we miss the hypnotic tyranny of King Telly.

The argument: key words

1 Beginning to forget what we did before television.

2 Always occupied our spare time; enjoyed civilised pleasures.

3 E.g. hobbies, entertaining, outside amusements: theatres, etc.

4 Even used to read books, listen to music, broadcast talks.

5 Free time now regulated by television.

6 Rush home, gulp food; sandwich, glass of beer.

7 Monster demands: absolute silence and attention; daren’t open your mouth.

8 Whole generations growing up addicted; neglect other things,

9 Universal pacifier: mother and children.

10 Children exposed to rubbishy commercials, violence, etc.

11 Limit to creative talent available.

12 Therefore many bad programmes; can't keep pace with demand.

13 World becomes a village; pre-literate society; dependent on pictures and words.

14 Passive enjoyment; second-hand experiences; sit in armchairs, others working.

15 Cut off from real world.

16 Become lazy, glued to sets instead of going out.

17 Television totally irrelevant to real living.

13 E.g. holiday, natural surroundings; never miss hypnodc tyranny.

The counter-argument: key words

1 Nobody imposes TV on you. If you don't like it, don't buy a set - or switch off!

2 We are free to enjoy 'civilised pleasures' and still do.

3 Only when there is lack of moderation can TV be bad - true for all I things.

4 People sometimes feel guilty watching TV; absurd idea.

5 If you boast you don't watch TV, it's like boasting you don't read books.

6 Must watch to be well-informed.

7 Considerable variety of programmes; can select what we want to see.

8 Continuous феар source of information and entertainment.

9 Enormous possibilities for education: e.g. close-circuit TV - surgery.

10 Schools broadcasts; educating adult illiterates; specialised subjects:e.g. language teaching.

11 Education in broadest sense: ideals of democracy; political argument, etc

12 Provides outlet for creative talents.

13 Many playwrights, actors, etc., emerged from TV.

14 Vast potential still waiting to be exploited: colour TV; world network: communication via satellite.

15 TV is a unifying force in the world.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

TEXT 5 The menace of the MICRO

Hardly a week goes by without some advance in technology that would have seemed incredible 50 years ago. Over the past 20 years computers have completely revolu­tionized our lives. Yet we can expect the rate of change to accelerate rather than slow down within our lifetimes. The next 25 years will see as many changes as have been witnessed in the past 150.

These developments in technology are bound to have a dramatic effect on the fu­ture of work. By 2010, new technology will have revolutionized communications People will be transmitting messages down telephone lines that previously would have been sent by post. A postal system which has essentially been the same since the Pharaohs will virtually disappear overnight. Once these changes are introduced, not only postmen but also clerks and secretaries will vanish in a paper-tree society. All the routine tasks they perform will be carried on a tiny silicon chip. As soon as this technology is available, these people will be as obsolete as the horse and cart after, the invention of the motor car. One change will make thousands, if not millions, redun­dant.

Even people in traditional professions, where expert knowledge has been the key, are unlikely to escape the effects of new technology. Instead of going to a solicitor, you might go to a computer which is programmed with all the most up-to-date legal information. Indeed, you might even come up before a computer judge who would, in all probability, judge your case more fairly than a human counterpart. Doctors, too, will find that an electronic competitor will be able to carry out a much quicker and more accurate diagnosis and recommend more efficient courses of treatment.

In education, teachers will be largely replaced by teaching machines far more knowl­edgeable than any human being. What's more, most learning will take place in the home via video conferencing. Children will still go to school though, until another place is created where they can make friends and develop social skills through play.

What, you may ask, can we do to.avoid the threat of the dole queue? is there any job that will be safe? First of all, we shouldn't hide our heads in the sand. Unions will try to stop change but they will be fighting a losing battle. People should get computer literate as this just might save them from professional extinction. After all, there will be a few jobs left in law, education and medicine for those few individuals who are capable of writing and programming the software of the future. Strangely enough

there will still be jobs like rubbish collection and cleaning as it is tough to programme tasks which are largely unpredictable. .

If we accept that people have the need to work, then an option might well be to introduce compulsory job sharing and to limit the length of the working week.

Otherwise, we could find ourselves m an explosive situation what a technocratic elite is both supporting, and threatened by. vast numbers of the unemployed Whether the future is one of mass unemployment or greater freedom and leisure will depend on how change is managed over this difficult period and how the relationship be­tween work and reward is viewed.

TEXT 6 Science and Technology in every day life

I. Vocabulary

technology [ the sciences of the industrial arts

imbalance lack of balance, failure to match

pertinent relevant

a societal commitment a sense of obligation on the part of society as a whole

crash program(me) a programme characterized by intensive effort and speed,

especially to meet an emergency

For many people, science and technology are in effect taking on the aspect of a new religion. How often one hears statements beginning, "any society that can send a man to the moon can ..." and ending with some problem, usually immense­ly more complex and difficult than space travel, that science and technology are expected to solve. The population-food imbalance is a common candidate; others are various types of pollution or ecological problems.

Two things are generally wrong with these statements. First, science and technology have not yet reached the point relative to those problems that they had relative to the man-on-the moon project by 1955. The general outlines of a solution are not clear to all competent scientists in the pertinent disciplines.

Second, and equally important, there is no sign of a societal commitment to promote a crash program to solve these non-space problems.

The public, indeed, has developed a touching but misplaced faith in the ability of science and technology to pull вытаскивать humankind's chestnuts каштан out of the fire. There is not the slightest question that "with clever and cautious осмотрительный use of our scientific and technological resources, a great deal of good could be accomplished. But can we find the required amount of cleverness and caution? In spite of enormous scientific advances during the past thirty years, it is perfectly clear that the absolute amount of human misery has increased (because of the enormous growth in the numbers of poverty-stricken human beings), while the chances of civilization persisting have decreased. There has been an abundance of science and technology, but they have been unbalanced and out of control.

Medicine has attacked the death rate with vigor сила but largely ignored the birth rate, in the process threatening mankind with unprecedented catastrophe. Physics has given us nuclear and thermonuclear "weapons, a legacy so weighty on the minus side of the balance that it is difficult to think of any serious plusses with which to balance it. (It is conceivable возможео that the great impatience of many physi­cists to introduce the use of fission мощность власть power stemmed вытекает from guilt over their partici­pation in building the first A-bombs. Many of the most prominent promoters of nuclear power were involved in the Manhattan project. It is a double tragedy that in an effort to exculpate оправдывать themselves they may deal humankind yet another blow.) Biology has provided biological warfare weapons боевое оружие and has seen many millions of dollars poured into выливать molecular genetics, a field offering no immediate improve­ment in human welfare, but with great future potential for curing or preventing inborn defects, curing cancer, etc. Meanwhile, support for environmental studies has been relatively insignificant, in spite of repeated warnings over a quarter- of a century by ecologists that man was threatening to destroy the life-support systems of the planet. The behavioral sciences have also languished томиться, despite their potential value in helping to solve human problems.

Most of the great "advances" in technology from DDT and x-rays to auto­mobiles and jet aircraft реактивный самолет have caused serious problems for humanity. Some of these problems would have been difficult to anticipate, but most were foreseen, were warned against, and could have been avoided or ameliorated with sensible societal planning. The question now is, how can such planning be done in the future so as to minimize future unfortunate consequences of technological ad­vances?

It is clear from the records of organizations such as the AM A and ABC and from recent statements by technological optimists and scientific politicians that scientists (like other groups in our population) cannot be relied upon to police themselves. Some way must be found to foster способствовать greater participation of other segments of society in the major decision-making processes affecting science and technology. This is essential, of course, to the survival of society, but it is also important as protection for scientists themselves. Burdens бремя of guilt such as those borne by the physicists involved in developing atomic weapons must be avoided wherever possible, or at least more broadly shared.

We are not in a position here to propose a detailed structure for controlling science and technology, but some general directions can be suggested. Govern­mental agencies such as the National Science Foundation and National Institute of Health regularly employ ad hoc committees and panels of scientists to evaluate research programs and individual research projects. Universities also on occasion use such groups of scientists to evaluate programs or departments. Ad hoc panels спец группы of non-scientists might be integrated into these systems, drawing perhaps on citizens with non-scientific expertise serving their "sabbaticals". спец группы лиц, не являющихся учеными могут быть интегрированы в эти системы, опираясь, возможно, на граждан с не-научной экспертизы отбывания "творческие отпуска".

Such panels could both advise agencies directly and also report to a paragovernmental central body (perhaps elected) empowered to intervene whenever it was felt that the public interest was endangered. This power would extend to research under any auspices: government, military, university, or industry. The central body could also be charged with continually informing both government and the public of pertinent trends in science and technology.

Такие панели могут оба консультируют агентства непосредственно, а также сообщить в полуправительственный центрального органа (возможно, избран) права вмешиваться всякий раз, когда было высказано мнение, что общественный интерес был в опасности. Эта власть будет распространяться на исследования ни при каких эгидой: правительство, военных, университетских или промышленности. Центральный орган также может быть предъявлено обвинение постоянно информируя и правительства, и общественность о соответствующих тенденциях в области науки и техники.

Increased awareness and scrutiny of science and technology will not, in them­selves, suffice. Although laymen can become very knowledgeable about science and technology, as the performance of several congressmen involved in appro­priations for science and technical projects has demonstrated, it is often very difficult or impossible for individual laymen (or even scientists) to foresee the consequences of certain trends.

A second element is thus required in the control system: an apparatus, possibly in the form of research institutes, concerned solely with such assessment and reporting to the central body described above. Perhaps a set percentage of all funds used in governmental, university, and industrial research should be assessed for the support of these organizations, which should be kept strictly independent of each of those interests.

Some of the work which might be done by such institutes would be an exten­sion of the sort of programs now being run by systems ecologist К. Е. F. Watt's group at the University of California at Davis, and by systems analysts Jay W. Forrester and Dennis L. Meadows of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Watt, for instance, has forecast the dismal consequences of continuing various prevailing strategies of resource management and social policies. The MIT group has shown, most convincingly, that many of the results of various proposed courses of action are "counter-intuitive."нелогична Their studies indicated, for example, that a program of reducing demands on resources (by finding substitutes, recy­cling, etc.), without controlling other influences on the world system such as pollu­tion and population growth, could produce worse results than a future in which resources were exhausted. To quote Forrester's description of the results of his computer simulation model in which resource consumption is substantially curbed,обуздать "population and capital investment are allowed to rise until a pollution crisis is created. Pollution then acts directly to reduce birth rate, increase death rate, and to depress food production. Population, which, according to this sample model, peaks at the year 2030, has fallen to one-sixth of the peak population within an interval of 20 years—a world-wide catastrophe of a magnitude размер never before experienced." Forrester's and Meadow's analysis projects the collective results of various trends in this way, in each case controlling or altering different interacting factors. Their study indicates that different forms of disaster lie ahead напролом unless all the factors are controlled: population growth, pollution, resource con­sumption, and the rate of capital investment (industrialization).

In addition to broad-scope evaluations such as those just described, some re­search institutes must be involved in much more detailed questions. For example, is medical research being done with adequate attention to the needs of all segments of the population and to birth control as well as death control? Are the benefits and risks of the breeder reactor being studied in proper depth? What are the possible dangerous consequences of further investigating the properties of a given virus or biocidal compound?соединение

Of course, even the most sophisticated assessment сложнве apparatus will not avoid all mistakes, but if it is backed опирается by a growing feeling of social responsibility among scientists, we should be able to improve our record greatly. The remainder of the solution of learning to live with science and technology is to leave plenty of margin for error. For safety, we must learn to live somewhat below our means— not to stress ourselves and the Earth's ecosystems to the absolute limit.

(unabridged)

TEXT 7 Computers and the Internet

A computer-dominated world

The high-tech revolution

Hackers - the new techno-terrorists

Is data protection possible?

Computers

Basic information:

Computing is commonly practiced today and m nearly all spheres of life computerization is on the increase Computers, mostly PCs, can be found m millions of homes and every ma]or firm makes use of mi­crocomputers, minicomputers and even, m some cases, mainframes All these computers store, process and retrieve large amounts of data, but they differ m size, memory capacity and speed

Computers are used m data-processing departments m business, industry, modern medicine, space exploration and by public authorities - the police, schools, traffic control etc There is a wide range of applications, for example word processing, stock control, spreadsheet and chemical analysis

An increasing number of people have begun to work from home, using a computer and a telephone modem

Today the software is more user friendly, the hardware more compact More and more book-sized PCs - so-called notebooks (previously known as 'laptops') - are being pro­duced Although computers are time-saving, it takes a while to learn how to work with them a special programming language is required (e g BASIC, PASCAL or ASSSEMBLER)

All computers have a central processing unit (CPU), which processes the data fed into it A computer does not use digits like 1, 2 or 3 for its calculations, but only the two 'symbols' or binary digits 0 and 1, the so-called bits The system is called the binary system a binary number normally consists of eight bits, for example the number one is 00000001, number two 00000010 and number three 00000011 m the binary code This combination of eight bits is called one byte

high-tech [-tek]

hacker

data ['deita] protection

to compute

computerization

PC (personal computer)

microcomputer [‘ maikrau-]

mainframe

to store

to process

to retrieve

memory capacity

data processing

word processing

stock control

spreadsheet analysis [s'naelasis]

modem [‘ maudem]

software

user friendly

hardware

lap

programming language

central processing unit (CPU)

to feed

calculation

binary [ ‘bainari]

bit [bit]

byte [bait]

How a large computer works:

- to enter/gain access to the system, a code/password is required, which can be typed into the computer on the keyboard,

- a command is keyed m and the data is entered into the computer from a keyboard, tape or floppy disc/disk (= input),

- the microprocessor m the computer performs the logical analyses or the arithmetical calculations,

- data is stored m the computer's memory system,

- the result of the analyses and calculations (= output) can be printed on paper by the printer, shown in the form of graphics on the monitor (or VDU) and can be stored on tapes, disks etc.

A computer simply follows instructions No computer can produce useful results if the information/data put into the computer or programme is inferior or incomplete In other words, GIGO = Garbage In - Garbage Out

Hacking:__

A hacker who wants to invade sophisticated data networks illegally

- calls up a programme,

- breaks into a system by using other people's passwords,

- may even delete a system by means of this kind of electronic infiltra­tion a 'virus' (a destructive programme) that can wipe out a computer's data files may be planted deliberately

As a result, various antiviral programmes have been invented to detect and delete the viruses

General dangers:_

-The linking of information from every source available may make it possible to form a complete and accurate picture of every citizen. People may thus become 'transparent'

- Growing data banks constitute a threat to privacy Total control over human beings is no longer inconceivable

- Misuse of data or data manipulation is possible data protection may become more and more difficult even impossible, to guarantee and supervise.

code

password

keyboard

command

to key in

tape

floppy disc (BE)/disk (AE)

input

microprocessor

analysis [-sis] pl analyses [a'naelesi:z]

output

printer

graphics

monitor

VDU (visual display unit)

instruction

inferior

garbage

sophisticated

network

to delete

infiltration

virus [‘vaieres]

data file

deliberately [di’liberitli]

to detect

data bank

privacy [ ‘privasi]

inconceivable [,inkansi:vabl]

misuse

to supervise