Unit 1. Computers and Communication

Perform the following algorithm to all the texts given below.

1. Read the text and translate it with a dictionary.

2. Divide each text into main parts.

3. Find a key sentence in every part.

4. Write a logical plan of the text.

5. Make up a summary of the text, using new words from the text.

6. Write an abstract to the text.

7. Write out the most important terms with the Russian equivalent used in the text and remember them.

8. Compile the list of the terms with the Russian equivalents on the branches the texts of which are given below.

Text 1

Computers: History and Development

Nothing epitomizes modern life better than the computer. For better or worse, computers have infiltrated every aspect of our society. Today computers do much more than simply compute: supermarket scanners calculate our grocery bill while keeping store inventory; computerized telephone switching centers play traffic cop to millions of calls and keep lines of communication untangled; and automatic teller machines let us conduct banking transactions from virtually anywhere in the world. Nut where did all this technology come from and where is it heading? To fully understand and appreciate the impact computers have on lives and promises they hold for the future, it is important to understand their evolution.