II. Conversation practice

1. DISCUSS the history of one new company producing childrens' playthings. Do you think it may have been a true story?

2. THINK of short illustrative stories for some of the most fascinating phrases from Exercise 1.2.

2. MAKE DIALOGUES based on the contents of Exercise 1.4. Work in pairs.

2. STUDY the following English sayings. Do you think that they mean something in connection with the unit 5-7 texts? PROVE that they do.

• Good words cost nothing but are worth much.

• One today is worth two tomorrows.

• Let every man praise the bridge he goes over.

5. TELL a story with a "moral". The moral is supposed to be one of the above sayings.

5. REVISE the information you've got about the following business people and inventors referring to various materials in Units 1-7.

LOUIS CHEVROLET WILLIAM DURANT WILLIAM HARLEY

ARTHUR DAVIDSON RIOSUKE NAMIKI LAURA ASHLEY

HENRY HEINZ JOHN PEMBERTON ASA G.CANDLER

HARRY SELFRIDGE P.T.BARNUM JAN CARZON

HENRY FORD JACK COHEM RICHARD SEARS

KING GILLETTE MONTGOMERY WARD CLARENCE SANDERS

FREDERIC TAYLOR HENRY FAYOL KENNETH BLANCHARD

SPENSER JOHNSON WILLIAM MONROE CHARLES GOODYEAR

5. SPEAK about America as the country of many inventions. Describe the ways those inventions became part of our everyday life.

2.8. MAKE PRESENTATIONS using the full-page illustrations in Units 5-7.

III. Writing skills development

3.1. WRITE an essay taking the sayings from Exercise 2.4 as titles.

IV. Additional reading

4.1. READ AND ANSWER THE QUESTION:

What are Microsoft's president plans for the future?

Twe genius of golden gates

William Gates is the founder and boss of Microsoft, the world's largest and most profitable software company. One day in the future Gates plans to give 95 per cent of his immense earnings to charity, but for the moment he is an entrepreneur who has become a role model for his generation. Microsoft went from a two-room office in 1979 to become one of the largest corporations in the USA. Gates grew up in Seattle, the son of a prominent lawyer. At school he made friends with another computer-obsessed kid, and the two began experimenting with a school computer. By 1980 they had their own company, and won a contract from IBM to develop a system software for their new personal computers. That operating system, called Microsoft Disc Operating System or MS-DOS for short, became the standard operating system and made the company very rich. Microsoft operating systems now drive 85 per cent of the world's computers. This is in keeping with Gates' masterplan: "A computer in every home, on every desktop, running Microsoft software". Recently, he has decided to extend that ambition. He has forged powerful alliances with banks, entertainment companies, hardware manufacturers, and telecommunications companies. Gates has been talking to Steven Spielberg's Dreamworks company about piping interactive games and films into homes. Interactive TV, a concept that promises instant access to video movies, home shopping, music and entertainment, is on the way. But Gates is not worried that he is creating a future where everyone is wired into the system and where kids spend too much time in front of their purchase. He says he envies kids growing up today because they have so many things at their fingertips. Gates is investing in the Internet program. He thinks there is an opportunity to come in with some innovations to help it grow. Some argue that the development of information technology is too important to be left to one company's competitive dominance. Gates disagrees. He says the company does not seek to dominate. Microsoft wants to be the best option in the market and it works hard at that.

4.2. READING COMPREHENSION TEST 8A.

Choose the correct variant on the basis of what is said or implied in each paragraph of the text.

1. The first paragraph of the text conveys the idea that

1. Microsoft has been a profitable business in recent years

2. William Gates has become a role model for his generation

3. Microsoft is engaged in charity work all over the world

4. William Gates is soon going to leave the company for good

2. The second paragraph describes

1. William Gates' childhood years spent in Orlando, Florida

2. the way Microsoft went from a two-room office to one of the largest corporations in the USA;

3. the characteristics of Microsoft Disc Operating System

4. how personal computers appeared in every home in America

3. The third paragraph proves that

1. Gates has a brilliant commercial sense and experience

2. Steven Spielberg is a well-known Hollywood film director

3. interactive games will never become a household thing

4. Gates doesn't want to dominate the world's software market

4. The fourth paragraph says that

1. Gates has no special interest in the Internet program

2. personal computers aren't worthy for children nowadays

3. Gates is not worried about the future of computer industry

4. Microsoft is creating special kid computers for teenagers

5. The fifth paragraph implies that

1. experts share different views on the software market future

2. Gates tries to find new ways to use charity for business

3. Microsoft is losing its dominant position on the market now

4. there's no other option but Microsoft operating systems

6. In Line 26, the word "wired" is closest in meaning to

1. wheeled

2. viewed

3. plugged

4. widened

MINI-TEST N2

I. CHOOSE THE RIGHT VARIANT.