Glossary

GHz Gigahertz, equivalent to one thousand megahertz

ISDN Integrated Services Digital Network which provides speeds of roughly 128,000 bits-per-second.

ADSL Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line. Typically the upstream data flow is between 16 and 640 kilobits per second while the downstream data flow is between 1.5 and 9 megabits per second .ADSL also provides a voice channel.

MPEG Moving Pictures Experts’ Group, a standard for compressing and decompressing images

PDA Personal Digital Assistant which includes an address book, a calendar, Internet access, etc.

SMS Short Message Service which allows you to send short text messages with maximum 160 characters to GSM mobile phones worldwide. GSM is the Global System for mobile Communication that allows transmission of voice and data on mobile phones.

UMTS Universal Mobile Telecommunications System, used by 3G mobile phones

1. Read the texts and select the right choice.

1. One GHz is equivalent to

a) 100 MHz

b) 1,000 MHz

2. ADSL lets you

a) have quick, easy access to the Internet.

b) compress digital music.

3. A “palmtop” is the same as

a) a hand-held computer.

b) a laptop.

4. According to the text, WAP is

a) a hardware device that connects mobile phones to the Internet.

b) a protocol that enables mobile phones to access Internet information.

5. 3G mobile phones

a) will not support audio and video formats.

b) will handle multiple data types including voice and video.

6. Charmed Technology, Inc.

a) is trying to bring wearable computers into fashion.

b) produces laptops.

7. A “cyborg”

a) looks like being half machine, half human.

b) rejects wireless technology.

2. Language work: Compound adjectives.

A compound adjective is made up of two parts and usually describes appearance. The second part is frequently a past participle.

e.g. blue-eyed girl = a girl who has got blue eyes.

voice-activated device = device which is activated by voice

sugar-free product = a product that uses no sugar

Find the following noun phrases in the text and explain their meaning as in the Examples:

hand-held PC, web-enabled phone, battery-powered systems, hands-free operations, head-mounted display.

Oxford English for Computing

Wearable computers Charmed Technology

http://www.charmed.com/

This company tries to incorporate wearable systems (mobile computers, eyeglasses, necklaces, badges, toys, etc.) into fashion, lifestyle and health applications. Their devices allow individuals to access the Internet through wireless technology.

Enter the site and make a list of wearable devices produced by Charmed Technology.

See the BNUW section for details on fashion shows, including pictures and real video extracts. Go to the Brave New Unwired World Fashion Shows and find photos of models wearing computer devices. Print out those that you like most.

Alternative site:

The MIT Wearable Computing Web Page http://www.media.mit.edu/wearables

Enter the site and click on the MIThril heading. Then go to the MIThril photos. Read the captions, print the page and paste it into your scrapbook.

Text 2

The Lucky Generation

1. Predict one change that might happen in the following areas during the next fifty years.

   • space travel

   • robots and computers

   • work

   • education

   • life expectancy

   • the media

   • money

   • family life

2. Compare your answers in groups. Are your predictions about the future generally optimistic or pessimistic?

3. You are going to read a text which comes from a book about life in the year 2050. read the text quickly and match the topics above with a paragraph in the text.

1. It’s March 2050. Frank and Mary Smith wake up in their comfortable house overlooking the sea and switch on the bedroom computer to five them a news update. They used to take the Times, but changed to electronic newspapers many years ago.

2. There is the usual staff about space: another mission has returned from Mars and scientists have discovered a new planet. No big deal. There was great excitement back in 2027, when signals were received from Titan which indicated that there might be life on a remote moon, but efforts to make contact came to nothing and no aliens have appeared on Earth to say ‘hello’. The Catholic Church has elected a black Pope. Interesting, but religion does not play a significant role in their lives. Financial news: the Euro has risen sharply in Shanghai, one of the world’s leading business centres. Mary tells the computer to buy 5, 000 Euros, and there is instant confirmation that the transaction has been done. Not for the first time she wonders why Europe ever bothered to have so many currencies.

3. As they watch the screen, Frank and Mary take their usual weight control pills, and order one of the household robots to make coffee. Frank disappears into the study to join a live video conference with his colleagues around the world. He is a computer programmer, working for several companies on a contract basis. This is his third career: he used to be in marketing and then television.

4. Mary has a quick look at the shopping channels – the usual selection of electric cars, household robots and cheap travel offers – before picking up the video phone to talk to a colleague. She also has a job, which she shares with several others. They are doing research into genetic engineering, which has become a major industry. Both she and Frank used to have an office desk in London , but in 2014 they decided to move to the seaside and work from home.

5. Frank and Mary have one child, Louise, who also has her own workstation in the family home. She goes to school only one day a week, mainly to play with other children. Classrooms vanished in 2030 because there was no longer any need for them: interactive communications systems have made it much easier to learn at home. Louse, now thirteen, is currently studying Chinese, which has become as important as English as a world language. Louse has many Chinese friends with whom she communicates by computer.

6. According to medical experts, Louise will live to at least 130. She intends to work for a few decades and then devote her time to music and painting. Louise has given little thought to marriage, which she regards as an old-fashioned concept, and she is not sure whether she will ever want to have a child. She likes the idea of a serious relationship, and thinks there will probably be several during her lifetime, but why should she tie herself down to one person?

From The Lucky Generation by Williams Davis (1996)

4. Read the text again. How many of the predictions in the text were the same as yours?

5. From the text find two differences:

1. between domestic life in 2050 and the present day.

2. between working life in 2050 and the present day.

3. between a child’s life in 2050 and the present day.

6. Work in pairs and discuss which aspects of the life described in the text:

1. seem more attractive than life nowadays.

2. seem less attractive than life nowadays.

Do you agree that people in 2050 will be “the lucky generation”? Why?/Why not?

Text 3

The look of screens to come

1. Read the text and then decide whether the sentences below are true or false. (Don’t worry if you don’t know the abbreviations, they’re explained later.)

Have you noticed how much your computer screen flickers? This may be because your computer monitor uses CRT technology. This kind of technology offers colour and high-resolution pictures for relatively little money but the monitors are large, use a lot of energy, can flicker and emit electromagnetic radiation.

In recent years flat screens have become increasingly popular. Users talk of benefits such as more desk space, how easy they are to adjust for tilt and height, crisper, clearer images and the total elimination of screen flicker. It’s like having a different PC, they say, a new window on the world.

Most flat screens are based on LCD technology which has a lot of benefits over CRT technology. Among them:

• LCDs are inherently flat, CRT monitors are not, so LCDs require much less space

• LCDs use less power than CRTs

• LCDs are distortion-free while typical CRTs are curved, which may cause image distortion

• most LCD displays use a TFT system offering a wider angle of vision and high-quality images.

But there is one major drawback to flat screens: their cost. They are expensive compared with CRT monitors. Prices are falling, however, and they’ll soon find their way into homes, schools and businesses.

Monitor manufacturers like Philips, Apple, Sharp or Panasonic offer compatible flat screens including built-in stereo speakers, headphone connection, and a USB port. Some models can also be removed from the stand and mounted on the wall. They come with stylish designs for a variety of applications. LCDs range from small-size PC screens and TVs to large-screen projectors.

2. Now decide whether these statements are true or false. Correct those which are false.

1. Most computers still use CRT monitors.

2. Typical CRT-based displays occupy less space than LCD displays.

3. Liquid-crystal displays are curved.

4. Flat LCD screens are becoming very popular.

5. LCD technology consumes less power than CRT technology.

6. Flat screens are cheaper than CRT monitors.

7. Users of flat-screen monitors can’t adjust the angle of vision.

3. Find the abbreviations in the text. Do you know what they stand for?

CRT LCD  TV  PC TFT  USB

Oxford English for Computing