II. Look at these words from the text. Write h (hardware), p (peripheral), s (software) or m (measurement) next to each one.

1) mouse

2) modem

3) Linux

4) scanner

5) gigabytes (GB)

6) floppy disk

7) CPU

8) MacOS

9) megabyte (MB)

10) printer

11) RAM

12) megahertz (MHz)

III. Work in pairs. Look at the chart and compare the two computers. Use fast, slow, cheap, expensive, big, small.

HiTech2010 SeriesXWi-Fi

Type PC Notebook

CPU 933 MHz 1.5 GHz

RAM 256 MB 512 MB

Monitor/Screen 17 inch 15 inch

Hard disk 20 GB 40 GB

Price 2.000 2.999

Text B

I. Skim through the following text to get the general idea of the meaning. Do not worry about words you do not know. Choose a suitable title for the text.

a) The development of the computer

b) The problems of having a computer

c) Personal computer components

Although computers have been around for a long time, it wasn’t until recent years that they became accessible to almost everyone. Approximately 60 million computers are sold each year. In the 19th century Charles Babbage, an English mathematician worked out the principles of the modern computer. (1)

One of Babbage’s designs had many features of a modern computer. It had an input screen and a store for saving data, together with a printer that made permanent records. Today, a typical computer has components to display and print information. These are the monitor and the printer. (2)

Nowadays, most computers come equipped with CD-ROM drives, which provide users with immediate access to a huge source of information; for those who want entertainment, the CD-ROM and the addition of speakers can bring a game or activity to life. With its development of the Internet and the World Wide Web, many computer-users now have access to an even bigger range of facilities, by linking up with other computers around the world.(3)

Another feature of high-technology machines is video conferencing. Such a facility enables people to see each other while they are talking on the phone through the Internet. If the people communicating through the Internet have mini-cameras connected to their computers, they can speak to each other face-to-face in real time. The need to be better informed is creating more powerful machines to provide society with all kinds of information and services. (4)

II. Read the text again more slowly. Choose from the sentences A–D the one which best fits each gap (1–3) in the above text. There is one extra sentence which you do not need to use.

A. This is achieved through a modem and a telephone line.

B. Both of these involve training.

C. It also has a keyboard and a mouse to enter commands and data which is stored on and retrieved from the hard drive or floppy disks.

D. At that time, the technology to put the theory into practice did not exist.

Part III

You are going to read an article about the uses of computers. Eight sentences have been removed from the article. Choose from the sentences A–I the one which best fits each gap (1–7). There is one extra sentence which you don’t need to use. There is an example at the beginning (O).