Тексты для чтения и грамматические тесты. Антонишкис А.А - 12 стр.

                                         12
       You are going to read an article entitled Technology: The Way Ahead.
Before you look at the passage, check any of the ideas (a), (b), (c), (d) listed below
that you would expect to find in the following passage.

         a.   How it all started.
         b.   The history of some developments.
         c.   The benefits of modern advances.
         d.   Recent developments and their uses.

Read the passage to see if your guesses were right.

       Text A. Technology continues to advance every day, making everything in
our lives easier and safer, but at the same time allowing us to become lazier. First
came the TV and the stereo, and then came the remote control, a device which
allowed us to control the set without leaving the comfort of our armchair. You no
longer need coins to operate public phones which are now operated with plastic
cards. And you can gain immediate access to your money kept in a bank account
with a cash card. Microwave ovens have meant that people no longer have to wait
for food to defrost and cooking is quicker. Cars are fitted with airbags and
automatic braking systems, a development to lessen the effects of any accident that
you might have. American scientists have developed spacecraft extensively, now
using the space shuttle which is reusable as it is built specifically to withstand the
intense heat from take-off, and pressure of travel into outer-space.

      Look at the titles of the following passages and try to predict how these
developments have revolutionized the world we live in.

  Text B. Computers.
       Computers have revolutionized many industries from travel to health care,
and from communication to the armed forces. Extensive computer networks stretch
across the globe. However, dependency on this network could be dangerous if
systems were to shut down for any reason. Computers have made information more
accessible and immediate, and the work place has generally become more efficient.
This efficiency does have its drawbacks in that many office workers are no longer
needed; book-keeping and other office work can be done by one person operating a
computer.

       Mobile Phones.
        In the last ten years mobile phones have become increasingly popular. The
use of this wireless telephone has revolutionized communication. People can be
contacted quickly. Business executives no longer need to be in the office to receive
calls. It is not only business executives who benefit from this technology but also
the emergency services and people who work in isolated places. However, mobile
phones do have drawbacks, such as the expense, and the stress caused by feeling
that you ought to have it switched on all the time.