Top Banner
University of Split University Centre for Professional Studies Foreign Languages Department Course title: Technical English II Course of study: Information Technology (2nd year of study, 4th semester) Additional materials and grammar practice Lecturer: Ivana Čizmić Split, November 2008
65

Technical English Additional Texts and Exercises

Oct 01, 2014

Download

Documents

Welcome message from author
This document is posted to help you gain knowledge. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about it! Share it to your friends and learn new things together.
Transcript
Page 1: Technical English Additional Texts and Exercises

University of Split University Centre for Professional Studies

Foreign Languages Department

Course title: Technical English II

Course of study: Information Technology

(2nd year of study, 4th semester)

Additional materials and grammar practice

Lecturer: Ivana Čizmić

Split, November 2008

Page 2: Technical English Additional Texts and Exercises

2

Opis predmeta

Naziv predmeta TEHNIČKI ENGLESKI JEZIK II

Kod SSZP17

Vrsta Predavanja

Razina Srednja

Godina Druga (II) Semestar/trimestar Četvrti (4)

ECTS

(uz odgovarajuće

obrazloženje)

2 ECTS boda Obrazloženje utroška vremena prema vrstama studijskog opterećenja:

Predavanja: 30 sati Testovi i kolokviji 4 sata Konzultacije 10 sati Rad na prezentaciji 6 sati Samostalno učenje 10 sati ____________________________________________ Ukupno: 60 sati

Nastavnik Ivana Čizmić, predavač

Kompetencije

koje se stječu

Student je osposobljen za korištenje svih jezičnih vještina i upoznat sa stručnom terminologijom iz područja informacijske tehnologije. Bez većih poteškoća student može:

� Razgovarati o temama vezanim uz svijet računalne tehnike � Razumjeti stručne tekstove sa stručnom terminologijom � Uspješno pripremiti i izložiti odabranu temu iz područja informacijske

tehnologije � Prijaviti se za posao – napisati životopis kao i zamolbu za posao

Preduvjeti za

upis

Položeni kolegiji Engleski jezik I i II

Sadržaj Internet i komunikacija putem maila, chat-a i video konferencija. Sigurnost interneta. Grafički dizajn. Desktop publishing. Multimedija. Dizajn web stranica. Programiranje i računalni jezici. Java. Zanimanja iz područja informacijske tehnologije. Komunikacijski sustavi. Mreže. Video igre. Nove tehnologije. Prijava za posao – pisanje životopisa i zamolbe za posao.

Preporučena

literatura

Esteras, S. R. (2008). Infotech – English for Computer Users (4th edition), Student’s Book. Cambridge: CUP.

Dopunska

literatura

� Esteras, S. R., Fabre, E. M. (2007). Professional English in Use. Cambridge: CUP.

� Check Your Vocabulary for Computing (1999). Teddington: Peter Collin Publishing Ltd.

Oblici

provođenja

nastave

� Predavanja � Jezične vježbe � Konzultacije

Način provjere

znanja i

polaganja ispita

� Kontinuirana usmena i pismena provjera � Usmena prezentacija � Katalog (Portfolio) pismenih radova � Završni pismeni ispit

Page 3: Technical English Additional Texts and Exercises

3

Jezik poduke i

mogućnosti

praćenja na

drugim jezicima

Engleski jezik

Način praćenja

kvalitete i

uspješnosti

izvedbe svakog

predmeta i /ili

modula

� Povremena kontrola nastavnog sata koju provodi voditelj Katedre � Samoprocjena nastavnika � Mišljenje studenata o nastavnikovoj izvedbi i nastavnom materijalu � Redovito pohađanje nastave � Rezultati testova � Suradnja s kolegicama/kolegama

Nastavne jedinice Trajanje,

Introduction to the course. 1. MODULE 5 – Faces of the Internet 1.1. Unit 16: The Internet and email 1.2. Internet basics, Internet FAQs, Internet and email features 1.3. Language work: Questions

2 sata

2. Unit 17: The Web 2.1. E-commerce and online banking 2.2. A typical web page 2.3. Web basics, web addresses 2.4. Language work: Collocations, the prefixes e- and cyber-

2 sata

3. Unit 18: Chat and conferencing 3.1. Virtual meetings 3.2. Netiquette 3.3. Online chat and conferencing 3.4. Language work: Chat abbreviations

2 sata

4. Unit 19: Internet security 4.1. Security and privacy on the Internet 4.2. Types of Internet crime 4.3. Language work: The past simple

2 sata

5. MODULE 6: Creative software 5.1. Unit 20: Graphics and design 5.2. Types of graphics 5.3. The toolbox 5.4. Choosing graphics software 5.5. Language work: The ing- form

2 sata

6. Unit 21: Desktop publishing 6.1. Desktop publishing basics 6.2. Steps in a DTP publication 6.3. Language work: Order of adjectives

2 sata

Page 4: Technical English Additional Texts and Exercises

4

7. Unit 22: Multimedia 7.1. Multimedia components and features 7.2. Multimedia applications 7.3. Language work: Conditional sentences

2 sata

8. Unit 23: Web design 8.1. Designing a website 8.2. Web page design 8.3. Aspects and tools of web design 8.4. Language work: Modal verbs

2 sata

9. Written test 1 9.1. MODULE 7: Programming / Jobs in ICT 9.2. Unit 24: Program design and computer languages 9.3. Steps in programming 9.4. Describing computer languages 9.5. Language work: Word building, The infinitive

2 sata

10. Unit 25: Java 10.1. The history of Java 10.2. Java applets 10.3. The Java language 10.4. Language work: The –ed form

2 sata

11. Unit 26: Jobs in ICT 11.1. IT professions 11.2. Professional skills and qualities 11.3. A job interview 11.4. Job adverts 11.5. Writing a CV and a letter of application 11.6. Language work: The present perfect

2 sata

12. MODULE 8: Computers tomorrow 12.1. Unit 27: Communication systems 12.2. ICT systems 12.3. Mobile phones 12.4. VoIP technology 12.5. Channels of communication 12.6. Language work: The passive

2 sata

13. Unit 28: Networks 13.1. Types of network 13.2. Network architecture 13.3. Network topology 13.4. Language work: Phrasal verbs

2 sata

14. Unit 29: Video games 14.1. Game platforms 14.2. Game genres 14.3. Present and future trend sin gaming 14.4. Language work: Adverbs

2 sata

Page 5: Technical English Additional Texts and Exercises

5

15. Unit 30: New technologies 15.1. Future trends: nanotechnology, AI, biometrics etc. 15.2. Language work: Future forms 15.3. Written test 2

2 sata

Page 6: Technical English Additional Texts and Exercises

6

MODULE 5: FACES OF THE INTERNET

Unit 16: The Internet and email

What is the Internet?

The Internet is an International computer Network made up of thousands of networks linked together. It is a "network of networks" that consists of millions of private and public, academic, business, and government networks of local to global scope that are linked by copper wires, fiber-optic cables, wireless connections, and other technologies.

Getting connected

In order to use the Internet you need:

a computer + the right connection software + a modem to connect your computer to a telephone line, and then access your ISP (Internet Service Provider).

Components of the Internet

The Internet consists of many systems that offer different facilities to users.

TELNET

News-groups

File Transfer Protocol

Video conference

Internet telephone

Chat and instant

messaging

Mailing lists

Email

www

Internet

Page 7: Technical English Additional Texts and Exercises

7

WWW, the World Wide Web, = a collection of files or pages containing links to other documents on the Net.

Email, or electronic mail, used for the exchange of messages and attached files.

A mailing list = a collection of names and addresses used by an individual or an organization to send material to multiple recipients. The term is often extended to include the people subscribed to such a list, so the group of subscribers is referred to as "the mailing list", or simply "the list".

Chat and instant messaging used for real-time conversations.

Internet telephone, a system that lets people make voice calls via the Internet.

Video conference, and internet telephone, are based on IRC (Internet relay chat) protocols. A system that allows the transmission of video and audio signals in real time so the participants can exchange data, talk and see one another on the screen.

File Transfer Protocol (FTP), used to transfer files between computers.

Newsgroups, the public discussion areas which make up a system called ‘Usenet’. The contents of the newsgroups are contributed by people who send articles (messages) or respond to articles.

TELNET, a program that is used to log directly into remote computer systems. Online databases and library catalogues can be accessed by this program.

Terminology

The terms "Internet" and "World Wide Web" are often used in every-day speech without much distinction. However,

the Internet ≠ the World Wide Web.

The Internet is a global data communications system. It is a hardware and software infrastructure that provides connectivity between computers. In contrast, the Web is one of the services communicated via the Internet. It is a collection of interconnected documents and other resources.

A brief history of the Internet

1961

In July Leonard Kleinrock (MIT) publishes the first paper on packet switching theory, which forms the basis for the creation of the Internet. Packet switching is a network communications method that splits data traffic (digital representations of text, sound, or video data) into chunks, called packets, that are then routed over a shared network.

Page 8: Technical English Additional Texts and Exercises

8

1964

Data transmission begins in practice in Finland.

1967

The United States Department of Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) launches the ARPANET project to design a distributed computer network. The ARPANET network is set up, creating the basis for the Internet. 1970s

The research on the ARPANET is carried out in the USA. This produces TCP/IP, the basis of the Internet.

Microcomputers begin to be popular, initially mostly in the form of kits intended for enthusiasts and industry. In 1977, the ready-made Apple, Commodore PET and Tandy TRS-80 microcomputers came onto the mass market, launching the microcomputer revolution. Even though these computers usually had a serial communications port, mostly so they could be used as terminals, or for printers, linking of microcomputers to computer networks had to wait until the 1980s.

The Finnish Telmac-1800 microcomputer, sold as an assembly kit (Photo and computer:

Harri K. Salminen).

1980s

The Internet was still considered to be a temporary system designed for the research world. The ISO (International Standards Organization) proposed the competing OSI (Open Systems Interconnection) model. OSI was particularly backed by telecom organisations. They had built X.25 packet-switching networks, with monitoring and billing implemented to suit their own purposes. The Internet relied on routers owned by the users. The only thing bought from the telecom organisations was leased telecommunication links.

1982

The Commodore 64 is launched.

1984

The Apple Macintosh is released.

Page 9: Technical English Additional Texts and Exercises

9

1986

Cisco Systems, a small company with four workers in Silicon Valley, California, delivers its first Internet routers.

1990

Tim Berners-Lee's updated proposal, 'World Wide Web: Proposal for a HyperText Project' is approved by CERN. The Web is born.

Email

An email is an electronic message sent from one computer to another that can also include attachments: documents, pictures, sounds and even computer programs.

A typical email address has three parts: the username (e.g. john.smith), the @ sign (‘at’) and the domain name or network address (e.g. net for network, info for information, uk for United Kingdom, hr for Croatia).

Emails usually have two main parts: the header (to, cc, bcc and a subject) and the body (the message itself).

Exercise 1. Vocabulary. The Net. Complete the sentences with a term from the list.

Modem password online download

Hyperlink Telnet Web protocol

1. When you are connected to the Internet, you are described as being ________________.

2. A _______________ is a piece of text or an image that, when selected, takes you to other Internet sites.

3. The Internet is based on a _________________ called TCP/IP. 4. You need a ____________ to convert computer data into a form that can be

transmitted over the phone lines. 5. Users have to enter the log-in name and a ________________ to gain access to the

Net. 6. FTP software allows you to _________________ files from the Net to your computer. 7. The World Wide Web is known as the __________________. 8. To ‘log on’ to a remote computer you need to run a _________________ program.

Page 10: Technical English Additional Texts and Exercises

10

Exercise 2. Read the above text carefully and decide whether the following sentences are

true (T) or false (F). If they are false, correct them.

1. The Internet and the World Wide Web are synonyms. _________ 2. Computers need to use the same protocol (TCP/IP) to communicate with each

other.________ 3. The Web was born in 1980s. ________ 4. Emails are used for real-time messaging. ________ 5. The subject is a part that describes the content of an email. ________

Exercise 3. Vocabulary. Find the words that match these definitions.

1. a file that has been included as part of an email message __________________ 2. the part of the email address that identifies the user of the service ________________ 3. the part of the email where you write the information about the address and subject

____________________ 4. a program that enables a computer to function as a terminal working from a remote

computer ______________________ 5. a system that enables people make voice calls via the Internet ___________________

Exercise 4. Which Internet utility (1 to 7) would you use to do each of these tasks (a to g)?

1. Email a. send a message to another person via the Internet

2. Web browser b. transfer files from the Internet to your hard disk

3. Newsreader c. have a live conversation (usually typed) on the Internet

4. IRC/chat program d. connect to a remote computer by entering certain

instructions and run program on it

5. FTP software e. take part in public discussion areas, called newsgroups

6. Videoconferencing f. fetch and view Web pages on the Internet

7. Telnet g. participate in live conversations, using text, audio and video.

1. _______ 2. _______ 3. ________ 4. _______ 5. _______ 6. _______ 7. _______

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet

http://www.nic.funet.fi/index/FUNET/history/internet/en/etusivu-en.html

Page 11: Technical English Additional Texts and Exercises

11

Unit 17: The Web

The World Wide Web (commonly shortened to the Web, WWW) is a network of hypertext documents accessed via the Internet. It works by using text that contains links, hyperlinks to other documents. Web pages are files stored in computers, which act as servers. Your computer, the client, uses a special program to access and download web pages that is called a web browser. Websites are groups of pages located on the Web, maintained by a webmaster, the manager of a website.

The Web can be used for:

� Looking up information on publications � Online shopping or cybershopping or e-commerce � Investigating staff or research at universities � Downloading pictures, games or other files etc.

Since the Web enables you to access all sorts of interactive multimedia information, it has become a real information highway.

The World Wide Web was created in 1989 by British scientist Tim Berners-Lee, working at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Geneva, Switzerland, and released in 1992. Since then, Berners-Lee has played an active role in guiding the development of Web standards (such as the markup languages in which Web pages are composed).

In order to surf or navigate the Web, access and retrieve web pages or websites, you need a computer with an Internet connection and a web browser. After you have launched it, you must type the website address or URL (Uniform Resource Locator) which may look like this:

http://www.cambridge.org/elt/infotech3ed/study/weblinks/unit21.htm http:// indicates the type of protocol that the server and browser will use to communicate. In this case, it is Hypertext Transfer Protocol. www. shows that it is a resource on the World Wide Web. cambridge.org is the domain name of the web server that hosts the website. elt/infotech3ed/study/weblinks is the path, the place where a web page is located. In this case, it comes to English language teaching. unit21.htm is the filename or name of a single web page.

Page 12: Technical English Additional Texts and Exercises

12

Exercise 1. Vocabulary. Find word(s) that match these definitions. 1. The WWW is also called the i ___________________ h ________________. 2. A h __________________ is a link in a web page. 3. The first page of a website is the h ______________ page. 4. The manager of a web page is its w _______________________. 5. The place where a web page is located is called the p ___________. Exercise 2. Complete these instructions about how to navigate with the words in the box.

Client web page surf web browser

search engine web server website URL

1. Start up your computer and connect to the Internet. 2. Open your ___________ ________________. 3. Type the __________________ to access a website. 4. Your web browser sends the request to the correct ___________ _____________. 5. The server looks for the document and sends it to the ______________ computer. 6. Your web browser displays the selected _____________ _____________ on the

screen. 7. From the home page of the _______________ you can _____________ to other pages

by clicking on hyperlinks. 8. If you want to find more websites, use a ___________ ____________________.

Exercise 3. Steps for buying online. Put the following steps in the correct order.

a. Put the items you want to buy into a virtual shopping cart. b. Confirm the order and log out. c. Enter your personal data – you may have to log in with a username and a password if

you have an account with them. d. Enter a site dedicated to e-commerce and browse their products.

1. _________ 2. __________ 3. ___________ 4. ___________

Language work 1: Collocations

Collocations are word combinations or set phrases that are very common in English. Here are some examples:

� verb + noun: display data store information

� verb + particle: plug into a USB port

� adverb + adjective: fully compatible software highly addictive game

� adjective + noun: instant messaging

Page 13: Technical English Additional Texts and Exercises

13

Exercise 4. Match the words from the left (1-6) with the words on the right (a-f) to make

collocations.

1. transfer a. chat rooms 2. enter b. photos 3. visit c. information 4. retrieve d. a pin 5. virtual e. money 6. upload f. reality 1. _________ 2. _________ 3. __________ 4. _________ 5. _________ 6. _________ In pairs, make sentences using the collocations above.

1. ______________________________________________________________________. 2. ______________________________________________________________________. 3. ______________________________________________________________________. 4. ______________________________________________________________________. 5. ______________________________________________________________________. 6. ______________________________________________________________________.

Language work 2: The prefixes e- and cyber-

The e- prefix stands for electronic and is used for activities that take place on computers or online. Some examples are: e-commerce, e-book, e-card, e-learning.

The cyber- prefix stands for cybernetics and is used to describe things related to computer networks. Some examples are: cybercafé, cyberspace, cybercrime.

Exercise 5. Answer the following questions.

1. Have you ever sent or received an e-card? If you have, what was the occasion? 2. Have you ever been to a cybercafé and used a computer with Internet access for a fee? 3. Have you ever downloaded an e-book? What was it about? 4. Name some examples of cybercrime.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Wide_Web

Page 14: Technical English Additional Texts and Exercises

14

Unit 18: Chat and conferencing

Chatting - to take part in an online discussion in a chat room Exercise 1. Read the text and match the headings (1-7) with the gaps at the start of each

paragraph (a-g).

1. What is needed to run IRC?

2. Instant messaging

3. What is needed to be connected?

4. An introduction to Internet Relay Chat

5. Netiquette

6. Video conferencing

7. Cheap telephone conversations

a. ________________________________________

IRC stands for Internet Relay Chat. IRC is a multi-user, multi-channel chat system that is run on a Network. It gives people all over the world the ability to meet in chat rooms and talk (type) to one another in real time i.e. to have live conversations on the topic of the chosen channel. Each user has to choose a username or nickname for identification during the chat.

b. ________________________________________

To run IRC and in order to participate in live conversations, you need to install a chat client, a special type of software, on your computer to connect to the chat server, the computer where the meeting takes place.

c. ______________________________________

IRC is based on a client-server model, or Network, as shown in the picture. In order to use IRC, you have to connect to an IRC Server in an IRC Network. An IRC Network is a collection of servers linked together.

Page 15: Technical English Additional Texts and Exercises

15

d. _______________________________________

Instant messaging (IM) programs allow Internet users to communicate in one-to-one conversations; they are a chat room for just two people.

e. _______________________________________

Video conferencing (video call) systems allow a live connection between two or more participants in separate locations using the Internet to exchange audio and video data. The users need a computer with broadband access, a webcam, a microphone and speakers.

f. _____________________________________

The Net can also be used for online telephone conversations, either computer-to-computer or computer-to-phone, which require special software or an applet, a Java application that runs from the browser when you access a webpage, and also a microphone, sound card and speakers. This type of communication uses VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) which turns analogue audio signals, like the ones on the telephone, into digital data that can be sent via the Internet.

g. _____________________________________

Netiquette is network etiquette, the do's and don'ts of online communication. Netiquette covers both common courtesy online and the informal "rules of the road" of cyberspace. There are certain netiquette rules you should follow if you want to use chat rooms and other communication environments correctly. When a person enters a chat room, he/she should keep them in mind. Here are some of them:

� Be polite. You’re speaking to a human being not to a machine.

� Don’t use CAPITAL LETTERS. This is considered as shouting.

� Don’t give personal information (your real name, address, password, etc.)

Other rules can be found at http://www.albion.com/netiquette/corerules.html.

There is the Netiquette Quiz at http://www.albion.com/netiquette/netiquiz.html where network etiquette knowledge can be tested. Here are some questions:

1. The chat abbreviation ‘brb’ stands for:

a. be right back

b. boring, really boring

c. been really busy

d. better run, bye

Page 16: Technical English Additional Texts and Exercises

16

2. A flame is:

a. an online chain letter

b. a post or email message that expresses a strong opinion or criticism

c. an expert programmer

d. a person who consistently breaks the rules of Netiquette

Exercise 2. Find word(s) that match these definitions.

1. One of the systems used for chat rooms. I________

2. The protocol needed for online phone conversations. V_________

3. Video calls transmit _____________ and video data.

4. You must install a chat ____________ on your computer.

5. A type of Java program whose name sounds like a fruit. A__________

Exercise 3. In pairs, discuss these questions. Give reasons for your answers.

1. Have you ever used the Internet to chat with friends?

2. Do you use voice or video while chatting?

3. Do you use your name or nickname in chat rooms?

4. Would you ever go on a date with somebody you’d met on the Net?

http://www.new2chat.com/ircchat.html

Page 17: Technical English Additional Texts and Exercises

17

Unit 19: Internet security

The Internet provides a wide variety of opportunities for communication and development, but unfortunately it also has its dark side. Internet security involves the protection of a computers internet account and files from intrusion of an outside user. Basic security measures involve protection by well selected passwords, change of file permissions and back up of computers data.

Crackers or black-hat hackers (the phrase is often used figuratively, especially in computing slang) are computer criminals who specialise in unauthorized remote break-ins via a communication networks such as the Internet. They use technology to perform a variety of crimes: they may create and distribute computer viruses, Internet worms and deliver spam. There are also white-hat hackers who debug or fix security problems. A firewall is a software program that has the ability to block any unauthorised ports on the computer. Each computer user should install such a program designed to prevent spyware from gaining access to the internal network.

Piracy – the illegal copying and distribution of copyrighted software, information, music and video files

Plagiarism - the unauthorized use or close imitation of the language and thoughts of another author and the representation of them as one's own original work

Scam – email fraud to obtain money or valuables

cybercrime

piracy

plagiarism

scam

malware

phishing

IP spoofing

cyberstalking

Page 18: Technical English Additional Texts and Exercises

18

Malware (malicious software) – software created to destroy the computer data. These are the main types:

� Trojan horses - a computer program. The program claims to do one thing (it may

claim to be a game) but instead does damage when you run it (it may erase your

hard disk). Trojan horses have no way to replicate automatically.

� Worms – self-copying programs that have the capacity to move from one computer to

another without human help by exploiting security holes in computer networks. They

don’t need to be attached to a document.

� Viruses- programs which are able to log into the personal files on a computer it has

affected and as a result, can end up removing all of them. It can have serious side

effects on a computers system.

� Spyware - programs which pretend to do one thing, but in reality snoops out your

personal data, or can end up damaging it. These types conceal their identity or true

intentions and are usually quite hard to detect.

Phishing – bank fraud to get banking information such as passwords o Internet bank accounts or credit cards details

IP spoofing – making one computer look like another in order to gain unauthorized access Cyberstalking – online harassment or abuse, mainly in chat rooms or newsgroups

Exercise 1. Identify the Internet crimes sentences (1-6) refer to. Choose from the box.

scam worm piracy phishing trojan horse cyberstalking

1. Crackers try to find a way to copy the latest game or computer program. ___________ 2. Many people would probably open an email they believe to be from their bank and

happily send off all their security details. ________________ 3. This software’s danger is hidden behind an attractive appearance. That’s why it often

comes with good-looking photos of celebrities. __________________ 4. There is a particular danger in Internet commerce and emails. Many people have been

deceived because they believed they had been offered a special gift or a certain amount of money. __________________

5. ‘Mylife’ spreads by sending infected mails and is also able to infect websites. ________________

6. Since millions of children spend time in Internet chat rooms talking to strangers, they could be abused by sexual predators. __________________

Page 19: Technical English Additional Texts and Exercises

19

Exercise 2. Fill in the gaps in these security tips with words from the box.

digital certificate malware virus scanner

spyware firewall antivirus

1. If your computer caught a __________________, don’t panic! Always remember to

use an _______________________ program, for example, a virus ___________________________.

2. Malicious software or __________________ can be easily avoided by following some basic rules.

3. An electronic identity card or __________________________ should be provided for each Internet user who likes cybershopping.

4. To prevent crackers from breaking into your network and obtaining your data, install a _____________________. It will protect you from _________________________.

Exercise 3. Vocabulary review: Security. Solve the clues with the most appropriate

word(s).

1. An e-mail address consists of a u _______________ (or nickname) followed by an @. 2. A private network within a single organization is often called i _________________. 3. Internet s _____________ is crucial when sending credit card numbers or confidential

information. 4. It’s well known that v _____________ can enter a PC through files from disks or from

the Net. 5. A company network is protected from unauthorized users by a special program called

a ‘f ___________________’. 6. An 18-year-old h __________________ has been arrested in connection with virus

propagation.

Language work: Past simple Use: We use the past simple for an action or event that which happened in the past.

He began studying Information Technology 2 years ago.

Positive forms. A regular past form ends in –(e)d.

He designed a very useful program.

Negatives and questions. We use did in questions and didn’t in negatives. The main verb is in infinitive. Question: Did you send an email to your teacher yesterday?

Negative: He didn’t install a firewall and a hacker managed to enter his computer system.

Page 20: Technical English Additional Texts and Exercises

20

Some verbs have an irregular past form. He lost a lot of time on playing computer games.

We form questions and negatives for irregular verbs in the same way as for regular.

When did he begin studying Information Technology?

He didn’t buy a new computer because it was too expensive.

The past of be is was / were.

I / he / she / it was We / you / they were

Note that we do not use did in negatives and questions with was / were.

Was the new computer expensive?

They weren’t at the university last week.

Exercise 4. Complete the text with the past simple form of the verbs in the box.

invent begin lead be call introduce make start

Charles Babbage (1971 – 1871) ___________ an English mathematician, philosopher, inventor and mechanical engineer who ______________ the concept of a programmable computer. He also _________________ the first mechanical computer that eventually ______________ to more complex designs. In Babbage’s time people __________________ too many errors while calculating numerical tables. Therefore, he _______________ his life’s work of trying to calculate the tables mechanically. He ______________ in 1822 with what he _____________ the difference engine. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Babbage http://computer.howstuffworks.com/virus.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_security

Page 21: Technical English Additional Texts and Exercises

21

MODULE 6: CREATIVE SOFTWARE

Unit 20: Graphics and Design

Computer Graphics

The study of computer graphics is a sub-field of computer science which studies methods for digitally synthesizing and manipulating visual content. Although the term often refers to three-dimensional computer graphics, it also encompasses two-dimensional graphics and image processing.

The term computer graphics represents almost everything on computers that is not text or sound. Today nearly all computers use some graphics and users expect to control their computer through icons and pictures rather than just by typing. The term Computer Graphics has several meanings:

• the representation and manipulation of pictorial data by a computer • the various technologies used to create and manipulate such pictorial data • the images so produced, and • the sub-field of computer science which explores methods for digitally synthesizing

and manipulating visual content.

Today computers and computer-generated images have a great impact on our daily life. Computer imagery can be found on television, in newspapers, in weather reports, and during surgical procedures, so computer graphics can be used in many disciplines. A well-constructed graph can present complex statistics in a form that is easier to understand and interpret. Such graphs are used to illustrate papers, reports, theses, and other presentation material.

Exercise 1. Read the text and answer these questions.

1. What does the term computer graphics stand for? 2. Which people might use computer graphics professionally? What would they use them

for? 3. Have you ever used computer graphics? What for?

Page 22: Technical English Additional Texts and Exercises

22

Image types

2D computer graphics

Image 1. Raster graphic sprites (left) and masks (right)

2D computer graphics are mainly used in applications that were originally developed upon traditional printing and drawing technologies, such as typography, cartography, technical drawing, advertising, etc. Two-dimensional models are preferred because they give more direct control of the image than 3D computer graphics, whose approach is more akin to photography than to typography.

3D Computer graphics

Vector graphics

2D Computer graphics

Computer animation

Image

types

Page 23: Technical English Additional Texts and Exercises

23

Vector graphics

Image 2. Example showing effect of vector graphics versus raster graphics. Vector graphics represents the use of geometrical primitives such as points, lines, curves, and shapes or polygon (s), which are all based upon mathematical equations, to represent images in computer graphics. Vector graphics formats are complementary to raster graphics, which is the representation of images as an array of pixels that are used for the representation of photographic images. Vector graphics are good for excluding unnecessary detail. Detail can be added or removed from vector art. Vector illustrations can have their own colours, allowing artists to achieve desired results.

In computer graphics, vectorization refers to the process of using software and hardware technology/services to convert raster graphics into vector graphics.

A raster graphics image or bitmap, is a data structure representing a generally rectangular grid of pixels, or points of colour, viewable via a monitor, paper, or other display medium. Raster images are stored in image files with varying formats.

Rasterization or Rasterisation is the task of taking an image described in a vector graphics format (shapes) and converting it into a raster image (pixels or dots) for output on a video display or printer, or for storage in a bitmap file format.

Image 3. Imagine the smiley face in the top left corner as an RGB bitmap image. When

zoomed in, it might look like the big smiley face to the right. Every square represents a

pixel. Zooming in further, the individual pixels can be analyzed, with their colours

constructed by adding the values for red, green and blue.

Page 24: Technical English Additional Texts and Exercises

24

3D computer graphics

3D computer graphics in contrast to 2D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images. Such images may be for later display or for real-time viewing.

3D computer graphics are often referred to as 3D models. However, there are differences. A 3D model is the mathematical representation of any three-dimensional object (either inanimate or living). A model is not technically a graphic until it is visually displayed. Due to 3D printing, 3D models are not confined to virtual space. A model can be displayed visually as a two-dimensional image through a process called 3D rendering, or used in non-graphical computer simulations and calculations.

Computer animation

Image 4. An example of Computer animation produced using Motion capture

Computer animation is the art of creating moving images via the use of computers. It is a subfield of computer graphics and animation. Increasingly it is created by means of 3D computer graphics, though 2D computer graphics are still widely used for stylistic, low bandwidth, and faster real-time rendering needs. To create the illusion of movement, an image is displayed on the computer screen then quickly replaced by a new image that is similar to the previous image, but shifted slightly. This technique is identical to the illusion of movement in television and motion pictures.

Concepts and Principles

Rendering

Rendering is the process of generating an image from a model, by means of computer programs. The model is a description of three dimensional objects in a strictly defined language or data structure. It would contain geometry, viewpoint, texture, lighting, and shading information. The image is a digital image or raster graphics image. 'Rendering' is also used to describe the process of calculating effects in a video editing file to produce final video output.

Page 25: Technical English Additional Texts and Exercises

25

Image 5. An example of a ray-traced image that typically takes seconds or minutes to

render. The photo-realism is apparent.

3D projection 3D projection is a method of mapping three dimensional points to a two dimensional plane. As most current methods for displaying graphical data are based on planar two dimensional media, the use of this type of projection is widespread, especially in computer graphics, engineering and drafting.

3D modelling

3D modelling is the process of developing a mathematical, wireframe representation of any three-dimensional object via specialized software. The product is called a "3D model". It can be displayed as a two-dimensional image through a process called 3D rendering.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_graphics

Exercise 2. Match the words with the definitions.

1. rendering a. the process of developing a three-dimensional object by using a special software

2. vectorization b. the process of generating an image from a model

3. bitmap c. a data structure representing a grid of pixels

4. 3D modelling d. the process of converting raster graphics into vector graphics

5. computer animation e. the process of creating moving images on computers

1. ________ 2. __________ 3. __________ 4. _________ 5. __________

Page 26: Technical English Additional Texts and Exercises

26

Exercise 3. Vocabulary. Graphics software. Complete the sentences with a term from

the box.

pixel icons images shading designer interface palette graphs

1. Graphic _______________ enable us to visualize the effects of the PC’s processor on our work.

2. A good user _________________ often uses windows, pop-up menus and graphics to make communication with machine easier.

3. The total number of colours available is called the colour _________________________.

4. Business people present information visually in ________________ and diagrams.

5. Rendering techniques are used to make the image look realistic. They include _____________________, light sources and reflections.

6. Each dot on the screen is called a picture element or ________________________.

7. We use visual symbols or ____________________ to represent objects or tasks.

8. A Web page ____________________ uses pictures, image maps and animation to make pages more effective.

Language work: Gerunds (-ing forms)

Gerunds are nouns formed by adding –ing to verbs. A gerund can be used in the following ways:

� As the subject of a verb Rendering is the process of generating an image from a model. � As the complement of the subject

My favourite hobby is surfing the Internet.

� As the object of a verb I have never done any programming in Visual C++.

� After a preposition 3D modelling is the process of developing a three-dimensional object by using a specialized software. � As the complement of a verb

I enjoy reading magazines about computers.

Page 27: Technical English Additional Texts and Exercises

27

!!! REMEMBER !!! The –ing form is not always used as gerund. It can be used in three different constructions:

� As a gerund acting as the subject Creating moving images on computers is a part of computer animation. � As a present participle

'What are you doing?' 'We are searching for information about a new software.

� As an adjective This video game is very exciting.

Some verbs are followed by the –ing form, not by the infinitive. Here are the most common: avoid, deny, enjoy, fancy, finish, give up, hate, imagine, involve, keep, look forward to,

mind, postpone, resist, suggest. Exercise 4. Fill in the blanks with a suitable gerund.

1. Have you finished __________________________ yet? 2. That book is worth ________________________. 3. I'm thinking of ___________________ a webcam. 4. I look forward to ________________________ from you soon. 5. My best friend hates _______________________________. 6. I don't mind _______________________________________. 7. You have to give up _______________________ if you want to be fit.

Exercise 5. Complete the sentences with the –ing form of an appropriate verb from the

list.

protest cook visit laugh spend

1. She had to stop ____________________ lunch. She felt ill. 2. He like ____________________ Internet movie sites. 3. It's no use ____________________. It won't help much. 4. There is no point in ____________________ all that money. 5. I can't stop __________________________ at it.

Exercise 6. Speaking about you. Use the –ing form or the infinitive. Give an example of

something that you.....

1. like doing 2. must remember to do 3. have stopped doing 4. remember doing when you were a child 5. would like to do

Page 28: Technical English Additional Texts and Exercises

28

Unit 21: Desktop publishing

Desktop publishing (also known as DTP) combines a personal computer and WYSIWYG page layout software to create and publish books, brochures, newsletters, magazines on a computer.

The term "desktop publishing" is commonly used to describe page layout skills. However, the skills and software are not limited to paper and book publishing. The same skills and software are often used to create graphics for point of sale displays (POS), promotional items, trade show exhibits and outdoor signs.

WYSIWYG (pronounced /wiziwig/), is an acronym for What You See Is What You Get, used in computing to describe a system in which content displayed during editing appears very similar to the final output, which might be a printed document, web page, slide presentation or even the lighting for a theatrical event.

History

Desktop publishing began in 1984 with the introduction of MacPublisher, the first WYSIWYG layout program. The DTP market exploded in 1985 with the introduction in January of the Apple LaserWriter printer.

The term "desktop publishing" is attributed to Aldus Corporation founder Paul Brainerd, who sought a marketing catch-phrase to describe the small size and relative affordability of this suite of products in contrast to the expensive commercial phototypesetting equipment of the day.

DTP software

Each "DTP software" allows users to create complex page layouts that can incorporate body text, numbered footnotes, graphics, photos and other visual elements. Some of these products are QuarkXPress, Adobe InDesign, Microsoft Publisher and the free Scribus.

Scribus is a desktop publishing (DTP) application designed for flexible layout and typesetting and the ability to prepare files for professional quality image setting equipment. It can also create animated and interactive PDF presentations and forms. Example uses include writing small newspapers, brochures, newsletters, posters and books.

DTP software

Database publishing

Collaborative software

Graphic art software

Word processing

Page 29: Technical English Additional Texts and Exercises

29

Desktop publishers

Desktop publishers use computer software to format and combine text, data, photographs, charts, and other graphic art or illustrations into prototypes of pages and other documents that are to be printed.

Desktop publishers typically design and create the graphics that accompany text, convert photographs and illustrations into digital images, and manipulate the text and images to display information in an attractive and readable format. They design page layouts, develop presentations and advertising campaigns, and do color separation of pictures and graphics material.

http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos276.htm

Language work: Order of adjectives

Adjectives usually come before the noun. The rules are a bit complex and there are also exceptions, but this is the usual order:

opinion description origin/place material purpose headword

a nice new Japanese computer shop

!!! REMEMBER !!!

� Opinions often come before descriptions (how big? + how old? + what shape?). � It is not common for a noun to be described by more than three adjectives.

Exercise 1. Order of adjectives. Rewrite each description in the correct order.

e.g. programmer: young a clever computer

a clever young computer programmer

1. company: computer personal a hardware

2. industry: mobile phone a

3. application: layout page a

4. software: mail electronic

5. systems: new publishing powerful

Page 30: Technical English Additional Texts and Exercises

30

Exercise 2. Read the above text carefully and answer the following questions.

1. What are the functions of desktop publishing? 2. What is WYSIWYG used for? 3. Who invented the term ‘desktop publishing’? 4. What does DTP include? 5. Define Scribus! 6. What do desktop publishers use computer software for?

Exercise 3. The creation of a DTP document involves various phases. Put these steps in

the correct order.

1. Set up your document. 2. Place graphics in your document. 3. Apply the rules of desktop publishing. 4. Choose a template. 5. Print your project. 6. Place text in your document. 7. Format your text. 8. Have a plan, make a sketch. 9. Print a draft and proofread it.

http://desktoppub.about.com/od/courses/ht/how_to_do_dtp.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desktop_publishing

Page 31: Technical English Additional Texts and Exercises

31

Unit 22: Multimedia http://www.w3schools.com/media/media_intro.asp What is Multimedia?

Multimedia refers to technologies and applications that integrate different types of media: text, graphics, sound, video and animation. Multimedia comes in many different formats. Many of these elements can be found in web pages and today's web browsers have support for a number of multimedia formats.

The power of multimedia resides in interactivity, hypertext and hypermedia. Multimedia software is usually interactive, so you can choose what you want to watch, listen to or write. Hypertext means that you can click on a word and jump to another screen with more information; hypermedia is similar but works with sounds and images (e.g. with Web).

http://www.w3schools.com/media/media_soundformats.asp The MIDI Format Sound can be stored in many different formats. The MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is a format for sending music information between electronic music devices like synthesizers and PC sound cards. The MIDI format was developed in 1982 by the music industry. The MIDI format is very flexible and can be used for everything from very simple to real professional music making. MIDI files do not contain sampled sound, but a set of digital musical instructions (musical notes) that can be interpreted by your PC's sound card. The negative side of MIDI is that it cannot record sounds (only notes). Or, to put it another way: it cannot store songs, only tunes. http://www.w3schools.com/media/media_videoformats.asp http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MP3

The MPEG Format Video can be stored in many different formats. The MPEG (Moving Pictures Expert Group) format is the most popular format on the Internet. It is cross-platform, and supported by all the most popular web browsers. MPEG Audio Layer 3, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a digital audio encoding format using a form of lossy data compression (a method where compressing data and then decompressing it retrieves data that may well be different from the original, but is close enough to be useful in some way). MP3 is an audio-specific format that was designed by the Motion Pictures Expert Group.

Page 32: Technical English Additional Texts and Exercises

32

Applications

� In public places (e.g. museums and stations), there are information kiosks that use

multimedia. � In education, it is used in presentations and computer-based training courses. � On the Web, audio and video are integrated into web pages. � In virtual reality users interact with simulated worlds. � Playing games on a computer or on the Net; playing video games on a video console

which can be connected to a TV set.

Exercise 1. Solve the clues and write words.

1. A series of still images shown in sequence. _____________________ 2. _______________ files are processed by sound software. 3. The suffix placed after a dot at the end of a filename. _________________. 4. A format used to compress and transmit movies over the Web. _____________ 5. People use special programs to ______________ and decompress files so that they

occupy less disk space. 6. A video format developed by the Moving Picture Experts Group. 7. To capture sounds in a digital format and play them back, modern PCs contain a

____________ card. 8. Compressed music files can be played with an MP3 ________________. 9. MIDI stands for _____________ Instrument Digital Interface. 10. Text with links which take you to other Web pages. ____________________

education

entertain-ment

video

music

Multi-

media

Page 33: Technical English Additional Texts and Exercises

33

Exercise 2. Match each word 1-8 with its partner a-h to make a common technical term.

1. compression a. speaker 2. sound b. company 3. web c. engine 4. record d. attachment 5. search e. site 6. stereo f. protection 7. e-mail g. format 8. copyright h. card 1. _______ 2. _______ 3. ________ 4. _________ 5. _________ 6. ________ 7. _______ 8. _______ Exercise 3. Which verbs on the left are frequently found with nouns on the right?

1. to download a. the Web 2. to install b. files 3. to compose c. software 4. to browse d. data 5. to process e. music 1. ________ 2. _________ 3. _________ 4. ___________ 5. ___________ Exercise 4. Complete the article with the words from the box.

graphics interactive video games consoles multiplayer

Video games

There are video ______________ used for playing games such as Nintendo or the PlayStation. There are also games you play on a computer either alone or a multiplayer online sites. Some _______________ have already been made into films and film stars now sometimes appear in video games. The ____________ in many games have become so realistic that they almost seem like film. The X-Files game was practically an _____________ movie full of actors from the show and sections of dialogue and video. _________________ online gaming is the next wave in the video game world. Thousands of people can play simultaneously all over the world.

Language work: Conditional sentences

We use conditional sentences to express real, possible or hypothetical situations. Words which are often used in these sentences are: if, unless (or if not), as long as (or provided/providing that).

Page 34: Technical English Additional Texts and Exercises

34

There are two main types of conditional sentences:

� The first conditional (for real or possible situations) If clause – Present simple Main clause – Future simple, a modal can or must or an imperative If you click on the speaker icon, you’ll get a piece of dialogue from the movie.

If you want to capture sounds in digital format and play them back, you must have a

sound card.

� The second conditional (for more hypothetical situations) If clause – Past simple Main clause – would + verb, other modals are also possible (could, should, might) If I had the money, I would upgrade my computer.

Exercise 5. Conditionals. Put the verbs in brackets into the correct form.

1. If I (get) ____________________ a sound card, I (can) create my own music. 2. You won’t be able to play CD-ROM disks if you ________________ (not have) a

CD-ROM drive. 3. If I could afford it, I (buy) __________________ a Multimedia PC. 4. If the marketing manager __________ (have) a multimedia system, she could make

more effective presentations. 5. If you ____________ (bring) your digital video camera, we can make a movie on my

PC.

Exercise 6. Finish these sentences by using your own ideas. Describe the effects of these

actions using conditionals.

1. If you forgot your password, _________________________________________________.

2. If you double-click on an icon, _______________________________________________.

3. If there was a power cut while you were using your computer,

__________________________________________________________________________.

4. If you install a faster processor, _______________________________________________.

Page 35: Technical English Additional Texts and Exercises

35

Unit 23: Web design

The intent of web design is to create a website (a collection of electronic files residing on one or more web servers) that presents content (including interactive features or interfaces) to the end user in the form of web pages once requested. Such elements as text, forms, and bit-mapped images (JPEGs, PNGs) can be placed on the page using HTML, XHTML, or XML tags. Displaying more complex media (vector graphics, animations, videos, sounds) usually requires plug-ins such as Flash, QuickTime. In computing, a plug-in refers to the additional software that enables the web browser to support the new content in the form of multimedia files.

It is important to note the difference between a website and a web page. A website is a collection of information about a particular topic or subject. Designing a website is defined as the arrangement and creation of web pages that in turn make up a website. A web page consists of information for which the website is developed. A website might be compared to a book, where each page of the book is a web page.

To build a website you could learn how to write HTML tags, the coded instructions that form web pages, or else use an HTML editor or WYSIWYG (What You see Is What You Get) application that converts a visual layout into HTML code. A simpler option is to use a web template provided by a web-based site builder, where you just fill in the information you want on the page. Basic elements Some of the basic elements that can be found on a web page are:

� Text � Links – connections from text or graphics on the current web page to different parts of

the same page, to other web pages or websites, or to external files � Graphics – pictures created with formats such as JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts

Group)and GIF (Graphical Interchange Format) � Tables � Frames – subdivisions of a web page allowing the display of different HTML

documents on the same page. Web pages can also include multimedia files: animations, audio and video files. Sounds can be recorded with different audio formats like MIDI, WAV and MP3. Web pages can also be interactive by using Java applets, specific applications using different programming languages. Exercise 1. Match the sentence beginnings with the correct endings.

1. A plug-in is a. let you interact with information on the screen. 2. Multimedia file can be included b. usually needed to enjoy audio and video files. 3. Java applets c. are some of the common audio formats. 4. MIDI, WAV and MP3 d. in web pages. 1. __________ 2. ____________ 3. ___________ 4. __________

Page 36: Technical English Additional Texts and Exercises

36

Exercise 2. Solve the clues and complete the crossword.

Across

3. You just have to fill it in to create a web page. 4. You can make a web page using an HTML _______________. Down 1. Templates are found in a web-based site ________________. 2. The language used to make web pages is called _________________. 3. The instructions in HTML are called ______________. Exercise 3. Speaking. Answer the following questions.

1. What do you use the Web for? 2. What is your favourite search engine? Why? 3. Do you know how to use the HTML language? 4. Have you ever used a web editor to create web pages? 5. What sort of web pages would you like to make?

Exercise 4. According to your computing knowledge, decide whether the following

design tips (or guidelines) are True (T) or False (F).

1. Plan your website carefully. ________ 2. Insert photos or animations just to make the pages look attractive. ________ 3. Place a large number of graphics on your pages. __________ 4. Use very bright colours. _________ 5. Put a lot of links on one page. __________ 6. Check that all the links on you Web pages are correct. ___________ 7. Once they are published, update your pages regularly. ___________

Page 37: Technical English Additional Texts and Exercises

37

Language work: Modal verbs

Modal verbs are followed by infinitive without to. They add extra meaning to the main verb. CAN

� Theoretical possibility – You can put additional links on your Web page. � Permission – Can I use your computer? � Ability – She can use some program languages well.

COULD

� Possibility or ability in hypothetical situations – We could buy a digital camera, if you had more money.

� Permission – Could I surf the Net for a few minutes?

MAY

� Factual possibility – She may like to read this email. � Permission – May I use your printer now?

MIGHT

� Weak possibility – The prices of laptops might go down next month.

MUST

� Obligation – You must use a firewall if you want to secure your files. � Prohibition – You mustn’t open suspicious emails. � Logical necessity – This laptop has many excellent functions – it must be pricy.

NEEDN’T

� Lack of obligation – You needn’t buy that DVD, I’ll lend you when you need it. It means don’t need to or don’t have to. SHOULD

� Giving advice – You should update your website regularly.

Page 38: Technical English Additional Texts and Exercises

38

Exercise 5. Change these orders into requests.

1. Stop smoking – it’s not allowed here. _____________________________________________________________________. 2. Send me a catalogue of your products. _____________________________________________________________________. 3. Lend me some money. _____________________________________________________________________. 4. Give me the password. _____________________________________________________________________. 5. Find this web page for me. _____________________________________________________________________. Exercise 6. Complete these sentences using modal verbs (can, could, must, may, might,

should). More than one answer may be possible.

1. I ___________ use a computer when I was only five years old. 2. We are looking for a webmaster who ____________ design, improve and maintain

our website. 3. If you want to see animations, you ___________ have Flash Player on your system. 4. Before publishing your website, you _________ check that all the links work. 5. You ____________ like to include a counter on your home page to show how many

times it has been accessed.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_design

Page 39: Technical English Additional Texts and Exercises

39

MODULE 7: PROGRAMMING / JOBS IN ICT

Unit 24: Program design and computer languages

Programming – basic terms

Programming – the process of writing a program using a computer language. A program – a set of instructions which a computer uses to do a specific task. Machine code – the only language a PC can directly execute. It consists of 1s and 0s. Assembly languages – symbolic languages that are easy to understand. They use abbreviations such as ADD, SUB, MPY to represent instructions. An assembler – software used to translate the program into machine code. Machine code + assembly languages = low-level languages High-level languages – closer to human languages A compiler – software used to translate the original code into a lower-level language or machine code so that the CPU can understand it. Examples of high-level languages:

� FORTRAN – used for scientific and mathematical applications � COBOL – popular for business applications � BASIC – used as a teaching language; Visual BASIC – used to create Windows

applications � C – used to write system software, graphics and commercial programs � JAVA – designed to run on the Web � HTML – the code used to create Web pages � VoiceXML – makes Internet content accessible via speech recognition and phone

Exercise 1. Match the terms (1-7) with their definitions (a-g).

1. programming a. basic language which consists of binary codes 2. machine code b. programming language such as C, Java or Visual BASIC 3. assembly language c. writing computer programs 4. high-level language d. low-level language translated into machine code by an assembler 5. Java applet e. software which converts a source program into machine code 6. compiler f. language used to create and format documents for the Web 7. markup language g. small self-contained program written in Java 1. _______ 2. _______ 3. _______ 4. ________ 5. ________ 6. ________ 7. _______

Page 40: Technical English Additional Texts and Exercises

40

Exercise 2. Vocabulary. Word building. Look at the groups of words and complete the

sentences with the correct word.

compile compiler compilation

1. Translation into machine code or ________________ is needed by the programs

written in a high-level language. 2. A _______________ generates several low-level instructions for each source language

statement. 3. Programmers need to ____________ their programs to create an object program and

diagnose possible errors. program programmers programming programmable

1. A flowchart, a plan of the program, is made by most computer ________________. 2. A set of instructions that tells the computers what to do is called a computer

_______________. 3. Converting an algorithm into a sequence of instructions in a programming language is

called ___________________. bug debug debugger debugging

1. New programs need ______________ to make them work properly. 2. A ___________ refers to any error or malfunction of a computer program. 3. The best compilers usually include an integrated ________________ which detects

syntax errors.

Language work: The infinitive

The to-infinitive is used:

� To express purpose I went to England to learn English.

� As the complement of adjectives and nouns The HTML language is easy to use.

� After adjectives or adverbs accompanied by too or enough This program runs too slowly to do the simulation.

� As the complement of certain verbs

- Verb + infinitive. Here are the most common verbs: afford, agree, appear, ask, decide, demand, learn, manage, try

Experts are trying to develop better programs.

- Verb + object + infinitive. Here are the most common verbs: advise, ask, encourage, expect, help, teach, tell, want

A stylus allows the user to draw on the screen.

Page 41: Technical English Additional Texts and Exercises

41

The bare infinitive (without to) is used: � After modal verbs: can, could, may, might, will, would, should, must

I’d rather buy a game than a spreadsheet program.

� After the verbs make and let Let me show you how this program works.

Exercise 3. Choose the correct answer.

1. You promised not _______________ anybody my secret. a. tell b. telling c. to tell 2. I can’t get used _________________ a voice recognition system. a. use b. to using c. to use 3. I would prefer _____________ the Net than watching TV. a. surf b. surfing c. to surf 4. Would you mind _______________ me your USB? a. lend b. lending c. to lend 5. Can you make this old PC _______________? a. start b. starting c. to start

Exercise 4. Make sentences using these prompts.

1. not easy / write a computer program _______________________________________________________________. 2. advisable / back up your data regularly ________________________________________________________________. 3. easy / learn basic programming rules _________________________________________________________________. 4. important / use a compiler for converting a source program into machine code __________________________________________________________________.

Page 42: Technical English Additional Texts and Exercises

42

Unit 25: Java What is Java? A high-level programming language developed by Sun Microsystems. Java was originally called OAK, and was designed for handheld devices and set-top boxes. Oak wasn’t very successful so in 1995 Sun changed the name to Java and modified the language. Java is an object-oriented language similar to C++, but simplified to eliminate language features that cause common programming errors. Java source code files (files with a .java extension) are compiled into a format called bytecode (files with a .class extension), which can then be executed by a Java interpreter (a program that executes instructions written in a high-level language).

Compiled Java code can run on most computers because Java interpreters and runtime environments, known as Java Virtual Machines (VMs), exist for most operating systems, including UNIX, the Macintosh OS, and Windows. Bytecode can also be converted directly into machine language instructions by a just-in-time compiler (JIT).

Java is a general purpose programming language with a number of features that make the language well suited for use on the World Wide Web. Small Java applications are called Java applets and can be downloaded from a Web server and run on your computer by a Java-compatible Web browser, such as Netscape Navigator or Microsoft Internet Explorer.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Java_language

There were five primary goals in the creation of the Java language:

1. It should be "simple, object oriented, and familiar". 2. It should be "robust and secure". 3. It should be "architecture neutral and portable". 4. It should execute with "high performance". 5. It should be "interpreted, threaded, and dynamic".

One characteristic of Java is portability, which means that computer programs written in the Java language must run similarly on any supported hardware/operating-system platform. One should be able to write a program once, compile it once, and run it anywhere.

Exercise 1. Mark the following statements as True (T) or False (F).

1. Small applications written in Java are called ‘animations’. _________ 2. Java doesn’t let you watch animated characters on your webpages. _________ 3. Java can have many different things processing independently and

continuously._________ 4. Java was invented by Sun Microsystems. _________ 5. C# and Adobe Flash are not real competitors for Java. _________

Page 43: Technical English Additional Texts and Exercises

43

Exercise 2. Vocabulary. Match the words (1-6) with the correct explanations (a-f).

1. applet a. to copy a file from the net to your PC

2. plug-in b. an error in a program

3. file transfer c. a programming environment that interprets Java for

operating systems like Mac OS, UNIX or Windows

4. object-oriented d. a technique that allows the creation of ‘objects’ to

represent processes in programming

5. Java virtual machine e. a small program produced with Java

6. computer bug f. a program that adds capabilities to your browser

(e.g. to play sound or video clips)

1. _________ 2. _________ 3. _________ 4. __________ 5. ________ 6. _________

Exercise 3. Vocabulary. Two-word expressions.

1. parallel a. system 2. desktop b. intelligence 3. artificial c. processing 4. electronic d. technology 5. operating e. disk 6. information f. mail 7. hard g. publishing

1. Way of sending and receiving messages between users on a network.

___________________________________

2. Design, layout and printing of documents, books and magazines using special software.

__________________________________

3. Rigid magnetic disk that is able to store many data and usually cannot be removed from the disk drive that is located inside a PC. __________________________________

4. Computer operating on several tasks simultaneously.____________________________ 5. Technology involved in acquiring, storing, processing and distributing information electronically. __________________________________ 6. Computers that try to simulate human intelligence._______________________________

Page 44: Technical English Additional Texts and Exercises

44

7. Software that controls and co-ordinates the actions of the different parts of your computer. __________________________________

Language work: The past simple (the –ed form)

Regular verbs add –ed to form the past simple (the affirmative form). The ‘-ed’ is pronounced as:

� /t/ after voiceless sounds: /p/, /k/, /s/, /f/: stopped, talked � /d/ after voiced sounds: /b/, /g/, /z/, /v/, /l/, /r/, nasal consonants /m/, /n/ and vowels: visualized, plugged, specified � /id/ after /t/ or /d/: wanted, needed

Exercise 4. Past tenses. Look at the prompts and write sentences describing what Kelly

did or didn’t do last week. Choose the correct past forms of the given verbs.

1. Monday – begin a course on Java; not phone parents __________________________________________________________________. __________________________________________________________________. 2. Tuesday – write an e-mail to a web pal __________________________________________________________________. 3. Wednesday – repair the optical drive __________________________________________________________________. 4. Thursday – not send a postcard to a friend __________________________________________________________________. 5. Friday – have lunch with her boss __________________________________________________________________. 6. Saturday – buy a DVD-R drive for her brother __________________________________________________________________. 7. Sunday – download music from the Net __________________________________________________________________. Exercise 5. Work in pairs. Ask your partner about his/her computer history. For

example:

‘When did you first……………?’ ‘How long ago did you …………?’ ‘How old were you when you …………?’ Write notes and then tell the rest of the class about your partner.

http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/J/Java.html http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/I/interpreter.html

Page 45: Technical English Additional Texts and Exercises

45

Unit 26: Jobs in ICT

Most ICT (Information and Communications Technologies)-related jobs have developed to meet the need to analyze, design, develop, manage or support computer software, hardware or networks. A project manager controls all the people involved in the different stages of development of a computer project, i.e. analysts, programmers, support specialists etc. Exercise 1. Introduction. Work in groups. List some computing jobs you know.

Compare your list with other students in the class.

Exercise 2. Discussion. Which of the jobs listed below would you like to make your

career? Give your reasons. Jobs in computing regarding different stages of development of a computer project

� ANALYZE � database analysts – in charge of the research and development of databases � network analysts – study the network requirements and recommend the most

suitable type of network � systems analysts – decide what ICT system will cater for the requirements of

a specific institution

� DESIGN AND DEVELOP � web designers (webmasters) – create and maintain web pages and web

applications for websites � desktop publisher – create publications, websites, books, advertisements and

more. Job titles include print and web designers, art or creative directors, production artists, digital illustrators, photo retouchers.

� software engineers – plan, design and test computer programs � hardware engineers – design and develop ICT devices � security specialists- specialize in the design of software and hardware to

protect information from malware: viruses, spyware etc.

� MANAGE � network or computer systems administrators – install and maintain

networks � database administrators – manage the accuracy and efficiency of databases

� SUPPORT � computer operators – control computer data processing � help desk technicians – in charge of troubleshooting, the solution of technical

problems � computer training instructors (trainers) – teach people how to use hardware

and software � technical writers – write the instructions for ICT systems.

Page 46: Technical English Additional Texts and Exercises

46

Applying for a job Needed documents:

� curriculum vitae � a letter of application � other documents on request

A model Curriculum vitae

CURRICULUM VITAE

PERSONAL DETAILS

Name: Marko Ivić Date and Place of Birth: 3 February 1972, Split Address: Vukovarska 150 Tel.no.(home): +385 21 111 222 Mobile: +385 98 11 22 33 E-mail: [email protected] Marital status: single (or married)

EDUCATION

09/2006-present University of Split, Centre for Professional Studies Course of study: Information Technology Specialist area: Programming Part-time student: 2nd year of study

I have completed modules required in 1st, 2nd and 3rd semester which include: Mathematics, Physics, Fundamentals of electrotechnics, English language I, Fundamentals of electronics, Digital and microprocessing techniques, Introduction to programming, Data bases, Information systems and computer architecture.

2002-2006 Technical High School in Split

WORK EXPERIENCE

06/2000 – 01/2005 Adriatica.net – web designer 01/2005 – present Hypo Alpe Adria bank – system analyst COMPUTING KNOWLEDGE (IT SKILLS)

• knowledge of 3D graphics and animations • programming in following programme languages: C, VB.NET, C++

Page 47: Technical English Additional Texts and Exercises

47

• knowledge of the majority software packages: MS Office, Corel Draw, Photo Shop, Auto Cad

• Web design – knowledge of internet protocols and technologies (HTML, Java script), knowledge of design and most popular web design tools (Photoshop, Dreamweaver, Flash)

• Graphic design – knowledge of most popular DTP tools (Photoshop, CorelDraw, Freehand, QuarkXPress), knowledge of prepress and printing techniques.

• Conceptual knowledge of video and sound

OTHER SKILLS AND EXPERIENCES

• fluent English – written and spoken • holder of a valid driver's licence –B category • capability of self-studying • tendency to team work, responsibility, quick thinking in situations under pressure

REFEREES WORK

Ivan Marković, lecturer, Faculty of John Gardner, IT manager, Adriatica.net Electrical Engineering and Computing

A letter of application

Marko Ivić

Vukovarska 150 21 000 Split Tel: Mob: E-mail: [email protected] B.net d.o.o. Osječka 11 21 000 Split Split, 10 November 2008 Subject: A LETTER OF APPLICATION FOR THE POSITION OF IT MANAGER

On 12 October 2008 I saw an advertisement in the daily newspapers Slobodna Dalmacija in which

B.net is searching for an IT manager situated in Split.

Page 48: Technical English Additional Texts and Exercises

48

Since I graduated from The Centre for Professional Studies at The University of Split on 14 July

2006 and therefore gained the qualifications of a graduate programmer, I think I could use my

knowledge at your company in the best possible way.

I have more than two years of work experience doing different kinds of jobs and I also meet all

conditions stated in the ad.

Along with this letter of application, you will find my curriculum vitae as well as a copy of my

diploma enclosed.

I truly hope that you will be interested in this letter.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely yours

Marko Ivić

Job ads

First advertisement http://www.topitconsultant.com/Appointment.aspx?ID=11156&QueryID=383077

Data Analyst, Financial Services - London

Our client is a global business and IT management consulting firm. At present they are recruiting for a Data Analyst to join their Financial Services practice. Specifically they are looking for Data Analysts to work within their delivery teams on large scale, complex data warehousing and business intelligence projects.

The role will involve taking on a range of roles throughout the development cycle, from gathering and cataloguing data requirements, profiling data content of source systems, specifying new data structure requirements, developing data models and determining the transformation rules between systems. The role requires individuals who are comfortable working closely with business representatives, source system experts and Data Warehouse development teams.

Page 49: Technical English Additional Texts and Exercises

49

Requirements

• Proven experience working on data warehousing, BI (business intelligence) or MI (management information) projects.

• Exposure to some of the following technologies: ETL tools (Informatica Powercenter, Ab Initio, Teradata, SAS (not necessarily the analytics), Oracle Warehouse Builder, Ascential), Name/address matching (e.g. Trillium), Data profiling (Avellino, Datanomic, etc).

• Candidates may come from a Business Analysis background with a focus on data and process modelling or may come from a technical background with a focus on databases, data modelling, data quality, data warehousing, BI, MI and/or data migration.

• Experience of data quality concepts, and data validation and cleansing techniques related to ensuring the accuracy, completeness and usability of data sources.

• Capital markets, retail banking or insurance industry knowledge

Benefits

All employees receive core benefits, for example 25 days' annual leave. An allowance is also received to spend on your choice from a range of flexible benefits:

• pension plan • private medical insurance • life assurance • permanent health insurance

As you are promoted you will benefit from additional benefits or an increased flexible benefit allowance. Employees are also able to participate in an employee share purchase scheme.

To apply please send an application by email to: [email protected]. Please quote reference number TITC/DA/0908

Second advertisement

Zagrebačka banka

Gundulićeva 26

21 000 Split

Zagrebačka banka, The Bank of Zagreb, has opened the position for the full-time job of Computer Network Support Person. Essential requirements: - diploma in computing or telecommunications engineering - good communications skills - deductive ability for analysing faults - able to work quickly under pressure. Desirable requirements: - interest in technology to keep up with new developments.

Page 50: Technical English Additional Texts and Exercises

50

If you are interested in working in a highly competitive company, please send your CV, a letter of application and a copy of your diploma to Mr Goran Perković, Head of the Human Resources Department by 15 December 2008.

Third advertisement

Information Technology Engineers Extremely competitive salaries. If you would like to hear about outstanding opportunities in Europe to work in the expanding area of personal communication systems, write to: Euroengineer Ltd Austin Street Norwich NJ2 1BL Enclose your CV and the names of two referees. Applicants should have a degree or equivalent in information technology or a related discipline. A good command of foreign languages would be an advantage.

Exercise 3. Writing. Choose one of the above job advertisements that sounds most

interesting to you and write your CV and a letter of application according to the given

examples.

Language work I: Present perfect simple

Form: have/has + past participle Use – to talk about:

� completed actions connected to the present I have repaired the computer.

� personal experiences I have never been to Paris.

� states that started in the past and continue to the present I’ve been a software developer since 2000.

� past actions in a time up to now where we put emphasis on the quantity or number (how many?)

She has failed three subjects.

Time adverbials: ever, never, since, for, already, yet, just.

Page 51: Technical English Additional Texts and Exercises

51

Language work II: Present perfect continuous

Form: have / has been + present participle Use – to talk about: � actions which started in the past and are still happening

I’ve been surfing the Net for two hours.

� past action or situations in progress, with emphasis on duration (how long?) She’s been writing emails all morning.

Exercise 4. Put the verbs into the present perfect simple or the present perfect

continuous.

1. They (work) ____________________ on the project all day. 2. How many emails (you write) ___________________________ today? 3. She (be) _____________________ an IT manager since last year. 4. I (lose) _______________________ my USB. 5. They (design) ______________________ a web page for three hours. Exercise 5. Make questions using these prompts. In pairs, ask and answer the questions.

1. ever / chat online? 2. ever / apply for a job? 3. ever / do a job you dislike? 4. how long / study Information technology? 5. how many emails / write today?

http://www.nextstepmagazine.com/nextstep/articlePage1.aspx?artId=2484&categoryId=4

Page 52: Technical English Additional Texts and Exercises

52

MODULE 8: COMPUTERS TOMORROW

Unit 27: Communication systems

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Telecommunications Telecommunications is the extension of communication over a distance. It includes radio, television, telephony, satellite, data communication and computer networking. Telecommunications teleworking, call centres, telemarketing

http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/t/teleworking.html

Teleworking - also known as telecommuting. To use information technology and telecommunications to replace work-related travel. Teleworking allows employees work at home or at a local telework centre one or more days per week using communication tools, such as such as phone, fax, modem, Internet teleconferencing, e-mail or IM, to perform work duties from a remote location. The term telework is the term favoured in Europe and other countries while telecommute is used more often in the U.S and Canada.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Call_centre

Call centres - a centralized office used for the purpose of receiving and transmitting a large volume of requests by telephone. A call centre is operated by a company to administer incoming product support or information inquiries from consumers. Outgoing calls for telemarketing, product services, and debt collection are also made. In addition to a call centre, collective handling of letters, faxes, live chat, and emails at one location is known as a contact centre. Telemarketing – the process of selling goods and services over the phone.

Digital TV

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_TV Digital television (DTV) is the sending and receiving of moving images and sound by discrete (digital) signals, in contrast to the analogue signals used by analogue TV. Introduced in the late 1990s, this technology appealed to the television broadcasting business and consumer electronics industries because it offers new financial opportunities.

Page 53: Technical English Additional Texts and Exercises

53

Mobile communications

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackberry_(PDA) http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/B/BlackBerry.html

The BlackBerry is a wireless handheld device introduced in 1999 as a two-way pager. The more commonly known smartphone BlackBerry, which supports push email, mobile telephone, text messaging, internet faxing, web browsing and other wireless information services, was released in 2002. The BlackBerry is primarily known for its ability to send and receive email wherever it can access a wireless network of certain cellular phone carriers. BlackBerry's popularity may be attributed to its easy-to-use interface and keyboard.

Picture 1. GSM BlackBerry RIM 2000 Bold

iPhone - an Internet-enabled smartphone developed by Apple. The iPhone combines mobile phone capabilities with a wireless Internet device, and an iPod into one product. The iPhone also includes a 3.5-inch multi-touch screen, rather than a keyboard, that can be manipulated by users with by two finger touches. The iPhone runs on a special version of Apple's Mac OS X operating system.

Picture 2. iPhone 3G

Page 54: Technical English Additional Texts and Exercises

54

Exercise 1. Solve the clues and complete the crossword.

Across 3. A global system of networks of integrated services. 4. A system that integrates telephones and computer is a ___________ centre. 5. A device used to send and receive exact copies of documents. Down 1. Similar to interactive TV. 2. Written information you get on your TV screen.

Language work: The passive

The passive = verb to be + past participle of the main verb

The passive is used:

� In technical writing The BlackBerry is primarily known for its ability to send and receive email.

Present simple passive A call centre is operated by a company to administer incoming product support or

information inquiries from consumers.

Present continuous passive Her computer is being repaired at the moment.

Past simple passive Analytical engine was invented in 19th century by Charles Babbage.

Past continuous passive Reports were being written for two hours yesterday morning.

Present perfect passive The spelling has been checked.

Page 55: Technical English Additional Texts and Exercises

55

Future simple passive Anti-hacking legislation will be introduced in the EU next year.

Modal verbs in the passive Networks can be connected via satellite.

Exercise 2. Complete these sentences with a suitable passive form of the verbs in

brackets.

1. All computer languages (must translate) ____________________________ into

binary commands. 2. In the near future, the Internet and other IT devices (introduce) __________________

into cars. 3. Delphi (often use) _______________________ for general purpose programs. 4. C (develop) _______________________ in the 1970s to support the UNIX operating

system. 5. These microchips (make) _____________________ in Japan. 6. Sorry about the mess – the machines (replace) ______________________________. 7. A serious error (just find) _________________________ in this program. Exercise 3. Complete the text with the correct passive form.

How chips are made

The CPU is a microprocessor chip. Most processors (make) _________________ of

silicon which (can obtain) _______________________ from beach sand and works well

because it's a semiconductor of electricity.

Large crystals of high-quality silicon (make) ______________________ by

manufacturers and then each crystal (cut) _______________________ into slices less than

a milimetre thick. These slices, called wafers, (treat) _____________________ with

chemicals, gases and light before they (cut) _______________________ into individual

chips.

Page 56: Technical English Additional Texts and Exercises

56

Unit 28: Networks

A network is a collection of computers connected to each other. The network allows computers to communicate with each other and share resources and information. Networks may be classified according to a wide variety of characteristics. A general overview of some types and categories will be provided and the basic components of a network will be presented here. Network can be classified according to:

� Geographical area � LAN (Local Area Network) – covering a small physical area � WAN (Wide Area Network) – covering a broad area � MAN (Metropolitan Area Network) – covering a city � PAN (Personal Area Network) – including a laptop, a mobile phone and a

PDA

� Architecture � Peer-to-peer – all the computers share files and peripherals without a separate

server computer. � Client-server – computer plays the role of a server and stores and distributes

information to the other nodes or clients.

� Topology � Bus network - a network in which all the computers are connected via a

shared communications line, called a bus. � Star network - one of the most common computer network topologies. In its

simplest form, a star network consists of one central switch, hub or computer, which acts as a connection point to transmit messages.

� Ring network - a network topology in which each node connects to exactly two other nodes, forming a circular pathway for signals - a ring.

LANs are usually placed in the same building. They can be built with two main types of architecture, peer-to-peer or client-server. Computers in a LAN need to use the same protocol or standard of communication. A router, a device that forwards data packets, is needed to link a LAN to another network, e.g. to the Net. Most networks are linked with cables or wires but new Wi-Fi, wireless fidelity, technologies allow the creation of WLANs, where cables or wires are replaced by radio waves. To build a WLAN you need access points, radio-based receiver-transmitters that are connected to the wired LAN, and wireless adapters installed in your computer to link it to the network. Hotspots are WLANs available for public use in places like airports and hotels, but sometimes the service is also available outdoors (e.g. university campuses, squares, etc.).

Page 57: Technical English Additional Texts and Exercises

57

WANs have no geographical limit and may connect computers or LANs on opposite sides of the world. They are usually linked through telephone lines, fibre-optic cables or satellites. The main transmission paths within a WAN are high-speed lines called backbones. Wireless WANs use mobile telephone networks. The largest WAN in existence is the Internet. Exercise 1. Match the technical terms (1-5) with the explanations (a-e).

1. LAN a. the hardware that emits and receives signals in a computer network

2.network architecture b. a network contained in a relatively small area

3. nodes c. the arrangement of nodes in a communication system

4. protocol d. a set of rules that allows the exchange of information over a network

5. transceiver e. computer devices interconnected in a network

1. __________ 2. ____________ 3. __________ 4. _________ 5. __________ Exercise 2. True and false sentences. Mark the sentences as true (T) or false (F).

1. LANs link computers and other devices that are placed far apart. ___________ 2. In a peer-to-peer architecture, all the workstations have the same capabilities. __________ 3. Routers are used to link two computers. ___________ 4. The Internet is an example of a LAN. _____________ 5. Wireless WANs use mobile telephone networks as linking devices. ___________ Exercise 3. Vocabulary. Use the words in the box to complete the sentences.

LAN nodes hub backbones

WLAN peer-to-peer server

1. All the PCs on a ___________________ are connected to one ______________, which is a powerful PC with a large hard disk that can be shared by everyone. 2. The style of ___________________ networking permits each user to share resources such as printers. 3. The star is a topology for a computer network in which one computer occupies the central part and the remaining __________________ are linked solely to it. 4. At present Wi-Fi systems transmit data at much more than 100 times the rate of a dial-up modem, making it an ideal technology for linking computers to one another and to the Net in a _____________________________. 5. All of the fibre-optic _________________ of the United States, Canada and Latin America cross Panama 6. A ___________________ joins multiple computers (or other network devices) together to form a single network segment, where all computers can communicate directly with each other.

Page 58: Technical English Additional Texts and Exercises

58

Language work: Phrasal verbs

Phrasal verbs are common in conversational English. They are made up of two words: a verb and a preposition. For example:

This is the procedure to wake up the system. → wake up = start or initiate

Exercise 4. Match each phrasal verb below with its correct definition.

Phrasal verb Definition

1. back up a. to enter a symbol or instruction at the end of a computing session to close all files and break the channel between the user’s terminal and the main computer

2. key in b. to allow a machine to stand idle for a time after switching on, to reach optimum operating conditions

3. log off c. to switch on or apply a voltage to an electrical device 4. plug in d. to make a copy of a file or data or disk 5. power up e. to configure/define/start an application or system 6. set up f. to enter text or commands via a keyboard 7. warm up g. to make an electrical connection by pushing a plug into a socket 1. _______ 2. _______ 3. _______ 4. _______ 5. _______ 6. ________ 7. _______ Exercise 5. Each of the sentences below should contain a phrasal verb. Complete the

sentences by choosing the correct verbs and prepositions from the two boxes. Sometimes

you have to change the form of the verb.

verbs prepositions

break round shut turn log warm

down on down down up on

1. My computer’s ___________ _________ again! I need a new machine.

2. The precise amount is 2.5341, but we can ____________ it ________ to 2.5.

3. You have to give your password in order to __________ _______ to the system.

4. Your printout will arrive in a couple of minutes: the laser’s still ____________ _______.

5. Pushing the big red button on the front ____________ the CPU _______.

6. When we found the virus, the first thing we did was to ___________ _________ the

entire system.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_network http://compnetworking.about.com/, http://www.howstuffworks.com/home-network.htm

Page 59: Technical English Additional Texts and Exercises

59

Unit 29: Video games

Introduction

A video game is a game that involves interaction with a use interface to generate visual feedback on a video device. The electronic systems used to play video games are known as platforms; examples of these are personal computers and video game consoles. These platforms are broad in range, from large computers to small handheld devices.

The input device normally used to manipulate video games is called a game controller, which varies across platforms. For instance, a dedicated console controller might consist of only a button and a joystick, or feature a dozen buttons and one or more joysticks. Early personal computer based games historically relied on the availability of a keyboard for game play, or more commonly, required the user to purchase a separate joystick with at least one button to play. Many modern computer games allow the player to use a keyboard and mouse simultaneously.

History of video games

Video games were introduced as a commercial entertainment medium in 1971. They became the basis for an important entertainment industry in the late 1970s/early 1980s in the United States, Japan, and Europe.

It is estimated that e.g. Americans now spend more time playing video games (approximately 75 hours per year) with massive variation among individuals, than watching the television and renting out videos/DVDs.

In 1970s computer and video game development split to many areas, such as arcade machines, university computers, handhelds and home computers. The Galaxy Game was the first coin-operated video game installed at a student union. The first arcade video game with widespread success was Atari's PONG. The rapid development of home computers in the 1970s and 80s allowed their owners to program simple games. The 1980s were the Golden Age of Arcade Games with many technically innovative and genre-defining games in the first few years of the decade.

Nintendo's Game & Watch line began in 1980. The success of these LCD handhelds motivated other game and toy companies to make their own portable games.

The beginnings of Internet gaming date from the 1990s. Id Software’s game Quake pioneered play over the Internet in first-person shooters. The phenomena of user-created modifications (or "mods") for games was one trend that began around the turn of the millennium. The most famous example is that of Counter-Strike; released in 1999, it is still the most popular online first-person shooter of all time, even though it was created as a mod for a separate game called Half-Life by two completely independent programmers.

Page 60: Technical English Additional Texts and Exercises

60

Impact of gaming – Eight myths about video games

Exercise 1. Match the titles with the correct paragraphs regarding eight myths about

video games.

The titles are:

1. Because games are used to train soldiers to kill, they have the same impact on the kids who play them.

2. Video game play is desensitizing. 3. The availability of video games has led to an epidemic of youth violence. 4. Almost no girls play computer games. 5. Video games are not a meaningful form of expression. 6. Children are the primary market for video games. 7. Video game play is socially isolating. 8. Scientific evidence links violent game play with youth aggression.

What do you think about these statements? Are they true or not? Read the following

paragraphs and find the answers.

a. __________

Researchers find that people serving time for violent crimes typically consume less media before committing their crimes than the average person in the general population. It's true that young offenders who have committed school shootings in America have also been game players. But young people in general are more likely to be gamers — 90 percent of boys and 40 percent of girls play. The overwhelming majority of kids who play do NOT commit antisocial acts.

b. __________

Claims like this are based on the work of researchers who represent one relatively narrow school of research, "media effects." This research includes some 300 studies of media violence. Most studies found a correlation, not a causal relationship, which means the research could simply show that aggressive people like aggressive entertainment. That's why the vague term "links" is used here. But no research has found that video games are a primary factor or that violent video game play could turn an otherwise normal person into a killer.

c. ___________

While most American kids do play video games, the centre of the video game market has shifted older as the first generation of gamers continues to play into adulthood. Already 62 percent of the console market and 66 percent of the PC market is age 18 or older. Clearly, more should be done to restrict advertising and marketing that targets young consumers with mature content, and to educate parents about the media choices they are facing. But parents

Page 61: Technical English Additional Texts and Exercises

61

need to share some of the responsibility for making decisions about what is appropriate for their children.

d. __________

Historically, the video game market has been predominantly male. However, the percentage of women playing games has steadily increased over the past decade. Women now slightly outnumber men playing Web-based games. It's also important to note that female game characters are often portrayed as powerful and independent. In his book Killing Monsters, Gerard Jones argues that young girls often build upon these representations of strong women warriors as a means of building up their self confidence in confronting challenges in their everyday lives.

e. ___________

Former military psychologist and moral reformer David Grossman argues that because the military uses games in training (including, he claims, training soldiers to shoot and kill), the generation of young people who play such games are similarly being brutalized and conditioned to be aggressive in their everyday social interactions. The military uses games as part of a specific curriculum, with clearly defined goals, in a context where students actively want to learn and have a need for the information being transmitted. There are consequences for not mastering those skills. That being said, a growing body of research does suggest that games can enhance learning. f. __________ In 2002, U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Sr. ruled that video games do not convey ideas and thus enjoy no constitutional protection. Violence engages the interest of children from an early age, as anyone familiar with the classic fairy tales collected by Grimm or Andersen. Many current games are designed to be ethical testing grounds. In playing a game, we choose what happens to the characters. g. ___________ Much video game play is social. Almost 60 percent of frequent gamers play with friends. Thirty-three percent play with siblings and 25 percent play with spouses or parents. Even games designed for single players are often played socially, with one person giving advice to another holding a joystick. A growing number of games are designed for multiple players — for either cooperative play in the same space or online play with distributed players. h. ___________

Play allows kids to express feelings and impulses that have to be carefully held in check in their real-world interactions. Media reformers argue that playing violent video games can cause a lack of empathy for real-world victims. Yet, a child who responds to a video game the same way he or she responds to a real-world tragedy could be showing symptoms of being severely emotionally disturbed.

Page 62: Technical English Additional Texts and Exercises

62

Language work: Adverbs

In structure, we can distinguish three types of adverbs:

� Simple: just, only, well, down � Compounds: somehow, however � Derivational: quickly, clockwise

Adverb of manner = an adjective + - ly

slow – slowly; possible - possibly

!!! REMEMBER !!!

Not all words ending in –ly are adverbs. The following words are adjectives:

friendly, lovely, lonely, silly, ugly

Some words have the same form in adjective and adverb function. Don’t confuse them.

fast, hard, early, late, daily, monthly, loud

Compare: Mike has a fast car. (adjective)

Mike drove fast. (adverb)

Exercise 2. Decide whether the words in bold in the following sentences are adjectives

(adj) or adverbs (adv).

1. Marina works hard at school. __________ 2. She is a very hard worker. __________ 3. This computer is very fast. __________ 4. Please don’t speak so fast. __________ 5. He caught an early train. ___________ 6. The meeting ended early. __________ 7. Don’t talk so loud. ___________ 8. Turn the volume down. That music is very loud. __________

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_games http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_video_games http://www.pbs.org/kcts/videogamerevolution/impact/myths.html

Page 63: Technical English Additional Texts and Exercises

63

Unit 30: New technologies Nanotechnology, the science of creating and using materials or devices at molecular and atomic sizes, is going to represent a new technological revolution. These devices are measured in nanometres, which is equal to one billionth of a metre. Nanobots, robots formed from molecules or molecular components, will be used in medicine to control and diagnose diseases. For example, they will be injected and will move through blood vessels destroying cholesterol molecules or cancer. Nanocomputers, molecule-sized computers, may have the power of 100 workstations but only be the size of a grain of sand. There will be two main types of molecular computers:

� Quantum computers, based on quantum mechanics, may be millions of times faster than current computers. They will be so fast because they will be able to examine all possible answers to a query at the same time. This capability is made possible by qbits, quantum bits, which can be 0 or 1, or something in between, simultaneously.

� DNA computers will use DNA biochips to perform the same functions as silicon microchips do today but at a much faster speed.

The relationship between people and computers will be closer.

� Computers will be embedded or hidden in a variety of items. For example, we’ll have wearable computers that will be embedded in a belt or a piece of jewellery.

� ICT devices will be mobile and multimedia: we’ll watch mobile TV programmes on our phones which will also access the Internet.

� There will be gesture interfaces based on facial-hand recognition systems. � Computer chips can be injected under the skin: RFID, radio-frequency

identification tags, might be used to track or identify people or to store information. � By the year 2040 there might be intelligent robots, machines that will be able to think

creatively. Exercise 1. Read these extracts and replace the words in italics with the words from the

above text.

1. A molecular computer that works biochemically is a computer of this type. It

computes using enzymes that cause chain reactions. ____________________ 2. Data in a computer of this type is processed by exploiting the strange qualities of

quantum physics; the building blocks of computation are not transistors but caged atoms or qbits. _________________________

3. It has the potential to revolutionize the way we live, from creating miniaturized electronic gadgets to delivering medicines to specific places within the human body. _______________________

4. The government plans to fund a study examining the feasibility of molecule-sized robotic devices that would position atoms to build complex substances and products.

____________________________ 5. Scientists at an Israeli institute have developed a very small one – so small that a

trillion of its kind fit into a test tube. _____________________

Page 64: Technical English Additional Texts and Exercises

64

Exercise 2. Match the terms with their definitions.

1. quantum bits a. a microchip made with organic materials 2. DNA biochip b. the device or program used to interact with a computer 3. embedded c. subatomic particles used in quantum computers 4. user interface d. fixed, integrated 1. __________ 2. ___________ 3. ____________ 4. ____________

Language work: Future forms

Future can be expressed by using different tenses.

� Future simple (will / won’t + verb) � to make predictions when you don’t have present evidence that something will

happen People will vote in elections online.

� to describe a decision made at the moment of speaking, often to make an offer I’ll help you with the books.

� to talk about actions that will inevitably happen Next month I will be 30.

� to talk about hopes, promises, fears Electronic money will probably be more secure.

� Going to future (be going to + verb)

� to describe future intentions (not as definite as firm plans) The company is going to open a new office in Rome.

� Future continuous (will be + -ing form of the verb) � to talk about actions in progress at a stated future time

This time next Saturday I’ll be skiing.

� Future perfect (will have + past participle) � to talk about actions finished at a stated future time

By the end of June I will have finished my exams.

Exercise 3. Put the following verbs in the correct future form. In some sentences more

than one answer will be possible.

1. Please don’t call tonight. I _____________________________ (take part) in a video

conference from eight to nine o’clock. 2. He says he _______________________ (not finish) the report by Monday. 3. The technician _________________________ (repair) the computer by next Friday. 4. Some day, we ________________________ (talk to) our PC naturally, like a friend. 5. In a few years’ time students _____________________ (use) handheld and wearable

computers in class. http://news.cnet.com/8300-1009_3-83.html?tag=hdr;snav

Page 65: Technical English Additional Texts and Exercises

65

References

� Esteras, S. R. (2008). Infotech – English for Computer Users (4th edition), Student’s

Book. Cambridge: CUP.

� Esteras, S. R. (2007). Infotech – English for Computer Users (3rd edition), Student’s

Book. Cambridge: CUP.

� Esteras, S. R. (2007). Infotech – English for Computer Users (3rd edition), Workbook.

Cambridge: CUP.

� Esteras, S. R., Fabre, E. M. (2007). Professional English in Use. Cambridge: CUP.

� Eastwood, J. (1999). Oxford Practice Grammar. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

� Glendinning, E.H. and McEwan, J. (2002). Basic English for Computing. Oxford:

Oxford University Press.

� Glendinning, E.H. and McEwan, J. (2002). Oxford English for Information

Technology. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

� Oxford Collocations Dictionary for Students of English. (2002). Oxford: Oxford

University Press

� Riley, D. (1999). Check Your Vocabulary for Computing. Teddington: Peter Collin

Publishing Ltd.

� Oxford Dictionary of Computing for Learners of English. (1996). Oxford: Oxford

University Press,