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Mr. Abbey looked up, smiled. “Ah, Mrs. Ransom! This is a very impressive machine Mr. Keilner has here! I’m very stuck by the way it runs, but the proof of it is going to be whether it is as easily portable as he claims.”
Francesca went over to the workbench, said, “May I?” to Matt, then sat down and began to get out of the program they had been running. Once that was done, she withdrew the disk they had been working on, switched off the computer, unplugged it, coiled the lead into the base of the VDU, slid the carrying box over the screen, fitted the keyboard into a side pocket, locked the entire thing in place, lifted the handle and stood up. She walked to the door carrying the computer in its box while Mr. Abbey and Matt watched her.
At the door she turned. “Notice, it took me less than two minutes to get this far from actually being in the process of operating the computer,” she said to Mr. Abbey and handed him the box to demonstrate how light it was.
He took it and weighed it in one hand, nodding. “Amazing. But you would need a power source to operate it?”
“Or you can switch over to the rechargeable batteries.”
“Well, now. I don’t see many businessmen travelling the world with one of these in their luggage or taking along their secretary to operate the thing, and if we can’t sell it in sufficient numbers to the business community who do we sell it to, except as a toy?”
“Businessmen will carry it,” Francesca insisted. “It will be invaluable to them, both to key in information they need to record, which can later be transferred to the office computer, on disk – and so that while they are away they can send material directly to their office computer, via a telephone link. Let us show you…”
She politely relieved him of the prototype and Matt began to demonstrate that aspect of Porta.
(from Runaway Wife by Charlotte Lamb)
Exercises
1. a) Suggest words from the passage which mean the same as:
software, data, electricity, monitor, feature, to input, to work, to turn on, by means of
b) Suggest words from the passage which mean the opposite:
to fail, to plug, to switch on, to unlock, to buy, heavy, difficult, valuable
2. a) Ask and answer the following questions.
1) Who did Mr. Abbey have an appointment with?
2) What was he going to buy?
3) What aspects of Porta did Mrs. Ransom demonstrate?
4) What was Mr. Abbey’s reaction to this new portable computer?
5) Why was Francesca sure that businessmen would value the machine?
b) Describe the process of packing up the computer.
3. Mark each sentence true or false.
1) Mr. Abbey was sure that he was buying a product of high quality.
2) Francesca failed to answer all his questions.
3) The relationship between Mrs. Ransom and Mr. Abbey was more competitive than a respectful one.
4) Mr. Abbey didn’t want to see Porta in operation.
5) Porta was too expensive for Mr. Abbey to buy.
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