INTRODUCTION

by Katalin Fazekas

SZAMALK Post-Secondary Vocational School,

Budapest, Hungary

fazekas@okk.szamalk.hu

COMPUTER ENGLISH FOR EVERYDAY USE by Batri Blanka-Fazekas Katalin (Di-press, 2003)  

A new coursebook for computer users and IT vocational people has appeared on the Hungarian EFL book market. The authors – both involved in teaching IT English at vocational schools and IT colleges - have realized the lack of such a publication on the international market.  

With the first volume - the second is due in spring 2004 - they have intended to produce an English coursebook for false beginners or pre-intermediate students who study Information Technology and Computer Science, or work in the IT sector and want to improve their general and professional language skills in the context of IT. It can be used both in regular classes and distance education.

There are 12 units in the book covering basic vocabulary for everyday communication and Computer English. The authentic texts for reading comprehension are taken from popular Internet web pages, manuals and advertisements. Each unit contains work on a mix of language skills and every 4^th unit revises and repeats the previous material. The Student’s Book includes a comprehensive glossary of current IT terminology. The book contains answer key and all the listening scripts. The CD features all the listening tasks: dialogues, interviews and discussions.

In our following issues we are going to publish some parts of the reading passages along with other exercises such as grammar tasks, reading comprehension assignments etc.

ANYTHING CAN GO WRONG  

by Katalin Fazekas

SZAMALK Post-Secondary Vocational School,

Budapest, Hungary

fazekas@okk.szamalk.hu

General topics:           Anything can go wrong

IT topics: Gadgets and problems

Language: Advice on faults

Examination skills: Past tense; ‘s; negative; there is/are

Nothing is perfect. Anything can go wrong. There are gadgets that you can fix without any help, and there are complicated ones, and when they go wrong, you have to ask for help. Can you fix a printer fault? Do you know what to do when you get a computer virus? What will you do if you can’t open a website, or you break your digital camera? Will you phone somebody if you can’t withdraw money from an ATM, or you can’t get back your credit card from the slot? I think, you can add to this list with your own experiences. But what are the most common mistakes and problems in this area?

One day Judy was alone at home. She wanted to use Google search for some homework but their PC didn’t work at all. She was very angry as she had to finish the homework before morning. First she phoned her mother but she was out at a meeting. Then she talked to her father on the phone but he couldn’t help her either. Finally she decided to wait for her brothers who – when they got home – showed her how silly she was. She forgot to check the mains. There was a blackout in the whole district!

Dialogues

Jack and Judy at home

-  Jack, will you help me please? The PC doesn’t work. It has stopped. What’s wrong?

- Well, let me see. Oh, yes. When the computer freezes, your keyboard stops working, and

   you can’t do anything.

- But what shall I do then?

- When this happens, you have to press CONTROL, ALT and DELETE at the same time.

   Then click on the TASK MANAGER button, and you will see a list of programs.

- Yes, it says NOT RUNNING.

-  If any of them say NOT RUNNING in the STATUS COLUMN on the right, click

   on the button which says END TASK. This will shut down that program.

- Right. But I need that program, I must finish my homework.

- OK. Now you can reopen it. But don’t open more than 3 programs at the same time, because the processor isn’t very powerful.

- Thank you.

Frank and the IT helpdesk on the phone

-         Good evening. IT helpdesk.. Can I help you?

-         Yes. This is Frank Fitzgerald speaking. I am afraid I need some help. I would like to use the Internet, but I can’t connect to it. What can the matter be?

-         I’ll check, just a minute. Please identify yourself by user name and password!

-         Yes, the user name is Frankie.

-         Can you spell that, please?

-         Yes, of course, it is f-r-a-n-k-i-e.

-         And what is your password?

-         It is f-5-6-g-h-l-9-d

-         Please open the dial up properties. What is the dial-in number?

-         It is 533219652

-         I’m afraid you must change the dial-in number.

-         How do I do that?

-         You just have to delete the old one and write in the new one.

-         Is that all?

-         Yes. And then you can connect to the internet.

-         Thank you very much. Bye.

-         Bye-bye. 

Mother and the supervisor in the office

-         Well, I think, my printer is broken. I don’t know what to do with it.

-         First, we should switch it off and unplug it. Could you open the door on the front of the printer?

-         Yes, here you are.

-         I will pull out the ink cartridge. Is there any paper behind it?

-         No, there isn’t.

-         OK then, I think we have to replace the ink cartridge. I’ll get a new one, just a minute. 

-         Is it ready now?

-         Yes, you should hear a click sound which shows that the cartridge is properly installed. Let’s close the door on the front of the printer, plug it back in, and switch it on.

-         Can I print the document now?

-         Yes, of course.

-         Thank you very much.

-         Not at all.

Comprehension check

Decide whether the following sentences are true or false.

1.   If you press CONTROL, ALT and DELETE at the same time, you will see the TASK MANAGER button.  

2.      Judy is not clever enough to solve the problem with the computer.

3.      First you have to plug the printer in before switching it on.

4.      Frank had to give his phone number before he got some help.

5.      If you can see NOT RUNNING in the status column, that program will shut down automatically.

6.      After restarting your computer you have to reopen the program that you want to use.

7.      If you hear a click sound, it means that the cartridge is installed properly.

8.      When your computer freezes, you can’t see anything on the monitor.

9.      If you press END TASK in the status column, you will shut down that program.

10.  Computers with small processor can freeze easily if you open several programs at the same time.

Technical vocabulary

Match the words from the list with the following definitions.

Plug in; infect; restart; freezes; delete; user name and password; dial a phone number; replace; crash; Task Manager

1. This is an activity you do when you connect your computer to the electricity supply.

2. A virus can do this to your computer.

3. To start your computer again.

4. This happens to a program if you can see NOT RUNNING in the status column.

5. The synonym of `cancel`.

6. You have to give this data to the helpdesk if you have a problem with the Internet.

7. You do this when you phone somebody or connect to the Internet.

8. You do this with the ink cartridge when you install a new one.

9. The synonym of `go wrong/completely stop working`.

10.  You can see the list of programs running here.

Grammar

1. Put the following sentences into past tense. Use `yesterday` in the transformed sentences.

E.g.: She hears a click sound from the printer. – She heard a click sound from the printer yesterday.

1. Frank can’t connect to the Internet.

2. Everybody unplugs the printer before changing the cartridge.

3. There isn’t any paper in the printer.

4. Frank gives his password to the helpdesk.

5. The PC freezes, because the processor is not powerful enough.

6. The keyboard stops working.

7. After restarting the computer I reopen the program

8. A virus infects the PC.

9. The hard disk often crashes.

10. He forgets his password.

2. Put some or any into the gaps.

1)      I am going to buy … CDs. I’m going to buy some CDs.

2)      They didn’t make … mistakes.

3)      I’ll pay, I have … money.

4)      Don’t buy … diskettes. We don’t need any.

5)      Can I have … books on programming, please?

6)      When we were in London, we visited … interesting places.

7)      Sorry, we are late. We had … problems with the PC.

8)      Do you know … good computer shops in Budapest?

9)      Are there … e-mails for me this morning?

10)  I can do this work alone. I don’t need … help.

3. Use must or mustn’t in the following situations!

Example: There is no paper in the printer. (buy) You must buy some in the shop.

a.       The attachment can carry some virus. (open).

b.      The cartridge can be old and nearly empty. (shake)

c.       The material is full of photos and cartoons. (save on CD)

d.      He wants to join a discussion forum but the school’s firewall won’t let him. (join)

e.      He is the network administrator and my PC freezes every minute. (repair)

4. Decide which is correct in the following sentences: “don’t/doesn’t have to” or “mustn’t”!

Example: The programmer …….repair the faulty PCs. The programmer doesn’t have to repair the faulty PCs.

a.                  The helpdesk operator …………shout at the clients over the phone.

b.                  The web design teacher ……… teach about database management.

c.                  Judy …………play games before she does her home work.

d.                  The students …………download copyrighted software in the computer class.

e.                  The parents ………..buy all the high-tech gadgets for their children.

f.                    You ……………answer all the spam arriving into your email address.

Guided composition

Look at the picture of a digital camera and write a short composition, using the following camera parts and the words in brackets.

AD converter –– process – amplify – analog signal

AF Servo – moving – focus on – object

Buffer – make – shots – continuous

DPOF  – storage card – command 

EXIF – have – digital camera –– file – standardized format

LCD – preview – review

Storage Card – have – digital camera – removable

Viewfinder – compose – picture

READING COMPREHENSION

Read the text and answer the questions.

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