Language work

Everyday Users of Computers

Objectives

By the end of this unit, students should be better at:

- asking and answering simple questions about computing

- asking for help when they don't understand

- listening and scanning a text for general information.

They should be able to:

- understand the difference between countable and uncountable nouns

- use articles more accurately.

They should know and be able to use these words:

barcode, barcode reader, calculate, computer, computing, control, memory, program, software

Tuning-in

Most machines are designed to do one job. Computers are different: they are general purpose machines. By changing the program instructions, computers can be used to process information in very different ways. For example, a word processor program allows the computer to process text, a spreadsheet program enables the computer to perform calculations, a database program is used for searching and sorting records, and a browser program is used for looking at pages on the Internet (the Internet is the connection of computers from different parts of the world). Computers are therefore used in almost every type of work and are found almost everywhere. Computer equipment is known as hardware and programs and data are called software.

A variety of devices can be attached to a computer. Input devices are used to enter data into the computer for processing. An input device called a magnetic ink character reader (MICR) is used to read characters printed using magnetic ink. Magnetic ink characters are commonly found on bank cheques.

An optical input device called a barcode reader uses the reflection of a light beam to read a sequence of printed parallel bars called a barcode. The bars are of different thickness, and each sequence of bars represents a different number according to a standard code. Barcode labels are used to code items. Each item can be identified by a computer, using a barcode reader to scan the labels. Barcodes are used in industry, shops, and supermarkets for stock control and to allow a computer to look up the price of items being purchased.

Task1

A Have a discussion about computers in the students' own lives, answering the questions:

What kind of computer do you have/use? (I have/use a...)

Do you use a computer everyday? (Yes/ Sometimes/No.)

What do you use computers for? (I use computers for...ing.)

Go round the class and interview as many people as you can about their use of computers. It does not matter if they have difficulty making sentences: communication is the essential thing. Get five minutes maximum and then feedback. For the task, ask them to work in pairs.

If appropriate, ask: How do you say... in English?

B We use computers in many different places. Which places can you link these computer documents with?

Task 2

Work in groups of three or four. Try to say what the documents are, and what they are used for. Think of other places where one might find computer documents, and make a list.

Possible examples could be: theatre or cinema for tickets, garage for engine tests, hospital for lab results.

Listening

Task 3 Match these words (1-8) to the correct locations (a-d).

1 games 2 machines 3 tickets 4 wages 5 flight 6 letters 7 barcode readers 8 tills

a a factory b a supermarket с a travel agent d a home

This activity introduces the students to vocabulary which they will hear in the next task.

Guess the meaning of the words that may be unfamiliar: wages and tills, then do the matching individually or in pairs.

Task 4 Listen to the tape. Identify which place is described in each extract.

Do not to worry about understanding every word, but listen carefully for key words which will enable you to identify the place in each extract.

Task 5

This activity is to begin learning the reading strategy of scanning. The students should scan for vocabulary items related to each of the places on the list.

Reading: Computers in everyday life

Tick the computer uses mentioned in the following article.

home art hospitals banking engineering libraries shopping film-making television advertising schools

Computers are part of our everyday lives. They have an effect on almost everything you do. When you buy groceries at a supermarket, a computer is used with laser and barcode technology to scan the price of each item and present a total. Barcoding items (clothes, food, and books) requires a computer to generate the barcode labels and maintain the inventory. Most television advertisements and many films use graphics produced by a computer. In hospitals, bedside terminals connected to the hospital's main computer allow doctors to type in orders for blood tests and to schedule operations. Banks use computers to look after their customers' money. In libraries and bookshops, computers can help you to find the book you want as quickly as possible.

Language work

Talk through the explanation in the Student's Book.

Some nouns are uncountable because they name things which literally cannot be counted - these are usually abstract things (memory, speed, science, technology).

Example: we can count schools, teachers, and students, but we cannot count English, or mathematics, or computing. Suggest other examples like this.

Language work: Articles

Study these nouns. a supermarket technology a computer money

Supermarket and computerare countable nouns. We say a supermarketand supermarkets.

Technologyand moneyare uncountable nouns. They have no plural and you cannot use them with a or an.

Study this paragraph.

Computers have many uses. In shops a computer scans the price of each item. Then the computer calculates the total cost of all the items.

We use a plural noun with no article, or an uncountable noun, when we talk about things in general.

Computers have many uses. Information technology is popular.

We use a/an when we mention a countable noun for the first time. In shops a computer scans the price of each item.

When we mention the same noun again, we use the. The computer calculates the total cost.

We use the with countable and uncountable nouns to refer to specific things.

The price of each item. The total cost of all the items. The speed of this computer.

Task 6

This activity will introduce the Glossary, so start by finding where it is and how to use it.

Do the exercise in pairs, and check if there are students who are experiencing particular difficulties with the concepts.

Here are some common nouns in computing. With the help of the Glossary divide them into countable and uncountable nouns. In the Glossary, and in most dictionaries, nouns are marked С for countable and U for uncountable.

1 capacity 4 disk 7 monitor 10 speed

2 data 5 drive 8 mouse

3 device 6 memory 9 software

Task 7. Fill in the gaps in this paragraph with a/an or the where necessary.

Read through the explanation of articles a/an, the, and plurals as a class. Do this activity in pairs, and compare the answers with another pair when they've finished.

The Walsh family have 1_______computer at home. Their son uses 2_____ computer to help with 3_______ homework and to play 4_________ computer games. Their student daughter uses 5___________computer for 6_______projects and for 7_______ email. All 8_____________________ family use it to get

9_______information from 10_____ Internet.

Дата добавления: 2015-10-26