Computers are revolutionizing the way we teach

AND LEARN. WILL THEY ALSO CHANGE THE WAY WE DESIGN

OUR SCHOOLS?

The scene is familiar: a teacher stands at the front of a room. Children sit in the center, their seats arranged

in rows or semicircles.

There is a chalkboard, a wall map and a globe. This could be a classroom in 1995 or 1895, or even 1795.

Although the details may vary, school design has seen few changes in the past two hundred years.

What happens when you add a computer to this scene? A printer? A scanner, a video monitor, a telecommunication

system? Designing a technologically rich school for the new century means more than simply plugging

in the equipment. Computer networking, video conferencing and new approaches to learning make traditional

classroom configurations impractical. The schools of tomorrow may take on shapes that will seem foreign

to us today.

What will these new schools look like? Architects, engineers and educators describe exciting possibilities.

A growing body of research has linked student achievement and behavior to the physical building conditions

and overcrowding. Good facilities appear to be an important precondition for student learning. However,

according to government reports, schools in the United States need much work.

Schools of the twenty-first century will provide a technologically rich environment, say architects, engineers

and educators. Here is a peek into the future, according to prototypes developed by the National Center

for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA).

In tomorrow's classrooms, students no longer need to face a podium, teacher's desk or writing board.

Learning stations are distributed along walls, in island clusters or in zigzag patterns. For small study groups,

workspaces are triangular rather than square. Rooms are wheelchair friendly with wide, unobstructed passageways

and low handles and switches.

This futuristic classroom resembles a television studio with two monitors, three cameras and related

equipment. One of the monitors displays presentation broadcast within the school building, while the other displays

students and teachers at other locations – anywhere in the world. The television cameras are directed at

students and the teacher, or focus on visual aids used in teacher presentations. Bright overhead spotlights enhance

the quality of video transmission.

Flush mounted microphones on student desks assure that everyone can hear and be heard. Materials used

for walls, ceilings and floors are especially chosen to optimize voice clarity. Echoing linoleum hallways are

outdated.

In the school of the future, there are no computer labs with rows of monitors and miles of tangled cables.

Electrical outlets and communication ports are strategically located throughout the building. Wide conduits inside

walls and beneath floors accommodate wires and cables.

More than ever, school design is modular. Rooms are added to, divided and reconfigured as the curriculum

changes and technologies evolve. Portable carts allow computers to move freely throughout the building. Movable

partitions permit teachers to shift from small to large group activities. Moreover, since furniture design is

standardized, workstations may be moved and reassembled anywhere in the building.

No one knows what the future will bring. New technologies and revised theories of teaching could make

the best-laid plans obsolete. Nevertheless, interesting innovations are already making their way into classrooms

being built today.

Active Vocabulary

1) familiar – обычный, знакомый

2) semicircle – полукруг

3) to vary – изменяться

4) equipment – оборудование

5) impractical – непрактичный

6) foreign – незнакомый, чужой, иностранный

7) possibility – возможность

8) overcrowding – переполнение, большое скопление людей

9) facilities – удобства, приспособления

10) application – применение

11) cluster – группа, скопление

12) passageway – проход, коридор

13) visual aids – наглядные пособия

14) to enhance – увеличивать, усиливать

15) transmission – передача данных, транслирование

16) to mount – устанавливать, монтировать

17) outdated – устаревший

18) to tangle – запутывать, перепутывать

19) outlet – выходное отверстие

20) conduit – изоляционная трубка

Exercises on the Text

Arrange the sentences in the right order

1. of / to / today / the / seem / tomorrow / will / schools / foreign / us

2. important / for / learning / appear / good / student / an / facilities / precondition / to / be

3. than / groups / are / for / triangular / small / spaces / rather / study / square / work

4. walls / cables / wide / floors / inside / and / wires / conduits / beneath / accommodate / and

5. future / knows / bring / no / wait / one / the / will

Translate the following word combinations from Russian into English

1. казаться незнакомым

2. хорошее оборудование

3. телевизионная студия

4. улучшить качество

5. мобильные компьютерные столы

Decide whether the following statements are true or false

1. In a futuristic classroom students will have to face their teacher’s desk all the time.

2. Learning stations are distributed along walls, in island clusters or in zigzag patterns.

3. Work spaces are square for small study groups.

4. Rooms are wheelchair friendly with narrow, obstructed halls and high handles and switches.

5. A classroom of tomorrow will resemble a television studio.

Grammar Reference

Страдательный залог простых времен

Correct these sentences

1. This house built 100 years ago.

2. Football plays in most countries of the world.

3. Why did the letter send to the wrong address?

4. A garage is a place where cars repair.

5. Where are you born?

6. How many languages are speaking in Switzerland?

7. Somebody broke into our house but nothing stolen.

8. When was invented the bicycle?

Complete the sentences. Use Passive (Present or Past)

1. The room (clean) every day.

2. I saw an accident yesterday. Two people (take) to hospital.

3. Paper (make) from wood.

4. There was a fire at the hotel last week. Two of the rooms (damage).

5. "Where did you get this picture?" "It (give) to me by a friend of mine."

6. Many American programmes (show) on British television.

7. "Did Jim and Sue go to the wedding?" "No, they (invite) but they did not go."

8. "How old is this film?" "It (make) in 1965."

9. My car (steal) last week but the next day it (find) by the police.

Complete the sentences. Use Future Passive

1. The house (lock up) for the summer and it (look after) by the gardener.

2. You (give) new instructions before you leave.

3. All your words (take) down.

4. Bell (look on) as a sweet-tempered young man.

5. Tomorrow no reference (make) to this scene.

Role Play

Do you like your classrooms? Compare classrooms at school with those at the University.

UNIT 11

Warming Up

1. What does a typical modern kitchen look like?

2. What are kitchens usually used for nowadays?

3. Have you ever heard about Feng Shui?

4. Do you know any regulations of this ancient Asian art?

5. Do you agree that the role of the kitchen in family life has changed?

KITCHENS COME FIRST IN THE ANCIENT ASIAN ART,

FENG SHUI

In Feng Shui, the kitchen represents nourishment and prosperity; after all, it is human nature to associate

food and nutrition with nurturing and sustenance. Believers in Feng Shui say that how you design and decorate the kitchen can influence your prosperity and health.

The first thing to bear in mind when considering any Feng Shui advice is that ultimately, Feng Shui is a

complex practice with several different schools, and the recommendations will vary from school to school and from one practitioner to another. So too, advice will differ depending upon the unique home - and the unique people living in it. Despite the fact that different schools may have diverse views on some topics, there are basic Feng Shui principles that apply to all kitchens.

The first thing to consider when looking at the kitchen is its placement in terms of the whole house. We

cannot always decide where each room in a house or apartment will be in relation to the others, but if you are working with new construction or doing extensive renovations, ideally the kitchen will be in the back of the house, at least behind centerline of house.

In any case, it is better if you do not see the kitchen immediately upon entering the house, as this can portend digestive, nutritional, and eating problems. Having the kitchen at the entry point can also mean that guestswill come over, eat, and then leave immediately, and such a placement can also encourage the inhabitants to eatall the time.

But if your kitchen is in the front of the house, do not panic; there are remedies that can take care of this.

Use this as an opportunity to get creative. Try hanging sheer or beaded curtains over the kitchen door. Or, install louvered doors. Another idea is to provide something delightfully eye-catching across a hall or in a vestibule near the kitchen. That way, attention is diverted from the busy kitchen.

It is very important for the cook to be in a "commanding position" when at the stove. The cook should be

able to clearly see the doorway without turning away from the stove. Renovating a kitchen can be particularly challenging. Many modern kitchens have the range facing the wall. Some Feng Shui consultants recommend an easy solution: hang something reflective, such as a mirror or a shiny sheet of decorative aluminum, over the stove. The reflective surface can be any size, but the bigger it is, the more powerful the correction will be.

For a more dramatic solution, consider installing a cooking island. Placing the stove in a central island allows the cook to see the entire room, including the doorway. Cooking islands have become a popular trend in kitchen design. According to Guita Behbin, owner of "Duramaid Industries" (a kitchen and bath design and renovation company) many customers want their kitchens to flow into an open space, or "Great Room", that includes a living and dining area. Designing a kitchen around a cooking island will help keep the cook involved in whatever is happening in that Great Room, whether it is clever before-dinner conversation or hearing about a child's English homework.

Feng Shui-inspired kitchen design dovetails with the contemporary trend toward "group cooking." Instead

of isolating the cook, families and guests often gather in the kitchen and participate in the meal preparation.

Also, busy working couples use dinner preparation as an important time to unwind together.

Active Vocabulary

1) nourishment – питание, пища

2) prosperity – процветание, благосостояние

3) sustenance – насыщение, питательность

4) ultimately – в конечном счете

5) unique – особенный, необычный

6) diverse – разнообразный

7) renovation- преобразование, переделывание

8) to portend – предвещать, вызывать

9) digestive – пищеварительный

10) to encourage – поощрять

11) remedy – лекарство, средство, способ

12) sheer – прозрачный

13) to bead – украшать бусами, расшивать бисером

14) louvered – заделанный с помощью жалюзи

15) to divert – отвлекать внимание

16) to renovate – переделывать, улучшать

17) to challenge – провоцировать

18) trend – тенденция, направление

19) to participate – принимать участие

20) to unwind – успокоиться

Exercises on the Text

Arrange the sentences in the right order

1. gather / and / instead / preparation / the / often / of / in / the / cook / the / isolating / and / guests / families

/ in / participate / meal / kitchen

2. is / house / don`t / if / the / kitchen / of / panic / front / your / the / in

3. see / be / cook / the / stove / able / without / to / from / should / turning / clearly / away / doorway / the /

the

4. any / surface / size / the / be / reflective / can

5. the / wall / modern / the / have / many / kitchens / facing / range

Translate the following word combinations from Russian into English

1. простое решение

2. отражающая поверхность

3. распространенная тенденция

4. открытое пространство

5. серьезные изменения

Decide whether the following statements are true or false

Feng Shui principles include the following ones:

1. The kitchen represents starvation and decay.

2. Your kitchen design influences your prosperity.

3. It is very important for the cook to be in a "commanding position" when at the stove.

4. Hang some dark object over the stove.

5. Create a "cooking island" in your kitchen.

Grammar Reference

Придаточные предложения

Use your own ideas to complete these sentences

1. I am going to the concert if …

2. If you do not hurry …

3. I do not want to go swimming if …

4. If you go to bed early tonight …

5. Turn the television off if …

6. Tina will not pass her exams if …

7. If I have time tomorrow …

8. We can go to the beach tomorrow if …

Complete the sentences

1. I do not know the answer. If I … the answer, I’d tell you.

2. I have a car. I could not travel very much if I … a car.

3. I do not want to go out. If I … to go out, I’d go.

4. We have not got a key. If we … a key, we could get into a house.

5. I am not hungry. I would have something to eat if I … hungry.

6. Sue enjoys her work. She wouldn’t do it if she … it.

7. You cannot drive. If you … drive, I would lend you my car.

8. He speaks too fast. I could understand him better if he … more slowly.

9. I have a lot to do today. If I … so much to do, we could go out.

Put in who or which

1. I met a woman … can speak six languages.

2. What is the name of the woman … lives next door?

3. What is the name of the river … flows through the town?

4. Where is the picture … was hanging on the wall?

5. Do you know anybody … wants to buy a car?

6. You always ask questions … are difficult to answer.

7. I have a friend … is very good at repairing cars.

8. I think everybody … went to the party enjoyed it very much.

9. Why does he always clothes … are too small for him?

Role Play

Your friend is a Feng Shui fanatic. But your point of view is quite different. Share your ideas about this ancient

Asian art.

UNIT 12

Warming Up

1. Which siding material is the most popular nowadays?

2. Do you like vinyl siding?

3. What is the synonym of "vinyl"?

4. What is vinyl made from?

5. Is this siding permanent? What do you think?