The Dawn Of The Digital Age Exercise.docx

THE DAWN OF THE DIGITAL AGE These days computers are everywhere, and we don´t really think about them. But they´re actually a very recent invention and the have developed very quickly. 1940s The first real electronic computers were developed in the 1940. They were huge machines which filled whole rooms at universities and other research facilities. The world´s first digital computer that could store programs was called Baby and was built at Manchester University in England in 1948. “Computers in the future may weigh no more y than 1.5 tons” Popular Mechanics magazine, 1949. 1950s During the 1950s, computers first became available to a few large businesses. They were still huge machines, thought and very expensive. They used magnetic tape to input and store data. 1960s New technology made computers much smaller and much cheaper. The minicomputer became available to even small businesses. 1970s The first microprocessor was launched in 1971 and by the mind-seventies, the first personal computers appeared. These early PCs were still quite large and expansive and used cassette tapes to store data. 1980s Personal computers became affordable and more widely available. At first, when you switched on your new PC, you got a blank screen whit a cursor flashing in the top corner. Then, in 1985, Microsoft launched the Windows operating system, making computing easier for everyone. By the late eighties, PCs were becoming smaller and more portable and laptops were now available. In 1989, Tim Berners–Lee invented the Word Wide Web and the modern digital age really began. READING A. Look at these dictionary definitions Mini-(prefix) - smaller or shorter than other things of the same kind. Micro-(prefix)-extremely small: used with some nouns and adjectives Complete the sentences whit mini or micro and the word in brackets 1. There was a____________________ on TV last week about the invention of the World Wide Web (series). 2. Today, ______________________ are in all PCs. They were invented in the late 1950s. (chips) 3. They´ve got five children, so they´re thinking of buying a ____________________________ (van) 4. Some people cook all their food in a________________ oven. (wave)

Can you think of any other words which start with mini- or micro-? _________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________. B. Answer the question below. Then read the article THE DAWN OF THE DIGITAL AGE and check your answer Which of these computers is the largest and the smallest?  A minicomputer _____________________  A microcomputer ______________________  A personal computer (PC)______________________ C. Read the article again and answer the questions 1. “Baby” was … a. A very larger computer b. An extremely small computer c. A portable computer 2. Moore´s Law describes how quickly computers became … a. Smaller b. More powerful c. Cheaper 3. Early PCs stored information on … a. CDs b. Memory sticks c. Cassette tapes 4. “Windows” made computers … a. More affordable b. Easier to use c. Smaller 5. The World Wide Web was invented … a. In the late eighties b. In the early eighties c. In 1985 D. The suffix –abble (or –ible) is used to form many adjectives -able (suffix) – used with many verbs to make adjectives describing something that can be done: enjoyable (=that people can enjoy), breakable (=that is easy to break. Find three adjectives in the article that end with –able. Match them to these definitions 1. Easy to carry or move _________________________ 2. Cheap enough for ordinary _________________________ people to buy. 3. That you can find, buy or use _________________________ E. Complete the phrases with the correct adjectives from the text. 1. ______________________ behaviour behaviour that people can accept 2. an___________________ accident an accident that can be avoided. 3. a____________________change a change that people can notice 4. _____________________ packaging packaging that can be recycled

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