1.8 Fill the gaps using the words from the box.

TEXT 1.

databases word processing spreadsheets word processor

A ____________ is a computer used to prepare documents or letters, or the software that is used for this purpose. Many people use their computers for ____________, e.g. writing letters and reports. A lot of business people use _____________ (= a program used to enter and arrange numbers and financial information) and ____________ (= programs which allow you to store, look at or change a large amount of information quickly and easily). Some people also use graphics (= the pictures and symbols a computer program can produce).

TEXT 2.

bug computer-literate back-up copy Internet net-work

user-friendly memory e-mail virus crash

More and more people are becoming ____________ (= have experience of working with computers and know how to use them) as many programs and machines are so _________ (= easy to use). You can now connect your computer to computers all over the world using the __________ (= a system that allows computers to connect using telephone lines). People send each other ______________ (electronic mail) messages using this system or ____________.

If your computer is slow it may need more ____________ it may ________ (= stop working) if there is not enough memory or if it has a ______ (= a software problem; also a _________). Make sure you make a _____________ of your work (= an extra copy on a disk).

1.9 Match the computer terms on the left with the definitions on the right.

1) personal computer/PC/desktop computer 2) keyboard 3) laptop (computer) 4) palmtop (computer) 5) hardware 6) software 7) hard disk 8) disk drive 9) modem 10) scanner 11) RAM (random access memory) 12) spreadsheet (program) 13) computer graphics 14) word processing 15) virus 16) system unit

a) hidden instructions in a program designed to destroy information b) a piece of equipment for typing and giving commands to the computer c) the memory available on a computer to store and use information temporarily, usually measured in megabytes d) a lightweight portable computer that usually fits a briefcase e) a computer small enough to fit in your hand f) an apparatus that allows information to be read from a disk or stored g) machine for transferring pictures and texts into a computer h) a program or the grid you create with it to perform mathematical operations i) pictures, images, and symbols that you can form on a computer j) writing and storing printed text on a computer k) a piece of equipment that sends information from one computer along telephone lines to another computer l) a computer that fits on a desk, used by individuals at work or at home m) computer equipment or machinery n) a case and its contents o) a device inside a computer that stores large amounts of information p) programs that you put into a computer to make it run

1.10 Try to give definitions to the computer terms below following the definition formula:

An A is a B that C

Example:

A toolbar is a bar that contains buttons for the most commonly-used commands in a computer.

A=the word we want to define

B=the general group or class that includes A

C=the characteristic(s) that make(s) A different from other examples of B

1. a file

2. a bus

3. a worm

4. a spam

5. a server

Check your definitions in the Internet using any search engine.