Reading Comprehension

Lesson 1

“Computers make the world smaller and smarter”

The ability of tiny computing devices to control complex operations has transformed
the way many tasks are performed, ranging from scientific research to producing
consumer products. Tiny 'computers on a chip' are used in medical equipment, home
appliances, cars and toys. Workers use handheld computing devices to collect data at
5 a customer site, to generate forms, to control inventory, and to serve as desktop
organisers.
Not only is computing equipment getting smaller, it is getting more sophisticated.
Computers are part of many machines and devices that once required continual human
supervision and control. Today, computers in security systems result in safer
10 environments, computers in cars improve energy efficiency, and computers in phones
provide features such as call forwarding, call monitoring, and call answering.
These smart machines are designed to take over some of the basic tasks previously
performed by people; by so doing, they make life a little easier and a little more pleasant.
Smart cards store vital information such as health records, drivers' licenses, bank
15 balances, and so on. Smart phones, cars, and appliances with built in computers can be
programmed to better meet individual needs. A smart house has a built-in monitoring
system that can turn lights on and off, open and close windows, operate the oven, and
more.
With small computing devices available for performing smart tasks like cooking dinner,
20 programming the VCR, and controlling the flow of information in an organization, people
are able to spend more time doing what they often do best - being creative. Computers
can help people work more creatively.
Multimedia systems are known for their educational and entertainment value, which
we call 'edutainment'. Multimedia combines text with sound, video, animation, and
25 graphics, which greatly enhances the interaction between user and machine and can make
information more interesting and appealing to people. Expert systems software
enables computers to 'think' like experts. Medical diagnosis expert systems, for example,
can help doctors pinpoint a patient's illness, suggest further tests, and prescribe
appropriate drugs.
30 Connectivity enables computers and software that might otherwise be incompatible to
communicate and to share resources. Now that computers are proliferating in many
areas and networks are available for people to access data and communicate with others,
personal computers are becoming interpersonal PCs. They have the potential to
significantly improve the way we relate to each other. Many people today telecommute -
35 that is, use their computers to stay in touch with the office while they are working at
home. With the proper tools, hospital staff can get a diagnosis from a medical expert

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 hundreds or thousands of miles away. Similarly, the disabled can communicate more
effectively with others using computers.
Distance learning and videoconferencing are concepts made possible with the use of an
40 electronic classroom or boardroom accessible to people in remote locations. Vast
databases of information are currently available to users of the Internet, all of whom can
send mail messages to each other. The information superhighway is designed to
significantly expand this interactive connectivity so that people all over the world will
have free access to all these resources.
45 People power is critical to ensuring that hardware, software, and connectivity are
effectively integrated in a socially responsible way. People -computer users and computer
professionals - are the ones who will decide which hardware, software, and networks
endure and how great an impact they will have on our lives. Ultimately people power
must be exercised to ensure that computers are used not only efficiently but in a socially
50 responsible way.

55

Discussion

1. What is your favourite Internet site? Why?

2. At what age should children learn how to use a computer?
60 3. Is it okay to check your social media at work/ in class? Why? / Why not?
4. What are three really good things about computers?
5. What are three really bad things about computers?
6. How will computers change our world in the future?

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Activities

A- Find the answers to these questions in the previous text.

1-Name some types of devices that use ‘computers on a chip'.

2-What uses of handheld computers are mentioned in the text?

3-What are the benefits of using computers with the following items?

• a Security systems
• b Cars
• c Phones
4-What smart devices are mentioned in the text?

5-What are smart cards used for?

6-What are the advantages of multimedia?

7-What can medical expert systems do?

8-How can computers help the disabled?

9-What types of computing systems are made available to people in remote locations
using electronic classrooms or boardrooms?

10-What aspects of computing can people power determine?

B- Match the terms in Table A with the statements in Table B.

Table A

a) Edutainment
b) Multimedia
c) Expert system
d) Telecommute
e) Information superhighway

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Table B

i. Software that enables computers to 'think' like experts

ii. Use computers to stay in touch with the office while working at home
iii. Internet system designed to provide free, interactive access to vast resources for
people all over the world
iv. Multimedia materials with a combination of educational and entertainment
content
v. A combination of text with sound, video, animation, and graphic

C-Mark the following statements as True or False:

1. Desktop organisers are programs that require desktop computers.

2. Computers are sometimes used to monitor systems that previously needed human
supervision.
3. Networking is a way of allowing otherwise incompatible systems to communicate
and share resources.
4. The use of computers prevents people from being creative.
5. Computer users do not have much influence over the way that computing
develops.

D-Vocabulary

1. The adjective “tiny” in line 1 can be replaced by:

a. small
b. very small
c. big

2. The noun “features” in line 11 can be understood as:

a. tools
b. characteristics
c. software

3. The adjective “built in ” in line 16 can be explained as:

a. extra
b. integrated
c. available

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 4. The verb “pinpoint” in line 28 can be explained as:
a. determine
b. adjust
c. examine

5. The adjective “vast” in line 40 can be interpreted as:

a. modest
b. huge
c. compact

6. The verb “ensuring” in line 45 can be interpreted as:

a. determining
b. making sure
c. undermining

7. The verb “endure” in line 48 can be interpreted as:

a. remain
b. refuse
c. collapse

E-Reference

1. What does the subject pronoun “it” in line 7 refer to?

2. What does the determiner “such as” in line 11 refer to?

3. Find a synonym for the verb “enhance” in line 34.

4. What does the relative pronoun “that” in line 45 indicate?

5. What does the word “ones” in line 47 point to?

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Reading Comprehension Strategies

1-Scanning
Scanning is a specific speed-reading technique to look for detailed information in a text.
It allows you to find a specific fact or piece of information quickly.
Scanning is carried out after understanding the general idea of the text (skimming) in
order to spot the specific answer which is being asked for. For this reason, it is important
to know what information is required so as to focus on the answer in a text.

2-Skimming

Skimming involves reading quickly for the general understanding of a text. In other
words, skimming is establishing the main idea of a text. It is useful to distinguish between
the following terms: topic, main idea, topic sentence and supporting details.
The topic of a text is the subject, or what the text is about. The main idea is expressed as
a sentence. If someone asks you to identify the main idea of a passage and you respond
with a single word, you have not said enough; you have probably just identified the topic.
A topic sentence is the term used to identify the sentence in a paragraph that contains the
main idea.

3-Vocabulary/ Lexical Inferencing

Inferencing is a great tool to use when encountering unfamiliar vocabulary. It involves

guessing intelligently the meaning of new words by using the context.
When encountering unfamiliar words, clues from the text known as context clues can be
used. These clues are words that come before or after the new word and help to get an
idea of what the new word means.

4- Reference

Texts are meaningful communicative units of language. Meaning of texts is accomplished

by formal links. The most frequent formal links present in academic texts are referring
expressions, transitional devices and lexical chains. Referring expressions are pronouns
(he, it, those, which, etc.) that point to something mentioned in the text. Transitional
devices are linking words (also, however, first, etc.) that connect ideas and provide unity
to the text. Lexical chains refer to synonyms / near synonyms (power/energy), antonyms
(digital/analog, software/hardware,) and general words (software/ technology) that help
create elegant repetition in a text.