Lesson 3. 2. Active vocabulary (10 min)

The lesson plan

1. Lead-in (5 min)

2. Active vocabulary (10 min)

3. Listening text (30 min)

4. Listening comprehension (20-25 min)

5. Homework (3 min)

LEAD-IN

Computer technology has become a major part of people’s lives. This technology has its own special words. Especially, if you want to buy a computer being a non-expert. To fully understand and appreciate the meaning of special computer terms, it is necessary to face with them in the real life.

Ask students to discuss what words they need know to buy a new computer. For example, a microprocessor (give them the definition of a microprocessor). Ask them to try to give definitions for these words.

A microprocessor – a single integrated circuit performing the basic functions of the central processing unit in a small computer.

A central processing unit – the part of a computer that performs logical and arithmetical operations on the data as specified in the instructions. Abbreviation: CPU.

Data (sing. datum) – the information operated on by a computer program.

Ask students to discuss the following questions:

1. Who has a computer? Is it important and why?

2. What problems did they face when they were buying their computers?

ACTIVE VOCABULARY

Ask students to give if possible definitions of the following words and word combinations and to pronounce them correctly:

pretty – quite or very

to replace – to substitute a person or thing for; put in place of

to call – to telephone (a person)

PC – personal computer

a fan – an ardent admirer of a pop star, film actor, football team, etc; a devotee of a sport, hobby, etc

fancy – superior in quality or impressive

cool – (inform.) excellent; marvelous

processor – another name for central processing unit

memory – a part of a computer in which information is stored for immediate use by the central processing unit

RAM – random access memory: semiconductor memory in which all storage locations can be rapidly accessed in the same amount of time. It forms the main memory of a computer, used by applications to perform tasks while the device is operating

CD – compact disc

DVD – digital video disk: an optical disk used to store audio, video, or computer data, esp feature films for home viewing

a monitor – the unit in a desk computer that contains the screen

a keyboard – a complete set of keys, usually hand-operated, as on a piano, typewriter, or computer

a mouse – a hand-held device used to control the cursor movement and select computing functions without keying

a speaker – a device for converting audio-frequency signals into the equivalent sound waves by means of a vibrating conical diaphragm

LISTENING TEXT

Ask students to listen the text “MAIN COMPUTER PARTS. BUYING A NEW COMPUTER” paying attention to pronunciation and to the discussed words and word combinations. Ask students to write down all explained in audio file words and word combinations.

My computer has been acting up on me. It's a pretty old model, and I need to replace it. So I decided to call up my friend Kevin to ask for his two cents. Kevin is a computer whiz. He knows PC really well since he worked on them for years, but in his heart of hearts, he is a big Mac fan. So, I thought he would be a good person to ask.

I have always used a PC. I do mostly word processing so I don't need anything fancy. But, I see people I know doing cool things with photos and video, so I would like to take a crack at some new programs in the future.

Well, I called up Kevin to tell him what I needed. He immediately started throwing out specs: "You need at least a 2 Gigahertz processor and 1 Gig of memory, and make sure it has a writable DVD drive. " "Whoa," I said. "All of that is way over my head. Let's back up for a minute." Then he laughed and said he had gotten carried away. "Okay," he said. "Let's start at the beginning. Now, the processor determines how easily and how fast you can use the programs on your computer. “ Got that? " I said that I did. Then he continued, "How much RAM memory you have is very important, too. Your computer will go faster the more you have. So, I recommend getting at least 1 Gigabyte of RAM memory." "I think I'm following you so far," I said. "Great," he said. Another thing you want is a drive that handles both CDs and DVDs. Some drives can just read DVDs and some can record onto blank ones. If you want to burn your own videos, you'll want a writable DVD drive. Remember though, that's just the computer itself. Don't forget that you'll need a monitor, a keyboard, a mouse, and speakers."

"OK," I said. "I think I've got all that. Now, here's the burning question: Mac or PC?

He said: "Now that's a whole different thing. Do you have a couple of hours?"

Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

ESL Podcast http://www.eslpod.com

Дата добавления: 2015-07-20