Answer the questions

1. What implication do companies usually have when they merge?

2. What do companies typically do to manage all elements of IT project?

3. What is one of the largest segments of the local IT services market?

4. What supports demand in systems integration services?

5. What type of computers is the largest part of the market comprised of?

6. What is a newly bought server usually backed by?

7. What kind of solution do Russian customers prefer?

8. What does RISC acronym mean?

9. What is the current tendency of larger and richer customer organisations?

10. What will smaller networks companies start using as a server after the first tragedy?

Text 2 Information Technology in Railway Stations

Railways as the mass transportation system are experiencing a new growth. Research and development of new technologies is very important for railway systems. Information technology can quickly change existing methods of operation. Thus, electronic ticketing on rails has modified the existing ticketing system.

Railways want to offer a new and a global product to customers by making a railway trip and ticketing easier. In many countries railways have modernized their distribution chains by using the Internet or SMS. They follow the strategy of offering monetary benefits both to the railway company and to the customers. Railways have created a special gap in prices of tickets delivered in stations, and those delivered with the use of the Internet or SMS.

Thus, in Germany prices on tickets purchased on the Internet are 10% lower than for the same tickets bought in the stations. In France, last minute tickets only accessible by the Internet are sold with a 50% discount. In some European railways the client can reserve a seat and purchase a ticket with a specific SMS message which is sent to the appropriate railway call centre. After having paid for the ticket with a credit card, the customer receives a specific code. This code is given to the controller of the train who checks its validity with the specific pocket computer. In addition, the client can change or cancel his reservation.

However, not all clients can easily be accustomed to new technologies. For this reason, and in order to avoid the clients' annoyance it is suggested that railway authorities create in the station reception areas with hostesses advising people how to use the Internet or SMS for booking.

Russia is also implementing new technologies. The Russian rail system is the most extensive rail system in the world. However, not long ago passengers had to purchase their tickets first in order to secure their travel dates. There were no open tickets for Russian trains. People had to buy a ticket for a particular train on a certain date.

However, the situation has changed for the better. There are companies in Russia that offer e-booking of railway tickets. They can offer passengers easy and fast ticket reservation services. On their websites, travellers can order both electronic and papers tickets. Thus, the travel company "Legend tour" - a partner of Russian railways performs electronic train ticket reservation service for Russian trains. E-tickets are delivered fast and safe to your email address. When passengers receive their e-tickets they print them and exchange for a boarding pass at the Russian train station.

An electronic ticket is recorded automatically in several computer databases when reservation is confirmed. All ticketing systems have access to these databases .It does not require special blanks, since all information is stored in the memory of the databases and is easily transferred between different computers and databases.

Answer the questions

1.How can technologies affect railway systems?

2.What do railways want to offer ?

3.What strategy do the railways follow?

4.Why is the price on e-tickets lower than the price on the same tickets delivered in the station?

5. Where can people get a last minute ticket in France?

6. How can clients reserve seats and tickets in Europe?

7. What is given to a client after he has paid for a ticket?

8. How can railway authorities avoid the clients' annoyance?

9. How did Russian passengers usually purchase railway tickets?

10. How does an electronic ticket work?

Module IX. Ecology and Computers

Text 1. Recycling - Reverse Engineering

We are good at recycling old soda cans, but when it comes to old PCs - this work is cut out for us. Over the next three years, 250 million computers are expected to become obsolete, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. That is good news for PC manufacturers but bad news for the environment. The problem is that old computers can quickly become harmful. A typical computer monitor, for example, contains between 2 and 4 pounds of lead, which can leach into the groundwater in the landfill.

The technology to recycle PCs exists. Facilities in different countries can reprocess the lead-laden glass in old computer monitors into glass for new ones. Metal extracted from old chips and plastics can be reused too.

However, there is little incentive to do it. Consumers balk at the cost of shipping junked systems to recycling facilities. Manufacturers do not want to take responsibility for disposing of obsolete equipment they sold years ago. It is not surprising then that 85 percent of computers taken out of service last year will be in landfills.

The challenge is not so much how to recycle PCs but how to make PC recycling economically viable. The team of researchers has developed mathematical models that can evaluate recycling facilities, including collection centres, glass-reprocessing plants and smelting facilities. Such models can determine the most efficient way of how to help engineers to figure out the right combination of fees, tax breaks and additional reprocessing facilities.

Mathematical models have long been used to simulate different systems, but the difficulty in simulating PCs recycling is that the data is extremely uncertain. Nevertheless, scientists hope to show some recycling options and to encourage authorities to the opening of local glass-reprocessing facilities. The ultimate goal is to make the system available for any country interested in setting up a recycling program. We hope that such systems will start working in Russia in the near future.

Answer the questions

1. Why do we have to recycle old computers?

2. How many computers are expected to become obsolete?

3. Why are old computers harmful for the environment?

4.Why do consumers and manufacturers oppose to recycling?

5. What have scientists developed to evaluate recycling facilities?

6. Why is it difficult to simulate PCs recycling?

7.What has the team of researchers developed?

8. What can encourage authorities to the opening of local glass-reprocessing facilities

9. What is the ultimate goal of the scientists?

10.What can start working in Russia?

Text 2 Green IT

The world's ICT carbon emissions are thought to be equal to the emissions of the aviation industry. The amount of electricity required to send read and delete all the spam email in the world could power millions of homes instead.

Conversely, using videoconferencing instead of flying to the meeting, can considerably reduce air transport carbon emissions. Allowing computers to run smart buildings, where the heating, cooling, ventilation and lightning are managed as economically as possible is another useful application of digital technologies.

However electronic equipment itself should be as efficient as possible. Data centres use huge amounts of electricity to power chips that generate lots of heat, and more power is needed to cool them down. Data centres could be made greener by being built in locations with lots of sunlight. Thus they could be powered by solar energy. At users level there are initiatives like "Blackle", which highlights that black computer screens and white letters would use less power.

When we come to the end of a product's life we should know how to dispose of tones of computers, screens, mobiles, smartphones and cables each year. European countries have signed the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE) and encourage everyone to reuse, recycle and recover electrical and electronic equipment. The directive places the responsibility and associated costs of disposal onto the manufacturer or the user. The result is that equipment should be designed and made to last longer. When it is thrown away and replaced by the latest models, much of it can be recycled and sent to developing countries where it can be used again.