5. Find the sentences with adjectives that describe netbooks and translate them.

6. Decide if the following statements are true or false. Correct the false ones:

1. Netbook is for everyone and for everything.

2. If you're looking to do a little bit of word processing, maybe edit a few simple spreadsheets, and want to surf the Web, a netbook will suffice.

3. Netbooks are constantly evolving, and we're now on the cusp of next-generation models.

4. You can play modern PC games, editing huge pictures, or creating videos on these machines.

5. Even the smallest machines these days offer about 16 inches of viewable display area, with at least 800 pixels across.

6. Netbooks are known for long battery life.

7. Many netbooks come with serviceable, comfortable keyboards, despite their smaller size.

8. Windows Vista is the best operating system to work with a netbook's powerful processor.

7. Work in groups:

Group A finds the information about processors and defines the key features one needs to know when buying a netbook.

Group B finds the information about displays and defines the key features one needs to know when buying a netbook.

Group C finds the information about battery life and defines the key features one needs to know when buying a netbook.

Group D finds the information about keyboards and defines the key features one needs to know when buying a netbook.

Group E finds the information about software and defines the key features one needs to know when buying a netbook.

Text 4. Green pc

1. Discuss the following questions in pairs:

1. Does the computer industry affect the ecological situation in the world? Can you give any examples of such effects?

2. The title of the text is “Green PC”. What do these words refer to?

3. Is it possible to make computers less harmful to the environment? In what way?

2. Match the following words and word combinations with their Russian equivalents:

consumption pollution emission considerable to power down a suspend mode compliant to recycle to dispose of smth to be faced with smth

совместимый выброс повторно перерабатывать быть поставленным перед чем-либо загрязнение избавляться от чего-либо, выбрасывать значительное количество режим временного прекращения работы отключить питание потребление

В) Replace the words in italic with their synonyms from part A). Translate the word combinations into Russian:

1. to work in the sleep mode

2. to throw away old computers

3. power use

4. Energy Star compatible PCs

5. to have the need to reduce the greenhouse effect

6. release of gas

7. to turn off the monitor

8. water poisoning

9. to reuse electronics components

10. great amount of energy

3. Read the text and choose the most suitable heading from the list (1-8) for each paragraph. There is one extra heading which you don’t need to use:

1. Ways of reducing resources consumption

2. Development of less toxic materials

3. Energy Star compliant PCs

4. Environmental impact of computers

5. Climate Savers Computing Initiative

6. Strategies to reduce toxic emissions

7. Computer system’s energy consumption

8. Effects of old PCs disposal

A) The “Green PC” is a general term for features that reduce the growing environmental impact of the manufacture or use of computers. This impact has several aspects: energy consumption, resource consumption, e-waste, and pollution and greenhouse emissions.

B) The greatest part of a typical computer system’s power consumption is from the monitor, the hard drive and CPU. Considerable energy can be saved if these components are powered down when they are not used. On the other hand, most users do not want to go through the whole computer startup process several times a day. One solution is to design a computer system so that it turns off many components when not in use but is still able to restore full function in a few seconds.

C) When applied to a personal computer, the federally adopted Energy Star indicates a computer system that includes an energy saving mode that can power down the monitor, hard drive, or CPU after a specified period of time, so the inactive system consumes no more than 30 watts. A suspend mode saves the current state of the computer’s memory to a disk file. When the user presses a key (or moves the mouse), the computer “wakes up” and reloads its memory contents from the disk. By 2000, virtually all new PCs were Energy Star compliant. In July 2007 stricter Energy Star specifications for desktop PCs were adopted. The efficiency of power supplies must now be at least 80 percent. Moreover, the International Energy Agency suggested an initiative to reduce power consumption of inactive PCs to 1 watt or less.

D) Computers also consume many resources during their manufacturing and packaging. Resource consumption can be reduced by building more compact units and by designing components that can be more easily recycled or reused.

E) In recent years the disposal of old computers and other electronic equipment (“e-waste”) has attracted much attention. There are many toxic substances in electronics components, including lead, mercury, and cadmium. As a result, many communities have banned disposing of e-waste in regular trash. States such as California have also introduced a recycling fee that is included in the price of such devices as CRT monitors and televisions.

F) Fabrication of computer chips in more than 200 large plants around the world involves a great number of toxic chemicals and waste products. Companies that want to reduce future emissions can use several strategies. Manufacturing equipment and processes can be modified so that they create fewer toxic substances or at least keep them from getting into the environment. Nontoxic (or less toxic) materials can be substituted where possible. Finally, waste can be sorted and disposed of, and recycled when it is possible.

G) Computer industry is also faced with the need to reduce the amount of the greenhouse gases (particularly CO2) which cause global warming. This means further reducing the energy consumption of new PCs. In June 2007 a number of corporations (Google, Intel, Dell, Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft, and Sun) established the Climate Savers Computing Initiative. The program should help to reduce power consumption equivalent to 54 million tons of greenhouse gases annually.