Before Reading

WARM-UPS

1. MICROSOFT: Find out what other students know about what Microsoft (Windows, Hotmail, Bill Gates etc). Talk to as many students as you can. When you have finished, sit with your partner(s) and share your information.

2. CHAT: In pairs / groups, decide which of these topics or words from the article are most interesting and which are most boring.

Microsoft / Windows operating system / slogans / wow / 3D / digital media / security / PC’s / hackers / viruses / consumers / premium / ultimate / copycats

Have a chat about the topics you liked. For more conversation, change topics and partners frequently.

3. OPERATING SYSTEMS: Here are some operating system features. With your partners, rank them in order of most important. Explain your ranking.

Looks beautiful Secure from viruses Lets you store photos and play music You can easily search for your files

It’s cheap It’s quick to start It never freezes Other ____________

After you have finished, decide which of the speeches you most agree with.

4. QUICK DEBATE: Students A believe Microsoft’s Windows Vista operating system will wow the world. Students B believe a computer operating system is too boring to wow anyone but computer geeks. Debate this and change partners often.

5. BEING WOWED: In pairs / groups, discuss which of these new computer functions would wow you. How much money would you pay for them? (They will never be free.) When will they hit the shelves?

a. A computer that is totally operated by speech has no keyboard

b. Operating your computer from a mobile phone from anywhere in the world

c. 24-hour web cam surveillance of your home - data saves on your hard drive

d. Browser windows open and keyboard commands all happen in a split second

e. Instant whole-body health checks

f. A digital pal that talks to you, tells jokes that are funny, and gives you advice

6. WOW: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word “wow”. Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.

1. TRUE / FALSE: Look at the article’s headline and guess whether these sentences are true (T) or false (F):

a.	Microsoft Vista was released in the USA only.	T / F
b.	Vista was developed by 8,000 people.	T / F
c.	Microsoft’s slogan is “Open bigger vistas with Vista”.	T / F
d.	Bill Gates said Vista was dramatically more secure than before.	T / F
e.	Vista can be used on any PC bought in the last ten years.	T / F
f.	Analysts caution consumers against buying now in case of viruses.	T / F
g.	There are five different versions of the operating system for sale.	T / F
h.	Many people think Apple Computer will copy Vista.	T / F

2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article:

a.	unveiling	publicity
b.	epitomize	polished
c.	wowed	imitator
d.	slick	strengthened
e.	beefed up	hazard
f.	hype	launch
g.	overcome	range
h.	pitfall	sum up
i.	array	get the better of
j.	copycat	astonished

3. PHRASE MATCH: Match the following phrases from the article (sometimes more than one combination is possible):

a.	It was more than five years in	up security
b.	Gates believes users will be wowed	to the stores
c.	a slick	to overcome
d.	beefed	by what’s on offer
e.	dramatically more secure	of Apple’s Mac OSX
f.	Despite the hype	the making
g.	quite a few hurdles	is that hackers have also been waiting
h.	Another potential pitfall	than any other operating system
i.	customers may not dash	and fanfare…
j.	people calling Vista a copycat	new 3D interface

Дата добавления: 2015-01-03