Activities:

Exercise 1: Answers the following questions:

1. Why are computers used more and more extensively?

2. What can computers do?

3. Is the machine code the only language computers can understand directly?

4. What programming languages can you name?

5. Is the Internet a magnificent global network with millions of people and computers connected together?

6. How does the Internet work?

7. What services can be used in the Internet?

8. Can you interact with computers? How?

9. What is a pixel?

10. What is resolution?

Exercise 2: Match the two halves of the phrases:

1	machine	a	resolution
2	programming	b	device
3	high	c	network
4	an input	d	tube
5	artificial	e	formulas
6	global	f	code
7	mathematical	g	density
8	electron	h	beam
9	pixel	i	intelligence
10	cathode ray	j	language

Exercise 3: Choose the answers to the following questions:

1. Are the computers far more efficient than human beings?

1. Yes, they are;

2. No, they are not;

3. I don’t know;

4. Aren’t they?

2. What is a computer mouse?

   1. a type of small animal that has long front teeth;

   2. an input device;

   3. traditional letterpress;

   4. raised printing elements.

3. What is a machine code?

   1. a special type of printing;

   2. embroidered artwork;

   3. the only language computers can understand directly;

   4. foreign language.

4. What is the Internet?

   1. an application program;

   2. an indirect printing technology;

   3. a magnificent global network;

   4. computer software.

5. What is a pixel?

   1. the result of a visual display;

   2. the smallest unit of an image on a computer screen;

   3. the screen resolution;

   4. the screen printing.

Exercise 4: Fill in the gaps with an appropriate word or phrase from the box:

Desktop, clicking, Internet, modem, dialog box, mouse, icon, resolution, software, binary system.

1. A …….. is a small input device, on top of which there are one or more buttons for communicating with the computer.

2. .……….. means the programs needed to operate computer equipment.

3. People send e-mail messages with the help of the ……. .

4. An …….. is a small picture representing an object, process or function.

5. ………. is a basic mouse action to place a cursor to close a window.

6. A ………is an electronic device that converts signals to enable a computer to be connected to an ordinary telephone line.

7. The main operating system’s background screen is called the ………. .

8. The ………. ……….. is a system that only uses two digits (0 and 1).

9. A ………. ………. is a message window with different options for the user to choose, with a text box and some command buttons inside it.

10. ……… is the amount of details that you can see on a television or computer screen, or in a photograph.

Exercise 5: Find the definition of the following terms:

1	Computer	A	A system in which information is represented using combinations of the numbers 0 and 1, used especially in computers.
2	Information	B	Something that is easy to carry or move, so that you can use it in different places.
3	Mouse	C	The smallest unit of an image on a computer screen.
4	Peripherals	D	A machine that stores programs and information in electronic form and can be used for a variety of processes, such as writing, calculating, and communicating on the Internet.
5	Portable	E	The activity or job of writing and developing computer programs.
6	Programming	F	A piece of equipment that you can connect to a computer.
7	Binary code	G	Knowledge or facts about someone or something.
8	Pixel	H	A small object that you move in order to do things on a computer screen.

Exercise 6: Find in the Text II the English equivalents of the following Russian expressions:

1. иностранный язык

2. влиять на нашу жизнь

3. бинарный код

4. человек

5. совместимость между разными типами машин

6. пользователь

7. данные

8. спутник

9. обрабатывать информацию

10. достигать, получать

11. понятный

12. сходный

13. преобразовывать

14. покрывать поверхность

15. вещество

Exercise 7: How do you spell it? Write the continuous form (-ing) of these verbs in the correct list:

Come, dance decide, dig, forget, have, help, laugh, listen, lie, live, make, play, put rob, start, stop, swim, tie, wear, win, work, write

+ -ing	-nn, -tt, etc.	e → -ing	ie → -ying
cry - crying	begin - beginning	arrive - arriving	die - dying

Exercise 8: Put the verbs in brackets in appropriate form of continuous tense:

1. This computer (to use) the latest software.

2. The programmer (to develop) the system which can translate articles from foreign magazines by computer.

3. - What’s the use of the Internet?

-Look! With a few touches of a keyboard I (to get) access to materials in almost everywhere.

4. - What is he doing?

- He (to make) purchases in the Internet-shop.

5. Just now I (to download) an electronic book over the Internet.

6. At this moment the computer (to use) hundreds of mathematical formulas to convert the bits of data into precise shapes and colours.

7. - What’s the matter with you now?

- Oh, my new portable computer (not to switch on).

8. Do you happen to know that at this moment an electron beam inside the tube (to scan) the screen and (to turn) on or off the pixels that make up the image?

Exercise 9: Find the words with opposite meaning

(Найдите к словам из колонки А антонимы из колонки В):

A	B
1. native	a. output
2. portable	b. upload
3. input	c. separation
4. similar	d. spiritual
5. switch on	e. foreign
6. possible	f. plural
7. known	g. different
8. single	h. constant
9. physical	i. high-level
10. connection	j. impossible
11. low-level	k. unknown
12. download	l. turn off

Exercise 10: Read and decide: what’s the occupation of the speakers in the dialogues?:

A

Speaker 1: Is it possible to recreate human intelligence with computer?

Speaker 2: The question of artificial intelligence is very complicated, but it’s very interesting. I’m sure, we’ll have all this by 2020.

Speaker 1: Really?! What must be done to achieve that?

Speaker 2: We need to match the speed and memory capacity of the human brain and, of course, the right hardware. We also need to capture the complexity and richness of human intelligence.

Speaker 1: Is it difficult?

Speaker 2: Yes, it’s quite difficult. But we’ll do it by reverse engineering of the human brain.

Speaker 1: What do you mean?

Speaker 2: Well, we’ll explore the human brain from the inside and find out how it works, how it’s connected, how it’s wired up.

Speaker 1: That sounds great. But is it possible?

Speaker 2: Now we can see inside the brain with brain scanning. And by 2030 we’ll have another instrument for exploring the brain. We’ll be able to sent tiny scanning robots along blood vessels to map the brain from the inside.

Speaker 1: That’s fantastic. And what will it give?

Speaker 2: This will give us all the data on how the brain is connected and all the features which enable it to perform.

Speaker 1: As I understand, after receiving such data you will know how the brain works and you’ll be able to recreate its operation using the powerful computers.

Speaker 2: You are absolutely right.

B

Speaker 1: How long has your site been up?

Speaker 2: Just a couple of months. It’s brand new.

Speaker 1: What’s your site all about?

Speaker 2: It’s called the Movie Shrine, and it’s just a site with movie reviews, strange things I’ve noticed about certain films, and lots of links to other movie sites

Speaker 1: Why did you dedicate your site to this subject?

Speaker 2: I decided to make a site about movies because I’ve been a huge movie fan for a long time. Right now, films are my biggest hobby.

Speaker 1: What makes you site special?

Speaker 2: I guess my site is just a little less formal than the most of the film sites on the Internet. It’s for people who like movies of all kinds and for fans of all types

Speaker 1: How did you create your site?

Speaker 2: I created the site using Netscape Composer.

Speaker 1: What was the most difficult part?

Oh, the design. Just working out how the site would look and how the pages would link up.

Speaker 1: How did you get your domain name?

Speaker 2: I got a free domain name from www.donainzero.com.

Speaker 1: Have you registered your site on a search engine?

Speaker 2: Not yet.

Speaker 1: Have you included links to other sites?

Speaker 2: I included many links to other sites. That may be the best thing about my site, the huge number of links. I’m also in a lot of Yahoo! Clubs and I’ve linked to them too.

Speaker 1: What do you intend to do next with your site?

Speaker 2: I’m going to update the Movie Journal section and I’d like to build in new links.