Text 2. COMPUTER REVOLUTION

Vocabulary

chip – чип , микросхема

generation – поколение

neural network – нейронная сеть

human– человеческий; человек

brain– мозг

to diagnose – ставить диагноз

to identify – опознавать

criminal– преступник

to surf the Internet –искать ,"бродить" по Интернету

on-line shopping –покупки через Интернет (интернет- магазины)

e-mail –электронная почта

invention –изобретение

all in all –в общем

50years ago people didn't even heard of computers, and today we cannot imagine life without them.

Computer technology is the fastest-growing industry in the world. The first computer was the size of a minibus and weighed a ton. Today, its job can be done by a chip the size of a pin head. And the revolution is still going on. Very soon we'll have computers that we'll wear on our wrists or even in our glasses and earrings.

The next generation of computers will be able to talk and even think for themselves. They will contain electronic "neural networks". Of course, they'll be still a lot simpler than human brains, but it will be a great step forward. Such computers will help to diagnose illnesses, find minerals, identify criminals and control space travel.

Some people say that computers are dangerous, but I don't agree with them. They save a lot of time. They seldom make mistakes. It's much faster and easier to surf the Internet than to go to the library.

On-line shopping makes it possible to find exactly what you want at the best price, saving both time and money.

E-mail is a great invention, to6. It's faster than sending a letter and cheaper than sending a telegram.

All in all, I strongly believe that computers are a useful tool. They have changed our life for the better. So why shouldn't we make them work to our advantage?

Answer the following questions:

1. Have you got a computer? 2. Do you think it's a useful tool? 3. Will computers become smaller in the future? 4. Can the Internet help you to do your homework? 5. Can computers help us to learn foreign languages? 6. Do you play computer games? 7. What are the advantages of on-line shopping? 8. What are the advantages of e-mail? 9. Do you think that computers are bad for health? 10. Some people have made friends through the Internet. What about you? 11. Some people say that computers make us less sociable. Do you agree? 12. What will the next generation of computers be able to do?

Text 3. Computer Games

To make computer games, people write computer programs.

People also make digital characters for the games. To make a digital character, people make a drawing. Then they use a computer to make the picture into a digital skeleton, made of lines. On the computer, people can move the skeleton and they can see it from different sides. Then they add a face, clothes and colours.

Using sensors

Sometimes, to help to make a digital character, people use machines called sensors. A person wears the sensors. The sensors tell a computer how the person moves, and the computer makes a moving picture of the character.

Then the computer programs move the characters on the screen when people play the game.

People play a new game to check it. Then they sell the game on the Internet or in stores.

sensors

digital character

digital skeleton

drawing

Task 1. Match

1. Computer games 2. Digital skeletons 3. People play new 4. Digital characters 5. Sensors

tell computers how a person moves are people in computer games are made with computer programs computer games to check them are made of lines

Task 2. Number the sentences in order

How to make a computer game:

__ People sell the game on the Internet or in stores.