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3.4Read the newspaper article below and answer the following questions:
What new undergraduate degrees will be offered at Burlington? –
…………………………………………………………………………………...
What new postgraduate degrees will be offered at Burlington? –
…………………………………………………………………………………...
What new doctorate degrees will be offered at Burlington? –
…………………………………………………………………………………...
PC WORLD Monthly - MARCH
BURLINGTON UNIVERSITY ANNOUNCES
COMPUTER ENGINEERING PROGRAM CHANGE
BURLINGTON – |
Dr. Franklin |
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Boyles, |
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Dean |
of |
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Engineering |
at |
Burlington |
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University, |
has |
announced |
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that |
the |
university’s |
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computer |
engineering |
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program |
will expand |
next |
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year. |
The |
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university |
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already |
offers |
basic |
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concentrations |
in |
areas |
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such |
as |
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computer |
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networking |
and |
software |
engineering. Boyles stated that the Department of Engineering will begin offering concentrations in the more complex fields of digital signal processing and VLSI design. Concentrations in algorithms and circuit analysis are set to be added as well.
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Entirely |
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new |
degree |
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programs |
will |
also |
be |
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offered. |
These |
include |
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Bachelor |
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of |
Science |
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degrees |
in |
robotics |
and |
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artificial |
intelligence. |
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Master’s |
degrees |
will |
also |
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be |
offered |
in |
fault- |
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tolerant |
computer system |
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design, |
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human-computer |
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interaction, |
and |
control |
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engineering. |
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Boyles |
believes that all of these
fields |
will |
be |
very |
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important |
in |
the |
future. |
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“As |
space |
exploration |
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becomes |
more |
advanced, |
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students |
with |
in-depth |
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knowledge |
of |
these |
areas |
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will |
be |
in high |
demand”, |
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he |
said. |
There |
are |
currently no plans to add any new doctoral programs.
Burlington’s Department of
Engineering is already known worldwide for its doctoral program in interactive systems engineering, though.
This is the single largest expansion in the school’s history. It sends a clear message the Burlington University plans on becoming a world leader in the area of computer engineering.
Do you know?
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3.5 Match the words and phrases with their definitions:
1)control engineering
2)fault-tolerant computer system
3)interactive systems engineering
4)software engineering
5)algorithm
6)circuit analysis
7)VLSI (Very Large-Scale Integration)
a)a system that functions even if parts fail
b)the process of combining thousands of circuits on one chip
c)a set of instructions for solving a problem
d)the discipline that studies voltage and currents in networks
e)the discipline that uses sensors and actuators to control systems
f)the discipline that creates software
g)an interdisciplinary field that combines many disciplines
3.6 Read the article once again and choose the best answer to the following
questions:
1 What is the article mostly about?
a)changes in the field of computer design;
b)the university’s new computer building;
c)why computer courses are changing;
d)the areas the department is expanding into.
2 Which of the following will not be offered as a master’s degree?
a)control engineering;
b)human-computer interaction;
c)interactive systems engineering;
d)fault-tolerant computer system design.
3 What can be inferred about the university?
a)It has not been a leader in engineering.
b)It just founded an engineering school.
c)It is most well-known for its law school.
d)It is the largest university in the region.
1 |
2 |
3 |
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3.7 Project. If you compare the education system in your country with that in some other country, in what way are they different? / the same?
Consult the sites of the leading educational institutions in your country and abroad. Make a list of useful internet sites and present your findings.
Useful internet sites:
(Make a list)
…
Education system in my country and in (…?...)
Similarities |
Differences |
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… |
… |
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3.8Groupwork. Share ideas with your groupmates.
What experience, knowledge and educational background should an IT professional have?
Does it depend on the specialty in the IT sphere?
Is there a difference between an IT specialist and an IT engineer?
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4 Learning Styles
4.1 When do you think is the best time to do the following activities (look at the list of activities below)? Write down the answers in the table below. Explain why.
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YOU THINK |
ACCORDING TO |
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THE TEXT How |
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it’s the best time to |
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Activities |
your efficiency |
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do the activity |
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varies over 24 |
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hours … |
have a breather
learn some info
have a shower
do a workout
have a snack
try a new restaurant
play tennis
brush your teeth
avoid people with colds
go to bed
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4.2 Read the information from the text How your efficiency varies over 24 hours… and check your answers.
How your efficiency varies over 24 hours …
Pieces of information |
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It’s not called ‘beauty sleep’ for nothing, |
you know: |
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going to bed before midnight allows skin cells to |
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regenerate themselves from 11pm to |
1am |
(providing |
1 |
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we’re asleep). While hair and nail growth is fastest |
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between 4am and 6pm. |
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Avoid your neighbour’s sick child first thing in the morning – |
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your immune system is weakest between 6am and 8am when |
2 |
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the quantity of white blood cells is at its lowest. |
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During the day, the glands inside your mouth produce |
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an alkaline solution that kills bacteria and helps protect |
3 |
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your teeth against decay. But they don’t work from |
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midnight to 6am. |
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We become tired between 1pm and 2pm because our inner clock |
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is telling us we need a siesta. Other natural ‘mini-breaks’ occur at |
4 |
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9am and around 5pm. No wonder you always nod off on the train. |
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In the morning, your short term |
memory is at |
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its best. But you’ll have to relearn all that |
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info after lunch if you want to |
remember it |
5 |
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in a week’s time. Work that one out. |
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Showers |
and saunas are most invigorating in the |
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afternoon: this is when your blood vessels are more |
6 |
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likely to |
dilate, so allowing optimum circulation and |
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toxin elimination. |
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Reaction speeds are fastest in the early evening. But |
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they’re at their slowest just after 3pm – so careful who |
7 |
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you challenge to tennis. |
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Don’t make a late booking for that new haute cuisine |
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restaurant: your sense of taste and smell is at its peak between |
8 |
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5pm and 7pm. |
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Put an end to those late-night snacks – the stomach doesn’t work |
9 |
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well at night. |
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Bodybuilders should aim to schedule their iron pumping sessions |
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for the afternoons – you’ll hardly gain anything from a morning |
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session, regardless of how much pain you endure. And forget |
10 |
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working out under the midnight oil – late-night exercise will |
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keep you awake. |
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4.3 Find a heading for each piece of information (1–10) from the text How your
efficiency varies over 24 hours … (See Task 4.2).
Headings:
Don’t catch a cold |
When to wash’n’go |
The Zzzzzzz factor |
Poor taste |
Best time to learn |
Time your tennis challenge |
Best time to brush your teeth |
When to have a snack |
Do your body building |
Time to sleep |
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4.4 Read the text The Science of Chronobiology and formulate the definition of the term chronobiology.
Chronobiology is
.........................................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................................
The Science of Chronobiology
Take time out to visit the crazy world of Chronobiology – an increasingly popular science that goes something like this: you and every other animal on the planet has a ‘body clock’ that controls rhythms on a day / night cycle (a sort of internal physiological timekeeper). This clock is governed by hormones that determine the best times for us to perform physiological and psychological tasks – whether it’s to do with building new muscle tissue or recovering from last night’s party.
The hormone that makes you feel
sleepy is melatonin, whereas other hormones, such as cortisol, kickstart your body in the morning. In several experiments, volunteers who have been cut off from sunlight, newspapers, TV and all other contact with the outside world, have shown that human body clocks are
‘naturally’ set to a 25-hour cycle. Watches and clocks are needed to keep our bodies attuned to a 24hour routine. The day / night cycle is a definite help. The blind, who are deprived of this natural time-keeper, have to keep to a strict routine – taking meals at regular times, for
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example, and going to bed at the same time every day – in order to avoid falling into the 25-hour cycle.
Small changes to our internal clock, such as missing a night’s sleep, are tolerated by the body. But constant major disturbances, like regular periods of wild partying followed by getting up late, can badly upset your timekeeping. Sleep expert Jim Horne, from Loughborough University, recommends getting up at the same time every day – whether you’re working or not. This, he says, readjusts your body clock so that you feel sleepy at roughly the same time every night.
Shift workers, for instance, nearly always suffer from their working patterns – not because they have to work anti-social hours (given a few days, the body can adapt to this reasonably well), but because their shift times continually change: the body never settles into a set pattern, leading to confusion, fatigue and a lowered immunity to disease.
This can be especially dangerous in professions where constant high concentration is vital. We are at our lowest ebb between 2 am and 4 am, when body temperature is at its lowest and statistics show that this is when most industrial accidents and errors occur. The Chernobyl disaster in Russia and the Union Carbide poison gas leaks at Bhopal in India both occurred in the early hours because workers were feeling sleepy.
Studies have shown that flying across time zones makes the body incapable of distinguishing between day and night. Travellers are nearly always tired or hungry at the ‘wrong times’. Their body clock eventually adjusts, but it can take up to two weeks. Athletes competing in international events must plan their travelling arrangements carefully so that they’re in prime condition.
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4.5Answer the following questions:
Have you heard of chronobiology before?
Did the article provide you with useful information?
Are there any findings of chronobiology related to studies? (Consult the information in the internet.)
4.6Before reading the article entitled The Early Bird Catches the Worm… match the words and phrases with their definitions. (The words and phrases are taken from the article below.)
1) |
fill in |
a) |
points, marks |
2) |
lie (laze, lounge) around |
b) |
complete an official document such as |
3) |
subjected to |
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an application form or a questionnaire |
4) |
hangover |
c) |
calculate an answer, amount, value or |
5) |
scores |
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result |
6) |
predators |
d) |
given |
7) |
work out |
e) |
attitude or habit from a past time which |
8) |
folk wisdom |
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no longer serves any real purpose |
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f) |
animals that kill and eat other animals |
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g) spend time lying down and not doing |
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anything |
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h) |
knowledge that is based on simple ideas |
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which do not require a high degree of |
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technical knowledge |