Module 1A Mission Impossible Activities 1 Match each comment with a photograph Computers - Everyday uses These are some of the new post-PC products They are designed for all aspects of our lives a Read online newspapers and organize your day in your netbook over the morning coffee c Use your smartphone to take photos and send them to relatives or friends in different parts of the world, to call them and to check and send e-mails d When you return home, your digital video recorder has automatically stored your favourite shows e You climb into bed to read your electronic book f Do you want to relax? Download music from the Internet and listen to it in your mp3 or iPod Until a decade ago, the PC was the only route to cyberspace But today, from start-ups to electronic giants, the high-tech industry —known as Information Technology (IT) — represents a new era in computing At present, digital appliances are not only associated with mainframes, minicomputers or PCs Computing is done with a wide variety of devices They are part of practically every aspect of our daily lives IT includes appliances such as digital cameras, camcorders and TVs, technologies to link home networks to high-speed lines, laptops, netbooks, palm-size scanners, mobile phones, DVD players, and digital music players such as mp3s and iPods What are these devices like? Convenient and easy-to-use as they perform various tasks at the same time You can listen to music, check your e-mails, take a picture, send a text message or call a friend by just using your mobile phone And, since these gadgets are usually light, small and most of them wireless, they are portable and can be used in any place Nowadays, enterprises identify consumer needs and hide the complexity of their products by adapting technology to everyday use, making daily duties and activities become simple English Toolkit - Technology Photocopiable © Ediciones Santillana S.A / Richmond 2011 b Which is the best route to your office? Use your GPS to find out Module 1A 2 State if the following sentences are true (T) or false (F) a Some years ago the PC was one of the routes to cyberspace b The term IT only refers to computers c Today’s gadgets are easy to carry 3 Read the text and find the word that refers to… a …technology used for processing information: b …a combined video camera, recorder and player: c …large central digital computers serving many users: 4 Complete the diagram 5 Answer these questions about you Use adverbs of frequency How often you use … … your mobile phone to send text messages? … your mobile phone to make a phone call? … the computer? … the digital camera? … your digital media player? Now, ask these questions to your partner and write the answers using the third person singular in the Present Simple He / She always uses his / her phone to send text messages 6 Interview two people about computers and the Internet Ask these questions Write down the answers Then discuss them with the rest of the class a Do you like computers? b Do you usually use the Internet? What for? (writing e-mails, chatting, visiting websites, etc.) c Is it a good idea for teenagers to have access to the Internet? Why? Why not? English Toolkit - Technology Photocopiable © Ediciones Santillana S.A / Richmond 2011 IT