Reading1 Read this extract of an article about computers. Then write T (true)

or F (false).

a. Thomas Watson thought that computers would become very popular in the future. ( )b. In the 1940s, computers were enormous and expensive machines used by the government. ( )c. Nowadays, several devices have computers inside them. ( )d. Computers are process information machines. ( )e. Computers store information on flash drives. ( )

ComputersBy Chris Woodford. Last updated: November 30, 2016

It was probably the worst prediction in history. Back in the 1940s, Thomas Watson, boss of the giant IBM Corporation, reputedly forecast that the world would need no more than “about five computers.” Six decades later and the global population of computers has now risen to something like one billion machines!To be fair to Watson, computers have changed enormously in that time. In the 1940s, they were giant scientific and military behemoths commissioned by the government at a cost of millions of dollars a piece; today, most computers are not even recognizable as such: they are embedded in everything from microwave ovens to cell phones and digital radios. [...]

What is a computer?A computer is an electronic machine that processes information [...] it takes in raw information (or data) at one end, stores it until it’s ready to work on it, chews and crunches it for a bit, then spits out the results at the other end. All these processes have a name. Taking in information is called input, storing information is better known as memory (or storage), chewing information is also known as processing, and spitting out results is called output. [...]Once you understand that computers are about input, memory, processing, and output, all the junk on your desk makes a lot more sense:• Input: Your keyboard and mouse, for example, are just input units – ways of getting information

into your computer that it can process. [...]• Memory/storage: Your computer probably stores all your documents and files on a hard-drive:

a huge magnetic memory. [...]• Processing: Your computer’s processor (sometimes known as the central processing unit) is a

microchip buried deep inside. It works amazingly hard and gets incredibly hot in the process. That’s why your computer has a little fan blowing away – to stop its brain from overheating!

• Output: Your computer probably has an LCD screen capable of displaying high-resolution [...] graphics, and probably also stereo loudspeakers.

s. WOODFORD, C. Computers. Available at: <http://www.explainthatstuff.com/howcomputerswork.html>.

ComputersBy Chris Woodford. Last updated: November 30, 2016

It was probably the worst prediction in history. Back in the 1940s, Thomas Watson, boss of the giant IBM Corporation, reputedly forecast that the world would need no more than “about five computers.” Six decades later and the global population of computers has now risen to something like one billion machines!To be fair to Watson, computers have changed enormously in that time. In the 1940s, they were giant scientific and military behemoths commissioned by the government at a cost of millions of dollars a piece; today, most computers are not even recognizable as such: they are embedded in everything from microwave ovens to cell phones and digital radios. [...]

What is a computer?A computer is an electronic machine that processes information [...] it takes in raw information (or data) at one end, stores it until it’s ready to work on it, chews and crunches it for a bit, then spits out the results at the other end. All these processes have a name. Taking in information is called input, storing information is better known as memory (or storage), chewing information is also known as processing, and spitting out results is called output. [...]Once you understand that computers are about input, memory, processing, and output, all the junk on your desk makes a lot more sense:• Input: Your keyboard and mouse, for example, are just input units – ways of getting information

into your computer that it can process. [...]• Memory/storage: Your computer probably stores all your documents and files on a hard-drive:

a huge magnetic memory. [...]• Processing: Your computer’s processor (sometimes known as the central processing unit) is a

microchip buried deep inside. It works amazingly hard and gets incredibly hot in the process. That’s why your computer has a little fan blowing away – to stop its brain from overheating!

• Output: Your computer probably has an LCD screen capable of displaying high-resolution [...] graphics, and probably also stereo loudspeakers.

s. WOODFORD, C. Computers. Available at: <http://www.explainthatstuff.com/howcomputerswork.html>.

ComputersBy Chris Woodford. Last updated: November 30, 2016

It was probably the worst prediction in history. Back in the 1940s, Thomas Watson, boss of the giant IBM Corporation, reputedly forecast that the world would need no more than “about five computers.” Six decades later and the global population of computers has now risen to something like one billion machines!To be fair to Watson, computers have changed enormously in that time. In the 1940s, they were giant scientific and military behemoths commissioned by the government at a cost of millions of dollars a piece; today, most computers are not even recognizable as such: they are embedded in everything from microwave ovens to cell phones and digital radios. [...]

What is a computer?A computer is an electronic machine that processes information [...] it takes in raw information (or data) at one end, stores it until it’s ready to work on it, chews and crunches it for a bit, then spits out the results at the other end. All these processes have a name. Taking in information is called input, storing information is better known as memory (or storage), chewing information is also known as processing, and spitting out results is called output. [...]Once you understand that computers are about input, memory, processing, and output, all the junk on your desk makes a lot more sense:• Input: Your keyboard and mouse, for example, are just input units – ways of getting information

into your computer that it can process. [...]• Memory/storage: Your computer probably stores all your documents and files on a hard-drive:

a huge magnetic memory. [...]• Processing: Your computer’s processor (sometimes known as the central processing unit) is a

microchip buried deep inside. It works amazingly hard and gets incredibly hot in the process. That’s why your computer has a little fan blowing away – to stop its brain from overheating!

• Output: Your computer probably has an LCD screen capable of displaying high-resolution [...] graphics, and probably also stereo loudspeakers.

s. WOODFORD, C. Computers. Available at: <http://www.explainthatstuff.com/howcomputerswork.html>.

ComputersBy Chris Woodford. Last updated: November 30, 2016

It was probably the worst prediction in history. Back in the 1940s, Thomas Watson, boss of the giant IBM Corporation, reputedly forecast that the world would need no more than “about five computers.” Six decades later and the global population of computers has now risen to something like one billion machines!To be fair to Watson, computers have changed enormously in that time. In the 1940s, they were giant scientific and military behemoths commissioned by the government at a cost of millions of dollars a piece; today, most computers are not even recognizable as such: they are embedded in everything from microwave ovens to cell phones and digital radios. [...]

What is a computer?A computer is an electronic machine that processes information [...] it takes in raw information (or data) at one end, stores it until it’s ready to work on it, chews and crunches it for a bit, then spits out the results at the other end. All these processes have a name. Taking in information is called input, storing information is better known as memory (or storage), chewing information is also known as processing, and spitting out results is called output. [...]Once you understand that computers are about input, memory, processing, and output, all the junk on your desk makes a lot more sense:• Input: Your keyboard and mouse, for example, are just input units – ways of getting information

into your computer that it can process. [...]• Memory/storage: Your computer probably stores all your documents and files on a hard-drive:

a huge magnetic memory. [...]• Processing: Your computer’s processor (sometimes known as the central processing unit) is a

microchip buried deep inside. It works amazingly hard and gets incredibly hot in the process. That’s why your computer has a little fan blowing away – to stop its brain from overheating!

• Output: Your computer probably has an LCD screen capable of displaying high-resolution [...] graphics, and probably also stereo loudspeakers.

s. WOODFORD, C. Computers. Available at: <http://www.explainthatstuff.com/howcomputerswork.html>.

ComputersBy Chris Woodford. Last updated: November 30, 2016

It was probably the worst prediction in history. Back in the 1940s, Thomas Watson, boss of the giant IBM Corporation, reputedly forecast that the world would need no more than “about five computers.” Six decades later and the global population of computers has now risen to something like one billion machines!To be fair to Watson, computers have changed enormously in that time. In the 1940s, they were giant scientific and military behemoths commissioned by the government at a cost of millions of dollars a piece; today, most computers are not even recognizable as such: they are embedded in everything from microwave ovens to cell phones and digital radios. [...]

What is a computer?A computer is an electronic machine that processes information [...] it takes in raw information (or data) at one end, stores it until it’s ready to work on it, chews and crunches it for a bit, then spits out the results at the other end. All these processes have a name. Taking in information is called input, storing information is better known as memory (or storage), chewing information is also known as processing, and spitting out results is called output. [...]Once you understand that computers are about input, memory, processing, and output, all the junk on your desk makes a lot more sense:• Input: Your keyboard and mouse, for example, are just input units – ways of getting information

into your computer that it can process. [...]• Memory/storage: Your computer probably stores all your documents and files on a hard-drive:

a huge magnetic memory. [...]• Processing: Your computer’s processor (sometimes known as the central processing unit) is a

microchip buried deep inside. It works amazingly hard and gets incredibly hot in the process. That’s why your computer has a little fan blowing away – to stop its brain from overheating!

• Output: Your computer probably has an LCD screen capable of displaying high-resolution [...] graphics, and probably also stereo loudspeakers.

s. WOODFORD, C. Computers. Available at: <http://www.explainthatstuff.com/howcomputerswork.html>.

ComputersBy Chris Woodford. Last updated: November 30, 2016

It was probably the worst prediction in history. Back in the 1940s, Thomas Watson, boss of the giant IBM Corporation, reputedly forecast that the world would need no more than “about five computers.” Six decades later and the global population of computers has now risen to something like one billion machines!To be fair to Watson, computers have changed enormously in that time. In the 1940s, they were giant scientific and military behemoths commissioned by the government at a cost of millions of dollars a piece; today, most computers are not even recognizable as such: they are embedded in everything from microwave ovens to cell phones and digital radios. [...]

What is a computer?A computer is an electronic machine that processes information [...] it takes in raw information (or data) at one end, stores it until it’s ready to work on it, chews and crunches it for a bit, then spits out the results at the other end. All these processes have a name. Taking in information is called input, storing information is better known as memory (or storage), chewing information is also known as processing, and spitting out results is called output. [...]Once you understand that computers are about input, memory, processing, and output, all the junk on your desk makes a lot more sense:• Input: Your keyboard and mouse, for example, are just input units – ways of getting information

into your computer that it can process. [...]• Memory/storage: Your computer probably stores all your documents and files on a hard-drive:

a huge magnetic memory. [...]• Processing: Your computer’s processor (sometimes known as the central processing unit) is a

microchip buried deep inside. It works amazingly hard and gets incredibly hot in the process. That’s why your computer has a little fan blowing away – to stop its brain from overheating!

• Output: Your computer probably has an LCD screen capable of displaying high-resolution [...] graphics, and probably also stereo loudspeakers.

s. WOODFORD, C. Computers. Available at: <http://www.explainthatstuff.com/howcomputerswork.html>.

f. The keyboard and mouse are used to store information in the computer. ( )g. Computers get very hot while processing information. ( )h. LCD screens show information produced by a computer. ( )

2 Read the extract again. Then answer the questions.a. Why was Thomas Watson’s prediction “probably the worst prediction in history”?__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________b. What do computers do with information input into them?_____________________________________________________________________c. Why do computers have small fans inside them?_____________________________________________________________________

Vocabulary3 Match the words with their definitions.a. computer literateb. digital immigrantc. digital natived. technophilee. technophobe

( ) a person who really likes technology( ) a person who hasn’t grown up using technology such as the internet and mobile phones, but has

learned to use it later in life( ) a person who is able to use a computer( ) a person who has grown up using technology such as the internet and mobile phones( ) a person who does not like, trust, or want to use technology, especially computers

4 Complete the chart with the words from the box, according to the categories.

blog • click • download • icon • keyboard • link • passwordprint • scan • screen • smartphone • tablet • USB port • website

Devices or parts of devices

Things we see on devices Things we do on devices

Grammar5 Complete the sentences with will and the verbs from the box.

a. My father believes computers _____________________ humans.b. __________ computers ever ______________ more intelligent than men?c. My grandparents ___________________ a new smartphone for me.d. The ICT teacher ___________________ us how to code.e. This computer is really slow. I ____________________ the files when I get home.f. __________ you ______________ to the beach this weekend?g. We ___________________ tablets in the classroom next year.h. The scientists _____________________ a new computer in the next few months.

6 Look at the pictures. Complete the questions with the prompts and will. Then answer the questions.

be • buy • develop (neg.) • download • replace (neg.) • teach • travel • use

a.

A: __________________________ (Jake / open) the email message?B: __________________________

b.

A: __________________________ (Bill and Emma / go) to the beach?B: __________________________

c.

A: __________________________ (the Taylors / return) to their house after the hurricane?B: __________________________

d.

A: __________________________ (Melissa / turn on) the TV?B: __________________________

7 Use the prompts to write sentences with may or might.

a. Zach / go / to the movies tonight_________________________________________________________________________________b. Alyssa and her cousin / travel / to Europe together this summer_________________________________________________________________________________c. Justin / scan / the book page for you_________________________________________________________________________________d. Ann’s blog / go / online this weekend_________________________________________________________________________________e. The students / use / the new computer room today_________________________________________________________________________________f. We / download / the new app after school_________________________________________________________________________________

8 Underline the correct verb forms to complete the sentences.a. I’m not sure, but my parents might buy / will buy a new TV.b. My mother loves James Bond movies, so I know she may watch / will watch the new 007 film.c. It might rain / will rain this afternoon. The probability is 60%, according to the forecast.d. Tyler is not sure about the party. He said he may go / will go with us.e. My father’s car is not working, so he might not take / will not take us to the mall this

afternoon.f. The temperature in Chicago is -2°C now, so we may need / will need our coats for the trip this

weekend.g. Computer analysts are certain that machines might not replace / will not replace humans.h. Our math teacher is sure that everybody may get / will get good grades on the test.