Part two

UNIT 1. FROM THE HISTORY OF COMPUTERS

Text 1

FIRST ELECTRONIC COMPUTER

1. Can you imagine how the first computer looked like?

2. Study the words. Make sure you know them:

calculator  typewriter  vacuum tube  operation  standard

The first fully automatic large-scale calculator was built by Howard Aiken of Harvard University working with engineers from International Business Machines Corporation. It was called Harvard Mark I and was completed in 1944. Data were entered on punched cards, and output was on punched cards or processed on an electric typewriter. It was a large machine ― 15 meters long and 2.4 meters high.

The first generation of what can be called a real computer, not just a calculator, was the Colossus, put in operation in 1943 in Bletchley Park, near London, England. It was used to decipher German codes in World War II The Colossus1 however, was built only for this task. The distinction of the first general-purpose computer goes to a machine known as ENIAC ― Electronic Numerical Integrator and Calculator - designed and built by J. Prosper Eckert and John W. Mauchly of the University of Pennsylvania in 1946. These Machines were enormous by today's standards, but they were less powerful than today's computers. They used hundreds of vacuum tubes. The invention in 1948 of the more efficient and much smaller transistor which does the same work as vacuum tube, helped make today's personal computers possible.

Reader on Science and Technology

3. Match the words and their meanings.

to calculate to punch to decipher to process enormous enter

a) to find the meaning of something b) to find out by working with numbers c) to make a hole in something d) to put something through the system in order to get information e) write, record names, details into a book, etc. f) great, immense

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

1. The first automatic large-scale calculator was completed in 1946.

2. The first generation of computers was used only as a calculator.

3. The first computer was used only as a calculator.

4. The first computers were very huge, expensive and not available.

5. The invention of transistor made computers more available for everybody.

5. What do you think?

1. Who built the first automatic calculator?

2. When and where was the first computer put into operation?

3. What was it used for?

4. What was the first distinction of a general-purpose computer? Who built it?

6. Discuss.

1. What new information about first computers have you learnt?

2. Can we call the man, who designed the first computer a genius?

Text 2

COMPUTER MOUSE

1. Why did the innovators call computer mouse “a mouse”?

2. Study the words. Make sure you know them.

Interactive  user-friendly  demonstration  locate  patent  prototype

Years before personal computers and desktop information processing became commonplace or even practicable, Douglas Engelbart had invented a number of interactive, user-friendly information access systems that we take for granted today: the computer mouse was one of his inventions. At the Fall Joint Computer Conference in San Francisco in 1968, Engelbart astonished his colleagues by demonstrating the before mentioned systems using an utterly primitive 192-kilobyte mainframe computer located 25 miles away! Engelbart has earned nearly two dozen patents, the most memorable being perhaps for his "X-Y Position Indicator for a Display System": the prototype of the computer "mouse" whose convenience has revolutionized personal computing.

Reader on Science and Technology

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

1. Douglas Engelbart invented several information access systems.

2. These systems were demonstrated at the University of Pennsylvania.

3. The demonstration of these systems was astonishing.

4. Invention of “a mouse” revolutionized personal computing.

4. What do you think?

1. Who was the first to design a computer mouse?

2. When and where was it first demonstrated?

3. What impression did it make?

4. Why were the conference participants astonished?

5. What was the prototype of the computer “mouse”?

5. Discuss.

1. What new information have you learnt from the text?

2. Was the invention of a computer mouse a great step forward in personal computing?

Language focus

The passive

Passives are very common in technical writing where we are more interested in facts, processes, and events than in people. We form the passive by using the appropriate tenses of the verb to be followed by the past participle of the verb we are using.

Examples:

Active

1. We sell computers, (simple present)

2. Babbage invented “The Analytical Engine”. (simple past)

Passive

1. Computers are sold. (simple present)

2. “The Analytical Engine” was invented in 1830. (simple past)

Events

When we write or talk about past events, we use the past passive. Let us look at some examples.

Examples:

1. COBOL was first introduced in 19 59.

2. Microsoft was founded on the basis of the development of MS/DOS.

3. The organization was created to promote the use of computers in education.

Exercise 1. Fill in the gaps in the following sentences using the appropriate form of the verb in brackets.

1. Microsoft ________ (found) by Bill Gates.

2. C language ________ (develop) in the 1970s.

3. During that period, enormous advances ________ (make) in computer technology.

4. The following year, twice as many PCs ________ (sell).

5. In the 1980s, at least 100,000 LANs ________ (set up) in laboratories and offices around the world.

6. The first digital computer ________ (build) by the University of Pennsylvania in l946.

7. Last year, more software companies ________ (launch) than ever before.

8. IBM's decision not to continue manufacturing mainframes ________ (reverse) the year after it ________ (take).

UNIT 2. MODERN MEANS OF COMMUNICATION

E-MAIL, TELEPHONES AND THE POST

1. Compare how many e-mails, phone calls and letters you make/send and receive each week.

2. Read the different opinions. Which one do you most agree with?

Which do our readers like using most: e-mail, telephones or the post? Here are three typical responses from last week’s survey.

Lida, 28: For me it has to be e-mail. It’s very fast, cheap and modern ― you can download music and video, send letters and pictures, and it’s informal, which I like. I know privacy and security can be problems but who sends important documents by e-mail? I get annoyed if I get hundreds of e-mails at work and they all expect an instant response, and obviously I hate getting spam, or even worse, a virus.

Jarek, 65: Well, I use all three, but I prefer the phone. It’s more expensive, especially for long-distance calls, but I like the instant interaction and I think you can understand more when you hear a person’s voice. I like the informality and speed and you can also use your mobile phone for e-mail and sending images. With mobile phones you don’t get a lot of unwanted communication, apart from the occasional wrong number.

Andrea, 39: I like modern things, but I still prefer the post. I know postal delivery is slow, but it’s cheap, and you can be sure no one will read your mail or listen to your conversations. You can send anything by post, which you can’t do with e-mail. Personally, I like receiving handwritten letters ― they look, feel and smell different from e-mails. I think it’s sad that young people don’t write letters now ― they’re usually more formal than e-mail and students can practice their grammar and spelling. Now, what I don’t like getting is bills and junk mail.

3. Read the quotes again. Tick () the features of each type of communication.

   	E-mail	Telephones	Post
   cheap send pictures/images instant delivery instant reply interactive modern private secure slow send sound unwanted communication usually formal	           	           	           

4. Work in pairs. How do you feel about getting these unwelcome messages. Why? Add other types of unwanted communication to the list.

I don’t mind getting . . .

I don’t really like getting

I really don’t like/ I can’t stand / I (really) hate . . .

• wrong number phone calls

• spam

• viruses

• junk mail

• joke calls

• bills

• calls from telephone salespeople

5. Write a paragraph describing the advantages and disadvantages of e-mail or telephones or the postal service.

IT WORKSHOP Oxford University Press

Text 1

MOBILES ― USEFUL OR DANGEROUS?

Why are mobiles so popular? Because people love to talk to each other. And it is easier with a mobile phone. People think mobile phones are fun and useful. In countries like Russia and China, people use mobile phones in places where there is no ordinary telephone. Business people use mobiles when they’re travelling. In some countries, like Japan, many people use their mobile phones to send e-mail messages and access the Internet. They use a new kind of mobile phone called “i-mode”. You can even use a mobile phone to listen to music.

Mobile phones are very fashionable with teenagers. Parents buy mobile phones for their children. They can call home if they are in trouble and need help. So they feel safer. But teenagers mostly use them to keep in touch with their friends or play simple computer games. It’s cool to be the owner of a small, expensive mobile! As eighteen-year-old Londoner Rosie Farrer says, “Before, girls of my age smoked cigarettes to look good. Now we have mobiles!”. Rosie’s right. Research shows that teenage owners of mobile phones smoke less! Parents and schools are happy that teenagers are safer and smoke less. But they are worried about the possible problems of mobile phones.

There are now 750 million mobile phone users around the world. This number will probably grow to 1.4 billion in five years’ time. Many people dislike them. They hate it when the businessman opposite them on the train has a loud conversation on his phone. Or when mobile phones ring in a café or restaurant.

But there is a much more serious problem. We are not sure that mobiles are completely safe. It’s possible that mobiles can heat up the brain because we hold the phone so close to our head. Scientists fear that mobiles can perhaps be bad for your memory and even give you cancer. Because of these fears, some people use a “handsfree” mobile ― a phone that you needn’t hold to your ear. But it is possible that these are more dangerous. We just don’t know and many parents don’t give their younger children mobiles for this reason.

So why do we use mobiles when we aren’t sure they’re safe? Because mobiles are a lot of fun and very useful, we choose to forget the possible dangers. We choose to believe that mobiles are safe. Let’s hope we’re right!

1. Match 1-10 with a-j to make sentences.

1. We believe that the number of mobile phone owners

2. Because it is easier to keep in touch with a mobile phone

3. In Japan “i-mode” phones are used

4. Mobile phones are very popular

5. Teenagers often smoke less

6. If you are in trouble and need help

7. It’s possible that mobile phones may

8. With a “handsfree” mobile,

9. “Handsfree” mobiles could be more dangerous

10. We know about the possible dangers, but

    1. you don’t hold the phone to your head

    2. than ordinary mobile phones.

    3. we continue to use mobiles.

    4. to send e-mail messages and access the Internet.

    5. with teenagers.

    6. will grow a lot in the next five years.

    7. be bad for your memory and give you cancer.

    8. a mobile can be very useful.

    9. if they own a mobile phone.

    10. they are very popular.

Text 2

MOBILE PHONES

1. Answer the questions. Then discuss in pairs.

1. Do you use a mobile phone?

2. What do you use it for? Make a list.

3. When is it a good or a bad time to make/receive mobile phone calls?

2. Label the parts of the mobile phones with the words in the box

antenna  lip cover  display screen  faceplate  keypad  scroll keys

3. Read the advert . Which phone is best for a business and which is best for a student? Which one do you like more ? Why?

   The New Brighton QT1 This new super-cool model gives you the best in mobile phones multimedia messaging to send snapshots to your friends downloadable games, graphics and music infrared signal transmission to your computer (no cables!) voice-activated dialing ― just speak to call programmable ring tones so you know who is calling before you answer detachable faceplates so you can change it to match your clothes antenna for clearer reception SPECIFICATIONS BAND MODE digital TALK TIME 4 hours STANDBY 5 days DIMENSIONS 841 cm

   The SP5 Deluxe Everything you need in mobile technology! multimedia messaging with pictures and video make calls while browsing the Web digital and analog band modes for town and country voicemail to send messages to your office large screen with 6 text lines for text messages large key pad and scroll keys for easy navigation Personal Information Manager (PIM) for your appointment schedule wireless connection to your PC and headset SPECIFICATIONS BAND MODE dual TALK TIME 5 hours STANDBY 7 days DIMENSIONS 5.541 cm

4. Which mobile phone has these features? Write QT1, SP5 or Both.

1. can work anywhere …

2. a diary …

3. a camera …

4. no cables …

5. faceplates you can change …

6. a one-week standby time …

7. rings tones you can program …

8. games you can download

5. Write a paragraph about the mobile phone you have or the one you would like to have.

6. Use the Internet or magazines to find a new, up-to-date mobile phone. Make a list of the features it has and report back to the class.

IT WORKSHOP Oxford University Press

Text 3