Задание 3. Заполните таблицу

А scientist	Discoveries

Домашнее задание:повторить ЛЕ

Практическое занятие № 31

Тема: «Научно- технический прогресс и его последствия»

Цель: Развитие навыков устной речи.

Задание 1. Прочитайте текст и обсудите следующие вопросы:

1) Do you imagine your life without gadgets?

2) What are good and bad sides of using gadgets in our everyday life?

People in contemporary world can hardly imagine their lives without machines. Every day either a new gadget is invented or an old one is improved. Different people appreciate new inventions differently. Some suppose that sophisticated gadgets are really useful and necessary, while others find them absolutely awful as they influence people badly. As for me, I am pretty sure that gadgets make people`s lives easier.

Firstly, they do all kinds of dirty and hard work, as cleaning. Secondly, devices can save a lot of time as well as storage space. For instance, a computer disk can contain the same amount of information as several thick books. So, machines help people in different spheres.

However, opponents of this point of view are definitely sure that gadgets affect people negatively. People are reluctant to work due to the influence of machines. People become lazy and disorganized. They just expect their latest gadgets to do everything instead of them. Moreover, according to scientists, a great number of widespread devices produce radiation that can cause serious health problems. Furthermore, more and more people are becoming addicted to their modern gadgets, for instance computers, TVs or mobile phones. So, they neglect their home obligations, work or school and spend all their spare time in front of a laptop screen or a TV-set.

In conclusion, I firmly believe that in spite of all drawbacks, gadgets have, their benefits are much more considerable, as they save people`s time and let them enjoy life.

Задание 2. Ответьте на вопросы:

1. Are you a PC user?

2. Was it easy or difficult for you to learn how to use it ?

3.What for do you use your computer ?

4. Who taught you to use the computer?

5. How much time a day do you spend in front of the computer ?

Задание 2. Прочитайте текст и найдите в нем необходимую информацию.

As you know Bill Gates created the first software – the programs that help personal computers process different information. As founder of Microsoft Inc., he is now one of the richest men in America. Read the text and find the information about:

- Bill Gates was active in his teenage years.

- He and his friend developed disk operating system.

- Bill Gates foresaw the significance of computers in the future.

- Binary number system has only two digits.

- Bill Gates’ predictions came true.

Bill Gates, The Software King

Most of the computers in the world use software invented by Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft Inc. of Redmond, Wash. Software is the set of programs that make computers – whether business or personal – perform various tasks.

Gates was born in Seattle, Wash., in 1955. As a boy, he was bright and curious. He was active in Scouting, reaching Life Scout rank in Troop 186. He especially loved hiking, camping and other outdoor adventures.

But Gates was obsessed with computers. While a student at Harvard University in 1975, Gates and a friend, Paul Allen, developed a computer language for an early version of the personal computer. Microsoft was born. Gates went on to develop operating systems, such as MS-DOS, and software programs.

Thanks to Microsoft, Gates is now one of the richest men in America. He is worth more than $8 billion.

A technical wizard and a fierce business competitor, Gates sees great things ahead for computers. He says they «are really going to change a lot of things in the world – the way we work, the way we play and entertain ourselves and even the way we are educated».

Computers in your Future

Microsoft’s Bill Gates and other computer experts saw great things ahead. They said that in the next few years, you would be able to sit at your computer and see high-quality video sent from any place on earth.

They predicted you would also have a wallet-size personal computer. With it you would be able to store photographs, pay bills, get the news, send messages, see movies and open locks with digital keys.

At home on your TV-size PC you would be able to see and talk with friends in other states, get medical advice, check magazine articles and pictures in a far-off library and order a pizza. A computerized control system at home would regulate your lighting, temperature and security system.

Big dreams? Are these dreams or facts? Perhaps. But engineers have done a lot to make it reality.

Vocabulary:

to perform – выполнять

life Scout rank – пожизненный титул бойскаута

troop – отряд

to be obsessed – быть одержимым

operating system – система функционирования

worth – обладающий

fierce – неистовый

to inspire – вдохновлять

solid-state – твердый

wallet-size – величиной с бумажник