Материалы для проведения занятия иностранного языка на тему: "Современные технологии (телефоны, компьютеры)"

Mobile Phones

The technical progress goes straight in huge steps. We live in the 21st century, full of different means of communication. Today almost everyone has a mobile phone. We cannot imagine our life without it because it is very important to communicate with your family and friends. At the same time, we can find the opinion that the usage of mobile phones can be harmful and dangerous.   I think that mobile phones are very useful in our everyday life. Firstly, it is very convenient, as people can call each other anywhere. Secondly, each telephone has such devices as a calendar, a camera, the Internet, an alarm clock and others. No matter where we are, there is an opportunity to get connected to the Internet, check our e-mails and find any necessary information. In addition mobile phones can help fill in our free time. For example, we may play games on it. Moreover, you are always available to delay meetings or let somebody know if you are late. Thirdly, many parents buy cell phones for their children just for safety. If a child gets into some trouble, he can call emergency services or his parents. If you need, you can call the police or an ambulance. At the same time, some people believe that mobile phones are dangerous. Their microwaves can be very harmful and they affect our health greatly. In addition, there is such a phenomenon as a mobile phone addiction, and it’s a real problem in our society. Besides, when a person speaks on the phone in public places, we can listen to other people’s conversations or sometimes phones ring a lot of times. It is so disturbing.

In conclusion, I’d like to say that mobile phones make our life easier but nevertheless, there is a negative effect on our health. That is why people shouldn’t overuse them.

Computers

Lately computers have filled our life. We do not imagine our leisure without this miracle-machine.

They have much better memories and they can store much information. No man alive can do 500,000 sums in one second, but a computer can. In fact, computers can do many of the things we do, but faster and better. They can predict weather, and even play chess, write poetry or compose music. With the help of computers the Internet has entered into our life. It’s a brilliant source of information because the internet is a big encyclopedia. Now people cannot live a day without checking of mail and visiting their favourite sites. The Internet is not only the assistant in daily work, it is also the other world in which there are mail boxes, libraries, photo galleries, games, shops. The internet gives us a chance to communicate with people all over the world. It is interesting to learn about a life in different countries and you can practice English talking to native speakers. Also you can use the internet if you are looking for a job or to find people who share your interests. By means of the Internet people can travel to different cities, visit tourist places.

Certainly, the Internet can be the excellent assistant in information search. But we can’t rely on all the information. Moreover, some sites are unsuitable for children and should be controlled by parents. Besides, the internet can cause addiction. We lose a touch with the real world getting in a full dependence on a computer. But computers shouldn’t replace seeing your friends. And finally, users of the internet get a lot of spam every day which is very annoying.

I think that it is necessary to understand, what is really important on the Internet and what is not. And then the Internet will be not the terrible enemy, but the indispensable assistant.

Television

It is common knowledge that television now plays an important role in our life. It is difficult to say if it is good or bad for us. On the one hand, we can say that TV is our eyes because TV helps us to know more about the world, about the other counties, about the events that happened in the world.  It's the main source of information and a cheap form of entertainment for millions of people. It gives us an opportunity to "travel" all over the world, to "meet" different people and learn about their customs and traditions. It has the power to educate and broaden our minds. It helps us to relax after a hard day's work and escape from reality. There's always a great variety of programs on TV: news and sports programs, talk shows, games, concerts and theatre performances.

On the other hand, television is a terrible waste of time. It makes us lazier. We stay at home instead of going out. We read less. We think less. We even talk less. Before we admitted the one-eyed monster into our homes, we never found it difficult to occupy our spare time. For instance, we used to have hobbies, we used to go outside for our amusements to theatres, cinemas, restaurants and sporting events. We read books and listened to music. All that belongs to the past. Television encourages passive enjoyment. Little by little, it cuts us off from the real world.  Besides, very often the programmes are bad. There is also too much ads. Violence on TV is another problem that worries people. As George Mikes once said, TV teaches us "how to kill, to rob, to shoot and to poison." But the same can be said about computer games and many films and books.