Computer – a multifunctional machine Before you read 1. Look at the following expressions used while talking about today’s computers and information technology. Which items can be put together? a. getting smaller
b. costly
c. users
d. multifunctional
e. omnipresent
f. more efficient
g. getting smarter
h. getting cheaper
i. aid
j. replace humans
k. inexpensive
l. affordable
m. used for ordinary things
n. used for special purposes
o. general-purpose computer
p. faster
q. repetitive tasks
r. various spheres of life
s. invaluable tool
t. extensive applications
u. specialists
v. assist humans
w. every aspect of human life
x. creative tasks
2. Read the text on the following pages quickly. Which of the paragraphs (1-6) below is about the following (in some cases more than one answer is possible): Topic
Paragraph/s
A definition of the electronic society Using computers in offices Projections about the future Computers vs. humans Using computers in everyday life The advantages of computer-aided manufacturing Various fields of application of information technology Benefits of using computers Computer users vs. professionals IT and education
While you read Find the word/expression in each paragraph that matches the description given in the table. Words from paragraphs 1 and 2 are together in one table: 1
1. Word/expression in the paragraph:
Description/definition: office work done in a traditional way to see, understand, be aware of used in present everywhere something else is the focus of attention now precise not expensive, affordable common to substitute giving better results professional, expert sphere of human life broad, of many different kinds scientific work
Some people say that they have never used a computer, but they probably use computers every day – they just do not realize it. This is because there are computers in so many ordinary things: cars, televisions, CD-players, washing machines etc. Computers are omnipresent.
Why do some people not realize they use computers every day? 2. A computer, like any other machine, is used because it does certain jobs better and more efficiently than humans. It can receive more information and process it faster than any human. The speed at which a computer works can replace weeks or even months of pencil-and-paper work. After the introduction of ENIAC, the first general-purpose computer, during the Second World War, computers quickly proved that they were faster and more accurate than humans at many tasks. Computers were not working at a high level though. They assisted people, but not in an intelligent way. Today's intelligent machines, such as the PC, are becoming more powerful and less expensive. Since they are programmable, they can be used for many different tasks. This explains why they are used so much in business, industry and research. As a matter of fact, they have become so inexpensive that today they can be applied to every aspect of human life. Due to all these extensive applications of computers to the various spheres of life, it can be said that over the years the emphasis has shifted from the specialist to the user.
2
In what ways are computers more efficient than humans? Which important circumstances have changed over the years? 3. Word/expression in the paragraph:
Description/definition: a person whose job is to organize the affairs of a company or an institution obligatory equipment or place used for a particular purpose a book used by teachers for entering marks given in exams etc. precious, extremely useful doing a lot of different jobs the moment of finishing high school/college teacher, instructor to enter new information to create plural of ‘phenomenon’ to arrange
The computer is a multifunctional machine. For the student, it can be a personal tutor, a visual demonstrator of scientific phenomena, as well as an entertainment facility. For the teacher, it can be a grade book used to analyze progress of individual students. For the school administrator, it is an invaluable tool in registering students, scheduling classes, generating monthly or yearly reports in addition to updating accounts. In most countries computer education is compulsory for high school graduation. Owing to developments in the field of satellite communication, specialized distant education has become possible. How can different people involved in education benefit from computers? 4. Word/expression in the paragraph:
Description/definition: the digital office to make something easier to take a look at, analyze 3
to connect LAN called teach the personnel the skills for their job Consider the various uses of computers in the workplace. Word processors simplify the creation and modification of documents. Electronic mail makes it easy to send messages worldwide via computer communications networks. Office automation (OA) makes it possible to link PCs, printers, database systems, and other tools by means of a local-area network. An eventual goal of office automation has been termed the "paperless office." Although it is efficient, office automation is not cheap since it is necessary to buy new hardware and software and to train the staff to use the new technology.
Is this paragraph about advantages of disadvantages of office automation?
5. Word/expression in the paragraph:
Description/definition: adapted to each particular user production series of identical products the use of the time or money that is available in a way that avoids waste items, products, objects number of faulty products assisted by computers related disciplines possible, easy to get
In industry, two new fields have been created: computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM), often linked as co-disciplines under the title CAD/CAM. CAD/CAM allows the mass production system to manufacture customized, "handmade" articles. The machinery can be adapted to a particular product through computer programming, enabling work on small batches to achieve many of the economies previously available only through mass production of identical objects. Automation doesn’t only give flexibility to production. It also results in lower production costs, reduced error rate and higher quality.
4
•
Which of the following items do you associate with 'BEFORE' and 'NOW':
customized
small batches
inexpensive
expensive
identical objects
adapted machinery
handmade articles
mass production
•
economical
What makes it possible today to manfacture customized items at an affordable price?
6. Word/expression in the paragraphs:
Description/definition: sensitive to have, own effect control, monitoring electronically to make bigger to work uses endless to reach, enter actions that are done in the same way to have impact on
In an electronic society of the future most of the heavy repetitive tasks will be done (or at least aided) by electronic means. Manufacturing, bank transfers, international scheduling of meetings, electronic correspondence, security surveillance, home control and so on are some of the possible applications of computers. The list seems to be inexhaustible. Reducing the cost of hardware and software, as well as their constant improvement, will have – and already has – a major impact on the individual. Lower prices will continue to expand the PC market, thus enabling new products to be designed. Smaller personal companions – PCs that are the size of a wallet – will become common and affordable. The machines will operate independently, but they will exchange data among themselves automatically by means of wireless technology. It is
5
predicted that very soon almost everyone will be in possession of one type of computer or another. Even today, an individual at home can access a data base to get updated information on airline reservations, doctor's appointments etc. The answer to the question how all these developments will affect - or are already affecting - our lives is a particularly difficult (and delicate) one. Do these paragraphs contain fact or ideas about the future? What is the definition of ‘an electronic society of the future’?
After you read
1. Collocations (‘Word partnerships’) A collocation is a combination of two words that typically go together in a certain language. There are lots of verb + noun collocations. Which nouns are missing from the following verb + noun collocations from the text? verb
noun
receive/process analyze schedule generate update register access do create / modify train link manufacture
i__________ p__________ c__________ / app__________ r__________ acc__________ s__________ a d___ b___ repetitive t______ d__________ the s_________ p__________ customized a__________
2. Prefixes and suffixes A prefix is a letter or group of letters added to the beginning of a word to change its meaning, for example, ‘mega-’ in ‘megabyte’ or ‘anti-’ in ‘anti-virus’. •
Which prefixes are missing in the following examples from the text? a) A computer is a _________functional machine. b) Computers are ________present. c) They are so ______expensive that today they can be applied to every aspect of human life. 6
d) It is an ______valuable tool in registering students. e) CAD and CAM are often linked as ________-disciplines under the title CAD/CAM. f) The list seems to be _____exhaustible. A suffix is a letter or group of letters added to the end of a word to make another word, for example, change a verb into a noun, as in ‘process’ > ‘processor’ or ‘automate’ > ‘automation’.
• Which suffixes are missing in the following examples from the text? a) A computer, like any other machine, is used because it does certain jobs better and more efficient_____ than humans. b) For the student, it can be a person_____ tutor as well as an entertain______ facility. c) Automat______ doesn’t only give flexibility to production. It also results in lower product______ costs. Generally speaking, suffixes do not change the meaning of the word, only its grammatical category. There is, however, one example of a suffix in the text that is used to change the meaning of the word. Find it.
3. False pairs There are a lot of examples of words in English that have a similar form in Croatian, but their meaning in these two languages is different. Such words are called false pairs. • Find an example of a false pair in the sentence below. An eventual goal of office automation has been termed the "paperless office." There are also nouns in English that (can) have a different meaning in singular and plural. • How do you translate the highlighted nouns in the following examples? The machinery can be adapted to a particular product through computer programming, enabling work on small batches to achieve many of the economies previously available only through mass production of identical objects. Automation doesn’t only give flexibility to production. It also results in lower production costs. The answer to the question how all these developments will affect – or are already affecting – our lives is a particularly difficult (and delicate) one.
4. Translation
7
Translate all the underlined sentences/parts of sentences in paragraphs 1-6. Pay attention to the following linking expressions: due to although
though owing to since by means of in addition to
thus as well as not only …, but also …
Present tenses Look at the following sentences that contain examples of both present tenses. Where do you think these sentences are from? 1. I think, therefore I am.
2. Big Brother is watching you.
3. Information technology is not getting simpler. It is getting more complex. 5. Is Apple going Hollywood?
4. Science is a wonderful thing if one does not have to earn one's living at it. 6. Dell recommends Windows XP Media Center Edition
A. Present Simple 1. Present Simple: form affirmative: interrogative: negative: affirmative: interrogative:
-s/-es in third person singular (he/she/it) do/does + infinitive don't/doesn't + infinitive She gets 20 e-mails a day. Do you use a word processor? *Which tool checks your spelling? *Which edit command removes text or images? (NOTE: In subject questions, ‘does’ is not used!)
negative:
I don't work as a programmer. I hardly ever use this shortcut.
8
2. Uses of the Present Simple: 1. To talk about people's routines and habits – actions that happen regularly. Mr Cheng phones head office every day. They never go on business trips. To express routines, adverbs or adverbs phrases of frequency are used, including: 100%
0%
always every day/regularly usually, normally, generally often, frequently sometimes occasionally, from time to time seldom, rarely hardly ever never
2. To describe permanent situations, facts and definitions. A computer system consists of hardware and software. I like computer games. Dell makes computers. Gateway helps higher ed go high tech. 3. To talk about official timetables and schedules. The class starts at 8. The exam is tomorrow. The train leaves at 7.15. 4. There are some verbs that are usually not used in continuous. They are called state verbs. For these, we use the present simple only. I believe in strong management. The firm belongs to the Pearson group. I think I know the answer. 5. When you make an indirect question, starting with: Can you tell me…, Do you know…, I wonder … etc., you don’t use do/does. You use the affirmative form of the verb instead. There is no inversion in that case. How does the computer work? >> Tell me how the computer works. (NOT: Tell me how does the computer work.)
9
3. Present Simple practice: 1. Make the third person singular form of the following verbs: catch go push think
deny live read reach
do make reply wait
eat miss destroy surf
mix pass stand complete
fly stay teach copy
2. Questions with HOW? Write questions to match the following answers. 1. I usually come to work by public transport. 2. It takes me about 45 minutes to get to work. 3. They employ over 2,000 people. 4. I see him three times a week. 5. I expect to earn at least $50,000 a year. 6. The head office is about five miles from the station. 7. We have a meeting every fortnight (every two weeks).
10
4. People and technology (Present Simple) 1. How might the following professions use computers? Match A and B. Example: secretary – keep a database of clients A - profession
B - application
a. architects
generate monthly or yearly reports
b. interior designer
compose music and play it back
c. secretary
register students
d. farmer
update accounts at regular intervals
e. school administrator
schedule classes
f. landscape gardener
design structures
g. musician
write their assignments
h. salespeople
analyse the progress of individual students
i. teacher
compute grades for the entire class
j. managers
keep a database of livestock
k. university students
make office work much more efficient email their tutor experiment with different designs/colours/patterns demonstrate alternative designs/solutions to clients keep financial accounts keep a database of clients
2. To make general statements in singular and plural, use present simple: Architects A musician
can use computers use a computer can use a computer
to design structures. to compose music. 11
uses Make some more general statements about professions in the table. 3. Make questions in the present simple based on the Table in Exercise 1.
What do What does
Who does Who do
How often do How often does
an architect
generate?
interior designers
compose?
a secretary
register?
farmers
update accounts?
school administrators
schedule?
a landscape gardener
design?
musicians
write?
salespeople
analyse?
a teacher
compute?
managers
keep?
university students
email? experiment with? demonstrate to clients? keep a database of?
Example: •
What does a secretary keep? (A database of clients)
12
B. Present Continuous/Progressive BE (AM/IS/ARE) + PRESENT PARTICIPLE (-ING FORM)
1. Present Continuous: form affirmative:
We are dealing with your order now. He's looking for a job.
interrogative:
Is technology evolving rapidly? Are you using this program to generate reports?
negative:
He isn't living in Dublin at the moment.
2. Uses of the present continuous 1. To talk about an event at the moment of speaking. I'm afraid Mrs Bell can't speak to you at the moment. She's talking to someone on the other line. Windows is shutting down. 2. To describe current situations, trends, processes and projects; also, to talk about transformation (get/become): We're designing a new advertising campaign. The world is becoming smaller and smarter. Flat monitors are getting cheaper. Microsoft is working overtime to fend off user-created Linux. 3. To describe temporary situations. He is studying for an important exam. He's not going out much these days. I'm taking driving lessons this year. 4. You use the present continuous to talk about personal future arrangements, especially when the time and/or place are given too. I'm helping John finish his presentation tonight. What are you doing at the weekend?
13
3. Practice: Present Simple or Continuous? 1. Put the verbs into the present simple or the present continuous. a. They LAUNCH ___________a new project in Indonesia. b. Good management INVOLVE ___________both technical competence and people skills. c. The new model COST ___________ $10,000. d. She WORK ___________in a travel agency to get some practical experience. e. Philips MANUFACTURE ___________a wide range of consumer goods. f. He OWN ___________49% of the business. g. A laptop ENABLE ___________you to work on the plane as you FLY ____________to your next meeting. h. Sorry, I'll be late for the meeting – I SIT ___________in a traffic jam. i. I'm sorry about the noise. They PUT IN ___________a new central heating system. j. The agency TRY ___________to create a logo that LOOK ______attractive. k. I NOT UNDERSTAND ___________your comment. l. What you MEAN ___________by 'effective'? m. My boss always CRITICISE ___________ my work. (!) 2. Find synonyms among the following verbs. They all express some kind of change. go up improve
go down get bigger
get smaller
get better evolve
get worse
drop
get more advanced
get smarter
rise
grow
Say what's happening to some of the following. Express a transformation – use get, become or any other transformation verb in present continuous. the world's population your English big cities oil
the price of computers
technology
demand for IT professionals the political situation China
virtualization tools
children unemployment
cars
students
globalization
Example: The demand for IT professionals is going up/growing.
14
3. Present Simple or Continuous? Translate the following sentences. Identify uses of present tenses in the sentences. a. Što znači kratica OA? Znači 'uredska automatizacija'. b. Sve više se otvara tržište za područne mreže. c. Naši operateri rade u sustavu od tri smjene. d. Gdje ona živi? Inače je iz Londona, ali trenutačno živi u Bruxellesu. e. Voliš li programiranje? Da, sviđa mi se sve što ima veze s računalima. f. Sljedeći tjedan leti za Nizozemsku. g. Obično dolazi u ured ranije, ali nazvao je prije nekoliko minuta i rekao da danas dolazi u 10. h. Mobiteli svakim danom postaju sve manji. i. Roboti polako zamjenjuju ljude u proizvodnom procesu. j. Svatko tko radi u Londonu nužno ne živi u Londonu. k. Možeš li mi reći kako radi grafička kartica? l. Pitam se kako radi ovaj novi softver za optičko prepoznavanje teksta. m. Koja naredba otvara datoteku? n. Koja naredba za umetanje ti omogućava da umetneš prijelom stranice?
Citizens of the New Digital Democracy Read the following text about a member of the web generation. The missing verbs are given before each paragraph. Use them in the positive or affirmative form of the present. study
struggle
mean
describe
Lonelygirl 15 is one of the most viewed YouTube users of all time. She's young and pretty, with a complicated and absolutely compelling personal life. She's also a work of fiction—lonelygirl15 was created by two professional screenwriters and an actress from New Zealand, of all places. Well—to paraphrase Woody Allen—you can't have everything.
15
But that ________________ there aren't real lonelygirls out there. Take Leila. She's 20 and lives in Maryland, where she _____________ to be a social worker. Her personal life really is complicated. Online she _____________her ethnicity as Middle Eastern—she's half Lebanese—and her religion as Muslim. She ______________ with depression and her crush on the guy at the 7-Eleven. You know— complicated. speak
give out
Run
play
Like lonelygirl15, Leila—she __________________ her last name—is a video blogger. Leila has posted 49 videos on YouTube under the user name pppppanic (that's five ps). She _____________ directly into her webcam about her life, her opinions, her shifting moods, what she did that day. She says um and ah a lot. She has been known to drink and blog. Sometimes she doesn't speak at all, just ____________ words across the screen while melancholy singer-songwriter stuff _____________ in the background. have
take
love
find
This isn't what YouTube was designed for—to be the public video diary of a generation of teens and twentysomethings. But sometimes the best inventions are the ones people ___________ their own uses for. "You ____________ people from all walks of life wanting to share a piece of their life with you," Leila says. "The feeling of togetherness is unbeatable. It's a beautiful thing." There's certainly a narcissistic quality to video blogging—who _______________ talking about him— or herself?—but the interest that bloggers _________ in their own lives is matched by their fascination with one another's. Leila no longer even bothers with TV. know
find
guess
put
"I think people are bored with the mainstream media. I've been so caught up in watching other people's videos. I _____________it more entertaining. Much more real than the run-of-the-mill 'reality' show." Of course, in the post-lonelygirl15 era, there's always that question mark: How authentic are these faces on the computer screen? "I ___________ that's the only flaw," says Leila. "You can never really _______________ the whole side of the story. You just get bits and pieces. You have to _____________ blind faith in who the person is."
16
The English tense system Look at these sentences. Do you recognize the tenses? a. He is downloading an interesting file from the Internet. b. I'm going to finish the paper about the European Union this weekend. c. She saved the file before leaving the office. d. A lot of businesspeople in USA will speak Japanese in future. e. I created my first webpage 2 years ago. f. This year we have employed 5 new people in our department. g. We were receiving your mail when the lights went out. h. This week they are making a lot of phone calls. i. I have been reading magazines in English since high school. j. Most of our students can do programming in C++. k. We have bought a new software package.
Use the sentences above to make questions and negative sentences. Example: + ?
He is downloading an interesting file from the Internet. Is he downloading ...? What is he downloading ..?
-
Where is he downloading the file from?? He isn't downloading ...
1. When it comes to their form, all English tenses are combinations of the following elements:
17
TENSES IN THE ACTIVE AUXILIARY VERB BE DO HAVE WILL
+ MAIN VERB + + + +
-ING (PRESENT PARTICIPLE) INFINITIVE PAST PARTICIPLE INFINITIVE
TENSES IN THE PASSIVE AUXILIARY VERB BE
+ MAIN VERB + PAST PARTICIPLE
2. The name of the tense depends on the tense the auxiliary verb is in (present/past/future) and the form of the main verb. In the table below you can find the forms of the most commonly used English tenses. AUXILIARY VERB BE am/is/are was/were have been/has been
TENSES IN THE ACTIVE + MAIN VERB + -ING sitting
TENSE
= Present Continuous = Past Continuous = Present Perfect Cont.
DO* + INFINITIVE do/does did *only in questions and negative sentences HAVE have/has had WILL will
like
= Present Simple = Past Simple
+ PAST PARTICIPLE seen
= Present Perfect Simple = Past Perfect Simple
+ INFINITIVE buy
= Future Simple
Optional written assignment Consider the following ways in which English words can be changed by using a prefix by looking at a list of most common prefixes (Table 1).
18
Then look at the list of some words in which prefixes are used (table 2). Do the following tasks: •
Choose 5 of the words listed below and explain their meaning, including the meaning of the prefix. Use a dictionary.
AND: •
Use the Web to find 10 sentences containing any word with a prefix listed in table 1. The sentences should all be IT- or business-related. Example: You can maximize your chances of finding a job if you are bilingual.
Table 1. Negative/positive* Size
Location
Time/order
Number
undisinimilantimisdenonover-* re-*
intersupertransperisubinfraextra-
postretropreante-
monopentaquadoctdecmegamultibitriquadr-
minisemimacrohypermaxi-
Table 2. antistatic
illegal
malfunction
semiconductor
microcomputer
misunderstand
reorganize
retroactive
antedated
infrared
subway
pentagon
hexagon
macroeconomics
unload
non-payment
multitasking
inexpensive
invaluable
supersonic
postgraduate
undergraduate
superhighway
hypertext
October
interface
extraordinary
ultraviolet
19