Variant I

I Read the text and do two tasks below it

LOST? NEVER AGAIN!

Imagine the situation. You are driving alone in the desert or in the mountain. You have no idea where you are. You passed the last house two hours ago. Then your car breaks down. It is night and it is cold. You have no mobile phone. What to do? Well, next time take a GPS with you. This invention may be able to help you. It is a device which uses satellite to locate the user’s position. It can locate your position to within 20 metres. Some GPS devices are even more accurate. A GPS cannot start your car, but at least you will know where you are.

GPS, which means Global Positioning System, is a small portable radio receiver. It looks like a mobile phone. You can hold it in your hand, or put it in your pocket. It is sometimes fitted into a watch or a telephone. You also find GPS devices in cars, aeroplanes, or boats. Some of these devices, foe example the Garmin GPSMAP 60, have electronic maps, so you know exactly, where you are. For example, in a city they can tell you the name of the street.

There are three parts to the Global Positioning System. The first part is the receiver. You can hold it in your hand, or have it fixed into your car, plane, etc. The second part is a group of satellites orbiting the Earth. The satellites carry atomic clocks and transmit radio signals. The receiver contacts at least four of the satellites. It measures the distance from each satellite, using the radio waves and the times. The receiver then calculates its exact position. The third part of the system is a network of ground stations. They are located all over the world. They control the satellites and make sure they are working well.

The United States Department of Defense designed the system for the military. They launched the first satellite into space in 1978. In the 1980s the government made the system available for everyone – for free. By 1998 there were 24 satellites in orbit around the world. When a satellite becomes old or breaks down, a new satellite is sent up in its place.

Some people think that in the future the GPS will be as common as the mobile. They are becoming cheaper and more and more accurate. There are also new users for the GPS, such as tracking criminals. Perhaps they will become like watches. Everyone will have one and you will never be lost again!

1 Are the statements below true (t) or false (f)?

1 A GPS can help you to start the engine of your car.

2 B Ground stations are used to measure the distance by means of radio waves.

3 C In the US one should pay a small amount of money when using a GPS.

4 D The GPS satellites are replaced from time to time.

5 E GPS stands for ‘Global Portable System’.

2 Match the halves of the sentences below with the correct endings.

6 One can keep a GPS in the pocket

7 When driving in an unknown place

8 You don’t have to hold a GPS in your hand

9 A GPS will give a good chance

10 The GPS devices are valued

A once it is fixed.

B to those dealing with crime

C for their accuracy

D because of its small size.

E you may use a GPS for navigation.