6. Научно- технический прогресс. Компьютер.

Great Inventions

3.6.1. Read the texts, translate them.

Television (1920s)

The invention that swept the world and changed leisure habits for countless millions was pioneered by Scottish-born electrical engineer John Logie Baird. It had been realised for some time that light could be converted into electrical impulses, making it possible to transmit such impulses over a distance and then reconvert them into light.

Motor Car (late 19th Century)

With television, the car is probably the most widely used and most useful of all leisure-inspired inventions. German engineer Karl Benz produced the first petroldriven car in 1885 and the British motor industry started in 1896. Henry Ford was the first to use assembly line production for his Model Т car in 1908. Like them or hate them, cars have given people great freedom of travel.

Electricity

The name came from the Greek word for amber and was coined by Elizabeth I's physician William Gilbert who was among those who noticed that amber had the power to attract light objects after being rubbed. In the 19th century such great names as Michael Faraday, Humphry Davy, Alessandro Volta and Andre Marie Ampere all did vital work on electricity.

Photography (early 19th Century)

Leonardo da Vinci had described the camera obscura photographic principle as early as 1515. But it was not until 1835 that Frenchman Louis Daguerre produced camera photography. The system was gradually refined over the years, to the joy of happy snappers and the despair of those who had to wade through friends' endless holiday pictures.

Telephone (1876)

Edinburgh-born scientist Alexander Graham Bell patented his invention of the telephone in 1876. The following year, the great American inventor Thomas Edison produced the first working telephone. With telephones soon becoming rapidly available, the days of letter-writing became numbered.

Computer (20th Century)

The computer has been another life-transforming invention. British mathematician Charles Babbage designed a form of computer in the mid-1830s, but it was not until more than a century later that theory was put into practice. Now, a whole generation has grown up with calculators, windows, icons, computer games and word processors, and the Internet and e-mail have transformed communication and information.

Aero plane

The plane was the invention that helped shrink the world and brought distant lands within easy reach of ordinary people. The invention of the petrol engine made flight feasible and the American Wright brothers made the first flight in 1903.

3.6.2.

Computer Revolution

50 years 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, too. 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?

3.6.3.

"Computer is my friend, but not the best".

Nowadays we live in information era, when information is the key and engine of progress. Future is speed and power. Our society needs to develop means of information. The Internet, phones, telegraph, cell phones, radio, TV are all the means of communication. They are no longer symbols of prestige but tools, which let to use working time more effectively.

60 years ago people didn't even heard of computers, and today we can't imagine our life without them. Let's remember some facts from the history of computer development.

The first computer was made in 1946 at the University of Pennsylvania. It was Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer or ENIAC. Its program was wired into the processor and had to be manually altered. 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 computer revolution is still going on.

The next generation of computers will be able to talk and even think for themselves. They will contain electronic "neutral networks". Of course, they will 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.

Nowadays, practically everyone has a computer at home. Computers play a very important role in our life. They are used by people of all ages: from teens to professional businessmen. We can't imagine our modern school without using a computer. We can make projects, slide-shows and even films at our lessons with the help of computes. Pupils can use computes to prepare reports, to find information they need, to write compositions, to find new friends with the help of the Internet. The computer is also used as an electronic vocabulary. It is made for people who have no time to look up translations or explanation of words in the dictionary.

I think computers were invented as machines for business people not to waste their time. 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, too. It's faster than sending a letter and cheaper than sending a telegram.

And now I want to tell some words about the Internet. To my mind, it's the greatest invention of humanity. The Internet is a global computer network. Nowadays million of people are already its active users.

The history of Internet began in the United States in 1969. It was a military experiment, designed to help to survive during a nuclear war to get some information to anywhere. Public Internet began in the late 70's.

Today the Internet is very popular all over the world. A global Net has covered almost the whole planet. It has filled lives of people with joy. Firstly, because of the easiest way of getting information about every part of men's occupation.

Secondly, it is indispensable for people who communicate frequently with their relatives and friends from others counties. And also the Internet helps to make friends all over the world. You can virtually visit different countries, cities, museums. You can play games and take part in conferences together with people from different countries. The Internet can completely replace such communication facilities as telephony and mail.

But the Internet carries not only "pluses: There are some negative sides of the Web. First of all, it is connected with the health: The vision may decline, different measles of the back or joints may appear.

Some people may become nervous; lose their contacts with people surrounding them. They lose their conception of real life. Hackers arouse lots of troubles: the Internet hooligans are interfering in lots of programs, breaking computers, dilating viruses, breaking open even federal governmental sites.

The Internet and virtual reality on the whole will never be able to replace real relationships between people, to become a big part of people's life.

Many friends tell me that computer is their best friend. I can't understand how a nothing-feeling machine can be somebody's friend. As for me I enjoy reading books. I think by reading books we learn to think and to feel, we make our speech more eloquent.

I get pleasure in speaking to my friends, listening to what they say, looking into their eyes, following their impressions and feelings.

In conclusion, I'd like to say that computes and the Internet are splendid medium if getting information and communication but nobody and nothing is able to replace our devoted friends, family and other vital values.