Vocabulary excercises

Ex. 1 Find in the line the word that must not be there.

1 Computer games they are now so popular that anyone can walk	1
down a main street in town and to pass a computer game arcade.	2
which is crowded with youngsters with their eyes fixed on video	3
screens. They are being completely unaware of the world outside as	4
1 they are put more money to play one more game.	5
and some of young people have been known to become addicted to playing.	6
Many of parents disapprove of their children playing such games, but	7
There are some benefits. Playing a video game it does help to improve The concentration. In order to get a high score, the player has to try	8
	9
And ignore all the flashing lights and noises. This could be	10
Improve a student's ability to concentrate while they are	11
Studying. It is also a way to improve hand-eye co-ordination.	12
Because of the player has to operate several buttons and watch	13
the screen at the same time. This is useful for learning to drive, and other	14
physical activities. So before you forbid your child to play,	15
think about the benefits.	16

Ex. 2 Read the text and think of the word which best fits each line.

There has ...(1)... a great deal of controversy surrounding the use of mobile phones. There have been claims that they ...(2)... cause memory loss in some people, cancer or heat the brain. But scientists, ...(3)... /e been trying to prove or dispprove these stories, have found that there is no evidence that mobile phones cause cancer or ...(4)... other illness.

What they ...(5)... discovered suggests that cell phone emissions have a variety .. .(6)... strange effects on living tissue that can't be reconciled with conventional radiation biology. Only ...(7) the questions raised by these experiments are answered will anyone .. .(8)... able to say for sure what mobiles might be doing to ...(9)... head.

One experiment involved using ...(10)... device that imitated the microwave emissions of mobile phones, and attaching it to ...(11)... left ear of volunteers. These volunteers were just as good ...(12)... recalling words and pictures they had been shown on a computer screen whether or .. .(13)... the device was switched on. But the microwaves might have one completely unexpected effect: the у decreased the time subjects took to react to words flashed on the screen. The volunteers .. .(14) ... quicker at pressing a matching button if the headset was switched on. It was only a small improvement of four per cent, and this is good news. But ... (15)... microwave emissions have influenced reaction times as they pass through the skull, ...(16)... else might they be doing?

Ex.3 Form a word from given below to fill in the space in the lines.

POSSIBLE, PRACTICAL, ASSIST, FORMAL, PERSONAL, CONVENIENT, VISIBLE, REPLACE, DISCUSS, EFFICIENT

Today we can do (1)........anything we want on the Internet. We can send letters be e-mail, chat to friends on the other side of the world, and go shopping. The trouble is our lives are in danger of becoming more (2) as we lose contact with others. It certainly seems more (3)......to walk down the street to the bookshop when we have the (4).....of ordering books from a website, but don't we miss a quick (5) .... Chat with the shop (6).....? We can also use the Internet in our studies. Spending time researching in a library now seems so (7) ...., when we can search the web in minutes. However, I think that many people would agree that books and teachers are (8) ...., and it is difficult to imagine our lives without them. We need other people for stimulating (9) ...< enjoyable social occasions, and comfort when we are sad. An (10) .... friend in an Internet chat room is somehow just not the same!

Ex4 Read the text and decide which answer (А, В, С or D) best fits each space.

I was reading an advert for a mobile phone the other day, which described the aforesaid object as an 'aid to (1) ....'. As a techno-phobe who does not possess a mobile phone, still less an on-line connection, I was intrigued by the astonishing presumptuousness of this claim. For the (2)..........reason I do not have a mobile phone is that I don't want to be at someone else's beck and (3)..........24 hours a day. But apparently there are plenty of sane adults out there who do. In fact I know plenty of people who bought their phone on the (4)..........understanding that it was to be used for emergencies only. But the insidious thing gradually took over their lives, to the (5)..........where it seems they can barely Uve without it. Giving a mobile phone, to a child makes even less sense. Parents lose their freedom and the children lose the ability to (6)..........for themselves.

1) A ease В handiness С utility D convenience

2) A sheer В perfect C very D utter

3) A cry B ring С need D call

4) A strict В absolute С severe D precise

5) A mark В point С spot D position

6) A support В keep С fend D sustain

Ex 5 Complete each sentence with one of the words from the box.

appliance component equipment gadget manual

automation contraption experiment machinery overhaul

a) What a peculiar ..! What on earth is that for?

b) A washing-machine is probably the most useful household………….

c) We will have to order a new.............................to replace the damaged one.

d) The noise of.............................filled the factory and nearly deafened me.

e) I can't make this computer work. Let's read the.............................again.

f) Scientists in this laboratory are conducting an interesting.............................

g) When.............................is introduced, the number of workers will be reduced.

h) Do you like this new.............................I bought for peeling potatoes?

i) Every six months the nuclear reactor needs a complete..............................

j) My brother has a shop selling photographic..............................

EX 6 In most lines of this text there is either a spelling or punctuation error. Write the correctly spelled word, or show the correct punctuation. Indicate correct lines with a tick.

When faced with some new and possibly bewildering technological…0……….

change, most people react, in one of two ways. They either recoil………1……

from anything new, claiming that it is unnecessary, or too complicated …2……..

or that it somehow makes life less personal. Or they learn to adapt to……3…..

the new invention, and eventually wonder, how they could possibly …4……….

have existed without it. Take computers as an example, for many of …5……..

us, they still represent a threat to our freedom, and give us a…………6.

frigtening sense of a future in which all decisions will be taken by ……7…….

machines. This may be because they seem misterious, and difficult …8……

to understand. Ask most people, what you can use a home computer …9…..

for, and you usually get vauge answers about how 'they give you…10……

information'. In fact, even those of us who are familiar with computers'…11…..

and use them in our dayly work, have very little idea of how they …12……

actually work? But it does not take long to learn how to operate a …13……..

bussiness programme, even if things occasionally go wrong for no …14…….

apparant reason. Presumably much the same happened when the ……15…

telephone and the television became widespred. What seems to …16………….

alarm most people is the speed of technological change, rather than …17…..

change itself. And the objections that are maid to new technology …18……..

may well have a point to them, since change is not always an ……19…..

improvement. As we discover during power cuts there is a lot to be …20…..

said for the oil lamp, the cole fire, and forms of entertainment, such …21…..

as books or board games, that dont have to be plugged in to work. …22…..

Ex 7 In the following texts, complete each space with a word or compound formed from the word in capitals.

Text l

(1).....of your new energy-efficient domestic gas install

boiler is free of charge, and will be performed within 5 days of

payment. Regular (2)...............................from a qualified engineer maintain

is advised. The system comes with an (3)............................... adjast

cover, which can be kept fully extended or half down. The cover

must be completely removed for repairs to be carried out. As with

all (4)...............................equipment, please exercise great care if electric

you are attempting to repair the (5)...............................yourself. apply

Text 2

Attach the rotating motor to the (6)...............................lead-pipe. cylinder

Screw the motor down into place. If the motor does not

engage, remove it and (7)...............................the lead-pipe. All tight

engineers installing or repairing this machinery must observe all

necessary (8)...............................precautions. This includes the save

wearing of goggles, masks and other (9)............................... protect

equipment. For instructions on how to remove the outlet valve,

please refer to the (10)...............................described on page 28 proceed

of this manual.

EX 8 Underline the most appropriate word in each sentence.

a) The hair-drier is fitted with a three point cable/plug/socket.

b) Don't touch that wire! It's live / lively/ living.

c) This small vacuum cleaner is motivate/powered/run by batteries.

d) The set wouldn't work because there was a faulty connection/]oint/link

e) I can't use my drill here. The lead/plug/wire isn't long enough.

f) Turn off the mains first in case you get a/an impact/jolt/shock.

g) Oh dear the lights have gone off 1 The cable/fuse/safety must have gone

h) Can you lend me that cassette? I want to record/transcribe/write it.

i) The appliance is powered by a small electric engine/machine/motor.

j) Jim has just started work as an electrical/electricity/electrician engineer

k) The electrician twisted the wires together using a pair of hammers/chisels/pliers.

1) I buy coffee beans and put them in a grinder/mixer/blender.

m) The good thing about this knife is that the blade/point/edge can be replaced

n) I can't undo this nut. I need a larger bolt/screwdriver/spanner.

SPEECH EXCERCISES

A Technical advances affecting daily life

technology	examples of uses/applications	example sentence(s) with connected key words
digital technology	digital photography, video and sound recording; digital broadcasting	The sound quality of a digital tape recorder is superior to that of an analogue [non-digital] one.
satellite communications	satellite navigation systems; mobile phones	She has an in-car GPS [global positioning system] navigation system, so she never loses her way.
biotechnology	genetic modification of plants	Biotechnology companies are experimenting with new, disease-resistant crops for farmers, [with a high level of protection against diseases
artificial intelligence (Al)	automatic translation; identification systems	Al scientists are hoping to create computers that will be more and more like the human brain.
ergonomics	efficient design of human environments	This car has ergonomically designed seats; they're very comfortable on long drives. [designed to give maximum comfort and efficiency

В The New Millennium Techie*

person who loves acquiring all the new technology has:

- smart ID card for entering office building and using all workplace facilities

- mobile phone with hands-free earpiece and microphone

- laptop computer or notebook

- pager that tells you when someone wants to contact you

- desktop computer for. the home or office

- palmtop or handheld

- PDA personal digital assistant

Exercises