Unit 1. The digital age

 

Vocabulary.

Perform operations – проводить операции

Pay bills – оплачивать счета

Do research- исследовать

Enroll courses – записываться на курсы, кружки

Сomplete tasks – выполнять задания

Fuel consumption – потребление топлива

Databases – базы данных

 

Nowadays it’s almost impossible to imagine our life without the computers. Computers help people to perform operations, communicate with other people, pay bills, access the net.

Students can also do research, give presentations, enroll for courses, complete tasks online. Computers help students to perform mathematical operations, teach science, history or language courses. A school website allows teachers to publish exercises for students or get marks and give homework on net school. You can also watch movies and TV, download your favourite music and films.

In banks computers store information about the money, customers, transactions. The bank staff can access large databases and to carry out financial transactions. They also control the cash points which dispense money.

Airline pilots use computers to help them control the plane. For example, monitors display data about fuel consumption and weather conditions. Travel agents use PCs to find out information about flights, prices, times and many other details.

Mobiles also let you make voice calls, send texts, email people and download logos, ring tones or games.

Computers have become a very important part of our everyday life and young people who have grown up with PCs and mobile phones are often called the digital generation. Computers have changed the way we live, work, play and communicate. Today it’s almost impossible to imagine life without the magic of computers.

Answer the questions according to the text:

1. How are computers used in our life?

2. How do you think computers will be used in the future?

3. What does it mean “digital generation”?

4. How do you use the computer at home? at university?

5. What else do you usually do with your mobile phone?

Exercises:

1) Match the English and Russian equivalents. Make up the sentences with these words and word combinations:

1. to speed up 2.to allow 3.to enter 4. to grow up 5. to pay for 6. to communicate with 7.to improve 8.cashpoint = ATM 9.transactions 10.to carry out 11. instead of

a. улучшить b.общаться с c.платить за d.позволить e.вырастать f. проводить, осуществлять g. банкоматы h. вместо i.банковские операции j.поступать, входить k.ускорять, разгонять

2) Match the verbs with the nouns to make collocations:

to perform to access to give to do to keep to complete to store to pay to transfer to display consumption

research information online money research data bills the Net operations goods records

 

3) Use collocations and complete the sentences:

a) In many universities students …………..with Power Point to make their talks more attractive, to brighten them up.

b) Online banking allow you…… and ……….when it’s comfortable for you.

c) Now it’s very easy to ………………from cafes, hotels, subway and other public places thanks to Wi-Fi.

d) In bank system computers let……………very quickly and ………….about every client.

e) Teachers give students tasks to…………………………….and also they……………………with the help of computers.

 

4) Find the examples of Present Perfect in the text. Open the brackets and put the verbs in the right tense:

a) The prices on consumption goods (выросли) recently.

 

b) My cousin (оплатил) the meal today.

 

c) Yesterday the bank (осуществил) all transactions.

 

d) My parents (перевели деньги) last month.

 

e) Your English (улучшился) very quickly.

 

f) His son (поступил) the university last year.

 

References: Adapted from Infotech “English for computer users” by Santiago Remacha Esteras., p.2.