Basic English [ for Computing 4 страница

Thursday 5 Friday 1 Month 1 10 Month 3 2 Month 1 4 Monday

Task 10

Give the students as much time as they need to fill in the table, since it is a visual aid to understanding the text. Then get them to answer the questions.

Key

table 2 Tuesday 4 7 Friday 3 8 questions 1 Friday 2 3 Thursday 5 Month 2

Speaking

Task 11

Prepare students for this exercise by revising large numbers. A good way of doing this is a simple number dictation round the class. Each student thinks of a number and says it aloud in turn whilst the other members of the class write it down. Read the preparatory text together as a class, and make sure students know how to pronounce the units of capacity before you let them begin the pair work.

Task 9

This exercise is similar to the suggested practice exercise above. Remind students to look at the relationship between the ideas in the two halves of sentences that need to be linked, e.g. the relationship between cheap and slow in the first sentence is one of contrast, so the appropriate link word is but.

Key (other answers are possible)

1 but 2 but 3 so

4 but 5 however 6 so 7 but 8 but 9 Forthis reason

10 but 11 therefore

Graphical User Interface

An operating system is a group of programs that tell a computer how to perform basic functions, e.g. how to respond when a key on the keyboard is pressed, how to display a character on the monitor screen, or how to read and write to a disk. The operating system is started automatically when a computer is switched on. It is then used to start up and control other programs. The operating system determines how the user interacts with the computer. Some operating systems require the user to type commands, but an operating system with a graphical user interface (GUI) makes it easier for the user to control the computer. The most common type of graphical user interface is a WIMP (windows, icons, menus, pointer) system, such as Microsoft Windows or the Apple Mac operating system. It should be noted that the recycle bin icon used in the Microsoft Windows system has the same function as the trashcan icon used in the Apple Mac system, i.e. to access the program that stores deleted files, and allow them to be recovered.

When information has to be given to the user or information has to be input by the user, a window known as a dialog box is often used. Notice that the American spelling of dialog is commonly used in this context, although the British spelling dialogue is also found. Other American spellings such as disk and program are also commonly used in computing. Dialog boxes can contain a variety of elements to gather information from the user including: text boxes, drop-down list boxes, checkboxes, and command buttons. A Find dialog box is used to gather information from the user about the files they wish to find. Note that you can search for a piece of text in a file, or search for a file in a folder, but you search for a file on a disk.

Objectives

By the end of this unit, students should be better at: listening for specific detail identifying definitions in a text.

They should be able to:

make definitions using defining relative clauses use simple phrases to discuss possibilities.

date and time recycle bin mouse volume folder

They should know and be able to use these words and abbreviations: GUI, window, icon, pointer, menu, interface, dialog box, text box, checkbox, title bar, tab, recycle bin, arrow pointer, drag and drop.

Tuning-in

Task 1

Before students begin this unit, draw or project an image of a standard computer screen onto the board. This could be your own computer screen or that of one of your students. Explain what a GUI, or graphical user interface, means. Elicit or teach the following basic vocabulary for what they see in front of them screen, window, and icons. Also establish that the bar at the top of the screen is the title bar and the buttons on it are tabs. Although they are dealt with in greater detail further on in the unit, if these five basic terms are clear in the students' heads from the beginning, they will find the tasks much easier. They can then go on to try and identify the icons in Tasks 1 and 2. Remind students that most icons have some resemblance to the things they represent.

Task 2

Students may already have identified some or all of these icons in Task 1. If so, try and give them clues to help them classify any remaining unidentified

icons. Key

a keyboard b

c modem. d

e drawing program f g printer h

i font j

k network

Listening

Task 3

As always, the purpose of a preliminary pre- listening task like this one is to create expectations for the students to 'check' when they do the listening task. With less able groups, revise title bar and tab (which you taught them at the beginning of the unit) before beginning the exercise. This will make it easier for them to identify the remaining features.

Task 4

Teach or revise the prepositions and prepositional expressions - at the top, near the top, at the bottom, between -before you play the recording. Pause in the appropriate places to give the students time to write their answers. Play the text a second time to allow for corrections.

Key

1d 2b 3f 4a 5e 6c

Task 5

Give the students some time to attempt the next two tasks from memory and from their own understanding before playing the recording again for them to check and complete their answers.

Key

Id 2a 3b 4c

Task 8

With more able groups, or as a revision or follow-up exercise, you could give the students a certain amount of time to read the text, then ask them to produce the definitions themselves from memory, with their books closed. To make this easier, you could provide key words for each item, and ask the students to form sentences, e.g. menu - list, choices.

Key

1 Menus give the user a list of choices.

2 The interface is the connection between the user and the computer.

3 A window is an area of the computer screen where you can see the contents of a folder, a file, or a program.

4 An active window is the one in use.

i

5 The pointer is the arrow you use to select icons or to choose options from a menu.

6 Icons are small pictures on the screen.They represent progams, folders, or files.

Language work

Before students look at the text, put the two sentences about icons on the board. An icon is a small picture on a computer screen. An icon represents items such as floppy disks.

Ask students how you could express these two ideas in one sentence, without repeating the word icon. When you have elicited or taught the use of which - i.e. An icon is a small picture on a computer screen which represents items such as floppy disks - go through the other examples together as a class. Get the students to read them aloud and write them down.

Task 6 Key 1d 2c 3a 4b Reading

Task 9

This exercise gives students the opportunity to practise the use of which, and also recycles vocabulary from earlier units.

Task 7

This is a pre-reading task, which is intended to help make the following reading text more easily accessible. Give students a short time to study the diagram. Then ask for volunteers to show where each of the items is on the diagram.

Key

1d 2f 3h 4g 5i 6e 7b 8j 9c 10a

Task 10

Students may prefer to do this activity individually, but encourage them to compare their answers in pairs. Remind them that they can refer back to earlier tasks in the unit, and even earlier units to help them with vocabulary for their definitions. When they have finished, get them to compare their own definitions for these terms, with those provided in the Glossary.

Problem-solving

Task 11

Teach the Aids to Communication phrases in the box at the top of page 41 before beginning this pair- work exercise. This gives students some useful phrases for offering their ideas in English, whilst working in pairs. A good way to do this might be to part draw the objects on the board, and ask students to guess what they are. Add features gradually so that they can refine their guesses. This will create the need for language with which to make guesses or tentative suggestions. Emphasize that they should try to use this language when they are working together!

Key

1f 2g 3e 4b 5a 6d 7c

Writing

Task 12

The text revises important characteristics and features of a dialog box, and could either be done in class or set for homework. It is the first time that the students have been asked to write a piece of sustained prose, so make sure that they are quite clear about the facts. If necessary, go through the questions orally before they start writing. They should first write answers separately for each question, then think about ways in which they could be linked together to make a paragraph.

Key (other answers are possible)

The screen shows the Exit Windows dialog box. You use this box to close down and exit the Windows program.The dialog box contains two command buttons: OK and Cancel.You close down by clicking on the OK button. You return to the Windows program by clicking on the Cancel button.

Organizations that have a large number of computers normally have a technical support department of some kind. The computing support staff in these departments have a range of responsibilities, including the purchase and installation of computer hardware and software, setting up, managing and maintaining network systems, troubleshooting computing problems, and designing and adapting software. They also train users in the use of both equipment and software.

The person being interviewed in this unit is a Computing Support Assistant and is likely to be involved with basic troubleshooting problems. Problems can occur in any area but printing problems are very common. This is probably because printers are partly mechanical and the moving parts are more likely to give problems. The alignment and condition of the paper is important, and it is not uncommon for the paper to get stuck in the mechanism causing what is known as a paper jam.

General purpose office programs, such as word processors, spreadsheets, and databases usually have a large number of features, many of which are rarely used. Users often need help to find out how to operate these features. In PC systems it is also not uncommon for memory problems to occur, particularly if the user is using a large number of programs at the same time. Memory problems often cause the computer to stop functioning. When this happens, the computer is said to have hung or frozen, although the term frozen usually refers to the display screen.

It is important for the computing support staff to be able to communicate with users as well as keep up to date with current technical knowledge about hardware and software. Computing is changing at an accelerating pace and it is difficult for support staff to keep up with all the changes. Ways that this computing support assistant uses to keep in touch with developments include attending courses, using the Internet, and reading current magazines.

Objectives

By the end of this unit, students should be better at listening to an interview for specific detail.

They should be able to use adverbs of frequency.

They should know and be able to use the following words and expressions: freeze, crash, jam, paper jamming, virus, toner, support, support assistant, course.

Tuning-in

Task 1

Ask students what are the most common problems they experience working with their own computers, and what they do about them. In a monolingual group, this discussion could take place in the mother tongue, with the teacher supplying a list of key phrases in English. Alternatively, ask the students to brainstorm in groups, all the words they know for describing computer problems. After you have got feedback from the original discussion, ask the students to list what kind of problems Anne, who works with non-computer specialists, might have to deal with.

Listening

Task 2

Get the students to look through the list of problems 1 to 9 and check these with the list you have established on the board. Explain any new vocabulary before doing the exercise.

Key

I \J Computing Support Assistant

1/ 2/ 3/ W 5X 6/ 7/ 8X 9X

Task 3

Before starting the exercise, get students to close their books and brainstorm ways of how to keep up with new developments in computing. Put their ideas on the board, then get them to compare with the list in the Student's Book. Explain any new vocabulary before doing the exercise.

Key

1/ 2/ 3X 4/ 5/ 6/ 7/

Computing words and abbreviations

Task 5

This revision exercise is a chance to recycle vocabulary from earlier chapters. Students should try to do the classification exercise without looking back in their books, and compare answers in pairs before correcting.

Language work

A good way to introduce adverbs of frequency is to write them down the side of the board next to a scale, where, for example, always is 100%, sometimes 50%, and never 0%. This allows students to see clearly the place of the adverbs whose meanings are less absolute, and avoids confusion. Usually, for example, will go in on the scale at about 90%, above often, which should be at about 75%. Present the adverbs by giving lots of examples from everyday life, and eliciting similar ones from the students. Write their examples on the board. Elicit the rule for the position of the adverb of frequency in a sentence. Tell students to look carefully at the sentences on the board. They should notice that adverbs of frequency come directly in front of the verb in most sentences, but they come directly after the verb to be.

Output Storage

laser printer floppy disk

dot-matrix fixed hard disk

printer removable hard disk

digital camera inkjet printer CD-ROM disk

keyboard monitor magneto-optical disk

microphone magnetic tape

Task 6

This is another useful revision exercise. When the students have completed the original matching activity, you could exploit this language in other ways. For example, tell students to close their books, and put the definitions up on the board, with the verbs missing. Get the students to copy them down, supplying the appropriate verbs themselves.

Key

Key Input joystick lightpen scanner

1c 2a 3b 4f 5e 6h 7g 8d

Task 4

Less able students should do the exercise using the example sentence as a transferable model, and simply change the adverb of frequency in each case, e.g. There were usually problems with the printers. There were never problems with the monitors, etc. With more able students, try to elicit some alternative constructions, e.g. She sometimes had problems with the network.The network was sometimes a problem. Encourage students to use a variety of structures.

Key (other answers are possible)

There were always problems with printers. There were never problems with monitors. Occasionally cabling was a problem. Scanners were almost never a problem. She sometimes had problems with the network. Spreadsheets occasionally were a problem. There were sometimes problems with databases. Usually there were problems with word processing.

Writing

Task 7

Weaker students may need additional support for this exercise. Let them have access to the tapescript of the interview at the beginning of the unit, and provide help in structuring their answers.

Key (other answers are possible)

Anne is a Computing Support Assistant She helps with any problems people have with their computers. She likes all aspects of her job because it's varied. People have problems with the hardware, often with printers.They have problems finding options. Occasionally a computer freezes because of a memory problem. She keeps up with new developments by reading magazines, using the Internet, and going on/taking courses. She goes on courses on the operating system and on software.

It is common to connect computers together to form a network. This is usually done by connecting cables to an electronic board called a network interface card (NIC) in each computer. Networks make communication between users possible and allow software and hardware to be shared. They also make it easier to maintain and control a large number of computers. A network that is connected over a small area - e.g. one building - is called a local area network (LAN), and a network connected over a large area, e.g. different buildings, different cities, or even different countries, is known as a wide area network (WAN). The most common network arrangement is known as a client/server system. The main computers that provide a service on the network are called servers, and the other computers that use the services are called clients.

The physical arrangement of the network is known as the network topology. Three common topologies are known as star, ring, and bus. A star topology has each computer individually connected to a central hub. The hub may be the main server computer, but is more often an electronic device that is used for connecting all the computers together. A ring topology has all the computers connected in a closed loop, and a bus topology has all the computers connected to a main cable that is terminated at each end. A mesh topology, where every computer is connected to every other computer, is not commonly used. Most networks use a mixture of topologies since each arrangement has its own advantages and disadvantages.

Networks

Passwords are commonly used to restrict access to a network and keep the system secure. Each user of a network is given an account name and password, which determine what services are made available to them. Passwords are supposed to prevent unauthorized users, or hackers, from breaking into the system, so they must not be easy for outsiders to guess. At the same time, they should not be too difficult for the user to remember. Ideally, they should have a minimum of six characters, and be composed of a mixture of capital and small letters, numbers, and symbols. Certain symbols have to be avoided because they have special meaning in computer systems. It is better not to use words in the dictionary or proper names, since some hackers use special computer programs which automatically try all the words and combinations of words in a computerized dictionary to try to discover or crack other users' passwords. It is also useful to change passwords frequently.

Objectives

By the end of this unit, students should be better at: scanning a text for information matching diagrams with a spoken description linking information in text and diagrams to infer new information.

They should be able to make simple predictions using the structure If X happens, Y will happen.

They should know and be able to use these words and abbreviations: LAN, WAN, ring/bus/star topologies, hub, server, password, network.

Tuning-in

Task 1

The diagram shows a typical LAN in a small health centre. Ask students to do this exercise individually, and compare their answers in pairs or groups. With a more advanced class, you could treat the exercise as a problem-solving activity. Put a simplified version of the diagram up on the board. Draw boxes to represent the five rooms, but do not show any hardware or connections. Ask the students to work in groups and to decide what the doctors, receptionists, and practice manager would need in terms of hardware and connections. Get the groups to feedback their ideas to the class, before allowing them to compare their solutions with the diagram.

1 staff of a health centre: doctors, receptionists, and practice manager

2 five PCs, a server, a laser printer, and a dot-matrix printer (for prescriptions, which require special paper)

3 checking patients' records, checking drug information and appointments, emailing other practices, hospitals, and the local health board

4 making appointments, updating patient records, emailing

5 finance - practice accounts, salaries, etc.

Task 2

Give the students a short time to discuss this in pairs and then take some suggestions from around the class.

Key

LANs are found in schools, colleges, hotels, department stores, businesses, etc. Some people even have their homes networked.

Reading

Task 3

Questions I and 2 can be answered from the diagram. Students can make a guess at 3 and 4. Get some feedback from the class on their ideas before letting them read the text in Task 4 to check their answers. See Task 4 for key.

Task 4

The texts here in 4 and in 5 are extracts from a guide to networks written for business people.

Key

1 two or more computers linked togetherto allow users to share files, software, and hardware.

2 server, clients, hub.

3 LANs operate in limited areas. WANs operate across countries and continents.

4 easy communication and information sharing; allow expensive software and hardware to be shared.

Task 5

This activity aims to develop inference skills. It requires students to combine text and visual information.

Key

1 server 2 client 3 peripherals 4 hub

Listening

Task 6

Pre-teach mesh and bus by drawing the shapes on the board. Once students have realized that the name of each different type of topology is determined by its shape, they should find the matching task easier. Do not correct until students have done Task 7.

Task 7

Tell the students that they are now going to hear a description of three of the four topologies. Note that, as mentioned in the introduction to this unit, the mesh topology is not commonly used. It is therefore not described here.

Key

1d 2c 3a 4b

Task 8

Before you play the recording for a second time give the students some time to read through the six statements. Ask them to work in pairs and see how many statements they can match to a topology from memory, and by process of deduction. Then play the recording for students to complete their answers and check them.

Key

1 ring 2 bus 3 bus 4 star 5 ring 6 bus

Language work

Write three actions and three consequences on the board like this:

Consequences

You won't get access to the

network.

You will lose the

Actions The cable fails. You don't use the right password. You don't save your document.

information.

The whole network will fail.

Ask the students to link each action with its consequence. Mark the correct links on the board and demonstrate how we link an action and a consequence using if... Then ask the students to link the other two examples in the same way. Underline, or get one of the students to underline, the verb forms, and elicit the rule about sequence of tenses - the action clause is in the present tense, the consequence clause in the future tense. Teach or revise the formation of the future tense, particularly the use of the short form of will-'U (which is used more in spoken than in written English), and of wiZZ not-won't. As a preliminary practice exercise, ask students to complete these predictions: If you don't study hard... If you spill coffee on the keyboard... If you touch a live wire...

Problem-solving

Task 11

Before the students start the task, pre-teach or revise character mixture, capital letter, small letter, space, hyphen, dot, symbol.

This activity is best done in groups; then compare answers with the whole class. Disagreement will provide good opportunity for language use and acquisition. As a follow-up, ask students to devise a new password for themselves, and explain their choice.

Key

1 no numbers

2 common name and too short

3 too short

4 dictionary word

5 not easy to remember

6 includes a dot

7 no capitals

8 good: correct length, mixture of numbers, capital and small letters, fairly easy to remember.

Writing

Task 9

This task not only practises the language function that the students have just learnt (predicting consequences), but it also revises some of the topics from previous units in the book. Tell students to refer back to the relevant unit if they are not sure of the facts for any of the answers.

Key

1g 2e 3f 4h 5a 6c 7i 8b 9j 10d

Task 10

As in the previous exercise, the students may have to look back in the book to find information or the vocabulary they need.

Key

1... the dialog box will close

2 If you don't select cancel...

3... you will not/won't get access to the network

4 If there is a printer fault...

5... it will damage your eyesight.

Task 12

Weaker students may need help with this activity. If you think your class will find it difficult, give them the beginning of each of the remaining sentences in the description.

1 The hardware 4 The receptionists use it consists of... for...

2 There is a PC in each... 5 The doctors....

3 The printers and 6 The practice manager... the server...

More advanced students could be asked to find out about and write a description of the LAN in your college or university.

Users often want to send messages from one network to another or to computers at the other side of the world. This can be done using a variety of communications links. Normal copper telephone wires can be used over short distances but shielded cable called coaxial cable or coax can be used for longer distances. However,- coax has largely been replaced by even faster cable known as fibre optics or fibre optic cable. (Note that the American spelling of fibre is fiber.) Fibre optic cable uses glass fibres to conduct a beam of laser light. To transmit signals long distances around the world satellites are often used. The signal is transmitted and received by earth-satellite stations positioned at suitable locations over the earth's surface. Microwave transmissions are another means of transmitting signals from one microwave station to another.

An increasingly popular way of communicating using computers is voicemail. In this system, spoken messages are sent to a server computer where they are stored in areas called voice mailboxes. When the user connects to their mailbox they can listen to the stored messages.

Video conferencing is a more advanced form of communication by computer, which enables meetings to take place over long distances. Video cameras are used at each end of the communications link so that the participants can see and hear each other. The end of the link nearest a user is called Near End and the end of the link furthest from the user is called Far End. Each user has a keypad that enables them to control features of the system, for example to make or end a call, adjust the sound volume, and zoom the camera in to get close-up views, or zoom it back for a broader perspective. An additional display feature, called picture-in-picture, allows one image to be displayed inside another image.

When a piece of text is scanned using a scanner input device, an image of the text is input to the computer and displayed on the screen. It is not possible to change or edit the displayed text using a word processor, however, because the image is graphical, not digital. An optical character recognition (OCR) program must be used to convert the text image into digital text characters that can be edited. To identify a scanned text character, the software compares the character image to stored data about the shape of standard characters. It is easier for the OCR software to recognize the scanned characters if they are printed using block capitals and are not too small. If a text is written in 'joined-up' writing, it is more difficult for the OCR to identify because there are extra lines and loops between the letters.

Дата добавления: 2014-12-24