Task 9. Match the terms in Table A with the statements in Table B.

Table a Table b

Task 10. Mark the following as True or False.

1. A personal computer can process different forms of data including text, graphics, audio, animation and video. 2. Videoconferencing is a form of communication over a network that uses video cameras. 3. Anti-virus programs are used to connect a number of computers and peripheral devices together. 4. A hard disk is a piece of equipment used for putting data into a computer. 5. A chip which is the common name for a microchip is an electronic integrated circuit in a small package. 6. Desktop computers are referred to the powerful type of computers, operated by a team of professionals.

Task 11. Fill in the blanks with the words from the box.

The word ‘computer’ comes from a Latin word which means … . 2. The feature which makes the computer more than just a calculator is its … thousands of such small operations into a program and … . 3. All the data which a computer … are in the form of numbers. 4. The term “computer generations” helps to single out the major technological developments … . 5. The production of … - a type of systems software – and applications software packages increased rapidly. 6. We must be selective about the type of … we process. 7. Data processing is getting faster and faster, mathematical calculations continue to be performed with … . 8. Traditional computers act on only one problem at a time; … means that many processors will work on the problem at the same time.

Task 13. Read the text and try to retell it:

The digital age

We are now living in what some people call the digital age, meaning that computers have become an essential part of our lives. Young people who have grown up with PCs and mobile phones are often called the digital generation. Computers help student to perform mathematical operations and improve their math skills. They are used to access the Internet, to do basic research and to communicate with other students around the world. Teachers use projectors and interactive whiteboards to give presentations and teach science, history or language courses. PC’s are also used for administrative purposes — schools use word processors to write letters, and databases to keep records of student and teachers. A school website allows teachers to publish exercises for students to complete online.

Students can also enroll for courses via the website and parents can download official reports. Mobiles let you make voice calls, send texts, email people and download logos, ringtones or games. With a built-in camera you can send pictures and make video calls in face-to-face mode. New smart phones combine a telephone with web access, video, a games console, an MP3 player, a personal digital assistant (PDA) and a GPS navigation system, all in one. In banks, computers store information about the money held by each customer and enable staff to access large databases and to carry out financial transactions at high speed. They also control the cashpoints, or ATMs (automatic teller machines), which dispense money to customers by the use of a PIN-protected card. People use a Chip and PIN card to pay for goods and services, instead of using a signature to verify payments, customers are asked to enter a four-digit personal identification number (PIN), the same numbers used at cashpoints; this system makes transactions more secure. With online banking, clients can easily pay bills and transfer money from the comfort of their homes.

Airline pilots use computers to help them control the plane. For example, monitors display data about fuel consumption and weather conditions. In airport control towers, computers are used to manage radar systems and regulate air traffic. On the ground, airlines are connected to travel agencies by computer. Travel agents use computers to find out about the availability of flights, prices, times, stopovers and many other details.

LISTENING AND SPEAKING

Task 14. You are going to read four people talk about how they use computers. Listen and try to do the exercises below.

Primary school teacher: We’ve got a new program with 3D graphics to encourage young children to tell stories. We tried it out last term and now we use it regularly. There’s a mat in front of the monitor, like a carpet. There are pressure pads under the mat. When the children stand on them, they can move about inside the pictures on the screen. If they stand on the right, they can move to the right, and so on. The good thing is that it works better if there are more children on the mat. This encourages them to work together.

What I like about this program is that if you ask the children what they’ve been doing, they don’t say, ‘We’ve been working with the computer’, they say ‘We’ve been telling stories’. The computer doesn’t get in the way of learning, it’s just a tool. We don’t get that reaction when we sit them down at a keyboard.

Open University student: I’ve had a computer for about three years now. I’m an OU student doing a degree in mathematics. I work full time so I study at home in the evenings and at weekends. Some Saturdays there are tutorials I can attend in town but mostly I work alone. I use the computer to write my assignments. I also use the Internet to email my tutor if I have any problems with the course work. There’s a help group too on the Web made up of other students doing my course... not just here in the UK but around the world. We can chat about assignments and help each other out if we’re in difficulty.

Louise, aged 6: Well, I make cards for my friends. I made one for Mary’s birthday last week. I use Word and you go into clipart. Then these things come up on the screen. And you can click on any one like animals and two people with a heart, and a star and a hat. I’ve got CD-ROMS. I like Splat the Cat and Pets 3. You click on Go to the Adoption Center, then you go to Pick a Pet and you can choose what you want, a cat or a dog. And you give it a name and feed it. The one I’m going to adopt is a cat. And you’ve got to give your cat a name. But first I’ll take its picture, and then I’ll save it.

Artist: I paint mainly figures in imaginary interiors. They represent myths. I work in acrylics although I also make woodcuts. I keep photographs of most of what I’ve done apart from the work I’ve destroyed... the ones I didn’t like. I’ve scanned in about a third of these photographs, around 100 paintings, to make a CD. I’ve organized the paintings into themes and added a sound track so that each group of paintings is accompanied by music. I’ll send the CD to dealers. In the past it would have been slides. I’m also going to start my own website to try to sell directly. The difficult thing is trying to get people to visit your site.

Task 15. Match the columns according to the text.

primary school teacher ( ) write assignments, email tutor, chat with other students

Open University student ( ) produce CD of painting for dealers

girl (Louise), aged 6 ( ) group story-telling

artist ( ) makes cards, plays games

Task 16. Match these questions to the right answer according to the text.

How does the story-telling program encourage children to work together?

In what way is the children’s reaction to this program different from other uses they make of the computers?

What is the OU student studying?

What opportunity has she to meet other students?

What can you do with Pets 3?

What does Louise do with clipart?

How did the artist display work to dealers in the past?

What is the difficulty in selling through a web site?

( ) maths

( ) getting people to visit your site

( ) adopt a pet, name it, feed it, take its picture ( ) the more children involved, the more interactive the program becomes

( ) using slides

( ) face to face at tutorials, through help group on line

( ) the computer doesn’t get in the way of learning, it’s simply a tool

( ) makes cards for her friends