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I. Read and translate in written form the following text.
When a computer error is a fatal mistake
Our lives depend on computers. They control our money, transport, exam results. Yet their programs are now so complex that no one can get rid of all the mistakes.
Life without computers has become unimaginable. They are designed to look after so many boring but essential tasks from microwave cooking to flying across the Atlantic that we have become dependent on them.
But as the demands placed on computers grow, so have the number of incidents involving computer errors. Now the computer experts are warning that the traditional ways of building computer systems are just not good enough to deal with complex tasks like flying planes or maintaining nuclear power stations. It is only a matter of time before a computer made catastrophe occurs.
As early as 1889, a word entered the language that was to become too familiar to computer scientists: a bug meaning a mistake. For decades bugs and de-bugging were taken to be part of every computer engineers job. Everyone accepted that there would always be some mistakes in any new system. But safety critical systems that fly planes, drive trains or control nuclear power stations can have bugs that could kill. This is obviously unacceptable.
One way to stop bugs in computer systems is to get different teams of programmers to work in isolation from each other. That way, runs the theory, they wont all make the same type of mistake when designing and writing computer codes. In fact research shows that programmers think alike, have the same type of training and make similar mistakes. So even if they work separately, mistakes can still occur. Another technique is to produce back up systems that start to operate when the first system fails. This have been used on everything from space shuttle to the A320 airbus, but unfortunately problems that cause one computer to fail can make all the others fail, too.
Of course, more often than not the errors are just annoying, but sometimes they can come close to causing tragedies. On the Piccadilly line in Londons Underground a driver who was going south along a track got confused while moving his empty train through a cross-over point. He started to head north straight at a south bound train full of people. The computerized signaling system failed to warn him of impending disaster and it was only his quick human reactions that prevented a crash.
II. Answer the following questions.
1. What do the computers look after in our life?
2. What are computer experts warning about?
3. When did a word bug enter the language?
4. What systems are safety critical ones?
5. How can we stop bugs in computer system?
III. Put questions to the underlined parts of the sentences.
IV. Give English equivalents to:
1.
2.
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3.
4.
5.
V. Give Russian variant to:
1. essential tasks
2. safety critical systems
3. Have the same type of training
4. Come close
5. Cause tragedy
VI. Choose the correct form of the pronouns. Insert some, somebody, something somewhere or any, anybody, anything, anywhere.
1. There were of my friend there.
2. I saw I knew at the lecture.
3. I havent seen him
4. Can I have milk. Yes, you can have
5. Can you see in an empty box?
VII. Insert few or little.
1. He has got friends.
2. I drink coffee. I dont like it.
3. We must hurry. We have got very time.
4. There are very scholarships for students in this university.
5. The Smith have money. They arent very rich.
VIII. Insert much or many.
1. Robert wrote so letters that hes never going to write a letter again.
2. She ate so ice-cream that shes going to have sore throat.
3. Does your sister read? Yes, she does.
4. Have you got work to do? No, not very .
5. The pupils of our class ask questions at the lesson. They want to know everything.
