Multimedia really needs no explanation. There are many packages that help you create multimedia

presentations, and the tools to create customized multimedia training programs are also plentiful.

60 CD-ROM disks, such as Ziff- 115 Davis's Computer Select and Microsoft's Bookshelf, let you access mountains of information with ease.

65 Computers are already 120

much smaller than they used to be, and you can't go to an industry show these days without finding some

70 company promoting its 125

'small footprint'. When you start talking about laptops, notebooks, and palmtops, the question becomes, 'How

75 small is too small?'FAX 130

capabilities are already available on boards that you can plug into your computer. When you combine the

80 technologies present in 135

internal modems with voice recognition, the basics for having your computer replace your phone-voice

85 line are in place. 140

Voice recognition is another technology that may appear limited in its present form, but it shows great

90 promise for the future. 145

v Current voice-recognition systems can handle speaker-dependent continuous speech or speaker-

95 ' independent discrete speech. 150

Speaking to your computer
will be a major factor in the
office of the future. In some
locations, it is already a
100 major factor in the office of 155
today. Stock is traded in
some brokerage houses by
verbal command from the
broker to the computer. So,
105 you ask your computer a 160

question, and it answers you
- verbally. Depending on the
rate of speech sampling used
and the resolution the A/D
110 converter uses for each 165

sample, we can already create a credible approximation of human speech with digitized sound.

Large display screens? You can get screens of up to 35 inches now, and between Barcoand Mitsubishi competing for the honor of having the largest monitor, it's hard to predict just how big they will get in the future. As for color, some companies offer upwards of 16 million. Somewhere in that number must lie the perfect color for reducing eye-strain.

The real disaster that most of us still have to deal with is the traditional keyboard, which is the cause of much pain and suffering in the form of carpal tunnel syndrome and other repetitive-strain injuries. Wrist rests are available to alleviate the problem, and new designs for strange- looking keyboards, Star Trek style, are moving from the drawing board to the factory.

Enterprise networks are proliferating almost as fast as LANs did just a year or two ago. Public data networks are ripe for the dialing up and signing on. And the Internet already exists, with several of the research and educational facilities on its membership rolls.

Worldwide connectivity is already available in the enterprise networks of some major corporations (e.g. DEC's DECnet and IBM's Systems Network Architecture). Admittedly, these are proprietary networks, but they are living proof that the concept can and does work.

Vocabulary

doodle (I. 49) - meaningless drawing

brokerage houses (I. 102) - companies that buy and sell shares for clients

carpal tunnel syndrome (I. 1 3 5) - chronic wrist-strain caused by repetitive

movement, such as typing Star Trek (1. 141) - futuristic American television series of the 1970s/1980s.

Task 3 Using the table below, make a summary of the main points of the article in If

note form.

Item Current/potential use

i:

I.

l:

i

Task 4 Each of the following sentences from the text is followed by two paraphrases. J

Decide which paraphrase (a or b) is closer in meaning to the original comment. L# Remember to look at the comments in their original context.

QO

computing is coining inio iis own. ^iuic i8 j [

a Pen-based computing is receiving the recognition it merits. 1

b Pen-based computing is good for tasks where a conventional pen would J

normally be used, '

& I...you can't go to an industry show these days without finding some company

promoting its 'small footprint', (line 67) \ '

a At every exhibition these days, you will find at least one company b

advertising its own miniature computer.

b It is impossible to get invited to a computer show these days unless you;.

have a contact in a company manufacturing miniature computers. i i

Current voice-recognition systems can handle speaker-dependent continuous

speech or speaker-independent discrete speech, (line 91)

a Some of today's voice-recognition systems are set up to recognize

continuous speech from certain people, while others can recognize specific

words from anyone. b All of today's voice-recognition systems are set up to recognize either

continuous speech from certain people or specific words from anyone.

Public data networks are ripe for the dialling up and signing on. (line 147)

a There are public data networks waiting to be used.

b Public data networks are now sufficiently developed to be used.

Using the line references given, look back in the text and find words with a similar meaning to:

1 whole (lines 5-10)

2 usually (lines 30-3 5)

3 acceptable (lines 45-50)

4 seem (lines 85-90)

5 believable (lines 110-115)

6 decreasing (lines 12 5-130)

7 spreading (lines 140-145)

8 ready (lines 145-150)

Now find words or phrases that mean the opposite of:

9 danger (lines 1-5)

10 destroy (lines 5 5-60)

11 rare (lines 55-60)

12 separate (lines 75-80)

13 minor (lines 95-100)

14 less than (lines 120-12 5)

15 enjoyment (lines 130-135)

16 aggravate (lines 135-140)

Task 8 Choose the correct word to complete each sentence. You may have to change

some words slightly.

1 consider, considered, consideration, considerable, considerably

a We'll have to_____________ using another company if they can't provide

the software we need.
b The company has invested a______________ sum of money in ergonomic

workstations.

c The CEO has submitted this proposal for your_____________

d This computer is_____________ faster than the old one.

2 apply, applying, applicant, application, applicable

a We have interviewed five for the new position.

b The last part of the form is not_____________ to foreign students.

c My student is thinking of____________ _ for a government grant to continue

his research.
d The new book uses business _____ to teach computer studies.

3 explain, explained, explaining, explanation, explanatory
a The package includes an. _________ booklet.

b The instructions are very clear and do not require any further

c It will only take a couple of minutes to_____________ how the program

works. d If you are new to this system, almost everything will have to be

4 depend, depending, dependent, dependence, dependable, dependably j I
a The company has supplied us ________ for over ten years.

b We have to reduce our... on imported goods. i I

c This is very. _____ equipment. We have never had a serious _:: \

breakdown.
d Today, many companies _.__ more on FAXes than on mail. \

Fl

r

5 connect, connected, connecting, connector, connectivity, connection

a _---------- is an important concept in global communications.

----------------- in the government.

technician.

Once the new telephone lines are __-efficient.

-, our system should be more

.1

.1

7 know they said they were going to introduce new technology, but this isn't quite what I expected. '

ask 9

¹ r

¹

i

2 3 4 5 6 7

8 9

10 11 12

Listening

Listen to this conversation in which Charles, the Information Services Manager in an American insurance company, talks about the steps involved in making a document available to users via document image-processing. Put the steps in the right order.

LJ Index is stored.

LJ Quality of scan is checked.

Envelope is opened by a machine.

LJ Temporary key number is generated and written on the document.
LJ IMS index transaction and customer name is entered into the computer.
I_ I Mail arrives in the mailroom.

LJ Temporary document number is entered into the computer to link it with the previously-generated index.

LJ Document is scanned.

LJ Document pages are removed and arranged by a clerk.

LJ Document can be accessed by users.

LJ Computer supplies routing and indexing data.

LJ Document pages are transferred to the mail analyst.

Task 10

Now listen again and answer the following questions:

How long does it take:

a for an index to be stored and a key number issued?

b for a recent document to be retrieved?

Why does it take longer to retrieve a document processed more than a year ago?

Note down:

a the number of square feet of office space saved.

b the number of employees freed from file maintenance.

c the approximate net saving per year in pounds.

[

Task 11

Task 12

Task 13

Task 14

Speaking

We have looked at some of the benefits of replacing people with computers in the office. What are the negative aspects of this policy?

Writing

Write two paragraphs, one listing the benefits, the other listing the negative aspects of replacing people with computers.

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