I Put the sentences in the right order:

1. Microsoft’s first big success came in 1981.

2. In 1984, Apple made a new computer called a Macintosh.

3. Many people are unhappy about Microsoft because they think the company is too big and powerful.

4. Gates and Allen left university early and started their own company – Microsoft.

5. Recently, the Internet has given people a chance to find out about other kinds of software.

6. The first of Microsoft and other software companies is probably safe.

7. In the 1970s most people did not know very much about them.

II Put five questions to the text:

III Translate the text

IV Write the annotation to the text.

UNIT 7

Man versus computer

Part one

For more than a hundred years, writers have been interested in the power of machines – and what happens when they go wrong. Before computers became part of modern life, they began to appear in science fiction stories. Often, these computers begin working for humans, but later they refuse to do this and start to do frightening and dangerous things.

A good example of this kind of science fiction is I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream, by Harlan Ellison. In this story, there are three very large and powerful countries in he world. The three countries are a war, and they use computers to fight he war. However, the computers become angry with the humans, They stop fighting, and work together to kill the humans. They kill everyone in the world except for five people. They keep these five people like animals.

The idea of computers that are more powerful than humans is interesting to scientists too. That is why IBM spent a lot of time and money building a chess computer called Deep Blue. They wanted to show that a computer could win against Gary Kasparov, the best chess player in the world.

Kasparov plays Deep Blue

In 1996, Deep Blue played Kasparov six times. Kasparov won the match, but IBM knew that their computer could do better. They did a lot of work on the computer and its software, and in 1997, Deep Blue and Kasparov played again. This time, Deep Blue won the match (3.5 to 2.5).

A lot of newspapers wrote about Deep Blue and Kasparov. They said that it was the beginning of a new age: computers had finally become more intelligent than humans.

However, Deep Blue had help from humans. Its software was written by five different computer technicians and a very good chess player. Also, it is important to remember that chess is a mathematical game. Computers are good at chess because they can do millions of calculations every second. Deep Blue can look at 200,000,000 different chess positions every second; a human chess player like Kasparov can look at three! In some ways, it is amazing that computers do not win at chess every time.

Tasks

I Read the text. Are these sentences true (t) or false (f). Correct the sentences where it is necessary.

1. Deep Blue can look at two hundred million different chess positions every second.

2. The idea of computers than humans is interesting to scientists too.

3. For more than a hundred years, writers have been interested in the power of machines – and what happens when they go right.

4. IBM didn’t want to show that a computer could win against Gary Kasparov.

5. Gary Kasparov is the worst chess player in the world.

6. Deep Blue hadn’t help from humans.