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The main aim of specially designed shift-work lighting system is






A) to help people feel alert at night.

B) to provide better lightning.

C) to prevent heart diseases.

D) to stimulate human growth hormones.

 

A. Supercomputer E. Intelligent machines in our life
B. Human intelligence test F. Computer intelligence test
C. Man against computer G. Computers change human brains
D. Robotic industry H. Electronic film stars

 

1. Artificial intelligence is the art of making machines that are able to 'think'. We often don't notice it, but artificial intelligence is all around us. It is present in computer games, in the cruise control in our cars and the servers that direct our e-mail. Some scientists believe that the most powerful computers could have the power of the human brain. Machines have always been excellent at tasks like calculation. But now they are better than humans in many spheres, from chess to mixing music.
2. The world's most powerful computer is ASCI Purple, made by IBM in 2004. It can carry out 100 trillion operations per second and has the size of two basketball courts. A computer with double power is expected in the next two years. A spokesman for IBM said that ASCI Purple is near the power of the human brain. But some scientists believe our brains can carry out almost 10, 000 trillion operations per second.
3. The possible dangers of intelligent machines became the stories of many science fiction films. In The Terminator (1984), a computer network uses nuclear weapons against the human race in order to rule the world. This network then makes intelligent robots called 'Terminators' which it programs to kill all the humans. In The Matrix (1999) and The Matrix Reloaded (2003), a machine dominates humanity, using people as batteries to power itself.
4. In 1997, then the world chess champion Garry Kasparov played against IBM’s Deep Blue supercomputer – and lost. After six games, the world-famous Kasparov lost 2.5 to 3.5 to the computer. In February 2003, Kasparov restored human reputation by finishing equal against the Israeli-built supercomputer Deep Junior. Kasparov ended the game with the score 2-2 against US company X3D Technologies' supercomputer X3D Fritz in November 2003, proving that the human brain can keep up with the latest developments in computing (at least in chess).
5. There are a number of different methods which try to measure intelligence, the most famous of which is perhaps the IQ, or 'Intelligence Quotient' test. This test was first used in early 20th century Paris. The modern day IQ test measures a variety of different types of ability such as memory for words and figures and others. Whether IQ tests actually test general intelligence is disputable. Some argue that they just show how good the individual is at IQ tests!
6. Analysis shows that human intelligence is changing. We are gaining abilities in some areas of intelligence, while losing them in others, such as memory. So this generation may not remember the great number of poems, their abilities are greater in other areas. It has been discovered that wide use of video games improves reaction time. But we could only dream of computing without calculators as fast as our grandparents did.
7. In 1950, mathematician Alan Turing invented a test to check machine intelligence. In the Turing Test, two people (A and B) sit in a closed room, a third person (C), who asks questions, sits outside. Person A tries to answer the questions so that person C doesn’t guess who they are: men or women, while person B tries to help him (C) in their identification. Turing suggested a machine take the place of person A. If the machine fooled the human, it was likely to be intelligent.
             
             

 

A. Chocolate mania E. Friend or enemy
B. History of chocolate F. Safe sweetness
C. Love of sweet from your father G. Help to dentists
D. Balanced diet H. Problems with weight

 

1. Chocolate is made from the seeds of the tree Theobroma cacao. The ancient Aztecs used the beans of the cacao tree as a form of money. The Aztecs discovered that by crushing the beans into a paste and adding spices, they could make a refreshing and nourishing drink. This drink was very bitter, not like our chocolate drinks today. 16th century European explorers brought the drink back from their travels, added sugar, and soon it was popular as an expensive luxury.
2. You can receive a 'sweet tooth' from your parents. Recent study at New York University suggests there is a genetic reason why some people prefer sugary foods. The study was based on two groups of mice. The parents of the first group were given sweetened water and the parents of the second – unsweetened water. The team found the gene that was different in the two groups of mice and then looked for similar genetic chains in humans.
3. All modern chocolate products have large amounts of sugar, a fact which may partly explain why it becomes a sort of drug for some people. An ability to recognize sweet things, and a tendency to like them was very useful for our forefathers. Such a genetic quality made prehistoric humans look for energy-rich, healthy and tasty food such as fruit, and helped them avoid bitter-tasting poisonous plants.
4. Like other sweet food, chocolate helps endorphins, natural hormones, that give us the feelings of pleasure and well-being, to appear in our body. Chocolate also makes us feel good by reacting with our brains. Scientists say that some people may develop chocoholism - a dependency on chocolate. So it's just possible that, with every bar of chocolate, your brain changes step by step in order to make you love chocolate more and more!
5. Back in the 17th and 18th centuries, many scientific works were written explaining the advantages of chocolate for medicine, and today it's a regular food in army rations. Chocolate could help prevent tooth decay, according to scientists at Japan's Osaka University. The cocoa beans from which chocolate is made have an antibacterial agent that fights tooth decay. These parts of the beans are not usually used in chocolate production, but in future they could be added back in to chocolate to make it friendly for teeth.
6. Californian scientist Professor Carl Keen and his team have suggested that chocolate might help fight heart disease. They say that it contains chemicals called flavinoids, which thin the blood. Researchers at Harvard University have carried out experiments that suggest that if you eat chocolate three times a month you will live almost a year longer than those who don’t do it. But it's not all good news - chocolate has much fat, which means that eating too much of it may lead to obesity.
7. Being very fat, or obese, is linked to many health problems including heart disease and diabetes. The causes of obesity are not yet fully understood. Both genes and the environment play a role. The recent growth of the number of fat people seems to be linked to environmental factors: people are much less active nowadays, fatty and sugary foods like chocolate are cheap, people eat larger portions of food, and the calories per person have increased.
             
             

 

A. Types of mass media E. Air in danger
B. World in danger F. World language
C. Danger of smoking G. Wonderful trip
D. English in schools H. Types of travelling

 

1. English is very popular nowadays. It’s the language of computers, science, business, sport and politics. English is an amazing language, the language of great literature. Half of the world’s scientific literature is published in English. Nearly half of the world’s business deals in Europe are conducted in English. It’s the language of sports and glamour, being the official language of the Olympic Games and the Miss Universe Competition. English is the official voice of the air and the sea.
2. Millions of people all over the world spend their holidays travelling. They travel to see other countries and continents, modern cities and the ruins of ancient towns. Some travel to enjoy picturesque places or just for a change of scene. It’s always interesting to try different food, to listen to different musical rhythms. Those who live in the country like to travel to a big city while city-dwellers usually prefer spending a quiet holiday by the sea or in the mountains, with nothing to do but walk and bathe.
3. Global warming is the term used to describe the relatively dramatic rise in the world’s average temperature during the 20th century. According to some environmentalists, global warming is a result of the industrial revolution and that if it continues, it will destroy civilization as we know it. Global warming is a problem, and people must take any steps they can in order to prevent it.
4. Speaking English gives people many privileges in society, enabling them to communicate successfully with those who don’t know your mother-tongue. In order to possess these privileges school teachers and methodologists propose to introduce six hours of learning English a week for all Russian schools and introduce this subject from the first year in primary schools. Learning English should become more intensive to make Russian citizens more communicative.
5. Air pollution is a very serious problem in the world. In Cairo just breathing the air is life threatening – it equals smoking two packs of cigarettes a day. The same holds true for Mexico City and 600 cities of the former Soviet Union. Industrial enterprises emit tons of harmful substances. These emissions have disastrous consequences for our planet.
6. The press, radio, television and Internet are various types of mass media that keep people informed on the topical issues of the day. The mass media do much to excite an interest in every aspect of life and play an important role in reflecting the life of society. The mass media draw the public attention to the most serious political, economic, social and ecological problems.
7. Last year my brother and I went to Turkey. This trip left the best impression on me. We took advantage of the excellent weather and went on different tours, for example, rafting. We took ourselves by a raft and a kayak through the picturesque mountainous region of Southern Turkey. Besides, we found new places, saw impressive sights and got acquainted with new people.
             
             

 


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