Doomsday scenario, interplanetary travel
1. The worst possible prediction for human society is that we destroy ourselves with nuclear weapons.
2. Critics of the idea that the world is developing a single economy and becoming a very small places in terms of communication staged a large demonstration in front of White House
3. Travelling to other planets may become normal in the coming centuries.
4. Doing business via a computer will become more and more normal.
5. The team of scientists is going research into the index of all the genes in a human being.
6. The communicative visual activity between you and the machine incorporates a wide variety of elements directly into the video itself, including hot spots, questions, calculations, lead generation and more.
7. University scientists are hoping to create a computer that will make decisions for itself and work like the human brain.
Task 8. Some of the following ideas are actually myths and not true. Can you guess which?
1. A Canadian businessman is developing a way of breaking up and melting Arctic icebergs so that he can sell very pure mineral water.
2. The Great Wall of China can be seen from space.
3. Russian scientists want to put a vast mirror into orbit that will be half as bright as the moon, to light up dark parts of the earth (e.g. Siberia in the winter).
4. Small, low-lying islands in Florida will be raised on huge metal stilts to protect them from rising sea-levels due to global warming.
5. Humans have exceptionally large brains.
6. Lightning never strikes in the same place twice
7. Computer scientists are developing fully-functioning computers that can be worn on the wrist like a watch.
Task 9.
A) Study the following phrasal verbs.
| phrasal verb | meaning | example | |
| Back up | To make a copy of computer information so that you do not lose it | · It will be a disaster if you don’t back your work up and lose it. | |
| Back-up (n) | Extra copy for safety | · I keep a back-up of important files on my hard disc. | |
| Type/key in | Put information into a computer using a keyboard | · I have to type all these statics in my research paper. | |
| Print out | Produce a printed copy of a document that has been written on a computer | · I find it difficult to read on screen, so I am going to print it out? | |
| Printout (n) | Printed copy of an electronic document | · I always find it easier to read a printout myself. | |
| Zoom in / Zoom out | Show a clear and detailed picture of smth / less detailed picture of smth. | · You can zoom in this picture by clicking this icon here. | |
| Log in / log on | Put your name into a computer so that you can start using it | · You can log on/ in using my password if you want to use the computer. | |
| Log off / out | Finish using a computer system | · Don’t forget to log off/ out when you’ve finished. | |
| Pick up smth / pick smth up | Connect to the Internet and access e-mails | · I’ll take my laptop so I should be able to pick up my e-mails while I’m away. | |
| Scroll across / down / up | Move across / down / up a web page or other documents on a computer screen | · Scroll up to the top of the page | |
B) Complete each of these sentences, using a phrasal verb expression from the table above.
1. Should I … that graph now, if you find it hard to see in details.
2. There were pages of computer … all over the desk.
3. Sometimes web pages are a little too big or too small and it would be nice to be able to … or … to make the page easier to read.
4. Although I’ll be working away from the office for a couple of weeks, I’ll still be … my e-mails every day.
5. If you … to the bottom of the page, you’ll find the data you want.
6. I … to this brilliant new website last night. Let me give you the address so that you can check it out.
7. On these disks you’ll find a … of all the data connected with the project.
8. Do you think you could let me have a … of that screen? I don’t have the time to write down all the details.
WRITING
Write a short composition (about 100-150 words) entitled “My vision of the future”. Consider the future in terms of technology, engineering and society.
TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION
1. What are the best and the most useful inventions of the mankind in the 20th and 21st centuries?
2. What famous inventors do you know? What were their inventions?
3. What would you invent if you were a scientist?
UNIT 15
Distance learning
LEAD-IN