3.2 Dialogues

3.2.1 Read the following dialogues in parts

Dialogue I

A: When do I have to give my paper, Mr. Chairman? My name is George Brown.

B: Just a minute, Mr. Brown. Let me consult my notes. You know, there were some changes on the program. Yes. You come third on the morning session.

A: I'm sorry to trouble you but is there any chance to put off my talk for the evening session? I need to be somewhere else in the morning and it's very important.

B: All right. It can be done. You'll be the first in the evening, at five o'clock to be exact. Does it suit you?

A: Oh, it suits me fine. Thank you so much.

B: Not at all.

Dialogue II

A: May I have you for a few minutes? B: Why, sure. What can I do for you?

A: I've just heard your paper. I'm very interested in your research as we seem to work on the same problem.

B: Well, that sounds very interesting, isn't it? Shall we sit somewhere? A: What about going to a cafeteria? B: That would be fine.

Dialogue III

A: My congratulations! Your paper was a real success. B: Thank you. I'm very glad it was received so well. A: Could we discuss some points which are not very clear to me? B: Oh, yes. Unfortunately, I had to omit many details. A: I understand you had too little time at your disposal.

3.2.2 a) Imagine you want to declare your desire to take part in the conference. Make up a situation of your own using the following patterns:

1 I should like very much to attend your conference … 2 Unfortunately, I could not manage to submit my application earlier … 3 I would like to know if it is possible for someone from here to attend the conference.

42

b) Imagine you want to decline your invitation to the conference. Make up a situation of your own using the following patterns:

1 I would be grateful if you could eliminate my name from the programme … 2

1 should like to thank you again for your invitation and to wish you all success at the Meeting. I am sorry….. 3 In response to your letter I would like to inform you that I much regret…..

3.2.3 Answer the following questions so that the answers would make a comprehensive account of your participation in the work of some scientific gathering

1 Have you ever had an opportunity to be present at a large scientific gathering?

2 Was it a regional or a national (international) conference (congress)? 3 When and where was it held? 4 Who was its president? 5 What was the most interesting paper presented at this scientific meeting? 6 How long did this conference last? 7 How many simultaneous sessions were held on the same day? 8 Was there any reception held after the final session? 9 Did you or any of your colleagues present papers at this conference? 10 Was your paper a success? 11 Was it discussed in detail? 12 Were there any discussions of general interest held during this conference? 13 What is your general impression of the conference?

3.3 Texts and exercises

3.3.1 Read the text and give Russian equivalents to the underlined words and word-combinations. Find the answers to the following questions

1. What are invited and contributed papers?

1. What is the difference between an abstract and a summary of the presentation of the paper?

2. Do you have any papers published in a Digest?

Call for Contributed Papers

The conference will contain both invited and contributed papers. A number of contributed papers covering original unpublished work on the meeting subjects will be accepted for presentations. Each author will be expected to submit the following material on the paper supplied:

• A 50-word abstract of the paper for the meeting program;

• A summary of the presentation. This summary of up to four pages will be reproduced from the material submitted by the author.

Summaries of all accepted papers will be printed as submitted in a Digest of the meeting which will act in a lieu of a conference proceedings. The Digest is to be distributed at the Conference.

Completed abstracts and summaries must be received by the Organising Committee by June 1, 2005.

43

3.3.2 Use the following speech patterns and make up:

1. a short abstract

2. an extended abstract

A comparison of… with … is made

A method of… is proposed

An approach to estimating … is

present

An attempt to … is made

Data on … are discussed

Discussion will focus on the problem

of...

Present data encompass a period of…

The design of the experiments was to reveal…

The effect of… on … is discussed The methods used for … are discussed

The most important results are as

follows …

This paper aims at…

This paper comments briefly on …

This paper concerns /considers/ deals

with

This paper examines…..

This study is an attempt…..

We have been able to show that…..

Делается сравнение с … Предлагается метод .…. Дается подход к оценке .….

Делается попытка .…. Обсуждаются данные по … Обсуждение будет сфокусировано на …

Настоящие данные охватывают период .….

Эксперименты были направлены на выявление .….

Обсуждается влияние … на … Описываются методы, исполь­зуемые для .….

Самые важные результаты имеют следующий вид .….

Настоящий доклад имеет своей целью …

В настоящем докладе даются краткие замечания по поводу .…. В настоящем докладе

рассматривается .…. В настоящем докладе исследуется Настоящее исследование является попыткой … Нам удалось показать, что ….

3.3.3 Study the text below (work in pairs). One reads the text, another supervises, then change the parts. Give Russian translation of the underlined words and word-combinations

The World Conference on Computers in Education

The World Conference on Computers in Education took place in Switzerland last month. This Congress brought together more than 1000 people concerned with their development and use in primary, secondary and university education, as well as in vocational training. This Conference was organized by the Swiss Federation of Automatic Control, on behalf of the International Federation for Information

44

Processing (IFIP), and had the backing of UNESCO and the Intergovernmental Bureau for Informatics (IBI, Rome), which were offering to support participants from developing countries, preferentially those who wished to present a paper.

In addition to the Congress, a youth world computer programming tournament was being held in different countries; the national winners were invited to present their entry at the Conference.

At the same time, an exhibition was set up to present educational material and a range of hardware and software, going from the smallest personal computer to the largest distributed informatics network, a concrete illustration of the multiple resources of these techniques applied to teaching and education.

The Conference put the accent on the relations between informatics and the teaching of other disciplines (computers in the teaching of physics, humanities at school, engineering, economics and social sciences), on instructional techniques (large scale experiments in computer aided learning - CAL) and on the impact of new technologies. Moreover, the social impact of informatics on teachers and students, as well as on leisure were discussed during the conference.

Other contributions presented reviews of national policies and models of computer education; a special emphasis was put on the identification of the needs of developing countries and on the definition of the means to meet them.

3.3.4 Read the text again and find the answers to the following questions

1 When did the World Conference on Computers in Education take place? 2 This Congress brought together people concerned with the development of computers in education, didn't it? 3 How many participants took part in the Conference? 4 The Conference was organized by the International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP), wasn't it? 5 What organization offered support to participants from developing countries? 6 A youth world computer programming tournament was being held in different countries, wasn't it? 7 The national winners of this tournament were invited to present their entry at the Conference, were they not? 8 What exhibition was set up at the Conference? 9 What did the Conference put the accent on? 10 The social impact of informatics on teachers and students, as well as on leisure was discussed during the Conference, wasn't it? 11 Did other countries present reviews of national policies and models of computer education? 12 Special emphasis was put on the needs of developing countries, wasn't it?

5. Make a list of the most important points for you in the text

5. Learn and act out the dialogue. Make up your own dialogue on the same subject:

A: I'm looking forward to your paper very much.

B: Thank you. I hope it will be useful to you.

A: I'm sure it will. May I ask you a few questions before they start?

45

B: Sure. Perhaps, we'll find an empty room. There are still some twenty minutes left.

A:That'dbejustfine.

3.3.7 Make up dialogues on the following situation. If possible use the terminology of your own field of science.

A Russian scientist is introducing his young collaborate to a foreign colleague. The young researcher has heard a lot about the foreign scientists

Key phrases:

congratulations; to be a real success; I'd like you to meet my young colleague; to be one of the best young researchers at the university; How d'you do? I'm very happy to meet you; I've read many of your papers and books on computers in education; to find them extremely interesting; I've just finished a new book; to be published next year; I'll send it over to you as soon as it comes out; it would be wonderful; We are trying not to miss anything interesting in this field; to have a good command of three foreign languages; Oh, I wish I could read Russian literature.