Answer the following questions.
1.
How did Jobs and Wozniak design the Apple computer?
2.
What characteristics of Apple’s computers can you name?
3.
What is Ipod a must-have gadget?
The book is reborn
You are about to leave for holiday. You have two long weeks on a beach
ahead of you― a chance to read all those books you’ve been planning to read all
year. So you decide to pack a selection of paperbacks. You know paperback books
are incredibly light and convenient, so it comes as rather as a shock when you put
four or five in your suitcase and realize they are as heavy as a brick. Suddenly the
thought that you will have to carry all that weight through the airport doesn’t seem
quite so appealing.
Well, now there is a solution. Instead of carrying heavy books around you
simply take an e-book. In the same way that MP3 players mean you don’t have to
carry around dozens of CDs, the e-book contains all the books you might want to
read in one small package. So, if you’re not sure whether you are going to feel like
a lightweight romance or a heavyweight biography, that’s no problem. You simply
load all the books you might want into memory and then make up your mind when
you arrive.
So, how does it work? Electronics companies had been working on the e-
book for years before they found the perfect combination of materials and
technology. The magic ingredient was electronic paper, a US invention that is
completely different from the liquid crystal display (LDC) technology used for
most computer screens. Earlier versions of the e-book had suffered from the same
problems as laptop computers and mobile phone screens―the screens were
impossible to see in bright sunlight and people found that their eyes were getting
tired after using them for any length of time. Manufacturers knew they had to
invent a superior technology, and electronic paper was the result―it is flicker-free
and looks exactly like real paper and ink.
And the e-book has many other advantages. The size of text can be changed
at the flick of a switch, which means many people with poor eyesight will be able
to read without needing glasses. As well as text, the e-book can display pictures
and diagrams, and with an electronic pen the reader can make notes on the screen
which the machine will remember, making it an ideal product for students. In fact,
there are several internet companies that will be supplying medical and scientific e-
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book files in the near future. So the students of tomorrow won’t have to spend a
fortune on those expensive university textbooks―they’ll simply log on the Internet
and download everything they need to their e-book.
*From: “Language Leader” (upper-intermediate)
Work with a partner to discuss the following.
1.
What sort of things do you read on a computer rather than on paper?
2.
How does reading a computer screen compare with reading a book?
3.
Name advantages and disadvantages of e-books.
Word list
according to
согласно чему-либо
to allow
разрешать, позволять
application
приложение
appropriate
соответствующий
collaboration
сотрудничество
common
общий
to be compiled
составляться кем-то
to consider
полагать
to contain
вмещать
content
содержание
to contribute to
вносить вклад
correspondence
соответствие
destination
место назначения
to double-check
перепроверять
to download
скачать (информацию)
to enable
давать возможность
floods of messages
поток сообщений
gadget
устройство
gradually
постепенно
increasing
возрастающий
launch
запуск
profitability
доходность
pros and cons
за и против
to receive
получать
22
Общий словарь
access
доступ
to be accompanied with
сопровождаться чем-то
to appeal to
привлекать
available
имеющийся в наличии, свободный
to be accustomed to
привыкший к чему-либо
breakthrough
прорыв
catchy phrases
легко запоминающиеся фразы
to comprise
состоять из
core
главный, центральный
current affairs
текущие дела
to dedicate to
посвящать
to distribute
раздавать, распределять
to emerge
появляться, выясняться
to encompass
охватывать
entertainment
развлечение
exposure
кадр
frequency
частота
to interact with
взаимодействовать с
inseparable part
неделимый
network
niche readership
сеть
ниша читателей
to observe
наблюдать
pivotal role
центральный, значительный
purchase
покупка
to reduce
снижать, сокращать
to require
требовать(ся) ,нуждаться
advertisement
реклама
to aim at
стремиться к чему-то
applied to
обращенный к чему-то
coverage
освещение события
deliberately
преднамеренно
to be devoted to
посвящать
distinct
отличный, отчетливый
to emphasize
подчеркивать; делать упор на чем-то
extensive
обширный
reliable
надежный, достоверный
significance
значение, важность
to tend to
склоняться к
artificial
искусственный
to assemble
собирать
to cope with
справляться с
23
to define
давать определение
to be fascinated by
быть очарованным чем-то
to involve
подразумевать, быть связанным
to prove
доказывать
ultimately
в конце концов
to escape from
убегать от чего-то
to compare with
сравнивать с чем-то
successful
успешный
to have influence on
оказывать влияние на что либо
according to
согласно чему-либо
to allow
разрешать, позволять
application
приложение
appropriate
соответствующий
collaboration
сотрудничество
common
общий
to be compiled
составляться кем-то
to consider
полагать
to contain
вмещать
content
содержание
to contribute to
вносить вклад
correspondence
соответствие
destination
место назначения
to double-check
перепроверять
to download
скачать (информацию)
to enable
давать возможность
floods of messages
поток сообщений
gadget
устройство
gradually
постепенно
increasing
возрастающий
launch
запуск
profitability
доходность
pros and cons
за и против
to receive
получать
software
программное обеспечение
successful
успешный
to supply
поставлять
to take over
овладеть
to update
обновлять
to upload
загружать (информацию)