Mahib LO

Chapter 2 : Reading Comprehension

Exercice 2.1

Vocabulary task: Match words in the first list to their meaning in the second
list. The text below could help.

1. gadget
a. to make a situation possible or
help a person do something

2. enable b. to contact someone regularly

and maintain a relationship with
them

3. impact c. a piece of equipment which has

a particular function, and is often
new or involving technology

4. button d. something which happens

immediately

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5. invention e. the effect one thing has on

another thing, which can be
positive or negative

6. luxury f. a new idea for a product which

has never been made before

7. stay in touch g. a small item which, when

pressed makes a machine work

8. social networking h. something which is expensive

and enjoyable to have, but not
necessary

9. instant i. necessary for survival

10. essential j. The process of communicating

and connecting with people online,
often through websites designed
for this kind of activity

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Exercice 2.2. Match these topic sentences the paragraphs a to e.

1. Our responsibility when choosing to use modern technology.

2. The impact of modern technology on everyday life over the
past century.
3. How modern technology has changed communication.
4. The effect of modern technology on young people.
5. Modern technology in relation to shopping and retail. (retail
vente de detail)

Modern Technology

a. Modern technology is changing the way we live our lives. Clever gadgets
make everyday activities easier and enable people to use their time effectively.
But what impact will this change have in the future and is it really a positive thing?
People are busier than ever before. Technological advances mean that things are
often possible with the touch of a button. A hundred years ago, however, things
were very different. Everyday jobs, like doing the laundry, would take a whole
day, and the telephone was a new invention! Nowadays, almost every household
has a washing machine and a dishwasher, and there are more than 70 million
mobile phones in use in the United Kingdom alone.

b. Research shows that around 28% of children in the UK are overweight or

obese. Some people are concerned that this is because young people spend too

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much time online and not enough time socialising with their friends and playing
outside. In the past, nearly all children walked to school because their parents
didn’t have a car. They didn’t have all the luxuries that many children have now,
so they used their imaginations and played outdoors in the fresh air.

c. Years ago, when people wanted to stay in touch with their friends and family,
they wrote letters. These days, however, E-mail communication and social
networking sites, such as Facebook, allow instant, free international
communication.

d. Online banking and shopping make essential activities possible from the
comfort of our own homes. But what effect will this have on town centres and
shops? In some towns and cities, many shops are now empty, and a lot of people
think this is because more and more people choose to use the Internet for
shopping.

e. There are many benefits of using technology but we need to be responsible

in the choices we make. Modern equipment is often very expensive and does not
last a long time. It is important to consider how much we really need these things
and the impact they have on our health, the environment and society.
Sourced from
http://www.dh.gov.uk

Exercice 2.3

Read the passage below and answer the questions below.

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Computers are machines that can help us in many ways. But they cannot
think or do things on their own. Humans have to feed them with information and
tell them what to do with it. They cannot come up with any new information.
But they can save much time and work. For example, all the information and the
office files can be stored in a computer's "memory". If a clerk were to trace any
information from a particular file, the computer would only take seconds to find
it. It would take a clerk days or even weeks to go through every file if no
computers were used.
The first computers were huge and costly. They filled up almost the
whole floor of large offices. Later, because of the usefulness and demand for
computers in business, scientists soon found ways to produce cheaper and
smaller computers. They invented chips which made it possible to store more
information in less space.

Today, computers are not only cheaper, but also more compact. They
can just be placed on top of an ordinary writing table. They can even be carried
from place to place easily. Computers are not only used in offices by companies,
but they are also used at home, by families who can afford them.

Robots, on the other hand, are not mechanical people. They are only
moving parts controlled by a computer. A robot can do the same work for
twenty four hours, and yet, it does not complain or get tired. In the United States
robots are computers that tell them where to guard and what to do. These robots
are programmed to listen for certain noises and signals for help in case of
trouble or danger.

In Japan and in some places in America, robots are used in factories to

assemble cars. As computers become more common businesses and factories,
people fear that one day computers and computer controlled robots will put
human workers out of work.
Questions

1.
Why do humans have to feed the computers with information and tell them what
to do?

(A) Because computers can save time and work.

(B) Because computers cannot think or do things on

their own.

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(C) Because computers can store office information in their

memory.
(D) Because computers can help us in many ways.

2. Why did the first computers fill up almost the whole floor ?

(A) Because they were huge and costly.

(B) because of the usefulness and demand for computers in
business
(C) Because the office floor was small.
(D) Because they were huge.

3.
Find a word in the passage that has the same meaning as more compact.

(A) Huge
(B) Cheaper
(C) Smaller
(D) Costly

4. Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE?

(A) Robots are controlled by a computer.

(B) Robots are mechanical people.
(C) Robots do not get tired of working.
(D) Robots guard factories and museums in the United
States.

5. Humans fear that one day computers and robots

(A) are busier than humans.

(B) are cleverer than humans.
(C)
will make humans jobless.

(D) will make humans listen to certain noise.

6. The BEST title for this passage would be

(A)
Computers and Robots

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(B) Old and New Computers

(C) Robots are Security Guards
(D) The Electronic Invention

Exercice 2.4: READING COMPREHENSION

A/. Develop your reading skills. Read the following text and do the
comprehension questions .

COMPUTERS

A computer is a programmable machine designed to automatically carry out

a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The first use of the word
"computer" was recorded in 1613, referring to a person who carried out
calculations, or computations, and the word continued with the same meaning
until the middle of the 20th century. From the end of the 19th century the word
began to take on its more familiar meaning, a machine that carries out
computations

In the beginning, computers were as big as a large room. It is only later that
they have become smaller and smaller, accessible to anyone. This has given way
to personal computers. Later developers created new applications to help users
perform many things from word processing to image editing. A large scale of
programs, some free and others costly, have opened new horizons in information
technology.

Now computers have noticeable impact on social relations. They have

enabled entirely new forms of social interaction, activities, and organizing. With
the Internet, working with computers has become part of our daily lives thanks to
its basic features such as widespread usability and access. In addition to face to
face communication that characterized humans for centuries, a new form of
virtual communication has become more predominant.
(Source see previous
text.)

A/Comprehension:

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1) The word computer is a new term

a. True
b. False
2) Computers were accessible to anyone in the beginning
a. True
b. False
3) All computer applications are free.
a. True
b. False
4) Computers and the Internet have shaped new social relations.
a. True
b. False

B/ Find synonyms for the following words from the text.

a) very expensive, b) dedicated to, c) fundamental, d)officially written e)

able to, f) a time on, g) moreover, e)web, f) private.