UNIVERSITATEA TITU MAIORESCU – BUCUREŞTI

FACULTATEA DE INFORMATICĂ
SPECIALIZAREA: INFORMATICĂ

COMUNICARE DE SPECIALITATE ÎN LIMBA ENGLEZĂ

Suportul de curs pentru anul II ID conţine:

I. PROGRAME ANALITICE

II. CONŢINUT CURS

III. TEME DE CONTROL

IV. BIBLIOGRAFIE
I. PROGRAME ANALITICE

PROGRAMA ANALITICA

Denumirea COMUNICARE DE SPECIALITATE ÎN LIMBA ENGLEZĂ

disciplinei

Codul disciplinei I.2.3.7 Semestrul 1 Numarul de credite 2

Facultatea Informatica Nr. ore pe sem/activitati

Profilul Informatica Total SI TC AT AA
Specializarea Informatica 14 0 10 4 0

Categoria formativa a disciplinei

DF-fundamentala, DG-generala, DS-de specialitate, DE-economica/manageriala, DU-umanista DG
Categoria de optionalitate a disciplinei: DI-impusa, DO-optionala, DL-liber aleasa (optionala) DI

Discipline Obligatorii (conditionate) -

anterioare Recomandate -

Obiective 1. Revizuirea cunoştinţelor lingvistice şi gramaticale de limbă engleză generală;

2. Asimilarea şi fixarea elementelor de limbaj specializat, tehnic;
3. Exersarea celor patru abilităţi necesare pentru o comunicare fluentă în limba engleză :
citit (reading), vorbit (speaking), scris(writing) şi ascultat (listening);
4. Perfecţionarea capacităţii de prezentare orală a unui proiect de specialitate în limba
engleză.
Continut
(descriptori) 1. The Mobile Phone and the Human Health
2. Networking
3. Home Networks
4. Network Communications Standards. Communication Devices.

Forma de evaluare (E-examen, C-colocviu/test final, LP-lucrari de control) C

Stabilirea -raspunsurile la examen/ colocviu/ lucrari practice 60%
Notei finale -activitati aplicative 30%
(procentaje) - teme de control 10%
Bibliografie 1. Boeckner, Keith; Brown, P. Charles, Oxford English for Computing, Oxford
University Press, 1997.
2. Deaconu, Mădălina, English for IT, Bucureşti, Editura UTM, 2010.
3. Chilărescu, Mihaela, New Profociency in English, Iaşi, Editura Polirom, 2008.
4. Coşer, Cornelia, Vulcănescu, Rodica, Developing Competence In English.
Intensive English Practice, Iaşi, Editura Polirom, 2010.
5. Esteras, Santiago Remacha, Infotech- English for Computer Users, Cambridge
University Press, 2004.
6. Glendinning, Eric H.; McEwan, John, Basic English for Computing, Revised
and Updated, Oxford University Press, 2002;
7. Graver, B. D., Advanced English Practice, Oxford University Press, 1995.
8. Jones, Daniel, English Pronouncing Dictionary, Cambridge University Press,
1997.
9. Lagoutte, François, 1000 de cuvinte-cheie în informatică, Bucureşti, Editura
Compania, 2003.
10. Paidos, Constantin, English Grammar- Theory and Practice, Iaşi, Editura
Polirom, 2001.
11. Thomson, A. J., Martinet, A. V., A Practical English Grammar, Oxford
University Press, 1997.

Coordonator de discplina Grad didactic, titlul, prenume, nume Semnatura

Gârban Valentin Lector dr. Deaconu Mădălina

PROGRAMA ANALITICA

Denumirea COMUNICARE DE SPECIALITATE ÎN LIMBA ENGLEZĂ

disciplinei

Codul disciplinei I.2.4.7 Semestrul 2 Numarul de credite 2

Facultatea Informatica Nr. ore pe sem/activitati

Profilul Informatica Total SI TC AT AA
Specializarea Informatica 14 0 10 4 0

Categoria formativa a disciplinei

DF-fundamentala, DG-generala, DS-de specialitate, DE-economica/manageriala, DU-umanista DG
Categoria de optionalitate a disciplinei: DI-impusa, DO-optionala, DL-liber aleasa (optionala) DI

Discipline Obligatorii (conditionate) -

anterioare Recomandate -

Obiective 1. Revizuirea cunoştinţelor lingvistice şi gramaticale de limbă engleză generală;

2.Asimilarea şi fixarea elementelor de limbaj specializat, tehnic;
3.Exersarea celor patru abilităţi necesare pentru o comunicare fluentă în limba engleză : citit
(reading), vorbit (speaking), scris(writing) şi ascultat (listening);
4. Perfecţionarea capacităţii de prezentare orală a unui proiect de specialitate în limba
engleză.
Continut 1. Network Interconnecting Devices
(descriptori) 2. What Is Artificial Intelligence?
3. Approaches to Artificial Intelligence. The Top-Down Approach and the Bottom-Up
Approach
4. Examples of Artificial Intelligence: Japan Baby-robot Teaches Parenting Skills

Forma de evaluare (E-examen, C-colocviu/test final, LP-lucrari de control) C

Stabilirea -raspunsurile la examen/ colocviu/ lucrari practice 60%
Notei finale -activitati aplicative 30%
(procentaje) - teme de control 10%
Bibliografie 1. Boeckner, Keith; Brown, P. Charles, Oxford English for Computing, Oxford
University Press, 1997.
2. Deaconu, Mădălina, English for IT, Bucureşti, Editura UTM, 2010.
3. Chilărescu, Mihaela, New Proficiency in English, Iaşi, Editura Polirom, 2008.
4. Coşer, Cornelia, Vulcănescu, Rodica, Developing Competence In English.
Intensive English Practice, Iaşi, Editura Polirom, 2010.
5. Esteras, Santiago Remacha, Infotech- English for Computer Users, Cambridge
University Press, 2004.
6.Glendinning, Eric H.; McEwan, John, Basic English for Computing, Revised
and Updated, Oxford University Press, 2002;
7. Graver, B. D., Advanced English Practice, Oxford University Press, 1995.
8. Jones, Daniel, English Pronouncing Dictionary, Cambridge University Press,
1997.
9. Lagoutte, François, 1000 de cuvinte-cheie în informatică, Bucureşti, Editura
Compania, 2003.
10. Paidos, Constantin, English Grammar- Theory and Practice, Iaşi, Editura
Polirom, 2001.
11. Thomson, A. J., Martinet, A. V., A Practical English Grammar, Oxford
University Press, 1997.

Coordonator de discplina Grad didactic, titlul, prenume, nume Semnatura

Gârban Valentin Lector dr. Deaconu Mădălina
II. CONŢINUT CURS

SEMESTRUL I
The Mobile Phone and Human Health

Before reading the text below, try to answer the following questions:

1. Are you concerned about cellular phone and cellular antenna radiation? Why or why not?
2. Should more studies be done on potential health effects, and if so, who should pay for the
studies? Why?
3. Would you live next to a cellular antenna? Why or why not?

The effect mobile phone radiation has on human health is the subject of recent interest
and study, as a result of the enormous increase in mobile phone usage throughout the world
(as of June 2009, there were more than 4.3 billion users worldwide). Mobile phones use
electromagnetic radiation in the microwave range, and researchers believe this may be either
harmful or beneficial to human health. A large body of research exists, both epidemiological
and experimental, in non-human animals and in humans. Other digital wireless systems, such
as data communication networks produce similar radiation.

The World Health Organization, based upon the consensus view of the scientific and
medical communities, has stated in the past that cancer is unlikely to be caused by cellular
phones or their base stations and that reviews have found no convincing evidence for other
health effects. The WHO expects to make recommendations about mobile phones in 2010.
Some national radiation advisory authorities have recommended measures to minimize
exposure to their citizens as a precautionary approach.

Many scientific studies have investigated possible health effects of mobile phone
radiations. These studies are occasionally reviewed by some scientific committees to assess
overall risks. A recent assessment was published in 2007 by the European Commission
Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR). It
concludes that the three lines of evidence, viz. animal, in vitro, and epidemiological studies,
indicate that "exposure to RF fields is unlikely to lead to an increase in cancer in humans."

Part of the radio waves emitted by a mobile telephone is absorbed by the human head.
The radio waves emitted by a GSM can have a peak power of 2 watts, and a US analogue
phone had a maximum transmit power of 3.6 watts. Other digital mobile technologies use
lower output power, typically below 1 watt. The maximum power output from a mobile phone
is regulated by the mobile phone standard and by the regulatory agencies in each country. In
most systems the cell phone and the base station check reception quality and signal strength
and the power level is increased or decreased automatically, within a certain span, to
accommodate for different situations such as inside or outside of buildings and vehicles. The
rate at which radiation is absorbed by the human body is measured by the Specific Absorption
Rate (SAR), and its maximum levels for modern cell phones have been set by governmental
regulating agencies in many countries. In the USA, the Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) has set a SAR limit of 1.6 W/kg, averaged over a volume of 1 gram of tissue, for the
head. In Europe, the limit is 2 W/kg, averaged over a volume of 10 grams of tissue. SAR
values are heavily dependent on the size of the averaging volume. Without information about
the averaging volume used, comparisons between different measurements cannot be made.
Thus, the European 10-gram ratings should be compared among themselves, and the
American 1-gram ratings should only be compared among themselves. SAR data for specific
mobile phones, along with other useful information, can be found directly on manufacturers'
websites.

Thermal effects: One well-understood effect of microwave radiation is dielectric

heating, in which any dielectric material (such as living tissue) is heated by rotations of polar
molecules induced by the electromagnetic field. In the case of a person using a cell phone,
most of the heating effect will occur at the surface of the head, causing its temperature to
increase by a fraction of a degree. In this case, the level of temperature increase is an order of
magnitude less than that obtained during the exposure of the head to direct sunlight. The
brain's blood circulation is capable of disposing of excess heat by increasing local blood flow.
However, the cornea of the eye does not have this temperature regulation mechanism and
exposure of 2–3 hours' duration has been reported to produce cataracts in rabbits' eyes at SAR
values from 100-140W/kg, which produced lenticular temperatures of 41°C. There were no
cataracts detected in the eyes of monkeys exposed under similar conditions.

Non-thermal effects: The communications protocols used by mobile phones often

result in low-frequency pulsing of the carrier signal. Whether these modulations have
biological significance has been subject to debate. Some researchers have argued that so-
called "non-thermal effects" could be reinterpreted as a normal cellular response to an
increase in temperature. The German biophysicist Roland Glaser, for example, has argued that
there are several thermoreceptor molecules in cells, and that they activate a cascade of second
and third messenger systems, gene expression mechanisms and production of heat shock
proteins in order to defend the cell against metabolic cell stress caused by heat. The increases
in temperature that cause these changes are too small to be detected by studies such as
REFLEX, which base their whole argument on the apparent stability of thermal equilibrium in
their cell cultures.

Along years, many studies of long time exposure to cell phone radiation causing
cancer have been published. Thus, in 2006 a large Danish study about the connection between
mobile phone use and cancer incidence was published. It followed over 420,000 Danish
citizens for 20 years and showed no increased risk of cancer. The 13 nation INTERPHONE
project - the largest study of its kind ever undertaken - did not find a solid link with mobile
phones and brain tumours.

Until now, there have been concerns that mobile phones were causing increases in
brain tumours but nothing has been scientifically demonstrated so far. At the same time, it has
been suggested that electromagnetic fields associated with mobile phones may play a role in
speeding up the development of an existing cancer.

In 2000, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended that the precautionary
principle could be voluntarily adopted in this case. It follows the recommendations of the
European Community for environmental risks. According to the WHO, the "precautionary
principle" is "a risk management policy applied in circumstances with a high degree of
scientific uncertainty, reflecting the need to take action for a potentially serious risk without
awaiting the results of scientific research." Other less stringent recommended approaches are
prudent avoidance principle and ALARA (As Low as Reasonably Achievable). Although all
of these are problematic in application, due to the widespread use and economic importance
of wireless telecommunication systems in modern civilization, there is an increased popularity
of such measures in the general public, though also evidence that such approaches may
increase concern. They involve recommendations such as the minimization of cellphone
usage, the limitation of use by at-risk population (such as children), the adoption of
cellphones and microcells with ALARA levels of radiation, the wider use of hands-free and
earphone technologies such as Bluetooth headsets, the adoption of maximal standards of
exposure, RF field intensity and distance of base stations antennas from human habitations,
and so forth.

Some national radiation advisory authorities, including those of Austria, France,

Germany, and Sweden have recommended measures to minimize exposure to their citizens.
Examples of the recommendations are:

Use hands-free to decrease the radiation to the head.

Keep the mobile phone away from the body.
Do not use telephone in a car without an external antenna.

The use of "hands-free" was not recommended by the British Consumers' Association in a
statement in November 2000 as they believed that exposure was increased. However,
measurements for the (then) UK Department of Trade and Industry and others for the French
l‘Agence française de sécurité sanitaire environnementale showed substantial reductions. In
2005 Professor Lawrie Challis and others said clipping a ferrite bead onto hands-free kits
stops the radio waves travelling up the wire and into the head. Several nations have advised
moderate use of mobile phones for children.

(Adapted, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_phone_radiation_and_health)

I. Answer the following questions:

1. Why do you think mobile phone usage has increased lately?

2. What kind of radiation is used by mobile phones? What about that used by digital wireless
systems?
3. What is WHO?
4. What was the conclusion of the European Commission Scientific Committee on Emerging
and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR)?
5. What is the watt range of the ratio waves emitted by a GSM?
6. Who regulates the maximum output from a mobile phone?
7. Under what circumstances is the power level of the cell phone modified?
8. Define SAR.
9. What is the SAR limit in the USA? What about Europe?
10. Give the definition of dielectric heating.
11. What part of the body is the most exposed to the thermal effect of using a mobile phone?
How is the excess heat eliminated?
12. What are non-thermal effects of mobile phones?
13. Name at least one research that deals with the connection between mobile phone use and
cancer.
14. What is ‘‘precautionary principle‘‘?
15. Name a few recommendations made by some national radiation advisory authorities.
16. Is the use of hands-free healthier?

II. Match the following words with the correct definitions:

electromagnetism proceeding from the will or from one's own choice or consent;
harmful the absolute meter-kilogram-second unit of power equal to the work
done at the rate of one joule per second or to the power produced by
a current of one ampere across a potential difference of one volt :
1
⁄746 horsepower;
epidemiology a clouding of the lens of the eye or of its surrounding transparent
membrane that obstructs the passage of light;
experimental a relatively high level of cultural and technological development;
radiation care taken in advance;
consensus a force relating to electric and magnetic fields or the study of this
force;
to state a branch of science concerned with the application of physical
principles and methods to biological problems;
advisory to determine the importance, size, or value of; to determine the rate
or amount of;
exposure the act of avoiding someone or something;
precaution causing or likely to cause damage;
to review the smallest particle of a substance that retains all the properties of
the substance and is composed of one or more atoms;
to assess general agreement;
output marked by rigor, strictness, or severity especially with regard to rule
or standard;
watt used for, relating to or resulting from experiments;
to manufacture discussion of a particular subject that often continues for a long
time and in which people express different opinions;
molecule a branch of medical science that deals with the incidence,
distribution, and control of disease in a population; the sum of the
factors controlling the presence or absence of a disease or pathogen;
cornea a sensory end organ that is stimulated by heat or cold;
cataract containing or giving advice;
debate any of various naturally occurring extremely complex substances
that consist of amino-acid residues joined by peptide bonds, contain
the elements carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, usually sulfur,
and occasionally other elements (as phosphorus or iron), and
include many essential biological compounds (as enzymes,
hormones, or antibodies);
biophysics when someone is in a situation where they are not protected from
something dangerous or unpleasant;
thermoreceptor the transparent part of the coat of the eyeball that covers the iris and
pupil and admits light to the interior;
protein something produced;
voluntarily energy in the form of heat or light that is sent out as waves that you
cannot see;
stringent to use machines to make goods or materials, usually in large
numbers or amounts;
avoidance to set by regulation or authority; to express in words;
civilization to examine or study again.

III. Match the following words with the right definition according to the text:

span
a) extension; b) extent; c) extinct; d) extol;

average
a) the higher value; b) the smaller value; c) the same value; d) medial value;;

tissue
a) aggro; b) aglow; c) aggregate of cells; d) titch;

fraction
a) bit; b) fractious; c) frailty; d) byre;

to dispose (of)
a) to decant; b) to deal with; c) to declaim; d) to deem;

incidence
a) boom; b) appearance; c) repeater; d) occurrence;

awaiting
a) craning for; b) investigating for; c) waiting for; d) looking for.

IV. Choose from the following words to complete the text below. Pay attention that some
forms of the words must be changed:

to mute, skeptics, potential, providers, access, placement, to demonstrate, sharply,

decisions, percent, estimate, antennas, underway, lack, illness.

Well over two billion people use cellular phones, and more than 80 … of the world‘s
population has …to cellular phone service from cellular….. These numbers are expected to
rise …. in coming years, and many are concerned about ….health effects from cellular phones
and cellular antennas. Some cellular phone users who suffered rare …..have filed lawsuits
against cellular phone companies, but the cases usually are lost due to …. of scientific
evidence linking the use of the phones to the illnesses. While debates range in communities
over ……..of cellular antennas, the consideration of health effects on residents is
……..because the federal government‘s Telecommunications Act of 1996 prohibits local
governments from considering health effects when making ………about antenna placement.
As cellular ……..begin offering faster Internet services, they …….that they may need to more
than double the current number of antennas in the United States. It is generally agreed that no
studies conclusively ……..negative health effects from cellular phones and cellular antennas,
but … claim that digital cellular technology is too new to have endured long-term studies on
humans. Long-term studies that are …. may not provide results for decades. (Should You
Worry about Cellular Phone and Cellular Antenna Radiation? in Shelly, Gary B., Cashman,
Thomas J., Vermaat, Misty E., Discovering Computers: Fundamentals, Fourth Edition, 2008,
USA, p. 309.)

V. Translate into English:

1) Nimeni nu ştie cu siguranţă cât este de periculos telefonul mobil. Ceea ce ştim azi
poate deveni coşmarul zilei de mâine – aceasta este părerea omului de ştiinţă Olle Johansson.
Este posibil ca peste 30 de ani să ne întrebăm cum au fost în stare oamenii să pună aşa o sursă
de radiaţie lângă cap.

2) Antena telefonului emite unde electromagnetice. Este acelaşi tip de radiaţie ca la

cuptoarele cu microunde, doar că într-o cantitate mult mai mică. Aşa cum cuptorul încălzeşte
mâncarea, undele mobilului încălzesc celulele umane, afectându-le în mod negativ.

3) Experimentele pe şobolani au demonstrat că genele ADN pot fi deteriorate de

radiaţia telefonului mobil, iar celulele sunt afectate. Aceasta este o explicaţie plauzibilă pentru
apariţia tumorilor.

4) Un studiu american menţionează următoarele efecte: tulburări de comportament,

afectarea nervilor şi a fătului, cataractă, modificări ale chimiei sângelui şi scăderea imunităţii.
Acestea sunt valabile şi pentru dozele mici de radiaţii pe care mobilele le emit. Totuşi, la o
concluzie clară nu s-a ajuns încă.

5) În general, copiii sunt mai sensibili la orice afectează corpul uman. Un raport
australian arată că undele electromagnetice afectează copiii de 3,3 ori mai mult decât pe
adulţii.

6) Cercetările efectuate până acum arată că, în mare măsură,telefonul digital este mai
periculos decât cel analogic. Telefonul digital emite un semnal pulsat, iar frecvenţa afectează
oamenii mai mult decât în cazul unui semnal analogic.

7) Nu e benefic pentru sănătatea noastră să stăm continuu într-un mediu cu unde

electromagnetice.

8) Iată cinci metode recomandate de specialişti pentru reducerea efectelor utilizării

mobilului:

Fii scurt : Evită să vorbeşti perioade lungi la telefonul mobil. Încearcă să îţi planifici
apelurile în aşa fel încât să foloseşti telefonul fix pentru convorbiri lungi.
Nu vorbi din maşină : Vorbeşte cât mai puţin posibil în maşină, pentru că aici
radiaţiile sunt amplificate. Dacă totuşi nu poţi evita acest lucru, montează-ţi o antenă
exterioară.
Protejează-ţi copilul : Nu pune un mobil pornit în căruciorul copilului, întrucât emite
unde electromagnetice chiar dacă nu vorbeşti cu el.
 Evită curelele: Nu purta mobilul la curea. E inutil să expui undelor electromagnetice
oasele şoldurilor şi organele din zonă. Cel mai bun loc în care să porţi mobilul este
buzunarul de la picior al unor pantaloni militari.
Direcţionează antena: Scoate întotdeauna antena (dacă este rabatabilă) când vorbeşti şi
direcţioneaz-o departe de cap, nu în sus, paralel cu capul. Pare o diferenţă
nesemnificativă, dar reduce într-o anumită măsură radiaţiile.

(Adapted, http://www.desprecopii.com/info.asp?id=536)

VI.Write an essay entitled Mobile phones- Pros and Cons.

Word Focus

I. Pay attention to the phrasal verb ’’to cut’’:

Meaning Examples
to cut across to affect different groups of people This economic crisis cut
across all social classes.
to cut away to remove unwanted or unnecessary parts She cut away the dead
from something by cutting it; leaves.
to cut down 1.to reduce the amount of something; 1. This buffer cuts down the
2.to eat, drink or use less of something, noise.
especially in order to improve your 2. He has to cut down on
health; sugar.
3.to reduce length 3. You have to cut down
your essay, it is too long.
to cut in 1.to interrupt; 1. He always cuts in on his
2. to suddenly drive in front of a moving father.
car in a dangerous way; 2. She always cuts in on the
other cars.
to cut off 1.to separate; 1. Cut the fat off the meat!
2.to stop the supply; 2. The light has been cut
off.
to cut out to cut a shape from a piece of cloth, He cut out the picture from
paper, etc. the newspaper.
to cut through 1. to move or pass easily through water or 1. The boat cut through the
air; water.
2. to be heard (about sounds, noise) 2. The cry cut through the
silent night.
to cut up to cut into pieces They cut up the newspaper
for fun.

II. Pay attention to the difference among:

- the nouns: cut, gash, incision, slash, slit;
- the verbs: chop, slice, dice, peel, grate, carve, saw, chop down, snip, shave, trim, mow,
prune.

Meaning
cut it may be of any size and may be produced by any kind of instrument;
gash a long and broad cut, usually accidentally produced; it usually suggests
an ugly wound;
incision a cut made to gain entry; used in surgery;
slash a long, deep cut, usually administered with intent to injure with a sharp
instrument (sword, knife) and is produced by a long, swinging motion;
it stresses the length and depth of the wound, which may have been
clearly made;
slit a long, thin cut or incision; it describes a more precisely made and
narrower cut;

Meaning
to chop to cut vegetables, meat, wood into pieces;
to slice to cut bread, vegetables or meat into thin pieces;
to dice to cut vegetables into small pieces;
to peel to cut the outside part off an onion, apple, etc.
to grate to cut cheese or vegetables into small pieces by rubbing them
against a special tool;
to carve to cut pieces from a large piece of meat;
to saw to cut wood using a special tool called a saw;
to chop down to cut down a tree, using an axe;
to snip to cut something quickly using scissors;
to shave to remove hair from your face or body;
to trim to remove small parts of something to make it look neat;
to mow to cut grass;
to prune to cut off the top part of plants in order to make them grow
better;

III. Pay attention to the difference among: alcoholic, boozer, drunk, drunkard, sot,
tipper.

Meaning
boozer acute alcoholic; it can be used admiringly to describe a person
who drinks a lot without losing control;
drunk more informal; it involves a tone of even greater contempt;
drunkard it implies a tone of condemnation; it is used to refer to somebody
who frequently drinks past the point of sobriety;
sot it is used to refer to someone who is drunk most of the time;
tipper it is used to refer to someone who is a secret, private drinker.
alcoholic initially, it was a medical description; in the present, it is used
informally and it lacks the tone of disapproval.

Exercises:

I. Translate into English using ‘‘to cut‘‘ as phrasal verb:

1. A decupat cu grijă articolul din ziar.

 2. Un urlet a străpuns tăcerea.
3. Chirurgul a separate celulele canceroase de ţesutul normal.
4. Trebuie să mai scurtezi eseul pentru că este prea lung.
5. Această lege va afecta cu siguranţă toate clasele sociale.
6. Acest dispozitiv reduce căldura din casă pe timp de vară.
7. E nepoliticos să îi întrerupi pe ceilalţi când vorbesc.
8. Au oprit gazul şi nu mai pot face prăjitura.
9. Trebuie să reducă fumatul. Îi afectează plămânii.
10. A tăiat în bucăţi poza.

II. Make sentences of your own using the following phrases and translate them into
Romanian: to cut a deal, to cut in line, to cut class/school; to cut your teeth (on something); to
cut corners; to cut somebody dead; to cut your losses; to cut a fine/ strange figure; to cut your
throat; to cut the atmosphere with a knife.

III. Fill in the blanks with one of the following words: to snip, to shave, to trim, to peel,
to carve, to mow, to slice, gash, incision, slash, slit.

1. Look at him! He … the grass!

2. Mother asked me … the potatoes because she wants to make French fries.
3. Don‘t disturb him now! He … his beard.
4. When I was a little girl, my grandparents asked me to … the bread before lunch.
5. I … the string and untied the parcel.
6. Please, ..the meat!
7. Michael … the lawn around the flowers every month.
8. Blood poured from the … because he had been stubbed by a knife.
9. The surgeon made a(n) … in the patient‘s shoulder.
10. The broken mirror caused a … on my mother‘s arm.
11. She wore a skirt with a … up the side.

IV. Fill in the blanks with one of the above words: alcoholic, boozer, drunk, drunkard,
sot, tipper:

1. Nobody would have thought that the minister was a …. However, they found many empty
bottles in her office.
2. You can‘t rely on him. He is a … . He never remembers what to do.
3. It was written that she divorced him because he was a … .
4. You to peel shouldn‘t ask his opinion: he is no more than a … .
5. He used to be a(n) … but he hasn‘t been drinking for ten years.
O cut6. They sincerely admired him for being a … : he could drink several bottles of wine
without falling under the table.

V. Give antonyms for ‘‘to drink‘‘.

VI. Fill in the blanks with the appropriate word from the following ones: prickly,
sharp, jagged, fluffy, shiny (x2), smooth, bumpy, glossy (x2), greasy, slippery,
sticky (x2), scaly.
1. Her skin felt … after using this cream.
2. She always buys … magazines.
3. She smiled when she saw that .. little kitten.
4. This accident happened because of the … road.
5. Her … face showed how happy she was when she was awarded that prise.
6. She is not very fond of cooking fishes because they are … .
7. There has been a honey jar on the table and now the table is all … .
8. The burglar used the … edge of the bottle.
9. Her … black hair caught his eye.
10. Cactus is a … plant.
11. The rain makes the roads … .
12. In front of the entrance door, there was a pair of very clean, … boots.
13. What is that … stuff on your left shoo?
14. He asked me to buy a shampoo for … hair.
15. Unfortunately, I‘ve just cut my finger with that … knife over there.
 Networking

A network is a collection of computers and devices connected together via

communications devices and transmission media. Networks facilitate communications among
users and allow users to share resources with other users. Some examples of resources are
data, information, hardware and software.
Networks are usually classified as a local area network, metropolitan area network or
wide area network. The main differentiation among these classifications is their area of
coverage.
A local area network (LAN) is a network that connects computers and devices in a
limited geographical area such as a home, school computer laboratory, office building or
closely positioned group of buildings. Each computer or device on the network, called a node,
often shares resources such as printers, large hard disks and programs. Often, the nodes are
connected via cables. A wireless LAN (WLAN) is a LAN that uses no physical wires. Very
often, a WLAN communicates with a wired LAN for access to its resources.
A metropolitan area network (MAN) is a high-speed network that connects local area
networks in a metropolitan area such as a city or town and handles the bulk of
communications activity across that region. A MAN typically includes one or more LANs,
but covers a smaller geographic area than a WAN. The state of Pennsylvania, for example,
has a MAN that connects state agencies and individual users in the region around the state
capital. A MAN is usually managed by a consortium of users or by a single network provider
that sells the service to the users. Local and state governments, for example, regulate some
MANs. Telephone companies, cable television operators, and other organizations provide
users with connections to the MAN.
A wide area network (WAN) is a network that covers a large geographic area (such as
a city, country or the world) using a communications channel that combines many types of
media such as telephone lines, cables and radio waves. A WAN can be one large network or
can consist of two or more LANs connected together. The Internet is the world‘s largest
WAN.
The design of computers, devices and media in a network, sometimes called network
architecture, is categorized as either client/server or peer-to-peer.
On a client/server network, one or more computers act as a server; the other computers on
the network request services from the server. A server controls access to the hardware,
software and other resources on the network and provides a centralized storage area for
programs, data and information. The clients are other computers and mobile devices on the
network that rely on the server for its resources. For example, a server might store a database
of customers. Clients on the network (company employees) access the customer database on
the server.
Some servers, called dedicated servers, perform a specific task and can be placed with
other dedicated servers to perform multiple tasks. For example, a file server stores and
manages files. A print server manages printers and print jobs. A database server stores and
provides access to a database. A network server manages network traffic (activity).
A client/server network typically provides an efficient means to connect 10 or more
computers. Most client/server networks require a person to serve as a network administrator
because of the large size of the network.
One type of peer-to-peer network is a simple, inexpensive network that typically connects
fewer than 10 computers. Each computer, called a peer, has equal responsibilities and
capabilities, sharing hardware (such as a printer), data or information with other computers on
the peer-to-peer network. Each computer stores files on its own storage devices. Thus, each
computer on the network contains both the network operating system and application
software. All computers on the network share and peripheral device(s) attached to any
computer. For example, one computer may have a laser printer and a scanner, while another
has an ink-jet printer and an external hard disk. Peer-to-peer networks are ideal for every
small business and home users.
Another type of peer-to-peer, called P2P, describes an Internet network on which users
access each other‘s hard disks and exchange files directly. This type of peer-to-peer network
sometimes is called a file sharing network because users with compatible software and an
Internet connection copy files from someone else‘s hard disk to their hard disks. As more
users connect to the network, each user has access to shared files on other users‘ hard disks.
When users log off, others no longer have access to their hard disks. Examples of networking
software that support P2P are BitTorrent, Gnutella and Kazaa, which allow users to swap
music and other files via the Web.
A network topology refers to the layout of the computers and devices in a
communications network. Three commonly used network topologies are bus, ring and star.
Networks usually use combinations of these topologies.
A bus network consists of a single central cable, to which all computers and other devices
connect. The bus is the physical cable that connects the computers and other devices. The bus
in a bus network transmits data, instructions and information in both directions. When a
sending device transmits data, the address of the receiving device is included with the
transmission so the data is routed to the appropriate receiving device.
Bus networks are popular on LANs because they are inexpensive and easy to install. One
advantage of the bus network is that computers and other devices can be attached and
detached at any point on the bus without disturbing the rest of the network. Another
advantage is that failure of one device usually does not affect the rest of the bus network. The
greatest risk to a bus network is that the bus itself might become inoperable. If that happens,
the network remains inoperative until the bus is back in working order.
On a ring network, a cable forms a closed loop with all computers and devices arranged
along the ring. Data transmitted on a ring network travels from device to device around the
entire ring, in one direction. When a computer or device sends data, the data travels to each
computer on the ring until it reaches its destination.
If a computer or device on a ring network fails, all devices before the failed device are
unaffected, but those after the failed device cannot function. A ring network can span a larger
distance than a bus network, but it is more difficult to install. The ring topology primarily is
used for LANs, but also is used in WANs.
On a star network, all of computers and devices (nodes) on the network connect to a
central device, thus forming a star. Two types of devices that provide a common central
connection point for nodes on the network are a hub and a switch. All data that transfers from
one node to another passes through the hub/switch.
Star networks are fairly easy to install and maintain. Nodes can be added to and removed
from the network with little or no disruption to the network.
On a star network, if one node fails, only that node is affected. The other nodes continue
to operate normally. If the hub/switch fails, however, the entire network is inoperable until the
device is repaired.
Recognizing the efficiency and power of the Internet, many organizations apply Internet
and Web technologies to their own internal networks. An intranet (intra means within) is an
internal network that uses Internet technologies. Intranets generally make company
information accessible to employees and facilitate working in groups.
 Simple intranet applications include electronic publishing of organizational materials such
as telephone directories, event calendars, procedure manuals, employee benefits information
and job postings. Additionally, an intranet typically includes a connection to the Internet.
More sophisticated uses of intranets include groupware applications such as project
management, chat rooms, newsgroups, group scheduling and video conferencing.
An intranet essentially is a small version of the Internet that exists within an organization.
Users update information on the intranet by creating and posting a Web page, using a method
similar to that used on the Internet.
Sometimes, a company uses an extranet, which allows customers or suppliers to access part of
its intranet. Package shipping companies, for example, allow customers to access their
intranet to print air bills, schedule pickups and even track shipped packages as the packages
travel to their destinations. (ADAPTED Shelly, Gary B., Cashman, Thomas J., Vermaat,
Misty E., Discovering Computers: Fundamentals, Fourth Edition, 2008, USA, pp. 303-307).
Among the advantages of networking, mention can be made of the following:
- Reduced hardware costs: networks reduce costs because users can share expensive
equipment. For example, dozens of users on a network can share a high-capacity
printer, storage devices and a common connection to the Internet.
- Application sharing: Networks enable users to share software. Networks versions of
applications installed on a file server can be used by more than one user at a time. For
example, at Platt Electric Supply, an Oregon-based industrial electric supply firm,
sales representatives upload orders from notebook computers to an order-tracking
program that resides on the company‘s file server. After the company installed the
network, employees found that they had up to 20 percent more time to focus on their
customers‘ needs.
- Sharing information resources: Organizations can use networks to create common
pools of data that employees can access. At publisher Prentice Hall, for example, book
designers can use the network to access a vast archive of illustrations, greatly reducing
the amount of time spent tracking down appropriate photographs for textbooks and
other publishing projects.
- Centralized data management: Data stored on a network can be accessed by multiple
users. Organizations can ensure the security and integrity of the data on the network
with security software and password protection. Centralized storage also makes it
easier to maintain consistent backup procedures.
- Connecting people: Networks create powerful new ways for people to work together.
For example, workers can use groupware applications to create a shared calendar for
scheduling purposes. Team members can instantly see who‘s available at a given day
and time. What‘s more, these people don‘t have to work together in the same building.
They can be located at various places around the world and still function effectively as
a team.
The advantages of networks are balanced out by some disadvantages as well:
- Loss of autonomy: When you become a part of a network, you become part of a
community of users. Sometimes, this means that you have to give up personal
freedoms for the good of the group. For example, a network administrator may impose
restrictions on what software you can load onto network computers.
- Lack of privacy: Network membership can threaten your privacy. Network
administrators can access your files and may monitor your network and Internet
activities.
- Security threats: Because some personal information is inevitably stored on network
servers, it is possible that others may gain unauthorized access to your files, user
names and even your passwords.
 - Loss of productivity: As powerful as networks are, they still fail. Access to resources is
sometimes restricted or unavailable due to viruses, hacking, sabotage or a simple
breakdown. Data loss can be minimized by good backup practices, but waiting for
your data to be restored is an inconvenience, or worse yet, a direct threat to your
ability to produce work on time. (Daley, Bill, Computers are your Future, Ninth
Edition, Pearson Prentice Hall, 2007, USA, pp. 331-332)

I.A. Answer the following questions:

1. How could you define a network?

2. How can be networks classified?
3. What is the main difference between LANs, MANs and WANs?
4. What are the similarities and the differences between a client/server network and a peer-to-peer
one?
5. What is P2P?
6. What are the characteristics of a bus network?
7. What is a ring network?
8. What is a star network?
9. Give a definition of intranet.
10. What is network architecture?
11. Define a client/server network.
12. Give the definition of a peer-to-peer network.
13. What is P2P?
14. Define network topology.
15. What is a bus network?
16. Define a ring network.
17. What is a star network?
18. Give the definition of an intranet.
19. Enumerate the advantages of networking.
20. Enumerate the disadvantages of networking.

B. Say whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F):

1. If a hub fails in a star network, the entire network is affected.

2. The disadvantages of networks outpass their advantages.
3. Bit Torrent is an example of networking software that supports P2P.
4. Star networks are very difficult to install and even more difficult to maintain.
5. Ring networks are popular on LANs.
6. The bus in a bus network transmits data in both directions.
7. A LAN uses physical wires.
8. A MAN includes only two LANs.
9. A network does not allow users to share hardware.
10. In a peer-to-peer network, a printer is called a peer.
11. Unlike a ring network, a star network is a network topology.
12. The design of computers in a network is called network architecture.
II. Match the following words with the correct definitions:

metropolitan a person, company or organization that employs people;

to handle a copy of computer data (as a file or the contents of a hard drive);
consortium a repository or collection especially of information;
to regulate one employed by another usually for wages or salary and in a position
below the executive level;
employee a piece of equipment that starts or stops the flow of electricity to a
machine when you push it;
node relating to or belonging to a very large city;
hub a cathode-ray tube used for display (as of television pictures or
computer information);
procedure to control an activity or process, especially by rules;
bill an expression of intention to inflict evil, injury, or damage;
archive to deal with a situation or problem by behaving in a particular way
and making particular decisions;
to load problems caused by something which annoy or affect you;
monitor a place where lines in a network cross or join;
hacking a failure to function;
sabotage a written list showing how much you have to pay for services you
have received, work that has been done, etc.
breakdown a central device that connects multiple computers on a single
network;
backup to secretly damage or destroy equipment etc. that belong to an enemy
or opponent so that they cannot be used;
inconvenience to copy or transfer (as a program or data) into a computer's memory
especially from an external source (as a disk drive or the Internet);
threat to secretly find a way of getting information from someone else‘s
computer or changing information on it;
employer a particular way of accomplishing something or of acting;
switch an agreement, combination, or group (as of companies) formed to
undertake an enterprise beyond the resources of any one member.

III.Give the synonyms of the following: instantly, textbook, vast, protection (in
connection to computers), channel, together, request.

IV.Give the antonyms of the following: expensive, operable, operative, upload,

available, intranet, expensive, compatible, to log in, attached, affected, to add, to
include.

V.Match the following words with the right definition according to the text:

bulk
a. the small part; b) the less significant part; c) the most insignificant part; d) the
main part;

dedicated (adj.)
 a) being devoted; b) having a particular purpose; c) being faithful; d) having an
unusual purpose;

peer
a) noble; b) equal; c) competitor; d) highly similar;

to swap
a) to download; b) to be accustomed with; c) to upload; d) to exchange;

to be routed
a) to be thrown; b) to be completed; c) to be directed; d) to be generated;

loop
a) ring; b) lock; c) curl; d) bouclé;

to span
a) to monitor; b) to extend across; c) to serve; d) to cater for;

directory
a) alphabetical ledger; b) alphabetical book; c) alphabetical register; d) alphabetical
receipt book.

VI.Make sentences of your own with the following:

to focus on something;
to enable somebody to;
to reside on;
to track down;
to access data;
to be located at;
to balance out;
to impose restriction;
to gain access to;
to be inoperable;
at any point;
to become inoperable;
to be back in working order;
to span a distance;
to be primarily used for;
to facilitate communication;
to rely on something/somebody.

VII.Choose from the following words to complete the text below. Pay attention that
some forms of the words must be changed:

independently, to vary, familiar, troubleshooting, specialists, starting, resolution,

applications, beneficial, to rely, enhancement, responsibilities, to concentrate, skills
 As more companies …on networks, the demand for networks …will continue to grow.
A network specialist must have a working knowledge of local area networks and their …
within wide area networks. A network specialist also must be … with the Internet, its
connectivity to LANs and WANs, and Web server management. … of a network specialist
include installing, configuring and … network systems. Other responsibilities may include
managing system and client software, Web page integration and creation, network security
measures, user accounting and monitoring network event logs for problem…. A network
specialist must possess good problem-solving … and the ability to work…. They also
must have the ability to … on detailed projects for long periods of time. Good oral,
written and team-oriented interpersonal skills also are….
Many institutions offer two-year network specialist programs. In addition to a college
degree, industry certifications are available for further career…. Two of the more notable
certifications are the Novell CAN (Certified Novell Administrator) and the Cisco CCNA
(Certified Cisco Networking Associate). Network specialist salaries will … depending on
education, certifications and experience. Individuals with certifications can expect an
approximate …salary between 50,000 and 70,000 dollars. (Network Specialist in Shelly,
Gary B., Cashman, Thomas J., Vermaat, Misty E., Discovering Computers:
Fundamentals, Fourth Edition, 2008, USA, p.322).

VIII.Translate into Romanian:

‘‘Network externalities‘‘ is an economic term describing the effect that new members of a
network have on the existing ones. A network containing one fax machine is useless, but as
the number of machines added to it increases, the more valuable each becomes. Thus, the
decision by a newcomer to subscribe to the fax network increases the value of all the other
machines. This effect has been the driving force behind the internet, which has become more
and more useful as the number of people connecting to it has grown. It has also introduced
another, equally interesting, phenomenon: the increasing value of knowledge. In the same
way that the usefulness of a language depends on the number of people who speak it, so the
usefulness of some kind of information increases with their dissemination. This is one reason
for the rapid rate of development of internet technologies. (Geer, Sean, Internet, London,
2003, p. 150)

IX.Translate into English:

Pentru desemnarea manierei de proiectare a unei reţele se foloseşte termenul

topologie. Trebuie să precizăm că există două tipuri de topologii: fizică şi logică. Topologia
fizică a unei reţele se referă la configuraţia mediilor de transmisie, a calculatoarelor şi a
perifericelor. Topologia logică reprezintă metoda folosită pentru transferul informaţiilor de la
un calculator la altul.

Topologiile fizice sunt: magistrală, stea, inel, arbore. Această clasificare nu are
caracter absolut. Sânt lucrări în care topologia reţelelor este prezentată în altă manieră.

Reţele de tip magistrală:Topologia magistrală este cea mai simplă modalitate de

conectare a calculatoarelor într-o reţea: un singur mediu de transmisie (cablu) la care se
conectează toate calculatoarele şi perifericele, denumite în continuare noduri. (Avantajele sunt
uşurinţa în conectarea calculatoarelor. Necesarul de cablu este redus. Dezavantajele sunt că
reţeaua nu funcţionează dacă apar întreruperi în cablu. Este nevoie de terminatori la ambele
capete ale cablului. Problemele sunt greu de identificat dacă reţeaua cade.

Reţele de tip stea: într-o astfel de reţea, fiecare nod este conectat direct la un hub.
Informaţiile sunt transmise de la calculatorul sursă către cel destinaţie prin intermediul hubu-
lui. Acesta este principalul dispozitiv care gestionează şi controlează funcţiile reţelei.
Avantajele sunt: uşurinţa în instalare, reţeaua nu este afectată dacă sunt adăugate sau retrase
calculatoare, uşurinţa în detectarea problemelor. Dezavantajele sunt următoarele: necesită
cablu mai mult, sunt mai costisitoare, dacă un hub se defectează, toate calculatoarele din acel
nod devin nefuncţionabile.

Reţele de tip inel: Din exterior, o astfel de retea seamana foarte mult cu o retea star.
Din punctul de vedere al topologiei logice insa, MAU (Multistation Access Unit) este
dispozitivul care permite informatiilor sa treaca de la un nod la altul in cadrul unui inel
comunicational.

Retele de tip arbore: Topologia de reţea de tip arbore combină caracteristicile

topologiilor de tip magistrală şi de tip stea. Nodurile sunt grupate în mai multe topologii de tip
stea care, la rândul lor, sunt legate la un cablu central. Acestea pot fi considerate topologiile
cu cea mai bună scalabilitate. Avantajele sunt segmentele individuale care au legaturi directe,
iar dezavantajele sunt lungimea maximă a unui segment este limitată. Daca apar probleme pe
conexiunea principală, sunt afectate toate calculatoarele de pe acel segment.

(http://www.referatele.com/referate/informatica/online9/Medii-de-comunicatii-electronice--
Retele--Topologii--Modele-referatele-com.php)

WORD FOCUS:

I. Pay attention to the phrasal verb ‘‘to get‘‘:

Meaning Examples
to get about 1. to go or travel to different 1. They get about a lot.
places; 2. They don‘t want this
2. to be told to a lot of people news to get about.
(about news or information)
to get across to succeed in communicating He didn‘t succeed in
something; getting his idea across.
to get along/on 1.to have a friendly relationship;
1. How do they get along
2.to deal with a job or a situation;
with their grandson?
2. How is their son getting
along at the university?
to get at 1. to keep criticizing someone in 1. Why do they get at him
an unkind way; whenever they meet him?
2. to reach something; 2. I need a ladder to get at
the upper shelf.
to get away/out 1. to leave; 1. I can‘t stand her any
2. to escape; more. I want to get away.
2. The prisoners managed
to get away.
to get away with to not be caught or punished You can‘t get away with
 when you have done something this!
wrong;
to get back 1.to return; 1. I do not want to get
2.to do something again; back there!
2. We should get back to
work.
to get off 1. to leave; 1. Get off my land!
2. to remove a piece of clothing; 2. You should get your
3. to be acquitted, to receive no gloves off!
punishment; 3. His lawyer said that he
would get off.
to get over 1.to recover from an illness; 1. I managed to get over
2.to finish; that terrible illness.
2. I want to get this job
over.
to get round to gently persuade someone to do You managed to get
what you want by being nice to round all your friends.
them;
to get through 1. to do an amount of work: 1. We have got through
2. to come successfully to the end half of the tests so far.
of an unpleasant 2. I hope we will manage
experience/period of time or to to get through these
help someone do this; difficult times.
to get up 1.to rise from bed; 1. I don‘t like to get up
2.to stand up. very early.
2. You should get up
when he greets you.

II. Pay attention to the difference among waste, debris, garbage, junk, pollutants,
refuse, rubbish, trash:

Meaning
waste the most general term of all;
debris random piling up or scattering of extremely bulky remnants of
pieces of wreckage; it can be used for less sizable items but it
implies a random or bit-by bit scattering;
garbage uneaten or inedible remains from the kitchen that must be
disposed of before they become a sanitary problem;
junk old cars; large machines collected for the reusable parts of
metals in them; broken teacups;
pollutants exhausts of cars and buses; chemical or industrial wastes
emptied into waterways, air that cause environmental damage;
refuse accumulation of broken or unusable, bulky objects;
rubbish largely, undegradable materials; collection of items less bulky;
it may imply used-up remnants collected specifically for
disposal; it may be burnt;
trash collection of heterogeneous items of small size; it does not
imply the necessity for disposal;
Exercises

I. Translate into English using ‘‘to get‘‘ as phrasal verb:

1. Este foarte cald în această cameră. O să-mi dau jos fularul.

2. Vreau să termin acest eseu.
3. Îţi doresc să depăşeşti toate aceste dificultăţi.
4. Întoarce-te acasă! Nu avem nevoie de tine!
5. Cum te înţelegi cu colegii de la service?
6. Mă critică fără să încerce să mă înţeleagă.
7. Am parcurs doar jumătate din teste până acum.
8. I-a convins pe părinţii ei să-l lase să participle la acel concurs.
9. Am reuşit să trec peste această răceală.
10. Pleacă din curtea mea! Nu am să tolerez purtarea ta!
11. Ar fi trebuit să te ridici şi să o întâmpini.
12. Cum te descurci la noul tău servici?

II.Make sentences of your own using the following phrases and translate them into
Romanian: to get nowhere; to get to know/like/understand you; to get away from it all; to
get on for 90/10 o’clock/200.

III.Fill in the blanks with the appropriate word from the ones given below: debris, garbage,
junk, pollutants (x2), refuse, rubbish, trash

1. The … have destroyed the ozone layer.

2. I asked him what he was doing with that … in the courtyard. He answered me that he
reused the metal parts from the old cars.
3. Mother has given me many newspapers, old-fashioned clothes and shoes. She wants me to
throw this … away.
4. When I visited their house, I couldn‘t help noticing that their garage was full of old tyres,
tins and bottles. I think that they have been depositing the … there for many years.
5. One should be very careful with the … in the kitchen. It should be disposed of every day.
6. The crashed plane scattered … over the entire area.
7. This cupboard is full of … .
8. The … from this factory killed all the fish in the river.
 Home Networks

Before reading the text below, try to answer the following questions:
1. Could you give a definition for ‘‘home network‘‘?
2. Have you ever tried to set up a home network?
3. Could you mention some advantages of having a home network?

Once, home networks were primarily the realm of technophiles -- most families either
didn't need or couldn't afford more than one computer. But now, in addition to using
computers for e-mail, people use them for schoolwork, shopping, instant messaging,
downloading music and videos, and playing games. For many families, one computer is no
longer enough to go around. In a household with multiple computers, a home network often
becomes a necessity rather than a technical toy.

A home network is simply a method of allowing computers to communicate with one

another. If you have two or more computers in your home, a network can let them share: files
and documents; an Internet connection; printers, print servers and scanners, stereos, TVs and
game systems, CD burners.
The different network types use different hardware, but they all have the same essential
components: more than one computer, hardware (such as a router) and software (either built
in to the operating system or as a separate application) to coordinate the exchange of
information; a path for the information to follow from one computer to another

If you're thinking of networking the computers in your home, you have several options
to explore. There are different types of home computer networks and it is important to take
into account the hardware that creates and protects home networks.

The two most popular home network types are wireless and Ethernet networks. In
both of these types, the router does most of the work by directing the traffic between the
connected devices. By connecting a router to your dial-up, DSL or cable modem, you can also
allow multiple computers to share one connection to the Internet.

If you're going to connect your network to the Internet, you'll need a firewall. A
firewall is simply a hardware device or software program that protects your network from
malicious users and offensive Web sites, keeping hackers from accessing or destroying your
data. Although they're essential for businesses looking to protect large amounts of
information, they're just as necessary for someone setting up a home network, since a firewall
will secure transactions that might include Social Security numbers, addresses, phone
numbers and credit card numbers. Most routers combine wireless and Ethernet technology
and also include a hardware firewall.

Many software firewalls installed onto your computer block all incoming information
by default and prompt you for permission to allow the information to pass. In this way, a
software firewall can learn which types of information you want to allow into your network.
Symantec, McAfee and Zone Alarm are popular companies that produce software-based
firewalls. These companies usually offer some free firewall protection as well as advanced
security that you can buy.
Wired Networks:
Ethernet and wireless networks each have advantages and disadvantages; depending
on your needs, one may serve you better than the other. Wired networks provide users with
plenty of security and the ability to move lots of data very quickly. Wired networks are
typically faster than wireless networks, and they can be very affordable. However, the cost of
Ethernet cable can add up - the more computers on your network and the farther apart they
are, the more expensive your network will be. In addition, unless you're building a new house
and installing Ethernet cable in the walls, you'll be able to see the cables running from place
to place around your home, and wires can greatly limit your mobility. A laptop owner, for
example, won't be able to move around easily if his computer is tethered to the wall.

There are three basic systems people use to set up wired networks. An Ethernet
system uses either a twisted copper-pair or coaxial-based transport system. The most
commonly used cable for Ethernet is a category 5 unshielded twisted pair (UTP) cable --
it's useful for businesses who want to connect several devices together, such as computers and
printers, but it's bulky and expensive, making it less practical for home use. A phone line, on
the other hand, simply uses existing phone wiring found in most homes, and can provide fast
services such as DSL. Finally, broadband systems provide cable Internet and use the same
type of coaxial cable that gives us cable television.

If you plan to connect only two computers, all you'll need is a network interface card
(NIC) in each computer and a cable to run between them. If you want to connect several
computers or other devices, you'll need an additional piece of equipment: an Ethernet router.
You'll also need a cable to connect each computer or device to the router.

Once you have all of your equipment, all you need to do is install it and configure
your computers so they can talk to one another. Exactly what you need to do depends on the
type of network and your existing hardware. For example, if your computers came with
network cards already installed, all you'll need to do is buy a router and cables and configure
your computers to use them. Regardless of which type you select, the routers, adapters and
other hardware you buy should come with complete setup instructions.

The steps you'll need to take to configure your computers will also vary based on your
hardware and your operating system. User manuals usually provide the necessary
information, and Web sites dedicated to specific operating systems often have helpful tips on
getting several different computers to talk to each other.

Next, we'll examine the advantages and disadvantages of wireless networks.

Wireless Networks:

The easiest, least expensive way to connect the computers in your home is to use a wireless
network, which uses radio waves instead of wires. The absence of physical wires makes this
kind of network very flexible. For example, you can move a laptop from room to room
without fiddling with network cables and without losing your connection. The downside is
that wireless connections are generally slower than Ethernet connections and they are less
secure unless you take measures to protect your network.
If you want to build a wireless network, you'll need a wireless router. Signals from a wireless
router extend about 100 feet (30.5 meters) in all directions, but walls can interrupt the signal.
Depending on the size and shape of your home and the range of the router, you may need to
purchase a range extender or repeater to get enough coverage.

You'll also need a wireless adapter in each computer you plan to connect to the network.
You can add printers and other devices to the network as well. Some new models have built-
in wireless communication capabilities, and you can use a wireless Ethernet bridge to add
wireless capabilities to devices that don't. Any devices that use the Bluetooth standard can
also connect easily to each other within a range of about 10 meters (32 feet), and most
computers, printers, cell phones, home entertainment systems and other gadgets come
installed with the technology.

If you decide to build a wireless network, you'll need to take steps to protect it -- you don't
want your neighbours hitchhiking on your wireless signal. Wireless security options include:
Wired Equivalency Privacy (WEP); WiFi Protected Access (WPA); Media Access
Control (MAC) address filtering. You can choose which method (or combination of
methods) you want to use when you set up your wireless router. The IEEE has approved each
of these security standards, but studies have proven that WEP can be broken into very easily.
If you use WEP, you may consider adding Temporal Key Integrity Protocol (TKIP) to your
operating system. TKIP is a wrapper with backward compatibility, which means you can
add it to your existing security option without interfering with its activity. Think of it like
wrapping a bandage around a cut finger -- the bandage protects the finger without preventing
it from carrying out its normal functions.

New Home Network Technologies:

New developments in home networks affect more than just home offices and entertainment
systems. Some of the most exciting advances are in healthcare and housing.

In healthcare, Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) let doctors monitor patients wirelessly.
Patients wear wireless sensors that transmit data through specialized channels. These signals
contain information about vital signs, body functions, patient behaviour and their
environments. In the case of an unusual data transmission -- like a sudden spike in blood
pressure or a report that an active patient has become suddenly still -- an emergency channel
picks up the signal and sends medical services to the patient's home.

The housing industry is another important field for home network technology development.
Bill Gates owns one of the few smart houses in existence, but someday, we might all live in
one. A smart house is a fully networked structure with functions that can be controlled from a
central computer, making it an ideal technology for homeowners who travel frequently or for
homeowners who simply want it all.

Builders are beginning to offer home network options for their customers that range from the
primitive -- installing Ethernet cables in the walls -- to the cutting-edge -- managing the
ambient temperature from a laptop hundreds of miles from home. In one trial experiment
called Laundry Time, Microsoft, Hewlett Packard, Panasonic, Proctor & Gamble and
Whirlpool demonstrated the power of interfacing home appliances. The experiment
networked a washing machine and clothes dryer with a TV, PC and cell phone. This unheard-
of combination of networked devices let homeowners know when their laundry loads were
finished washing or drying by sending alerts to their TV screens, instant messaging systems or
cell phones. Research and development also continues for systems that perform a wide variety
of functions -- data and voice recognition might change the way we enter, exit and secure our
homes, while service appliances could prepare our food, control indoor temperatures and keep
our homes clean.

This technology is promising, but it's not quite ready for the consumer market yet. The
average consumer can't afford a WSN or a smart house, and if he could, there's a good chance
he or she wouldn't be able to operate these sophisticated systems. Another issue is security --
until developers find a way to secure these networks, consumers risk sharing medical
information and leaving their homes open to attack.
(Workshttp://www.howstuffworks.com/home-network.htm)

I. Answer the following questions:

1. What are the main uses of computers at home?

2. How many types of home networks are there?
3. What is the part played by the router in a home computer network?
4. How can several computers share one connection to the Internet?
5. What is a firewall?
6. What is McAfee?
7. What are the advantages of wired networks?
8. Enumerate the three basic systems people use to set up wired networks.
9. What is NIC?
10. What are the advantages of wireless networks?
11. What kind of a router one needs for building a wireless network?
12. What is a wireless adapter?
13. Enumerate some wireless security options.
14. What is a ‘‘smart house‘‘?
15. What new home technologies would you like to be available on the consumer market?

II. Match the following words with the correct definitions:

technophile to travel to places by getting free rides from drivers of passing

cars;
to afford when something affects or covers a particular area or group of
things;
household a device that modulates an analogue carrier signal to encode
digital information, and also demodulates such a carrier signal to
decode the transmitted information.;
CD burners an electronic device that interconnects two or more computer
networks, and selectively interchanges packets of data between
them;
router a means or system for transmitting electronic messages instantly;
path an enthusiast of technology;
application of, relating to, or being a high-speed communications network and
especially one in which a frequency range is divided into multiple
independent channels for simultaneous transmission of signals (as
 voice, data, or video);
DSL a CD/DVD recording tool;
modem an often small mechanical or electronic device with a practical use
but often thought of as a novelty;
malicious to be able to bear the cost of;
default a negative aspect;
broadband the direction or line along which something or someone is
moving;
adapter a helpful piece of advice;
configure very unkind and cruel, deliberately behaving in a way that is
likely to upset or hurt someone;
tip a program (as a word processor or a spreadsheet) that performs
one of the major tasks for which a computer is used;
downside a device that converts attributes of one device or system to those
of an otherwise incompatible device or system;
coverage a selection automatically used by a computer program in the
absence of a choice made by the user;
gadget to set up for operation especially in a particular way;
to hitchhike a family of technologies that provides digital data transmission
over the wires of a local telephone network;
instant those who dwell under the same roof and compose a family;
messaging

III.Match the following words with the right definition according to the text:

realm
a) kingdom; b) arena; c) domain; d) subject;

to be tethered
a) to be stuck; b) to be nailed; c) to be inserted; d) to be tied;

bulky
a) big and light; b) big and heavy; c) small and heavy; d) small and light;

to fiddle with
a) to mix with; b) to tangle in; c) to stumble over; d) to slink past;

spike
a) strange repetitive variation; b) abrupt sharp increase; c) normal repetitive
variation; d) strange sharp decrease;

IV. Give synonyms and antonyms for the following word from the text:

a) cutting-edge (adj).
b) unheard-of (adj.)
c) still (adj.)

V. Give the synonyms of the following words: regardless, sophisticated (system), cheap,
flexible, to affect
VI. Give the antonyms of the following words: wired, advantage, slower, usual, indoor.

VII. Choose from the following words to complete the text below. Pay attention that
some forms of the words must be changed:

outlet, easy, wireless, radio, network, inexpensive, capabilities, wider, interfere, peripherals,
connect, vendors, to access, wiring, combination, expensive, ceiling, span, packages, range,
electricity, features, card.

Many home users are connecting multiple computers and devices together in a
home…. Each networked computer in a house has the following…:
-connect to the Internet at the same time;
-share a single high-speed Internet connection
-access files and programs on the other computers in the house;
-share … such as a printer, scanner, external hard disk or DVD drive;
-play multiplayer games with players on other computers in the house
-connect game consoles to the Internet
-subscribe to and use Internet telephony.
Many … offer home networking packages that include all the necessary hardware and
software to network your home using wired or wireless techniques. Some of these … also
offer intelligent networking capabilities. An intelligent home network extends the basic home
network to include … such as lighting control, thermostat adjustment and security system.
A home network can use wires, be wireless or use a … of wired and wireless. Three
types of wired home networks are Ethernet, powerline cable and phoneline.
Ethernet networks require that each computer have built-in networking capabilities or
contain a network… , which connects to a central network hub or similar device with a
physical cable. This may involve running cable through walls, … and floors in the house. For
the average home user, the hardware and software of an Ethernet network can be difficult to
configure.
A home power line cable network is a network that uses the same lines that bring …
into the house. This network requires no additional… . One end of a cable plugs in the
computer‘s parallel or USB port and the other end of the cable plugs in a wall… . The data
transmits through the existing power lines in the house.
A phoneline network is an easy-to-install and … network that uses existing telephone
lines in the home. With this network, one end of a cable connects to an adapter card or PC
Card in the computer and the other end plugs in a wall telephone jack. The phoneline network
does not … with voice and data transmissions on the telephone lines. That is, you can talk on
the telephone and use the same line to connect to the Internet.
To network computers and devices that … multiple rooms or floors in a home, it may
be more convenient to use a … strategy. One advantage of wireless networks is that you can
take a mobile computer outside, for example in the backyard, and connect to the Internet
through the home network as long as you are in the network‘s…. Two types of wireless home
networks are HomeRF and Wi-Fi.
A HomeRF (radio frequency) network uses … waves, instead of cables, to transmit
data. It sends signals through the air over distances up to 150 feet. This type of network can
… up to 10 computers.
 A Wi-Fi network uses radio waves and sends signals over a … distance than the
HomeRF network- up to 1,500 feet in some configurations. It is more … than the HomeRF
network. Despite the higher costs, increasingly more home users set up Wi-Fi networks
because they are fairly … to configure. Each computer that … the network need build-in
wireless networking capabilities or a wireless network card, which communicates with a
wireless access point or a combination router/wireless access point. (Adapted, Shelly, Gary
B., Cashman, Thomas J., Vermaat, Misty E., Discovering Computers: Fundamentals, Fourth
Edition, 2008, USA, p. 316)

VIII. Translate into English:

O reţea de calculatoare reprezintă un ansamblu de calculatoare legate între ele.

Legăturile dintre calculatoare pot fi prin cablu (electric, optic, etc.) sau prin unde
electromagnetice (cum sunt legăturile prin satelit). Prin aceste legături se transmit date de la
un calculator la altul. Responsabile de aceste transferuri, dar şi de codificarea şi interpretarea
datelor transferate, sunt programele care rulează pe calculatoarele reţelei.
Într-o reţea de calculatoare există două tipuri de calculatoare: servere şi clienţi. Serverele sunt
cele care furnizează date, iar clienţii sunt cei care solicită datele respective, le recepţionează,
le interpretează şi le oferă utilizatorului uman pe ecranele monitoarelor, la imprimante şi în
boxele sistemelor de sunet. O reţea de calculatoare poate avea mai multe servere şi, evident,
mai mulţi clienţi. Serverele sunt instalate şi întreţinute de specialişti şi funcţionează după
reguli bine stabilite. Ele furnizează către clienţii legaţi în reţea unul sau mai multe servicii.
Pentru a putea fi identificat într-o reţea, un calculator are o adresă unică (un şir de
caractere sau o secvenţă de numere). Când se realizează un transfer de date, calculatorul care
transmite trebuie să furnizeze, pe lângă datele respective, şi adresa calculatorului destinaţie.
Există două moduri des folosite pentru a lega un calculator într-o reţea: prin cablu
direct sau prin linie telefonică. Legarea prin cablu se realizează cu ajutorul unei placi de reţea,
iar legarea la linia telefonică se realizează cu ajutorul unui dispozitiv special, numai modem.
Indiferent cum este realizată legătura fizică a calculatorului în reţea, este necesară şi
legarea sa logică, adică din punctul de vedere al programelor care rulează pe calculatorul
respectiv. În general, sistemul de operare răspunde de conectarea logică a calculatorului în
reţeaua în care el este legat fizic, în sensul că sistemul de operare dispune de programele
necesare realizării acestei conectări. Aceste programe trebuie lansate în execuţie înainte de
realizarea unei transmisii de date prin legătura la reţea, aceasta însemnând, de fapt, ,,realizarea
legăturii logice la reţea‘‘.
Legătura logică asigură doar transmiterea datelor prin cablu sau alt sistem fizic de
conectare, dar nu şi codificarea şi interpretarea datelor, care revin programelor aplicative.
Acestea folosesc, pentru transmiterea datelor, legătura logică stabilită anterior, dar, în plus,
codifică şi interpretează datele respective (aceleaşi date pot reprezenta n text sau codificarea
unei imagini, în funcţie de programul care le interpretează). (Adapted, Dima, Gabriel, PC-
ABC-ul utilizării, Bucureşti, Editura Teora, 2005, pp. 127-128.)

IX. Write an essay entitled Setting Up My Home Network.

WORD FOCUS:

I. Pay attention to the phrasal verb ’’to keep’’:

Meaning Examples
to keep back 1. to deliberately not tell someone all that1. I can feel that he is
you know about something; keeping something
2. to not show your feelings, even though back!
you want to very much; 2. She tried to keep
3. to restrain, to hinder, to prevent back her fury.
someone from being as successful as 3. My boss tries to
they could be; keep me back!
to keep down 1. to prevent the size, cost or quantity of 1. They tried
something from increasing or being too unsuccessfully to keep
great; the prices down.
2. to make less noise; 2. Try to keep it down!
I have to write an
essay.
to keep off to prevent something from touching or Keep off the grass!
harming something;
to keep on/up to continue; Keep on reading!
to keep to to stay on a particular road, course, piece Keep to the path!
of ground, etc.
to keep up with to go as quickly as someone else; I can‘t keep up with
him! He is running too
fast!

II. Pay attention to the phrasal verb ’’to hand’’:

Meaning Examples
to hand to offer something to each person in a I asked her to hand the
around/out group; sheets of paper
around/out.
to hand back to give something back to the person I think I should hand his
who gave it to you/used to own it, book back.
with your hand;
to hand down to give or leave something to people This recipe has been
who will leave after you; handed down to me from
my grandmother.
to hand in to give something to someone in I finally handed in my
authority; paper.
to hand over to give someone power or He handed his business
responsibility over something which over to his son.
you used to be in charge of;

III. Pay attention to the different meanings of ‘‘still‘‘:

Meaning
Adv. - up to a particular point in time and
continuing at that moment
Adv. - in spite of what has just been said
or done
Adv. - still+ more/further/another/one is
used to emphasize that something
increases more, etc
Example
We still haven‘t finished solving the
problem.
She doesn‘t speak French, but she still
wants to visit Paris.
I am still more interested in their art.
Adv. He finds mathematics difficult, but
chemistry harder still.
-better/harder/worse etc. +still
To cut taxes is still better than increasing
-still+ better/harder/worse etc. wages.
Adj. – not moving: The cat stood still waiting for the mouse
to come closer.
Adj. – quiet and calm The building was still.
Adj. – not windy Unfortunately, the hot still days
prevented us from wandering on the
streets of the old town.
Adj.- still drink does not contain gas The waiter asked us if we wanted still or
sparkling mineral water.
Proverbs: used to say that someone who Still waters run deep.
is quiet may have strong feelings or a lot
of knowledge
Noun: a photograph or a scene from a We could recognize Kevin Costner in that
film still from Dancing with the Wolves.
Noun: calmness (literary) In the still of the night, one could hear the
music of the stars.
Composed Nouns: still-borne- born dead Her fifth child was still-borne.
Composed Nouns: still-life- a picture of The still-life of this painter can be seen in
an arrangement of objects, for example The Louvre.
flowers or fruit

! Still usually:

- comes before the verb or before the main verb, if there is an auxiliary;
- comes after the verb ‘‘be‘‘;
- comes before any negative word.

Exercises:

I. Translate into English using ‘‘to keep‘‘ and ‘‘to hand‘‘ as phrasal verbs:

1. Nu atingeţi statuile!
2. Nu pot ţine pasul cu ei! Au citit deja 100 de pagini!
3. Nu mai vorbi tare! Încerc să adorm de jumătate de oră!
4. A încercat să-şi ascundă emoţiile dar fără success.
5. Legendele s-au transmis până azi pe cale orală.
6. Dă-i înapoi imprimanta! Nu mai ai nevoie de ea!
7. Ţine acest drum până când ajungi la intersecţie. Apoi, fă dreapta.
8. Au încercat să menţină inflaţia la un nivel scăzut.
9. Tom şi-a înaintat demisia.
10. Continuă să zâmbeşti, altfel îşi va da seama că am aflat secretul
11. Întotdeauna am ştiut că ascunde ceva.
12. Împarte la toată lumea aceste pliante pentru că vreau să le vadă toţi.

II. Make sentences of your own using the following phrases and translate them into
Romanian:
 a) to keep a secret, to keep quiet, to keep a diary/record/account; to keep guard/watch;
keep to the point/subject; keep your spirits/strength/morale up; to keep up
appearances;
b) to get out of hand; on the one hand…on the other hand; in the hands of somebody; at
hand; on hand; at first/second hand; to try your hand at; to tie/bind somebody hand
and foot.

III. Translate into English using the appropriate phrase from the ones given below: in
somebody’s hand; in the palm of somebody’s hand; to wave your hand; to clap
your hands; the back of your hand; to shake hands; to clasp your hands; with both
hands; to raise your hand, with your bare hands; to join hands, to take by the
hand.

1. Spectatorii băteau din palme de 10 minute când actriţa a apărut pe scenă.

2. Au dat mâna în faţa mulţimii care aştepta nerăbdătoare rezultatul negocierii.
3. L-a luat de mână şi şi au traversat strada.
4. Avea în mână un dicţionar uriaş.
5. Stătea cu mâinile strâns unite.
6. S-a luptat cu ursul cu mâinile goale.
7. Ţinea cu amândouă mâinile frâul calului.
8. I-a făcut cu mâna până când maşina s-a pierdut în zare.
9. Şi-au unit mâinile pentru a forma un mare cerc.
10. Ţinea în palmă un future.
11. Avea un tatuaj pe faţa dorsală a mâinii stângi.
12. Cine ştie răspunsul să ridice mâna.

IV. Try to give the Romanian equivalent of the proverb: ‘‘Still waters run deep‘‘.

V. Translate into English using ‘‘still‘‘ whenever possible:

1. Naturile statice ale acestui pictor pot fi admirate la Galeria Borghese.

2. Întotdeauna serveşte plăcinta de dovleac cu un pahar de apă plată.
3. Noaptea era tăcută şi rece.
4. Ea nu a apărut încă. Încă o aşteptăm în faţa teatrului.
5. Este o idee bună să îi aşteptăm aici, dar e încă şi mai bine să mergem după ei.
 Network Communications Standards. Communication Devices

I. Network Communications Standards

Today‘s networks connect terminals, devices and computers from many different
manufacturers across many types of networks, such as wide area, local area and wireless. For
the different devices on various types of networks to be able to communicate, the network
must use similar techniques of moving data through the network from one application to
another.
To alleviate the problems of incompatibility and ensure that hardware and software
components can be integrated into a network, various organizations such as ANSI and IEEE
(pronounced I triple E) propose, develop and approve network standards. A network
standard defines guidelines that specify the way computers access the medium to which they
are attached, the type of the medium used, the speeds used on different types of networks and
the type of physical cable and/or the wireless technology used. A standard that outlines
characteristics of how two network devices communicate is called a protocol. Hardware and
software manufacturers design their products to meet the guidelines specified in a particular
standard, so their devices can communicate with the network.
Here are some of the more widely used network communications standards for both
wired and wireless networks including Ethernet, token ring, TCP/IP, 802.11 (Wi-Fi),
Bluetooth, UWB, IrDA, RFID, WiMAX and WAP.
Ethernet is a network standard that specifies no central computer or device on the
network (nodes) should control when data can be transmitted; that is, each node attempts to
transmit data when it determines the network is able to receive communications. If two
computers on an Ethernet network attempt to send data at the same time a collision occurs and
the computers must attempt to send their message again.
Ethernet is based on a bus topology, but Ethernet networks can be wired in a star
pattern. The Ethernet standard defines guidelines for the physical configuration of the
network, e.g. cabling, network cards and nodes. Today, Ethernet is the most popular LAN
standard because it is relatively inexpensive and easy to install and maintain. Ethernet
networks often use cables to transmit data.
The token ring standard specifies that computers and devices on the network share or
pass a special signal, called a token, in a unidirectional manner and in a preset order. A token
is a special series of bits that function like a ticket. The device with the token can transmit
data over the network. Only one token exists per network. This ensures that only one
computer transmits data at a time. Token ring is based on a ring topology (though it can use a
star topology). The token ring standard defines guidelines for the physical configuration of a
network. Some token ring networks connect up to 72 devices. Others use a special type of
writing that allows up to 260 connections.
TCP/IP is the short for Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol. It is a
network standard, specifically a protocol, that defines how messages (data) are routed from
one end of a network to the other. TCP/IP describes rules for dividing messages into small
pieces, called packets; providing addresses for each packet; checking for and detecting errors;
sequencing packs and regulating the flow of messages along the network.
TCP/IP has been adopted as a network standard for Internet communications. Thus, all
hosts on the Internet follow the rules defined in this standard. Internet communications also
use other standards, such as the Ethernet standard, as data is routed to its destination.
When a computer sends data over the Internet, the data is divided into packets. Each
packet contains the data, as well as the recipient (destination), the origin (sender) and the
sequence information used to reassemble the data at the destination. Each packet travels along
the fastest individual available path to the recipient‘s computer via communications devices
called routers.
Developed by IEEE, 802.11 also known as Wi-Fi (wireless fidelity) and wireless
Ethernet, is a series of network standards that specifies how two wireless devices
communicate over the air with each other. Using Wi-Fi, computers or devices that have the
appropriate wireless capability communicate via radio waves with other computers or devices.
The Wi-Fi standard uses techniques similar to the Ethernet standard to specify how physically
to configure a wireless network.
One popular use of the Wi-Fi standard is in hot spots that offer mobile users the ability
to connect to the Internet with their wireless computers and devices. Many homes and small
businesses also use Wi-Fi to network computers and devices together wirelessly.
Bluetooth is a standard, specifically a protocol, which defines how two Bluetooth
devices use short-range radio waves to transmit data. To communicate with each other,
Bluetooth devices often must be within about 10 meters (about 33 feet) but can be extended to
100 meters with additional equipment. Examples of Bluetooth devices can include desktop
computers, notebook computers, handheld computers, PDAs, smart phones, headsets,
microphones, digital cameras, fax machines and printers.
UWB, which stands for ultra-wideband, is a network standard that specifies how two
UWB devices use short-range radio-waves to communicate at high speeds with each other.
For optimal communications, the devices should be within 2 to 10 meters (about 6.5 to 33
feet) of each other. Examples of UWB uses include wirelessly transferring video from a
digital video camera, printing pictures from a digital camera, downloading media to a portable
media player or displaying a slide show on a projector.
Some computers and devices use the IrDA specification to transmit data wirelessly to
each other via infrared (IR) light waves. Infrared requires a line-of-sight transmission; that is,
the sending device and the receiving device must be in line with each other so that nothing
obstructs the path of the infrared light wave.
RFID (radio frequency identification) is a standard, specifically a protocol, which
defines how a network uses radio signals to communicate with a tag placed in or attached to
an object, an animal, or a person. The tag consists of an antenna and a memory chip that
contains the information to be transmitted via radio waves. Through an antenna, an RFID
reader reads the radio signals and transfers the information to a computer or computing
device. Readers can be handheld or embedded in an object such as a doorway or tollbooth.
WiMAX (worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access), also known as 802.16,
is a newer network standard developed by IEEE that specifies how wireless devices
communicate over the air in a wide area. Using the WiMAX standard, computers or devices
with the appropriate WiMAX wireless capability communicate via radio waves with other
computers or devices via a WiMAX tower. The WiMAX tower, which can cover up to a 30-
mile radius, connects to the Internet or to another WiMAX tower.
The WiMAX standard provides wireless broadband Internet access at a reasonable
cost over long distances to business and home users. The Wi MAX standard, similar to the
Wi-Fi standard, connects mobile users to the Internet via hot spots. The next generation of
games consoles also plans to support the WiMAX standard.
WAP, standing for Wireless Application Protocol, is a standard, specifically a
protocol, which specifies how some wireless mobile devices such as smart phones and PDAs
can display the content of the Internet services such as the Web, e-mail, chat rooms and
newsgroups. For example, users can check weather, sports scores and headlines news from
their WAP-enabled smart phone or PDA. To display a Web page on a smart phone, the phone
should contain a microbrowser. WAP uses a client/server network. The wireless device
contains the client software, which connects to the Internet service provider‘s server.

II. Communication Devices

A communication device is any type of hardware capable of transmitting data,
instructions and information between a sending device and a receiving device. One type of
communications device that connects a communications channel to a sending or receiving
device such as a computer is a modem. Computers process data as digital signals. Data,
instructions and information travel along a communications channel in either analog or digital
form, depending on the communications channel. An analog signal consists of a continuous
electrical wave. A digital signal consists of individual electrical pulses that represent bits
grouped together into bytes.
For communications channels that use digital signals (such as cable television lines),
the modem transfers the digital signals between the computer and the communications
channel. If a communication channel uses analogue signals (such as some telephone lines),
however, the modem first converts between analogue and digital signals.
Dial-Up Modems
A computer‘s digital signals must be converted to analogue signals before they are
transmitted over standard telephone lines. The communications device that performs this
conversion is a modem, sometimes called dial-up modem. The word ‘‘modem‘‘ is derived
from the combination of the words ‘‘modulate‘‘ (to change into an analog signal) and
‘‘demodulate‘‘ (to convert an analog signal into a digital signal).
A modem usually is in the form of an adapter card that you insert in an expansion slot
on a computer‘s motherboard. One end of a standard telephone cord attaches to a port on the
modem card and the other end plugs into a telephone outlet.
ISDN and DSL Modems
If you access the Internet using ISDN or DSL, you need a communications device to
send and receive the digital ISDN or DSL signals. An ISDN modem sends digital data and
information from a computer to an ISDN line and receives digital data and information from
an ISDN line. A DSL modem sends digital data and information from a computer to a DSL
line and receives digital data and information from a DSL line. ISDN and DSL modems
usually are external devices, in which one end connects to the telephone line and the other end
connects to a port on the system unit.
Cable Modems
A cable modem is a digital modem that sends and receives digital data over the cable
television (CATV) network. With more than 100 million homes wired for cable television,
cable modems provide a faster Internet access alternative to dial-up for the home user and
have speeds similar to DSL. Cable modems currently can transmit data at speeds that are
much faster than either a dial-up modem or ISDN.
Wireless Modems
Some mobile users have a wireless modem that allows access to the Web wirelessly
from a network computer, a PDA, a smart phone or other mobile devices. Wireless modems,
which have an external or built-in antenna, typically use the same waves used by cellular
telephones.
Network Cards
A network card is an adapter card, PC card, ExpressCard module, USB network
adapter or flash card that enables a computer or device that does not have networking
capability to access a network. The network card coordinates the transmission and receipt of
data, instructions and information to and from the computer or device containing the network
card.
 Network cards are available in a variety of styles. A network card for a desktop
computer is an adapter card that has a port to which a cable connects. A network card for
mobile computers and devices is in the form of a PC Card, ExpressCard module, USB
network adapter or a flash card. Network cards that provide wireless data transmission are
also available. This type of card, sometimes called a wireless network card, often has an
antenna.
A network card follows the guideline of a particular network communications
standard, such as Ethernet or token ring. An Ethernet card is the most common type of
network card.
Wireless Access Point
A wireless access point is a central communications device that allows computers and
devices to transfer data wirelessly among them or to transfer data wirelessly to a wired
network. Wireless access points have high-quality antennas for optimal signals.
Routers
A router is a communications device that connects multiple computers other than
routers together and transmits data to its correct destination on the network. A router can be
used on any size of network. On the largest scale, routers along the Internet backbone forward
data packets to their destination using the fastest available path. For smaller business and
home networks, a router allows multiple computers to share a single high-speed Internet
connection such as a cable modem or DSL modem. These routers connect from 2 to 250
computers. (Adapted, Shelly, Gary B., Cashman, Thomas J., Vermaat, Misty E., Discovering
Computers: Fundamentals, Fourth Edition, 2008, USA, pp. 308-310; 312-316)

I. A. Answer the following questions:

1. What is a network standard?

2. Name two organizations that have developed network standards.
3. Define ‘‘protocol‘‘.
4. Give examples of network communications standards.
5. Enlarge upon Ethernet.
6. Define ‘‘token ring‘‘.
7. What is a ‘‘token‘‘?
8. How many devices can token ring networks connect?
9. What is TCP/IP?
10. Define 802.11.
11. What is Bluetooth?
12. Give some examples of Bluetooth devices.
13. Define UWB.
14. What is IrDA?
15. Define RFID?
16. What is WiMAX?
17. Define WAP.
18. What is a communication device?
19. What is a ‘‘modem‘‘? How many types are there?
20. What is a network card?
21. Define ‗‘wireless access point‘‘.
22. What is a ‘‘router‘‘?
 B. Say whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F):

1. There are three tokens per network.

2. Routers can only be used in the case of large scale networks.
3. Data can travel along a communication channel in either analog or digital form.
4. 802.11 is also called WiMAX.
5. TCP refers to rules for dividing messages into small pieces, called packets.
6. It is not necessary to place infrared devices in line.
7. Ethernet card is the most common type of network card.
8. Before being transmitted over standard telephone lines, the digital signals of a
computer must not be converted to analog signals.
9. TCP/IP is a standard for Internet communications.
10. Token ring is based on a bus topology.

III. Match the following words with the correct definitions:

guideline mobile phone that offers more advanced computing ability and
connectivity than a contemporary basic phone;
protocol capable of being carried or moved about;
standard likely to result in a favourable outcome upon surgical treatment;
host an instrument whereby sound waves are caused to generate or
modulate an electric current usually for the purpose of transmitting
or recording sound (as speech or music);
to configure a computer program used for accessing sites or information on a
network;
handheld extracting the original information-bearing signal from a modulated
carrier wave;
smartphone a detailed precise presentation of something or of a plan or proposal
for something;
headset the number of points that each team or player has won in a game or
competition;
microphone to set up for operation especially in a particular way; to arrange
something, especially computer equipment, so that it works with
other equipment;
fax not extreme or excessive;
optimal of, relating to, or being a mechanism in which data is represented by
continuously variable physical quantities;
portable the space where a door opens into a room or building;
projector to vary the amplitude, frequency, or phase of (a carrier wave or a
light wave) for the transmission of information (as by radio);
to slide a narrow opening or groove;
specification a computer that controls communications in a network or that
administers a database;
to obstruct a receptacle for the plug of an electrical device;
doorway forming an integral part of a structure or object;
operable a device that converts signals produced by one type of device (as a
computer) to a form compatible with another (as a telephone);
radius an optical instrument for projecting an image upon a surface;
reasonable rhythmical beating, vibrating, or sounding;
console the primary high-speed hardware and transmission lines of a
telecommunications network (as the Internet);
score a small flexible insulated electrical cable having a plug at one or
both ends used to connect a lamp or other appliance with a
receptacle;
headline an established method for connecting computers so that they can
change information;
browser offering or expressing a choice;
modem a device used to send or receive facsimile communications;
digital a line segment extending from the center of a circle or sphere to the
circumference or bounding surface;
analog to connect a piece of electrical equipment to the main supply of
electricity or to another piece of electrical equipment;
pulse designed to be operated while being held in the hand;
modulate a flat stiff usually small and rectangular piece of material (as paper,
cardboard, or plastic) usually bearing information;
demodulate to block or close up by an obstacle; to hinder from passage, action,
or operation;
card of, relating to, or being data in the form of especially binary digits;
slot words set at the head of a passage or page to introduce or
categorize;
cord rules or instructions about the best way to do something; something
that helps you form an opinion or make a decision;
to plug to move smoothly along a surface;
outlet an electronic system that connects to a display (as a television set)
and is used primarily to play video games;
alternative a headphone combined with a microphone; it provides the
equivalent functionality of a telephone with hands-free operation;
built-in most desirable or satisfactory;
backbone something established by authority, custom, or general consent as a
model or example.

IV. Give the synonyms of the following: attempt, pattern, form,

combination, alternative, correct, individual (adj.), to transmit, to
maintain, currently, cord.

V. Give the antonyms of the following: similar, to approve, to receive,

unidirectional, fast, available, specified, popular, to include,
appropriate,

VI. Match the following words with the right definition according to
the text:

to alleviate
a) to easel; b) to east; c) to ease; d) to easter;
 to outline
a) to skein; b) to sketch; c) to skimp; d) to skew;

token
a) signet; b) signal; c) silage; d) silo;

recipient
a) content; b) contender; c) adroit; d) addressee;

tag
a) labor; b) laburnum; c) label; d) lace;

embedded
a) involved; b) insight; c) insinuated; d) inserted;

toll
a) libation; b) levee; c) levy; d) ley;

receipt
a) receptive; b) recessing; c) recessive; d) receiving.

VII. Make sentences of your own with the following: to design

guidelines; to meet the guidelines; to be wired at; to pass a signal; to
configure a network; to communicate over the air; to obstruct the path;
to provide access at; to travel along a channel; to perform a
conversion; on a large scale; to forward data to destination;

VIII. Choose from the following words to complete the text below. Pay
attention that some forms of the words must be changed:

inside, several, data, destination, rate, telephone, expensive, modulation, achieve,

demodulator, demodulation.

Modems are communications devices used to transmit data over … lines. On the
sending end, the modem uses a process called … to transform the computer‘s digital
signals into analog tones that can be conveyed through the telephone system. On the
receiving end, the process used is… , whereby the other modem transforms the signal
from analog back to digital. Modems can perform both modulation and demodulation- the
name modem is short for modulator/….
Two types of modems are available: internal and external. An internal modem is
designed to fit … your computer‘s system unit. Internal modems get their power from the
system unit‘s power supply. An external modem has its own case and power supply. For
this reason, external modems are slightly more….
The data transfer rate, the rate at which two modems can exchange…, is measured in
bps and is referred to as the bps rate. Modems communicate at a maximum … of 56 Kbps.
(In practice, modems rarely … speeds higher than 42 Kbps). A modem that can transfer
 56 Kbps (about 56,000 bits per second) is transferring only about 7,000 bytes per second,
or about five pages of text.
Often, a single message travels over … different wired and wireless transmission
media, including telephone lines, coaxial cable, fiber-optic cable, radio waves,
microwaves and satellite, before arriving at its…. (Daley, Bill, Computers are your
Future, Ninth Edition, Pearson Prentice Hall, 2007, USA, p.99-100).

IX. Translate into Romanian:

Token rings networks were developed by several manufacturers, the most prevalent
being the IBM Token Ring. Unlike Ethernet, they cope well with high network traffic
loadings and were at one time extremely popular but Ethernet has since overtaken their
popularity. Token Ring networks have, in the past, suffered from network management
problems and poor network fault tolerance.
A Token Ring network circulates an electronic token (named a control token) around a
closed electronic loop. Each node on the network reads the token and repeats it to the next
node. The control token circulates around the ring even when there is no data being
transmitted.
Nodes on a Token Ring network wishing to transmit must wait a token. When they get
it, they fill a frame with data and add the source and destination addresses then send it to the
next node. The data frame then circulates around the ring until it reaches the destination node.
It then reads the data into its local memory area (or buffer) and makes an acknowledgement
on the data frame. This then circulates back to the source (or originating) node. When it
receives the frame, it tests it to determine whether it contains an acknowledgement. If it does,
then the sources node knows that the data frame was received correctly, else the node is not
responding. If the source node has finished transmitting data then it transmits a new token,
which can be used by other nodes on the ring.
A Token Ring system requires considerable maintenance; it must perform the
following functions:
- Ring initialization- when the network is started or after the ring has been broken, it
must be reinitialized. A co-operative decentralized algorithm sorts out which node starts a
new token, which goes next, and so on.
- Deletion from the ring- a node can disconnect itself from the ring by joining together
its predecessor and its successor. Again, the network may have to be shut down and
reinitialized.
- Adding to the ring- if a node is to be physically connected to the ring then the
network must be shut down and reinitialized.
- Fault management- typical Token Ring errors occur when two nodes think it is their
turn to transmit or when the ring is broken as no node thinks that it is their turn. (Buchanan,
William, Mastering Computing, Palgrave Macmillan, 2002, New York, pp. 198-199)

X. Translate into English:

Dezvoltarea extraordinară în ultimii ani a industriei calculatoarelor şi

a comunicaţiilor a făcut ca în zilele noastre majoritatea calculatoarelor să fie
conectate la o reţea. Practic nu mai este suficient să analizăm funcţionarea
unui calculator de sine-stătător ci se impune să considerăm o abordare din
prisma reţelei de calculatoare la care acesta este conectat. Din această cauză
vom prezenta în acest capitol câteva concepte, definiţii şi elemente de bază
utilizate în studiul reţelelor de calculatoare.
Definiţia unanim acceptată de toate lumea (chiar dacă există mai
multe definiţii pentru termenul reţea de calculatoare) este aceea că o reţea
de calculatoare (îi vom spune pe scurt, reţea) este o colecţie de două sau mai
multe calculatoare intreconectate între ele. Avantajul imediat al conectării la
o reţea este evident: utilizatorii pot partaja fişiere şi dispozitive periferice
(imprimante, modemuri, unităţi de backup, unităţi CD-ROM, etc.). În cazul
în care reţele din mai multe locaţii sunt interconectate prin serviciile oferite
de furnizorii de servicii Internet (linii telefonice, cablu, antene), utilizatorii
pot folosi aplicaţii extrem de răspândite astăzi, precum cele de e-mail, chat,
video-chat, video-conferinţa cu alţi utilizatori conectaţi la reţea şi situaţi
oriunde pe glob.
Topologii
Una dintre primele noţiuni prezentate atunci când se vorbeşte despre
o reţea de calculatoare este noţiunea de topologie, care înseamnă, de fapt,
structura reţelei. Topologia poate fi atât fizică, cât şi logică.
O topologie fizică reprezintă modalitatea de aşezare în spaţiu a componentelor reţelei, pe
când topologia logică se referă la modalitatea de acces la mediu a dispozitivelor conectate la
retea. Cele mai răspândite topologii fizice sunt următoarele:
- Topologia de magistrală (bus)
Această topologie foloseşte un singur cablu de conexiune principal
iar dispozitivele din reţea sunt conectate toate la această conexiune
(magistrală)
- Topologia de inel (ring)
În această topologie fiecare dispozitiv este conectat de următorul, de
la primul până la ultimul, ca într-un lanţ de interconectare (precum zalele
unei brăţele)
-Topologia de stea (star)
În această topologie toate cablurile de conexiune ale dispozitivelor
sunt legate la un dispozitiv central (denumit concentrator). De regulă, acest
concentrator este un hub sau un switch.
-Topologia de stea extinsă (extended star)
Topologia de stea extinsă uneşte topologiile stea intermediare la un
concentrator central (hub sau switch)
-Topologia ierarhică (hierarchical)
Această topologie este asemănătoare cu cea de stea extinsă, în care
reţelele locale sub formă de stea sunt conectate la un computer ce
controlează traficul în reţea
-Topologia complet interconectată (mesh)
În această variantă topologică fiecare dispozitiv din reţea este
interconectat cu toate celelalte. În cazul în care numărul de
gazde din reţea este n, numărul conexiunilor necesare este n*(n-1).

WORD FOCUS
 I. Pay attention to the phrasal verb ‘‘to go ‘‘:

Meaning Examples
to go after to follow or chase Go after her! She has just left so
somebody/something because you will certainly catch up with
you want to catch them; her.
to go against 1.to be opposite to your beliefs, 1. Everything they told me go
principles, etc.; against my beliefs.
2.to do the opposite of what 2. I went against my father‘s
someone wants or advises you to advice.
do;
to go ahead 1.to start to do something, 1. He went ahead and organized
especially after planning it or the party.
asking permission to do it; 2. He went ahead explaining
2.to continue, to proceed; how he created that
extraordinary robot.
to go along to do something without I learnt the job as I went along.
planning or preparing it;
to go along to support an idea or to agree They always go along with her
with with someone‘s opinion; because they are afraid of her.
to go away to leave a place or a person; Go away! I don‘t want o see you
again!
to go back to return; I went back home to take the
other dress.
to go back on to not do something that you She accused him of having gone
promised/said you would do; back on his promise.
to go by to pass (about time) Time goes by so slowly when I
like what I am doing.
to go down to become lower in level; The wind has gone down.
to go down to become ill, especially with an I go down with flu every
with infectious disease; autumn.
to go for to attack; The dog went for him.
to go in for to do an examination or take part I don‘t want to go in for that
in a competition; exam.
to go into to investigate thoroughly; I want you to go into this matter
as soon as possible.
to go off 1.to leave; 1. They went off to play tennis.
2.to explode or to be fired (about 2. The bomb went off and killed
guns) accidentally; 2 soldiers.
3.to suddenly make a loud 3. The alarm went off at 8
noise; o‘clock instead of 7 o‘clock.
4. to be no longer good for 4. Unfortunately, the soup went
eating or drinking; off.
to go on 1. to continue; 1. She went on telling us about
2.to happen; the book she bought.
3.to pass (about time); 2. I know what is going on here!
3. The time went out and nobody
remembered her.
to go out 1. to leave; 1. I am always indoors, I don’t
 2. to join in social life; go out enough.
3. to stop burning or shining; 2. Although she could, she
didn’t go out.
3. The lights went out.
to go out with to have a romantic relationship He used to go out with rich
with someone; girls.
to go over 1. to think very carefully about 1. I should go over what he told
something; me.
2. to examine; 2. The inspector went over each
file.
to go round 1.to suffice (for a number of 1. Will there be enough cake to
(intr.) people); go round?
2.to go to his/her house; 2. I‘ll go round and invite her
out.
to go through 1.to experience an unpleasant or 1. Can you imagine what I went
difficult situation or event; through all this time?
2.to carefully examine 2. I have to get through the
something; entire paper to see if there are
any mistakes or not.
to go through to finish, to bring to a I have to go through with
with conclusion; writing this book.
to go up 1.to rise (of prices, amount, 1. The prices have gone up
level); lately.
2.to burst into flames, to 2. The building went up in
explode; flames.
to go without to not have something that you It is impossible to go without
usually have water.

II. Pay attention to the difference among friend, acquaintance, companion, comrade,
confidant, crony, intimate, pal:

Meaning
friend the general term;
acquaintance a person one has met and sees occasionally with cordiality but
without intimacy; it stresses the physical presence of the person
referred to;
companion it is ambiguous; it may suggest the closeness of friend or the
casual association of acquaintance; the relationship might be
controlled strictly by chance or necessity, without even the
implied cordiality of acquaintance; it has recently acquired the
meaning of lover;
comrade form of address among members of the Communist Party;
confidant it relates to the closeness of friend; it suggests an exchange of
gossip; it refers to a woman‘s female companion;
crony it relates to the closeness of friend; it implies the gossipy
closeness of a clique; it refers to a man‘s male friend
intimate it relates to the closeness of friend; it suggests inseparable and
affectionate friendship;
pal it relates to the closeness of friend; a slang word; it replaces
 mate or chum;

EXERCISES:

I. Translate into English using ‘‘to go‘‘ as phrasal verb:

1. Din păcate, preţurile la alimentele de bază continuă să crească.

2. S-a îmbolnăvit de pojar când a vizitat Parisul.
3. Pe măsură ce trece timpul îmi dau seama că am greşit refuzându-i invitaţia.
4. El este întotdeauna de accord cu ei de frică să nu-l bată.
5. Focul din sobă s-a stins.
6. E imposibil să se descurce fără părinţii ei.
7. Vrea să se prezinte la examen deşi nu a învăţat nimic.
8. Nivelul apei a scăzut semnificativ.
9. Câinii au atacat hoţii şi aceştia au fugit.
10. Maşina a explodat după ce a căzut în prăpastie.

II. Make sentences of your own using the following phrases and translate them into
Romanian: there is no going back; to go before somebody/something; to go by
something; to go down the shops; the same goes for somebody/something; to make
a go for something.

III. Fill in the blanks with the appropriate word from the ones given below: intimate,
comrade, acquaintance, pal, crony, confident.

1. He has recently been introduced to Magan Fox. Now, he says everybody that she is his … .
2. Joseph Stalin and a few … took the floor.
3. You should know that men gossip, too. Take Tom for example. He is youy father‘s … .
4. I have been working with Paul in this office for ten years. He is my best … .
5. She knows everything about me. She is my … .
6. Look! Jane is talking to Tom. Yes, Tom is her … .
 SEMESTRUL II
Network Interconnecting Devices

Before reading the text below, try to answer the following questions:
1. How can networks be connected among them?
2. Can you give examples of interconnecting devices?
3. Can you enlarge upon one of the many interconnecting devices?

Networks can be constructed using a common connection for all the nodes that connect to the
network. Unfortunately, the more devices that connect, the slower the network becomes.
Thus, there is a need for devices that split networks into segments, each of which contain
locally attached nodes. Internetworking devices have many advantages, such as:
- They increase the number of nodes that can connect to the network than would be normally
possible. Limitations on the number of nodes that connect to a network relate to the cable
lengths and traffic constraints.
-They extend the physical distance of the network (the range of the network);
- They localize traffic within a network. Typically computers, which are geographically
located close to each other, need to communicate with each other. Thus, local
communications should not have an effect on communications outside a given network
segment.
- Merge existing networks. This allows connected networks to intercommunicate.
-Isolate network faults. This allows faults on one network to be contained within a given
network, so that they do not affect other connected networks.
Typically interconnecting devices are:
- Repeater. These operate at layer 1 of the OSI model 1 and extend the physical length
of a connection that would normally be possible with the cable type. They basically
boost the electrical or light signals.
- Bridges. These pass data frames between networks using the MAC address (Layer 2
address).
- Hubs. These allow the interconnection of nodes and create a physically attached
network.
- Switches. These allow simultaneous communication between two or more nodes, at a
time.
- Routers. These pass data packets between connected networks, and operate on
network addresses. (layer 3 address).

Internetworking devices
Physical layer Repeaters and hubs
Data link layer Bridges and switches. Uses MAC address.
Network layer Routers. Uses network address.

1
The O.S.I. model (O.S.I. - Open System Interconnection) is a way of sub-dividing a System into smaller parts
(called layers) from the point of view of communications. A layer is a collection of conceptually similar
functions that provide services to the layer above it and receives services from the layer below it. On each layer
an instance provides services to the instances at the layer above and requests service from the layer below. For
example, a layer that provides error-free communications, across a network provides the path needed by
applications above it, while it calls the next lower layer to send and receive packets that make up the contents of
the path. Conceptually two instances at one layer are connected by a horizontal protocol connection on that layer.
Networks connect to other networks through repeaters, bridges or routers. A repeater
corresponds to the physical layer of the OSI model and routes data from one network segment
to another. Bridges, on the other hand, route data using the data link layer (with the MAC
address), whereas routers route data using the network layer (that is, using a network address,
such as an IP address). Normally, at the data link layer, the transmitted data is known as a
data frame, while at the network layer it is referred to as a data packet.

Repeaters
All network connections suffer from a reduction in signal strength (attenuation) and digital
pulse distortion. Thus, for a given cable specification and bit rate, each connection will have a
maximum cable length that can be used to transmit the data reliably. Repeaters can be used to
increase the maximum interconnection length, and may do the following: reshape signal
pulses, pass all signals between attached segments; boost signal power; possibly translate
between two different media types (such as between fibre-optic and twisted-pair cable).
Transmit to more than one network. These are multiport repeaters and send data frames from
any received segment to all others. Multiport repeaters do not filter the traffic, as they blindly
send received data frames to all physically connected network segments.

Bridges
Bridges filter input and output traffic so that only data frames distended for another network
segment are actually routed into that segment and only data frames destined for the outside
world are allowed out of the network segment.
-The filtering rate. A bridge reads the MAC address of the Ethernet/Token ring node and
then decides if it should forward the frames into the network. Filter rates for bridges range
from around 5000 to 70,000 pps (packets per second).
- The forward rate. Once the bridge has decided to route the frame into the internetwork, the
bridge must forward the frame onto the destination network. Forwarding rates range from 500
to 140,000 pps and a typical forwarding rate is 90,000 pps.
Spanning tree architecture (STA) bridges
The IEEE 802.1 standard has defined the spanning tree algorithm, and is normally
implemented as software on STA-compliant bridges. On power-up they automatically learn
the addresses of all the nodes on both interconnected networks and build up a separate table
for each network.
They can also support two connections between two LANs so that when the primary path
becomes disabled, the spanning tree algorithm re-enables the previously disabled redundant
link.
Source route bridging
With source route bridging, a source device, not the bridge, is used to send special explorer
packets. These are then used to determine the best path to the destination. Explorer packets
are sent out from the source routing bridges until they reach their destination workstation.
Each source routing bridge along the route enters its address in the routing information field
(RIF) of the explorer packet. Their destination node then sends back the completed RIF field
to the source node. When the source device has determined the best path to the destination, it
sends the data massage along with the path instructions to the local bridge, which then
forwards the data message according to the received path instructions.
Routers
Routers examine the network address field and determine the best route for a data packet.
They have the great advantage in that they normally support several different types of
network layer protocols.
Routers need to communicate with other routers so that they can exchange routing
information. Most network operating systems have associated routing protocols which
support the transfer of routing information. Typical routing protocols for Internet
communications are:
- BGP (border gateway protocol).
- EGP (exterior gateway protocol)
- OSPF (open shortest path first)
- RIP (routing information protocol).

Most routers support RIP and EGP. In the past, RIP was the most popular router protocol
standard, and its widespread use is due, in no small part, to the fact that it was distributed
along with the Berkeley Software Distribution (BSD) of UNIX (from which most commercial
versions of UNIX are derived). It suffers from several disadvantages and has been largely
replaced by OSP and EGB. These newer protocols have the advantage over RIP in that they
can handle large internetworks, as well as reducing routing table update traffic.
RIP uses a distance-vector algorithm, which measures the number of network jumps
(known as hops), up to a maximum of 16, to the destination router (a value of 16 identifies
that the destination is not reachable). This has the disadvantage that the smaller number of
hops may not be the best route from a source to a destination. The OSPF and EGB protocol
uses a link state algorithm that can decide between multiple paths to the destination router.
These are based, not only on hops, but also on other parameters such as delay (latency),
capacity, reliability and throughput.
With distance-vector routing, each router maintains routing tablets by communicating
with neighbouring routers. The number of hops in its own table are then computed as it knows
the number of hops to local routers. Unfortunately, their routing tables can take some time to
be updated when changes occur, because it takes time for all the routers to communicate with
each other (known as slow convergence).
(Internetworking in Buchanan, William, Mastering Computing, Palgrave Macmillan, 2002,
New York, pp. 188-192)

I. Answer the following questions:

1. Is it convenient that all the nodes in a network share a common connection?

2. What should be done in order to avoid slowness in transmitting information in a network?
3. Give examples of interconnecting devices.
4. Name some of the advantages of interconnecting devices.
5. What is OSI?
6. Define the concept of ‘‘layer‘‘.
7. How are data referred to in the case of each level (physical level, data link level, network
layer)?
8. What are repeaters used for? What do they do?
9. What can you say about multiport repeaters?
10. What do bridges do?
11. What is ‘‘spanning tree architecture‘‘?
12. What is the greatest advantage of routers?
13. Name some routing protocols.
14. What was the most popular router protocol in the past?
15. What are the advantages of the newer protocols?
16. What kind of algorithm uses RIP? What can you say about it?
17. What kind of algorithm uses OSPF? What can you say about it?
II. Match the following words with the correct definitions:

repeater device that channels incoming data from any of multiple input ports
(IT) to the specific output port that will take the data toward its intended
destination;
bridge (IT) the act or process of controlling or reducing something;
hub (IT) to combine or to join things together to form one thing;
switch (IT) the act of moving towards union or uniformity;
router (IT) a quantity that has magnitude and direction and that is commonly
represented by a directed line segment whose length represents the
magnitude and whose orientation in space represents the direction;
to split to increase or improve something and make it more successful;
limitation a step-by-step procedure for solving a problem or accomplishing
some end especially by a computer;
to relate a device or, in some cases, software in a computer, that determines
the next network point to which a packet should be forwarded toward
its destination;
constraint going before in time or order;
to merge someone or something that can be trusted or depended on;
fault a device that receives a digital signal on an electromagnetic or optical
transmission medium and regenerates the signal along the next leg of
the medium;
to boost incapacitated by illness or injury;
layer to show or establish logical or causal connection between;
convergence characterized by repetition;
reliable situated in advance;
to forward a central device that connects multiple computers on a single
network;
algorithm a physical or intellectual imperfection or impairment;
disabled an amount or piece of a material or substance that covers a surface or
that is between two other things;
previously to divide or separate something into different parts;
redundant the state of being checked, restricted, or compelled to avoid or
perform some action;
vector a product that connects a local area network (LAN) to another local
area network that uses the same protocol (for example, Ethernet or
Token Ring);

III. Match the following words with the right definition according to the text:

distended
a) extent; b) extended; c) expanse; d) expat;

compliant
 a) compline; b) compost; c) conceit; d) conformable;

whereas
a) but for; b) except for; c) while on the contrary; d) in the meanwhile;

spanning
a) measuring of; b) enlarging upon; c) comprising with; d) extending across;

to implement
a) to carry away; b) to carry out; c) to carry at; d) to carry on.

IV. Choose from the following words to complete the text below. Pay attention that some
forms of the words must be changed:

subnet, either, paths, following, to interconnect, router, packets, should, to transfer,

appropriate, address, planes, multiple, customized, target, interfaces, to refer, to convert,
interchangeably

A router is a device that … two or more computer networks, and selectively

interchanges … of data between them. Each data packet contains … information that a router
can use to determine if the source and destination are on the same network, or if the data
packet must be … from one network to another. Where … routers are used in a large
collection of interconnected networks, the routers exchange information about … system
addresses, so that each router can build up a table showing the preferred … between any two
systems on the interconnected networks.

A router is a networking device whose software and hardware are … to the tasks of
routing and forwarding information. A router has two or more network…, which may be too
different physical types of network (such as copper cables, fiber, or wireless) or different
network standards. Each network interface is a small computer specialized to … electric
signals from one form to another.

Routers connect two or more logical…, which do not share a common network
address. The subnets in the router do not necessarily map one-to-one to the physical interfaces
of the router. The term "layer 3 switching" is used often … with the term "routing". The term
switching is generally used to … to data forwarding between two network devices that share a
common network address. This is also called layer 2 switching or LAN switching.

Conceptually, a router operates in two operational … (or sub-systems):

- Control plane: where a router builds a table (called routing table) as how a packet … be
forwarded through which interface, by using … statically configured statements (called static
routes) or by exchanging information with other routers in the network through a dynamical
routing protocol;

- Forwarding plane: where the … actually forwards traffic (called packets in IP) from
ingress (incoming) interfaces to an egress (outgoing) interface that is … for the destination
address that the packet carries with it, by … rules derived from the routing table that has been
built in the control plane.
V. Translate into Romanian:
Repeaters are used to increase the number of nodes that can connect to a network
segment, and the distance that it can cover. They do this by amplifying, retiming and
reshaping the digital signals. A hub is a repeater with multiple ports and can be thought of as
being the centre point of a star topology network. It is often known as a multiport repeater (or
as a concentrator in the Ethernet). Hubs generally:
- amplify signals;
- propagate the signal through the network;
- do not filter traffic. This is a major disadvantage with hubs and repeaters as data
arriving at any of the ports is automatically transmitted to all the other ports connected
to the hub.
- do not determine the path.
- centralize the connection to the network. This is normally a major problem when using
a star connected network, but hubs are normally reliable and can be easily
interchanged if they do not operate properly.

Hubs do not filter traffic, so that collisions affect all the connected nodes within the
collision domain. The more collisions there are the slower the network segment becomes.
There are two main ways to overcome this:
a) Bridges. These examine the destination MAC address (or station address) of the
transmitted data frame, and will not retransmit data frames which are not destined for
another network segment. They maintain a table with connected MAC addresses and
do not forward any data frames if the MAC address is on the network segment that
originated it, else it forwards to all connected segments.
b) Router. These examine the network (typically the IP or IPX address) of the transmitted
data packet, and will only transmit it out of a network segment if it is destined for a
node or another network.
Bridges and routers bound a network segment, whereas a repeater extends it. As they are
outside the network segment, bridges and routers thus do not forward collisions.
Broadcast data frames are sent out by a node if it does not know the MAC address of the
destination. Bridges forward these broadcasts to all the connected network segments, and
every device on the connected network segments must listen to these data frames.
Broadcast storms result when too many broadcasts are sent out over the network, which
can cause network time-outs, where the network slows down. Routers do not forward
broadcasts and thus cope better with broadcast storms. (Buchanan, William, Mastering
Computing, Palgrave Macmillan, 2002, New York, pp. 202-203)

VI. Translate into English:

Echipamente de reţea
Dispozitivele care sunt interconectate într-o reţea se numesc gazdede reţea sau, pe scurt,
gazde (hosts). Există o serie întreagă de dispozitive cepot exista într-o reţea, dar elementele de
bază într-o reţea simplă sunturmătoarele: cel puţin două calculatoare, o interfaţă de reţea
(placă de reţea) instalată pe fiecare calculator în parte, un mediu de conexiune (tipic uncablu,
dar există şi conexiuni fără fir – wireless) şi un sistem de operare dereţea (Unix, Linux,
Windows 95, 98, 2000, XP, NT sau Novell Netware). De asemenea, majoritatea reţelelor
posedă şi un hub sau un switch pentru interconectarea gazdelor din reţea. Prezentăm în
continuare pe scurt echipamentele de bază dintr-o reţea.
Placa de reţea
Placa de reţea, denumită şi interfaţă de reţea sau adaptorde reţea sau NIC (Network Interface
Card), reprezintă un element de bazăîntr-o reţea de calculatoare, având în vedere că orice
calculator conectat la reţea trebuie să posede un astfel de adaptor. Placa de reţea este o placă
cu circuite electronice sau o placă PCMCIA (pentru laptop) şi are rolul de a asigura
conexiunea la reţea a unui echipament (calculator, imprimantă, etc.). Fiecare placă de reţea
are o adresă unică, numită şi adresă fizică sau adresă MAC (Media Access Control). Atunci
când se alege o placă de reţea pentru un calculator sau pentru alt dispozitiv pe care vrem să îl
conectăm la o reţea trebuie să luăm în considerare următoarele:
- Tipul reţelei (Ethernet, Token Ring, etc.);
- Tipul mediului de conexiune (cablu coaxial, fibră optică, cablu UTP sau legătură wireless);
- Tipul magistralei de sistem (PCI, ISA etc.).
Echipamente gazdă într-o reţea
Toate calculatoarele, indiferent de tipul lor, imprimantele sau serverele conectate la o reţea se
numesc gazde.
Repetorul (repeater)
Un echipament foarte simplu întâlnit în reţele este repetorul (repeater-ul), dispozitiv care nu
face altceva decât să amplifice şi să regenereze semnale la nivel de biţi de-a lungul reţelei.
Aceste echipamente se întâlnesc atunci când se doreşte extinderea dimensiunii maxime pentru
tipul de cablu respectiv şi prezintă din punct de vedere constructiv un port de intrare şi un port
de ieşire.
Hub-ul
Hub-ul acţionează tot la nivel de bit şi de regenerare a semnalelor, fiind denumit, de fapt,
repetor multi-port, deoarece prezintă un port de intrare, dar mai multe porturi de ieşire.
Introducerea unui hub în reţea creează un punct de conexiune centrală (la care sunt legate
toate gazdele) şi măreşte fiabilitatea. Hub-urile pot fi de mai multe tipuri, unele fiind hub-uri
active, ce folosesc energie electrică pentru a regenera semnalele, în timp alte hub-uri sunt
hub-uri pasive care doar împart semnalele la mai mulţi
utilizatori. Hub-urile pasive nu regenerează biţii, nu extind lungimea cablării şi nu permit ca
două sau mai multe gazde să fie conectate pe acelaşi segment de cablu. Există, de asemenea,
şi hub-uri inteligente, care pot fi programate pentru a se administra traficul în reţea.
Bridge-ul
Bridge-ul acţionează la un nivel superior (nivelul 2 din modelul OSI, model pe care îl vom
prezenta în secţiunea 6.2.3), conectând două segmente de reţea. De asemenea, un bridge
filtrează traficul în reţea pe baza adreselor MAC, regula generală fiind următoarea: traficul
local (ce provine din acelaşi segment de reţea) este menţinut local iar traficul din afara
segmentului de reţea este direcţionat în afara segmentului de reţea. Un bridge creează şi
administrează nişte tabele de adrese MAC pe baza cărora poate face filtrarea traficului după
regula de mai sus.
Switch-ul
Switch-ul este tot un echipament de reţea ce acţionează la nivelul 2 din modelul OSI, fiind
denumit şi bridge multi-port. Deciziile de direcţionare a traficului din reţea se fac tot pe baza
adreselor MAC, comutarea semnalelor transmise făcându-se către portul unde este conectat
calculatorul destinaţie (cel căruia i se adresează pachetul de date). Switch-urile arată oarecm
asemănător cu un hub dar administrează transmisiunile de pachete de date mult mai eficient,
combinând capacitatea de conectivitate a hub-ului cu reglarea traficului din reţea (pe care o
face un bridge) la nivelul fiecărui port de conexiune.
Router-ul
Router-ul este un echipament de reţea mai complex (şi mai scump, de asemenea) ce
acţionează la nivelul 3 din modelul OSI. Acest dispozitiv poate lua decizii de direcţionare a
pachetelor de date din reţea pe bază de clase de adrese logice (adrese IP), putând conecta
diferite tehnologii de nivel 2 OSI, cum ar fi Ethernet, FDDI, Token Ring etc. Routerele
reprezintă elementele centrale ale Internetului, ele examinează pachetele de date de intrare şi
le direcţionează către interfeţele respective de ieşire. Un router este asemănător cu un
calculator, având procesor, memorie, interfeţe de intrare/ieşire, având deci putere de procesare
şi de luare a unei decizii de direcţionare a unui pachet de date către o anumită interfaţă pe
baza unor aşa numite protocoale de rutare.(Sisteme de calcul si operare, de la Facultatea
Titu Maiorescu)

WORD FOCUS
I. Pay attention to the phrasal verb ’’to look ‘‘:

Meaning Examples
to look after to take care of; They asked me to look
after their son.
to look ahead to consider the future so as to make He never looks ahead.
provision for it; On the contrary, he
focuses on the past.
to look at 1. to regard; 1. Look at them! They
2. to consider a subject carefully in are fighting!
order to make a decision about it; 2. Look at the matter
3. to read something quickly and not and only then make a
very carefully; decision.
3. he only look at the
lesson.
to look back (on) to consider the past; You should look back
on what happened that
day.
to look back/round to look behind; Look back to see how
is following you.
to look for to search for, to seek; I have been looking for
the wallet for 20
minutes!
to look forward to to expect with pleasure; I am looking forward
to meeting them.
to look in to pay a short (often unannounced) I will look in to see
visit; how she is.
to look into to investigate; The policemen have
been looking into this
mater for 2 weeks.
to look on 1. to consider; 1. He looks on his
2. to watch an activity or event boss as his enemy.
without becoming involved in it; 2. She was dancing.
The others were
looking on.
to look out to be watchful, to beware of; Look out! The train is
coming!
to look out on to be facing (used of windows and The window of the
houses) house looks out on the
 park.
to look out for to pay attention to what is happening Look out for me!
around you so that you will notice a
particular person or thing;
to look over to inspect critically, read again, Look over what you
revise quickly; have written.
to look through 1.to examine a number of things, 1. Look through your
often in order to select some of them; books and see if you
to turn the pages of a have some detective
book/newspaper, looking for stories.
information; 2. Whenever we meet,
2.to not notice or pretend not to he looks through me.
notice someone you know, even if
you see them;
to look up 1. to look for; 1. I am looking this
2. to visit; word up in the
3. to improve; dictionary.
2. When you come in
Bucharest, look me
up.
3. The weather is
looking up.
to look up to to respect; I have always looked
up to my father.
to look down on to despise. They look down on
me and I don‘t know
why.

II. Pay attention to the difference among old, matriarchal, aged, elderly, patriarchal,
senile, superannuated, venerable:

Meaning
old the general term;
aged it often indicates a longer life span than old; it is more formal; it
often indicates the changes suffered by old people;
elderly it is the most polite of all; it connotes dignity;
superannuated it points out the idea that a person is too old to continue in one‘s
job;
senile it suggests a marked incapacity or decline, mental or physical
infirmity;
venerable it suggests reverence, respect and deference; it may imply
wisdom, position or achievements; it may suggest a distinguished
appearance;
patriarchal/matriarchal it points to the leader of a family or progenitor of a community or
group.

EXERCISES:
I. Translate into English using ‘‘to look‘‘ as phrasal verb:
1. Nu ar trebui să-i dispreţuiască pe săraci.
2. O să caut acest nume în cartea de telefoane.
3. Casa în care locuia dădea spre grădiniţă.
4. Copiii aşteaptă cu nerăbdare vacanţa de iarnă.
5. Profesorul s-a plâns că foştii studenţi se prefaccă nu-l cunosc când îl întâlnesc pe
stradă.
6. Ar trebui să investighezi problema pănă nu e prea târziu.
7. Îşi respectă profesorul care l-a învăţat primele noţiuni de chimie.
8. Priveşte viitorul sperând că totul va fi bine.
9. Caută un apartament în centru.
10. A rugat vecina să aibă grijă de pisică până se întoarce de la piaţă.

II. Make sentences of your own using the following phrases and translate them into
Romanian: to look daggers at someone; to look somebody in the eye; to look the
other way; to look no further; to look before you leap; never look back; to look
after oneself; to be looking for trouble.

III. Fill in the blanks with the appropriate word from the ones given below: venerable
(x2), senile, elderly, patriarchal, matriarchal, aged, superannuated.

1. The … society is one whereby men are the decision-makers and hold positions
of power and prestige, and have the power to define reality and common
situations.
2. Boris Becker feared that, one day, he would be called a … sportsman.
3. The … man was advancing with the aid of a walking stick.
4. He called the old woman … because she didn‘t remember what her name was.
5. My grandfather had a … white beard.
6. We should take care of the … .
7. The … society refers to a form of society, in which the leading role is taken by
the women and especially by the mothers of a community.
8. The … guitarist will come to Bucharest this autumn.
 What Is Artificial Intelligence?

Modern computers come in a variety of guises and can carry out a range of tasks.
Many people own computers that can take dictation or automatically check a typed document
for spelling mistakes; chess-playing computers can beat the world‘s Grand Masters;
autonomous computer-controlled robots can explore other planets with minimal input from
space flight engineers on Earth. Before the age of digital computers, all of these tasks could
only have been carried out by people- does this mean that these devices are intelligent? In the
future, might computers actually be conscious of what they are doing? Might there one day
exist true electronic brains, with free will, emotion and even a sense of morality? What use
might such computers have and what threats might they present? These questions are
considered in a branch of science called ‘‘artificial intelligence‘‘.
If you own a personal computer, you may have found yourself addressing it as if it
were aware of your needs- praising it when it does something pleasing and shouting abuse at
it when it does not. PCs and other electronic devices are unique. They are designed to be user-
friendly, to respond your needs. In fact, one of the main drives towards creating artificial
intelligence is the desire for more user-friendly technology. Other reasons for creating
artificial intelligence include the need for more complete automation- so that intelligent robots
can completely relieve human being of repetitive or dangerous tasks; undertake the intelligent
analysis of huge amounts of information; and enhance entertainment- so that computer games
might seem more real, for example.
Electronic brains
Today‘s PCs respond to information they receive- such as text input via a keyboard-
according to sets of instructions called programs. By following programs, computer can
behave as if they are intelligent. If powerful computers are used to control other devices, the
illusion of intelligence can be even more convincing. There are computers that can drive cars
and even fly aeroplanes, while a variety of robots carry out complex tasks in many different
settings. The first digital electronic computers- built during the 1940s- were programmed
laboriously, by changing the wiring of their circuits. But within a decade, computers could
store and run programs, and process information automatically. The invention of the
automatic computer encouraged many people to consider that machine intelligence was
actually a possibility, and the term ‘‘artificial intelligence‘‘ was coined by American
computer scientist John McCarthy. A study at Dartmouth College set out to examine the idea
that ‘‘every aspect of learning or any other feature of intelligence can in principle be so
precisely described that a machine can be designed to stimulate it‘‘. Now a senior fellow at
Stanford University, California, he has written many programs that attempt to simulate
intelligence.
Modern computers are intelligently programmed, by intelligent people, to behave
intelligently. Does that make them in some way intelligent? There is no clear definition of
intelligence, but there are many behaviours or abilities that seem to require intelligence.
Reasoning, prediction, empathy and the ability to deal with new situations are important
examples. Our own intelligence is a product of our brains. Some people think of the brain as
an incredibly complicated computer: carrying out information processing on a grand scale;
running a ‘‘program‘‘ that we call the mind; and responding to input it receives from the
senses. Perhaps if computers were more powerful, and their programs more complex, they
would become ‘‘electronic brains‘‘ with genuine intelligence.
Demonstrating Intelligence
 Suppose that next week a computer programmer claimed that he or she had written a
program that gives computers real intelligence. How would we evaluate this claim? In 1950,
British mathematician Alan Turing 2 devised a scenario involving a human ‘‘interrogator‘‘
posing questions to both a computer and a human being, via a computer keyboard. The
questions may be on any topic, and are generally intended to stimulate two-way conversation.
They often include topics such as art, current affairs and, of course, artificial intelligence. The
interrogator would receive replies via a computer screen or printer, and would work out who
was answering. Turing argued that a computer could consistently fool the interrogator into
believing it was the human being would be intelligent. He predicted, wrongly, that by 2000
computers would pass this test. Turing‘s scenario forms the basis of an annual competition,
which aims to inspire researchers to push back the boundaries of artificial intelligence. In
1990, American philanthropist Hugh Loebner promised a prize of $ 100,000 and a solid gold
metal to the designer of the first computer to pass the Turing Test. Loebner Prize competitions
have been held every year since 1991. There is little prospect of the prize being claimed in the
near future.
Another annual competition for intelligent machines is the RoboCup, in which teams
of robots play football against each other, with no human intervention. The ultimate goal of
the RoboCup organization is to have developed by the year 2050 ‘‘a team of fully
autonomous humanoid robots that can win against the human soccer champions‘‘.
A computer passing the Turing Test or robots achieving the goal of winning the
RooboCup would undoubtedly be incredible achievements, but not everyone is convinced that
even these machines would necessarily be ‘‘thinking‘‘.
Understanding Words
In his article Minds, Brains and Programs, written in 1980, American philosopher
John Searle argued convincingly that computers can never be truly intelligent because they
will never be able to understand anything. He based his argument on the operation of
computer programs that can answer comprehension questions about simple short stories.
These programs, pioneered in the 1970s, are an example of ‘‘natural language processing‘‘.
They work by analyzing sentences, using the rules of grammar, and breaking down a simple
short story into its basic concepts using ‘‘scripts‘‘- pre-programmed outlines of stories that
apply to certain situations. Consider this short story: ‘‘Jack went to a restaurant and ordered
an omelette with chips. The waiter told him there were no chips. Jack decided to have
omelette with salad instead. He ate his food, but left without paying the bill‘‘. A suitable
computer program, which has been fed into this story along with a restaurant script, can
produce correct answers to questions such as: ‘‘Did Jack eat chips?‘‘, ‘‘Why did Jack eat
salad instead of chips‘‘ and ‘‘Was Jack satisfied with his meal?‘‘. Although these programs
are very limited in their abilities, natural language processing was considered by some as a
first step towards true artificial intelligence. Some researches argued that because the replies
given by these programs are indistinguishable from the answers a human respondent might
give, the computer can actually be said to understand, just as people do.

What Does It All Mean

Searle‘s argument against these claims centres on the difference between syntax
(grammar) and semantics (meaning). The computer programs manipulate electronic pulses
that represent the syntax in the short stories, but totally lack semantics. Human minds, on the
other hand, understand semantics because they have a ‘‘feeling‘‘ about the things they

2
British mathematician Alan Turing (1912-1954) is acclaimed as one of the most brilliant and influential
thinkers of the 20th century. In the 1930s, he investigated the logical foundations of mathematics and physics and
played a vital role in the development of the electronic computer. He is best known for his work on code-
breaking during World War II.
perceive. Philosophers call this ‘‘intentionality‘‘. International states relate to elements of the
world around them, and attach meaning to them. They include beliefs, desires, fears and pain.
Without intentionality, a computer will not actually understand a story presented to it, despite
the fact that it can answer questions about it correctly. As Searle point out, any intentionality
that a computer program appears to have is found within the mind of the person who wrote
the program.
The Chinese Room
To illustrate this argument, John Searle put himself in the role of a computer carrying
out natural language processing. In what has famously become known as the Chinese Room
Argument, Searle placed himself in an imaginary locked room, surrounded by cards upon
which are printed Chinese symbols. Through a slot in the door of the room, he is fed a story in
Chinese, and then a series of cards that constitute questions about the story-again, in Chinese.
He finds the correct symbols to respond to the questions, by following complex sets of
instructions and he passes sets of cards out of the room. It appears to people outside the room
that he understands Chinese. However, as Searle readily admits, he understands no Chinese
whatsoever.
Searle‘s argument seriously undermines the validity of the Turing Test, and strikes at
the heart of the deeply held belief of many contemporary researches in artificial intelligence-
the computers may one day be truly intelligent. Since the publication of Searle‘s article,
supporters of the claims of artificial intelligence have constructed many replies in defence of
their beliefs. For example, the so-called System Reply insists that, taken as a whole, the
system- consisting of Searle and the complicated sets of instructions which he follows- can be
said to understand Chinese. Another argument, which has been dubbed the Connectionist
Rely, suggests a modification of the original analogy that Searle put forward. Instead of one
person in the room manipulating Chinese symbols, imagine many people, each one processing
only some of the commands. In this case, none of the individuals in the room understands
what he or she is doing, but collectively, they can be said to understand Chinese. The debate
is still raging.
What‘s In a Word?
Was Alan Turing right to say that as long as a computer behaves intelligently, it can
be rightly called intelligent? Or is John Searle right to insist that real intelligence requires an
internal world of thought and feelings- a mind- and that is something which is impossible to
simulate in a computer? It is helpful to consider what the phrase ‘‘artificial intelligence‘‘
might actually mean.
Compare the meanings of the word ‘‘artificial‘‘ in the phrases ‘‘artificial turf‘‘ and
‘‘artificial flavourings‘‘. Artificial turf is not a turf at all, but looks similar to real turf and
shares some of its characteristics. If the ‘‘artificial‘‘ in ‘‘artificial intelligence‘‘ has this
meaning, then a computer only has to share some of the characteristics of human intelligence,
but does not actually have to be intelligent. John Searle defines this as ‘‘Weak AI‘‘, and
believes that even a computer that can pass the Turing Test would still only possess Weak AI.
Artificial flavourings in processed foods, on the other hand, really are flavourings, but
are produced artificially in chemists‘ laboratories, rather than taken from nature. If the
‘‘artificial‘‘ in artificial intelligence has this meaning, then a computer must possess real
intelligence, just produced in a different way from our own. Such a computer would be able to
think for itself- it would have a mind. Searle called this idea ‘‘Strong AI‘‘, and claims that it
is impossible to achieve. So, the ambiguity that the word ‘‘artificial‘‘ possesses usefully
divides the artificial intelligence community into two clear camps: those who want to design
useful computer systems and those who want to create artificial minds. When it comes to the
word ‘‘intelligence‘‘, however, ambiguity is a major problem.
Thinking about Thinking
 Philosophers and scientists have long puzzled over the nature of intelligence. People
who are described as intelligent may be skilful, knowledgeable, alert, witty or sympathetic.
Computers can carry out tasks that require skill, they can store information and are considered
alert if they respond to certain stimuli. But at present, they can only do these things if they are
programmed to do so. Furthermore, it would be very hard to imagine a computer that can be
sympathetic or witty. Any definition of intelligence must address most or all of the following
human abilities: reasoning, learning judgement, remembering, emotion, intention,
understanding, common sense and consciousness. Computers can be programmed to learn and
remember, but computers with judgement, emotion, intention, understanding and common
sense seem much more of a challenge. The greatest mystery of all is consciousness: the
feeling of being aware of yourself and the world around you.
One thing that is certain is that- in humans at least- all of the qualities and abilities
listed above seem to be possible because we have minds. Perhaps for a computer to be truly
intelligent, it too would need a mind. The roots of philosophical ideas about the mind lie in
Ancient Greece. Most of the Greek thinkers believed the mind to be located in the heart. Only
a few realized the importance of the brain; the ancient Greek philosopher Plato was among
them. However, Plato believed that the mind was completely separate from the physical
world- an idea called dualism- and not caused by processes in the brain. The 16-th century
French mathematician and philosopher, René Descartes, is another famous dualist. In one
experiment, he showed how the lens inside a sheep‘s eye formed an image on the retina. He
traced the optic nerve deep into the brain, where he believed that the ‘‘mind‘s eye‘‘ viewed
the image. Many philosophers still adhere to dualism to this day. If it is true, it may be an
insurmountable challenge- it is hard to imagine a soul being programmed into a computer. In
the 19th century, the new scientific discipline of psychology aimed to developed scientific
theories about the mind, to explain how we perceive the world and how we learn and
remember, and to understand human and animal behaviour. In the early 1900s, Austrian
psychologies, Sigmund Freud formulated theories about the inner world of unconscious drives
and dreams. Intelligent quotient (IQ) tests, introduced around the same time, attempt to
measure what psychologists refer to as general intelligence. They gauge ‘‘cognitive‘‘ abilities,
such as verbal reasoning and spatial and arithmetic skills. But exactly how the brain created
cognitive abilities or unconscious desires was a mystery. In the 1930s, neuroscience- the
study of nerve cells, or neurons- began to make some headway. One of the most important
goals of neuroscience is to understand how neurons in the brain contribute to aspects of
intelligence such as perception, learning and memory. Applying that understanding to
computer system design is a promising approach to artificial intelligence.

Understanding Neurons
Neurons3 are the basic units of the nervous system. Each one consists of a small cell
body with long, fibrous extensions called axons and dendrites. In general, the ends of the

3
Each neuron is surrounded by a membrane whose surface carries a voltage, or ‘‘potential‘‘. Changes in this
voltage form the basis of nerve signals. A neuron produces electrical pulses that travel from the cell body along
the axon. At the end of the axon‘s many branches, the pulses are picked up by the dendrites of other neurons
across tiny gaps called synapses. Each pulse that reaches a synapse releases chemicals, called neuro-transmitters,
which pass across the synapse and through the membrane of the dendrite. In turn, this affects the potential of the
receiving neuron‘s membrane. The receiving neuron has many dendrites, each receiving signals across a
synapse; the neuron will fire if the overall change in its potential exceeds a certain threshold. As we experience
and react to the world around us, new neurons and new synapses form, some old ones are lost, and the nature of
a particular synapse can change.
axons of one neuron meet the ends of dendrites of many others. Inside the brain they form an
incredibly complex and ever-changing network. The neurons whose fibres meet constantly
exchange electrical signals. It has been estimated that there are as many as 100,000 million
neurons in the brain- more than ten times the number of people on Earth. It has also been
calculated that there are about 1,000,000,000,000,000 (one quadrillion) links between them.
There is compelling evidence that our capacity to learn and remember is a result of the way
neurons connect together, and it is almost certain that the signals produced by neurons form
the basis of all our perceptions, thoughts and behaviours. Most neuroscientists believe that
even our consciousness emerges directly from these countless tiny nerve signals.
Neurons can be in one of two states: ‘‘ firing‘‘ or ‘‘not firing‘‘. When a neuron is
firing, it produces between about 50 and 100 pulses of electricity every second; when it is not
firing, it produces only a few. A neuron fires if it receives enough stimulation from all the
neurons to which it connects. Some neurons- those whose dendrites form our sense organs-
receive their stimulation from the outside world. The skin, for example, contains the dendrites
of sensory neurons that are sensitive to pressure and to heat, while dendrites in the eye are
sensitive to light. The outputs of the human brain are carried by ‘‘motor neurons‘‘, away from
the brain to muscles. An electric pulse reaching a muscle will cause that muscle to contract.
So, all our perceptions of the world- from hearing thunder to feeling the pain of a pinprick-
begin as electric pulses at the ends of our sensory neurons. And the electric pulses in our
motor neurons are responsible for everything from winking an eye to driving a car.
Computer Brain?
For many neuroscientists, the brain 4 is nothing more than a very complicated
computer. And, in fact, there are many similarities between brains and computers. For
example, both receive information in the form of electric pulses. Process that information
internally, and produce electric pulses as output. And even neurons have their counterparts
inside digital computers: electronic circuits called logic gates. Just as neurons can be either
firing or not firing, logic gates can be either ‘‘on‘‘ or ‘‘off‘‘. This two-state, or binary, system
is at the heart of the way computers process information. The similarities do not stop here.
Logic gates produce output (are ‘‘on‘‘) only when certain criteria are met in the patterns of
their inputs- this is also true for neurons in the brain. Furthermore, most logic gates receive
their inputs from other logic gates, forming networks as neurons do inside the brain. As with
neurons, the exceptions are logic gates that either receive input from the world outside the
computer or those that can produce output.
Despite the similarities between brains and computers, and between neurons and logic
gates in particular, there are important differences. Perhaps the most obvious is complexity:
not even the most powerful computers have anywhere near as many logic gates as the brain
has neurons. Another important difference is that the brain does not have to be programmed to
do what it does. Perhaps most importantly, computer scientists understand exactly how
computers work, while there is still much to discover about the brain.
The Inner World

A synapse is a gap between the axon of the neuron and a dendrite of another is tiny- typically about two ten-
thousands of a millimetre (78 one-hundred thousands of an inch). Each type of neurotransmitter molecule has
dedicated ‘‘receptor sites‘‘ on the membrane of the receiving dendrite.
4
The wrinkled, outermost part of the brain is called the cortex. There is an area of cortex on each side of the
brain at which sensory signals arrive, and another from which motor signals originate. Signals from a particular
part of the body, passing along sensory neurons, always end up in the same part of the ‘‘sensory cortex‘‘.
Likewise, signals originating from a particular region of the ‘‘motor cortex‘‘, passing along motor neurons,
always arrive at the same part of the body. This localization of function is the norm within the brain. It is as if the
brain is precisely hardwired according to a complex master plan. The brain‘s architecture does follow a design
that is common to all of us, but at the level of individual neurons and groups of neurons, we are all different. Our
experiences mould our brains, by changing the connections between its neurons.
 Modern neuroscience has matched particular structures and regions of the brain with
their functions, explained very clearly how individual neurons work, and has even helped us
to understand how the connections between neurons can form memories and produce
learning. But no one really understands the features of human intelligence that are very
probably the most important to research into artificial intelligence- the production of
meaningful language, intentional sates and consciousness and self-awareness. Emotions
clearly have a role in these phenomena; what can biology tell us about them?
Emotions are associated with particular areas of the brain. For example, specific parts
of the hypothalamus, a small organ near the middle of the brain, are directly involved in
pleasure and aversion, while another organ of the brain, the amygdala, is heavily involved in
the emotion of fear. But although the causes of emotions might be understood, the mechanism
by which we become aware of them remains a total mystery. And the same goes for every
other aspect of consciousness. Some philosophers and neuroscientists cling to a dualistic
interpretation of consciousness, claiming that it is separate from the physical world, and will
therefore never be adequately explained by scientific theories. Some have attempted to locate
consciousness in specific physical regions of the brain, including the reticular formation,
which acts like a sorting office organizing sensory information from the whole body. Other
consider consciousness to be an ‘‘emergent‘‘ property, not located in any particular brain
region, but arising from the distributed activity of all the neurons. In particular, they point to
the cortex- the incredibly complex, convoluted outer layer of the brain. This approach makes
some sense, since only animals that have brains with a well-developed cortex seem to show
signs of consciousness.
Our understanding of human intelligence has progressed enormously over the past
hundred years, and the processing power of computers has increased at a phenomenal rate.
However, despite all the investigations of philosophers, neuroscientists and evolutionary
biologists, the mystery of how we are able to feel aware of anything is a major hurdle for
artificial intelligence researchers hoping to manufacture truly intelligent machines. (Artificial
Intelligence, Series Editor John Gribbin, London, Dorling Kindersley Limited, 2002, pp. 4 -
23)

I. A. Answer the following questions:

1. Why do people want to create artificial intelligence?
2. What can you say about the term ‘‘intelligence‘‘?
3. Is there a clear definition of intelligence?
4. Who is Alan Turing?
5. How did Alan Turing evaluate the intelligence of a computer?
6. What is RoboCup?
7. What did John Searle say about the intelligence of computers? On what did he rely?
8. What is natural language processing?
9. What can you say about the Chinese Room?
10. Name some of the arguments against Searle‘s opinion.
11. Give examples of ‘‘Weak AI‘‘ and ‘‘Strong AI‘‘.
12. Define ‘‘consciousness‘‘.
13. What did ancient Greek philosophers believe about mind?
14. What was Plato‘s opinion about mind?
15. Define ‘‘dualism‘‘.
16. Name a famous French dualist.
17. What science appears in the 19 th century? What did it study?
 18. What do IQ test attempt to measure?
19. What science appears in 1930s? What did it study?
20. Define and describe neurons.
21. Define the synapse.
22. What are the two states of a neuron?
23. Name the similarities and the differences between brains and computers.
24. Define cortex.
25. What is ‘‘sensory cortex‘‘ and ‘‘motor cortex‘‘?
26. Name the most important features of human intelligence.
27. What can you say about emotions?
28. What is the dualistic interpretation of consciousness?

B. Say whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F):

1. John Searle argues that intelligence requires thoughts and feelings, a mind.
2. The word ‘‘intelligence‘‘ has a clear meaning.
3. Alan Turing considers that a computer is really intelligent if it behaves intelligently.
4. Plato, the Greek philosopher, believed that mind was located in the heart.
5. It has been estimated that there is one quadrillion of neurons in the brain.
6. Searle‘s arguments support the Turing Test.
7. Certain regions of the brain correspond to certain functions: visual, auditory,
gustatory, olfactory, motor.
8. Axons are synonymous to dendrites.
9. The debate about computer‘s intelligence is over.
10. Neuroscience studies the mind.
11. At the level of individual neurons we are all alike.
12. The analogy between the brain and a computer is complete.
13. Descartes showed how the lens of the sheep‘s eye formed an image on the retina
and proposed that the mind created an image of its own.
14. The mechanism by which we become aware of emotions is not known.
15. The Loebner Prize will be awarded to a computer program that gives consistently
intelligent replies to an examiner.

II. Match the following words with the correct definitions:

spelling a statement about what you think is going to happen, or the act of making
this statement;
syntax (about a problem or difficulty) too large or too difficult to deal with;
semantics having good intellectual capacity; amusingly or ingeniously clever in
conception or execution;
automation good at doing something, especially something that needs special ability
or training;
laborious a theory that considers reality to consist of two irreducible elements or
modes;
reasoning lines on face or skin;
prediction knowing a lot;
empathy the sound that follows a flash of lightning and is caused by sudden
expansion of the air in the path of the electrical discharge;
philanthropist a grayish or reddish granular cell with specialized processes that is the
 fundamental functional unit of nervous tissue;
cognitive any of the usually branching protoplasmic processes that conduct
impulses toward the body of a neuron;
quotient the regular beat that can be felt, for example at your wrist, as your heart
pumps blood around your body;
insurmountable the technique of making an apparatus, a process, or a system operate
automatically;
to adhere to the magnitude of a specified characteristic or quality;
dualism the one of the four basal ganglia in each cerebral hemisphere that is part
of the limbic system and consists of an almond-shaped mass of gray
matter in the anterior extremity of the temporal lobe;
consciousness the point at which a nervous impulse passes from one neuron to another;
sympathetic containing, consisting of, or resembling fibers;
witty the study of meanings;
alert (adj.) a usually long and single nerve-cell process that usually conducts
impulses away from the cell body;
knowledgeable one remarkably similar to another; one having the same function or
characteristics as another
skilful relating to, being, or involving conscious intellectual activity (as thinking,
reasoning, or remembering);
mould the quality or state of being aware especially of something within oneself;
wrinkled a basal part of the diencephalon that lies beneath the thalamus on each
side, forms the floor of the third ventricle, and includes vital autonomic
regulatory centers;
synapse taking a lot of time and involving or characterized by hard or toilsome
effort;
counterpart the outer or superficial part of an organ or bodily structure;
thunder a rich person who gives a lot of money to help poor people;
pulse to influence the way someone‘s character or attitudes develop;
fibrous the forming of words from letters according to accepted usage;
neuron watchful and prompt to meet danger or emergency;
axon to continue to behave according to a particular rule, agreement o belief;
dendrite the action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and
vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another
of either the past or present without having the feelings, thoughts, and
experience fully communicated in an objectively explicit manner;
hypothalamus existing or operating through an affinity, interdependence, or mutual
association;
amygdala the way in which linguistic elements (as words) are put together to form
constituents (as phrases or clauses);
cortex a process of thinking carefully about something in order to make a
judgement.

III. Give the synonyms of the following:

countless, undoubtedly, grand, genuine, to evaluate, to predict, competition, to perceive,

witty, alert, mould, sympathetic, laborious,
 IV. Give the antonyms of the following:

wrinkled, ever-changing, minimal, indistinguishable, conscious, outermost, skilful,

witty, alert, sympathetic, laborious

V. Match the following words with the right definition according to the text:
guise
a) face; b) appearance; c) image; d) look;

drive
a) propy; b) props; c) propel; d) propound;

to enhance
a) to impugn; b) to impute; c) to impound; d) to improve;

to coin
a) to create; b) to crease; c) to crest; d) to crib;

outline
a) skewer; b) skein; c) skillet; d) summary;

to dub
a) to nick; b) to nickname; c) to nip; d) to niggle;

to gauge
a) to measure; b) to meddle; c) to mediate; d) to menace;

compelling
a) corresponding; b) cunning; c) crushing; d) convincing;

to emerge
a) to come over; b) to come out; c) to come along; d) to come at;

hurdle
a) ledge ; b) obituary ; c) obstacle; d) leap.

VI. Make sentences of your own with the following:

to carry out
to be aware of
to set out to
to pose a question
to fool somebody into something
to pass/fail a test
to aim at
to base an argument on
to attach meaning to something
 to point out
to strike at the heart of something
to hold a belief
in defence of
(taken) as a whole
to put forward
to puzzle over something
to require skills
to be aware of
to adhere to
to wink an eye

VII. Choose from the following words to complete the text below. Pay attention
that some forms of the words must be changed:

antiquity, goal, individual, setbacks, machines, communication, subfields, textbooks, central,

to coin, specific, intelligence, philosophical, to simulate

Artificial intelligence (AI) is the intelligence of … and the branch of computer science
that aims to create it. … define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where
an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize
its chances of success. John McCarthy, who … the term in 1956, defines it as "the science and
engineering of making intelligent machines."

The field was founded on the claim that a central property of humans,…—the
sapience of Homo sapiens—can be so precisely described that it can be …. by a machine.
This raises … issues about the nature of the mind and limits of scientific hubris, issues which
have been addressed by myth, fiction and philosophy since… . Artificial intelligence has been
the subject of optimism, but has also suffered … and, today, has become an essential part of
the technology industry, providing the heavy lifting for many of the most difficult problems in
computer science.

AI research is highly technical and specialized, deeply divided into … that often fail to
communicate with each other. Subfields have grown up around particular institutions, the
work of … researchers, the solution of … problems, longstanding differences of opinion
about how AI should be done and the application of widely differing tools. The … problems
of AI include such traits as reasoning, knowledge, planning, learning, … , perception and the
ability to move and manipulate objects. General intelligence (or "strong AI") is still a long-
term … of (some) research.

VIII. Translate into Romanian:

When talking about artificial intelligence, there first has to be answered the question what
artificial intelligence actually is – or at least what it should be. The definitions that can be
found about artificial intelligence are various: “Artificial intelligence is a branch of computer
science concerned with making computers behave like humans.” Taking a look on the web or
on non-scientific press, the concept that non-engineers and non-scientists often have about
artificial intelligence is heavily
influenced by film industry. One classical example is the android Data in Star Trek: An
artificial, intelligent being, possessing similar or superior intelligence as humans have and
maybe lacking a bit of emotions and feelings. Their expectation is that research is not too far
away from this aim. What comes up with this expectation are concerns and discussions about
ethics. On the one hand, if machines get superior intelligence as we have, there arises the fear
that machines will rule the world, kill us, or keep us as slaves (as we see in movies like
Terminator or Matrix). On the other
hand, if we assume that machines will not possess superior intelligence but feelings and a
soul, questions of ethics will come up concerning the rights of machines, as we might keep
them as slaves for doing our work. Scientists talking to public press are often confronted with
this question of ethics. One answer given in 2007 by Gerhard Zucker, one of the keynote
speakers, is the following: “Society will find a way to handle these issues like society found
solutions before for slavery and animal testing”. Actually, this is a wise answer for a scientist
in terms of publicity. It implies that our research is already in a very advanced stage and it is
time to face these questions. However, reality is still very different. Today, science is still far
away from the goal of creating something that is at least close in intelligence to humans and it
is not yet sure whether we will ever reach this goal. (Rosemarie Velik, Quo vadis, Intelligent
Machine?, BRAIN. Broad Research in Artificial Intelligence and Neuroscience, Volume 1,
Issue 4, October 2010, ‖Autumn 2010‖, ISSN 2067-3957)

IX. Translate into English:

Inteligenț a artificială este un termen tehnic provenit din limba engleză: Artificial
Intelligence, prescurtat AI, care se referă la un domeniu de cercetare în cadrul informaticii. În
vorbirea curentă este un produs rezultat în urma desfăș urării acestei activităț i. Definiț ia cea
mai acceptată a inteligenț ei artificiale a fost dată de John McCarthy în 1955: ―o maș ină care
se comportă într-un mod care ar putea fi considerat inteligent, dacă ar fi vorba de un om‖.

O trăsătură des întâlnită a inteligenț ei artificiale este că sistemul respectiv este capabil să
înveț e, cu scopul de a se îmbunătăț i permanent, ș i fără ajutoare externe.

În informatică, în general, inteligenț a artificială e împărț ită în două categorii:

inteligenț ă artificială puternică (strong AI): prin aceasta se înț elege o intelegenț ă
artificială, de obicei bazată pe un computer, care chiar poate "gândi" ș i este
"conș tientă de sine".
inteligenț ă artificială slabă (weak AI): o inteligenț ă artificială care nu pretinde că
poate gândi, putând însă rezolva o anumită clasă de probleme într-un mod mai mult
sau mai puț in "inteligent", de exemplu cu ajutorul unui set de reguli.

Progresul în crearea unei inteligenț e artificiale puternice este mic. Aproape toate
simulările inteligenț ei se bazează pe reguli ș i algoritmi obiș nuiț i, existând un progres doar
în domeniul celei slabe (de exemplu la recunoașterea verbală ș i a scrisului, la traducerea
automată dintr-o limbă în alta sau ș i la jocul de șah).

Istoric
 La început, crearea ș i cercetarea inteligenț ei artificiale s-a desfăș urat pe domeniul
psihologiei, punându-se accent pe inteligenț a lingvistică, ca de exemplu la testul Turing.
Acest test constă într-o conversaț ie în limbaj uman natural cu o maș ină (computer) care a
fost programată special pentru acest test. Există un juriu uman care conversează cu acest
computer, dar ș i cu un om, prin câte un canal pur text (fără ca ei să se vadă sau să se audă).
În cazul în care juriul nu poate să-ș i dea seama care este computerul ș i care omul, atunci
inteligenț a artficială (programul calculatorului) a trecut testul.

Turing a prezis în 1950 că până în anul 2000 vor exista maș ini (calculatoare) cu 10 9
bytes (1 GB) de memorie care vor putea "păcăli" 30% din juriile umane într-un test de 5
minute. Însă, în timp ce pe de-o parte tehnologia chiar a depăș it previziunile lui Turing,
inteligenț a artificială este încă departe de a fi realizată.

Noile previziuni ale experț ilor se bazează pe aș a-numita legea lui Moore ("numărul
de tranzistori pe un circuit integrat se va dubla la fiecare 18 luni, prin urmare ș i puterea de
calcul"), "lege" care s-a îndeplinit pentru ultimii 30 de ani destul de bine, ș i poate că va mai
fi valabilă încă 5-10 ani. Pentru viitor se speră că noile tehnologii (cuantice, optice,
holografice, nanotehnologiile ș .a.) vor permite menț inerea creș terii exponenț iale, astfel că
în maximum 20 de ani computerele să depăș easca puterea de procesare a creierului uman
(vezi: Singularitate tehnologică). Unul dintre principalii susț inători ai acestei ipoteze, pe
lângă Vernor Vinge, este cunoscutul expert Ray Kurzweil cu a sa celebră lege a întoarcerilor
accelerate. Însă aceste consideraț ii sunt în general de natură cantitativă, neglijând din păcate
nenumăratele faț ete calitative ale inteligenț ei umane naturale.

O altă latură a inteligenț ei artificiale studiază animalele, ș i aici în special insectele,

care sunt mai uș or de emulat de roboț i. Totuș i încă nu au putut fi create modele
computaț ionale satisfăcătoare pentru simularea inteligenț ei animalelor.

În 1961, John Lucas a argumentat în lucrarea sa ―Minț i, maș ini ș i Gödel‖ că mintea
unui matematician nu poate fi reprezentată printr-un algoritm, bazându-se pe teorema
incompletitudinii a lui Gödel ("Nu există sisteme formale care să fie ș i consistente (= ne-
contradictorii), ș i complete.").

Cercetarea asupra inteligenț ei artificiale a început încă din anii 1950, fiind împărț ită
în două: cea clasică (sau simbolică), ocupându-se cu manipularea simbolică a conceptelor
abstracte, folosită azi în sistemele expert; cea conecț ionistă, exemplul cel mai cunoscut fiind
―reț elele neuronale‖. În anii 1980 s-a ajuns la concluzia că ambele abordări aveau limitări
severe, cercetarea în acest domeniu fiind parț ial abandonată din lipsa de finanț are.
Principalele aplicaț ii ale inteligenț ei artificiale sunt: sistemele expert; logica ș i sistemele
fuzzy; algoritmii genetici; rețelele neuronale; agenț ii inteligenț i; sistemele inteligente
hibride; vocea electronică; recunoaș terea automată a formelor (scrisului ș .a.), a sunetelor
(vorbitului) ș .a.
(http://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inteligen%C8%9B%C4%83_artificial%C4%83)

WORD FOCUS:

1. Compound words:

In point of the parts of speech, the elements that join together to make up a compound word
can be of the following type:
 - Noun + noun: post office;
- Adjective + noun:
- Pronoun + noun: he-goat;
- Gerund + noun: swimming pool;
- Verb + noun: breakfast;
- Adverb + noun: highbrow;
- Numeral + noun: a two-wheeler;
- Capital letter + noun: X-ray;
- Noun + verb: screwdriver;
- Noun + gerund: air conditioning;
- Noun+ adverb: passer-by;
- Verb + adverb: make-up;
- Adverb + verb: offspring;
- Verb + verb: a might-have-been.

In point of orthography, the elements that make up a compound word can be:
- written together (e.g. breakfast);
- hyphened (he-goat);
- written separately (bus stop).
There are cases when a compound may be written in all three ways: bookshop, book-shop,
book shop).
At the same time, mention can be made of the fact that, in modern English, hyphens are not
used frequently.

!!! There are also the so-called reduplicates (chit-chat, flip-flap, hocus-pocus, etc.) and
portmanteau words (brunch = breakfast + lunch; smog = smoke+ fog, etc.).
There are also whole sentences that combine: hide and seek; rock and roll, merry-go-round,
etc.

!!! In the case of the noun + noun compounds, the first noun describes the second (just like an
adjective). In the example a horse race it is about a kind of race, a race where horses
compete, whereas in the example a race horse it is about a kind of horse, a horse used for
racing.

!!! Mention should also be made of the distinction between noun + noun compound and the
structure noun + of + noun. For example, the distinction between a water glass and a glass of
water is: the noun + noun compound is used to express a kind of container, whereas the of-
structure is used to refer both to the container and to its contents. A water glass may be full of
milk, in the moment of speaking, but a glass of water refers to a glass that is full with water in
the moment of speaking.

!!! A number + noun + noun combination is used in measurements. Usually, there is a hyphen
between the number and the first noun. Pay attention that the first noun is in the singular.
Here are a few examples: a five-day trip; a two-hour course; a four-mile walk, etc.

2. Pay attention between the difference between rise and raise:

TO RISE- ROSE- RISEN

Meaning Examples
- to increase in number, amount and value The temperature rose to 36 degrees
- by Celsius in Bucharest yesterday.
-from/to
- above
-rise dramatically/sharply/rapidly/steeply
- rising crime/unemployment/inflation, etc.
- to go upwards The smoke rose from the chimney.
- to stand up (formal) The manager rose from his chair
and showed her the file.
-to become successful/important/rich She rose to become the head of our
- to rise to prominence/fame/power Department.
- to rise to do something
- be tall The cliffs rose in front of them.
- voice/sound The sound of the traffic rose from
the street and she couldn‘t sleep.
-sun/moon/star
-emotion My hopes rose suddenly when I
saw her coming.
-rise to the occasion/challenge to deal with a I simply couldn‘t rise to the
difficult situation challenge and now I am very sorry.
- against a government/army The people rose up/ in revolt
against the government.
-bread/cakes All her cakes rise and are always
very tasty.
- alive again Lazarus rose from the dead.
-wind The wind rose and we couldn‘t
continue our journey.
-river The Danube rises in the Black
Forest in Germany.
- ‘‘rise and shine‘‘ is used humorously to tell Mother told me ‘‘Rise and shine! A
someone to wake up and get out of bed. new day has come and you have
plenty of work to do.‘‘
- success/power She told us many things about the
rise and fall of the Roman Empire.

TO RAISE- RAISED- RAISED

- to move higher The sun raised high in the sky.
- increase an amount, number or level Many shops have raised their prices.
- collect money They raised funds to help the elderly.
- to improve They want to raise the standards of the
university.
- start a subject I was sure she would raise this
subject/question again.
-cause a reaction The position of her body raised doubts
about the cause of her death.
-move eyes or face I raised my eyes and I looked at him.
- move upright Hearing this, I raised from the pillows.
-children His grandmother raised him.
-animals or plants They raised cattle to sell them.
-collect people They managed to raise an army on the
spot.
- a siege/embargo They decided to raise the embargo on
Iraq.

!!! Rise (to rise, rose, risen) is an intransitive verb. It does not take an object:
Raise (to raise, raised, raised) is a transitive verb. It requires an object: Whenever she gets
angry, her cheeks blush and she raises her voice.

!!! To raise is used for plants, vegetables, animals on a farm to sell as food: They raise cows
and pigs in their large farm.
To grow is used for flowers, plants, vegetables in a garden for pleasure: My mother grows
roses in her little garden.

!!! In B.E., raise is never a noun. Rise is used as a noun.

In Am.E., raise can be used as a noun and it means an increase in pay: I want a raise because
I deserve it and I need money.

EXERCISES:

I. Identify the compound words in the lesson and explain their structure.

II. Explain the difference between milk chocolate and chocolate milk.

III. Explain the difference between a matchbox / a box of matches; a coffee cup/ a cup of
coffee; a wine bottle / a bottle of wine and use them in sentences of your own.

IV. Give examples of your own with compound words and use them in sentences of your
own.

V. Translate into English using as many compounds as possible:

1. Trecătorii se uitau la ei cum se ceartă şi nu interveneau.

2. Această pălăvrăgeala ‚,nevinovată‘‘ s-a transformat într-un adevărat complot împotriva
mea.
3. Ne-am luat rămas bun la ora 3 şi tocmai ne-am întâlnit din nou în faţa magazinului.
4. Am aşezat bradul în sufragerie ca Moş Crăciun să vină mai repede.
5. Această conversaţie de 3 ore m-a obosit foarte mult. Nu s-a ajuns la nici o concluzie.
6. Razele X sunt radiaţii electromagnetice ionizante, cu lungimi de undă mici, cuprinse între
0,1 şi 100 Å (ångström).
7. Poţi cumpăra bilete de la ghereta din staţia de autobuz.
8. Bunicul mi-a arătat caruselul şi mi-a promis că o să mă ducă acolo a doua zi.
9. M-a dus la poştă să iau coletul.
10. L-am zărit jucând baschet pe terenul de sport.
11. S-a stricat aerul condiţionat şi este atât de cald…
12. Ar fi minunat să am o vacanţă de 7 zile!
13. Florile mele preferate sunt mărgăritarele.
14. Privitorii nu au observat că actriţa leşinase.
15. O călătorie de 2 ore te-ar face să te simţi mai bine.
VI. Fill in the blanks with either to rise, to raise or to grow, depending on the case:

1. The little star … in the sky ever night as a sign of her promise.
2. They … sun-flowers and sell them in the market.
3. This singer‘s … to fame was not a surprise. He really deserved it.
4. I asked my boss to … my salary last week.
5. The inflation …in 2009 more than in the previous year and everybody was worried.
6. She was very upset when the Primer-Minister announced that the age of retirement would
…. .
7. The floodwaters began to … again.
8. He …that question on purpose: to make her cry.
9. Ceuşescu …to power in Romania in 1974.
10. My grandfather … strawberries in his little garden.

VII. Translate into English using to rise or to raise whenever possible:

1. Pe zi ce trece, preţurile cresc.
2. A răsărit luna.
3. Nu îndrăzni să ridici vocea la mine! Nu-ţi permit !
4. A ridicat paharul în cinstea tatălui meu.
5. Valurile se ridicau ameninţător.
6. Şi-a ridicat sprânceana dreapta aşteptând ca el să-i dea un răspuns.
7. Când m-a văzut, s-a ridicat să mă salute.
8. Au ridicat acest monument mai repede decât ne aşteptam.
9. Vânzările au crescut cu 50%.
10. Să ridice mâna dreapta cei care vor să primească autograf.
 Approaches to Artificial Intelligence. The Top-Down Approach and
the Bottom-Up Approach

Despite our progress in understanding the human brain, the goal of building machines
with minds of their own seems as distant as ever. There are two main approaches to building
intelligent computers. The ‘‘top-down‘‘ approach attempts to model the workings of the
human mind; top-down systems use symbolic representations of ‘‘concepts‘‘ and the
relationships between them, and are successful in applications where logic and language are
important. Bottom-up systems try to imitate the human brain, and are based on the way
neurons work: networks of artificial, electronic neurons can learn tasks without being
programmed to do so. Bottom-up researchers hope that their approach will ultimately result in
machines that can think for themselves. Maybe the most elusive property of the brain-
consciousness- will emerge from their systems.
Top-Down A.I.
In January 1956, computer scientist Herbert Simon began one of his lectures with a
remarkable statement: ‘‘Over Christmas, Allen Newell and I invented a thinking machine‘‘.
Simon and Newell had written a computer program, which they call Logic Theorist, that
could work out proofs of mathematical theorems by a process of logical deduction. Logic
Theorists incorporated a set of rules and instructions- an algorithm- that used mathematical
facts as a starting point and automatically deduced a number of fundamental mathematical
proofs. Programmed deduction and decision-making make top-down systems very good at
tasks that require logical reasoning, such as playing games, but not so good at tasks that
involve flexible learning.
Problem-solving
Within a year, Simon and Newell, together with another computer scientist, Cliff
Shaw, had written a more general program- the General Problem Solver. Embedded within
General Problem Solver‘s algorithms were ‘‘heuristics‘‘- generalized approaches to problem
solving- developed by analyzing human-problem-solving techniques. So, for example,
General Problem Solver could quickly solve logical games, such as noughts and crosses and
the Tower of Hanoi. In order to carry out these tasks, General Problem Solver used symbolic
representations of facts, numbers and even concepts. In a computer, numbers, words, sounds
and images are symbolized by ‗‘on‘‘ and ‗‘off‘‘ pulses- binary numbers. Computer programs
contain instructions for manipulating these representations, which is why computers can
process digital music and video and carry out arithmetic. Each program is written specifically
for a particular task. An adding program contains different instructions from a program that
sorts names into alphabetical order- just as the instructions you would give to someone to
send a letter would be different from those telling someone how to travel to your home.
Computer programs make use of conditional statements, such as ‘‘ IF…THEN‘‘,
which cause a computer to carry out different sections of a program according to the input
they receive. This is why the top-down approach is suited to decision-making and deduction.
With conditional statements, a program can respond to different kinds of input in an
intelligent way. Part of a program might include an instruction to output ‘‘I am okay, thank
you‘‘ if it receives an input of ‘‘How are you?‘‘. If you make the program incredibly
complex, you can expect some very complex ‘‘behaviours‘‘ as output.
Perhaps the best illustration of the top-down approach to artificial intelligence is a
computer program that plays chess. When it is the computer‘s turn, it has to decide what
move to make based on the positions of the chess pieces on the board. For each of its possible
moves, there will be many moves that its opponent can make, and for each of these, there will
be many more that the computer can choose from. So, the computer program ‘‘looks ahead‘‘
many moves, calculating which of its next moves is most likely to put it in a winning position.
It does not care if it wins or loses: it merely follows a complicated algorithm. This built-in
logic is the essence of the top-down approach. A chess program running on an ordinary
desktop computer can analyze thousands of potential moves every second, and can beat most
people easily. Very powerful computers can look much further ahead, and can beat even the
world‘s best players.
Cognitive science
The human mind can be compared to a computer-program- running on biological
‘‘wetware‘‘ rather than electronic hardware. Cognitive science is the study of mental
processes- an investigation into how the mind enables us to think and communicate, and how
it dictates human behaviour. It can be thought of as a search for ‘‘computational‘‘ theories of
the human mind. Many of the early pioneers of artificial intelligence were also cognitive
scientists, and the development of cognitive science and computer science are intimately
linked.
A grammatical understanding
One of the most influential cognitive scientist is American linguist and political
activist Noam Chomsky 5. In 1957, Chomsky put forward a theory suggesting that human
brains are ‘‘pre-programmed‘‘ to understand grammar- the logical structure of a language. By
building grammar into computer programs, top-down researchers hoped that computers would
understand sentences, translate them form one language to any other, and even generate them.
This area of top-down artificial intelligence research is called natural language processing.
During the 1950s, several attempts were made to enable machines to carry out translation.
Many of the early attempts were crude, slow and inaccurate. Even in 1966, automatic
translation was making little headway: a report by the Automatic Language Processing
Advisory Committee in the US condemned it as a more expensive and not as effective as
human translation. Today, computers are used in the translation of written documents,
although human experts are still the first choice in most situations. And despite the fact that
many computer software packages are available that can produce text from spoken words,
human interpreters are almost always used to translate speech. In addition to translating
programs, there are also several commercial products available today that can summarize long
documents, by teasing out their main points. These are examples of top-down artificial
intelligence.
Conversational computers
Another facet of natural language processing is the attempt to create computer
programs that can hold conversations with humans. The first of these programs was ELIZA,
created in 1966 by Joseph Weizenbaum, a computer scientist working at the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology. It was designed to mimic a ‘‘non-directive psychotherapist‘‘,
responding to statements inputs by its ‘‘patients‘‘. ELIZA created a huge amount of public
interest in artificial intelligence. Many people who interacted with the program formed
emotional bonds with it, and a few even believed they were really relating to a human being.
However, all ELIZA could do was to analyze the patients‘ statements and produce questions
based directly on them.
Natural language processing
All sentences can be broken down into separate phrases and each phrase into smaller
parts and smaller parts again, until it is possible to identify the function of each word, and

5
American linguist and political activist Noam Chomsky (born 1928) is most famous for his radical theories
proposing that language and several other facets of human intelligence are innate. He has often voiced radical
views in politics, too- most notably during the 1960s, when he spoke out against American military involvement
in Vietnam.
‘‘make sense‘‘ of the sentence. Quite how the human brain carries out this process- called
parsing- is not known, but it is possible to program a computer to do it. One popular
application of natural language processing is the chatbot- a program that can converse with
people.

SENTENCE = Jack ate an omelette in a restaurant.

NOUN PHRASE = Jack

VERB PHRASE = ate an omelette in a restaurant.
VERB = ate
NOUN PHRASE = an omelette
PREPOSITIONAL PHRASE = in a restaurant.

NOUN PHRASE = DETERMINER + NOUN = an + omelette

PREPOSITIONAL PHRASE = PREPOSITION + DETERMINER + NOUN = in + a +
restaurant.

You can interact with chatbots on the Internet, by typing in sentences and waiting for a
reply. There are even some commercial websites that use chatbots to respond to users‘
questions about a company‘s products.
As computers become more powerful, and as the Internet is used by more people, this
kind of chatbot is likely to become more common. And as speech recognition and speech
generation become more sophisticated, interacting with chatbots may become like human
interaction.
A virtual world
Top-down computer programs that can effectively parse sentences and construct
responses work best of all when the conversation is limited in its extent. The best example of
this is SHDLU, a program written in 1970 by computer science student Terry Winograd. It
was written, as part of his PhD dissertation, as a way for humans to communicate in a natural
manner with robots carrying out manual tasks. Users sat in front of a computer terminal that
displayed a simulated ‘‘world‘‘ on the screen. The virtual world of SHDLU consisted of a
robot arm, and a variety of objects- simple geometric shapes- that could be moved on a flat
surface. Because SHRDLU‘s virtual world was so limited, the responses it was able to give
seemed extremely intelligent.
Expert systems
Today, the deductive capacities of top-down artificial intelligence are most commonly
applied in expert systems- computer programs that can analyze a stored database of
information. The output can be information, advice, prediction or risk assessment. One of the
earliest and best-known expert systems was MYCIN, written by Edward Shortliffe in 1976 at
Standford University in California. MYCIN swiftly generated advice on how to treat bacterial
infections of the blood, based on question-and-answer sessions with doctors about visible
symptoms. Without MYCIN, most of these diagnoses would have required the culturing of
bacteria from blood samples, a process that takes at least 48 hours.
Developments in the speed and storage capacity of computers have enabled designers
of expert systems to increase computers‘ knowledge bases and increase the effectiveness of
their programs. A project called CYC has a knowledge base of more than a million items,
built up since 1984. There are many commercial applications of the CYC knowledge base:
‘‘Smart‘‘ interfaces between humans and computer databases; intelligent character simulation
for games; improved translation; improved speech recognition. But part of the collection of
‘‘common sense‘‘ statements is also available to the public, via the Internet. There are also
projects that depend on the Internet to increase the knowledge bases of expert systems. One is
a program that can play a game of ‘‘20 Questions‘‘ in which a person thinks of an object that
another person must guess by asking simple questions. The computer program adds to its
knowledge base- according to weather it guesses right or wrong- with each game that it plays.
A logical step
Translating and summarizing documents, holding conversations, giving advice to
doctors and playing guessing games are all activities that seem to require genuine
understanding. In top-down programs, they are accomplished by devising sequences of
logical instructions. The world‘s foremost mathematicians have pondered the nature of logic
science the middle of the 19 th century. In an attempt to formalize all there is to know about
logic- and about numbers, shapes and space itself- they constructed complex mathematical
proofs. In fact, it was a selection of these proofs that Herbert Simon and Alan Newell‘s Logic
Theorist worked out automatically in 1956.
Had it been successful, the complete formalization of the world by mathematical
proofs would have given weight to the idea that the brain can be simulated by a machine,
since computers work according to the rules of logic. But the mathematicians‘ quest was dealt
a serious blow in 1931 when a German mathematician named Kurt Gödel 6 published a proof
of his ‘‘Incompleteness Theorem‘‘, which proposed that the quest for a complete, all-
encompassing theory was futile. One of the consequences of Gödel‘s theory is that logical
reasoning cannot be fully formalized; there always needs to be some ‗‘‘insight‘‘ in
understanding any logical system, which must come from outside the system. In a
comprehensive dictionary, for example, each word has a definition, but only in terms of other
words in the dictionary. Users must apply their understanding of at least some of the words
that are present in order to make any sense of those words that they do not. Closed systems, in
which all the necessary insights is built-in, can be interpreted with the rules of logic. This
explains why SHRDLU was able to communicate successfully and ‘‘understand‘‘ commands
and questions. By ‗‘open systems‘‘- real world situations- cannot be formalized, which
explains why chatbots are not so successful in interacting with humans. There are many
researchers who believe that the only way to construct a form of genuine intelligence is to
allow a system to ‘‘experience‘‘ and learn the world directly for itself.

Bottom-Up A.I.
The bottom-up approach to artificial intelligence has been successful in producing
computer systems and robots that exhibit learning and pattern recognition. However, by
simulating the way in which our minds process information, the top-down approach is
successful in tasks that require natural language processing or deductive reasoning. Some
researches believe that, given time, even these abilities will also emerge in bottom-up
systems- just as learning and pattern recognition have done.
The term ‘‘robot‘‘ originates in a play written in 1919, by Czech author Karel Capek,
called ‘‘Rossum‘s Universal Robots‘‘. The word ‘‘robot‘‘ comes from the Czech word
robota, used to describe work that is borin and repetitive.
Robots are machines controlled by computers and their most common use in today‘s
world is as a replacement for human factory workers, carrying out complex tasks that require
great accuracy but are routine. Manufacturing robots therefore require only very limited
intelligence. In certain applications, however, such as planetary exploration, robots need to
respond to changing circumstances autonomously- without direct human control. The bottom-

6
The work of Austrian-born American mathematician Kurt Gödel (1906-1978) on the ‘‘Incompleteness
Theorem‘‘ is among the most important of the 20 th century. In 1939, he fled Austria for the US, where he lived
until his death. He starved himself to death after he became paranoid that he was being poisoned.
up approach to artificial intelligence ia well suited to creating such autonomous, semi-
interlligent robots, typically controlled by onboard artificial neural networks that can
recognize objects or sounds, adapt to their surroundings and learn from experience. Perhaps
the most impressive of today‘s robots are humanoid robots, so called because they resamble
human form. They have ‘‘eyes‘‘, ‘‘ears‘‘ and ‘‘bodies‘‘ and can learn a range of complex
behaviours without being shown. The most famous of these is Cog, one of the many robots
developing their own behaviours at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in the US. Cog
has learnt to move its exes swiftly to shift the focus of its attention, as occurs in human vision.
Cog has also taught itself to play the drums, to imitate the head-nodding of a person standing
in front of it, and a range of other behaviours. The Kawato Dynamic BrainProject, in Japan,
has yielded very similar results.
In Tel Aviv, Israel, inside a computer, there is an evolving computer program called
Hal. Modelled on a human infant, Hal is learning English, slowly but surely. After two year s,
the program was able to ‘‘communicate‘‘ in sentences reminiscent of those produced by a
toddler: three- or four-word phrases that are generated by association with previous
experience. Child development experts reading transcripts of Hal‘s conversations considered
the conversations to be typical of a human infant. Hal‘s creators believe that language is a
learned ability, and employ a system of rewards and punishments to help train their electronic
infant. They hope that by learning language from the bottom-up, they can instill within the
system a real understanding, missing from traditional natural language processing, which
imposes understanding from the top down. (Adapted, Artificial Intelligence, Series Editor
John Gribbin, London, Dorling Kindersley Limited, 2002, pp. 24-51)

I. A. Answer the following questions:

1. What can be said about the future of the machines with minds of their own?
2. How many approaches to build intelligent computers are there? Say something
about each of them.
3. Who invented a ‘‘thinking machine‘‘?
4. What was, in fact, that ‘‘thinking machine‘‘?
5. What was the General Problem Solver?
6. Could you give an example of top-down approach to AI?
7. Define cognitive science.
8. Who is Noam Chomsky?
9. What is natural language processing?
10. What is ELIZA?
11. Define ‘‘parsing‘‘.
12. What can you say about ‘‘chatbot‘‘?
13. What is SHDLU?
14. Define ‘‘expert systems‘‘
15. What is MYCIN?
16. Define Cyc.
17. Who created the ‘‘Incompleteness Theory‘‘?
18. Name a consequence of the ‘‘Incompleteness Theory‘‘.
19. What can you say about the term ‘‘robot‘‘?
20. What can you say about humanois robots? Give an example of such a robot.
21. What is ‘‘Hal‘‘?

B. Say whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F):
 1. SHDLU is a robot arm.
2. Open systems can be formalized.
3. In the present, computers replace totally human experts in translation.
4. The cognitive science is connected to the computer science.
5. MYCIN gives weather forecasts.
6. ELIZA is a robot that behaves like a human.
7. Most people fell in love with ELIZA.
8. In a few years‘ time, people will manage to build machines with minds of their
own.
9. Computer programs seldom use conditional sentences.
10. A computer program that plays chess can easily beat the best chess players.

II.Match the following words with the correct definitions:

algorithm the power or act of seeing into a situation;

to manipulate an instruction in a computer program;
to sort actually having the reputed or apparent qualities or character;
deduction one who translates orally for parties conversing in different
languages;
chess to talk in an informal or familiar manner;
statement having a relatively smooth or even surface;
to dictate to control or play upon by artful, unfair, or insidious means
especially to one's own advantage;
investigation the deriving of a conclusion by reasoning;
interpreter successful and working in the way that was intended;
to summarize a representative part or a single item from a larger whole or group
especially when presented for inspection or shown as evidence of
quality;
psychotherapy a game for 2 players each of whom moves 16 pieces according to
fixed rules across a checkerboard;
chat the establishment of a pathogen in its host after invasion;
flat to observe or study by close examination and systematic inquiry;
infection to put in a certain place or rank according to kind, class, or nature;
symptoms something that indicates the presence of bodily disorder;
sample to speak or read for a person to transcribe or for a machine to
record;
effective to make a short statement giving only the main information and
not the details;
comprehensive a step-by-step procedure for solving a problem or accomplishing
some end, especially by a computer;
insight covering completely or broadly;
genuine treatment of mental or emotional disorder or of related bodily ills
by psychological means

III. Give the synonyms of the following: elusive, flexible, opponent, incredibly,
remarkable, influential, to generate, conversation, bond.
 IV. Give the antonyms of the following: elusive, distant, artificial, flexible, essential,
intelligence, accurate, to summarize, popular.

V. Match the following words with the right definition according to the text:

crude
a) unscientific; b) unskilled; c) uncontrollable; d)unconventional;

facet
a) aspect; b) face; c) concern; d) attempt;

to parse
a) to generate; b) to analyze; c) to create; d) to invent;
(parse= to analyze, to break down, to dissect)

foremost
a) first; b) fierce; c) trained; d) top;

to ponder
a) to take up; b) to think high of; c) to think carefully; d) to take into account;
(to take up = a continua ceva dupa intrerupere)

all-encompassing
a) limited; b) enclosed; c) encircled; d) complete;

futile
a) fusty; b) useful; c) fuzzy; d) useless;

VI. Make sentences of your own with the following:

to put forward a theory
to make headway
to tease out a point
to hold a conversation
to form an emotional bond
to break something into
to wait for a reply
to assess a risk
to play a guessing game
to give weight to an idea
to attempt to/ to make an attempt
to be successful in
to learn a task
to result in
to emerge from
to work out proofs
starting point
to be good at
to make use of
to be suited to
to look ahead
 VII. Choose from the following words to complete the text below. Pay attention
that some forms of the words must be changed:

Robosaurus, to evaluate, outfitted, fake, toys, movies, purpose, rounds, to thrive, to decline,
AI, pets, entertainment, nerves, real, to excel, retirement, design, to run, dawn, intriguing, to
proceed, chess, task, moves, mix, obstacles, to spawn, to enable, nostrils, information, bulk.

As researchers are trying to find new uses for Artificial Intelligence, … has gained
more and more importance. Toys and games are a large marketing field for Artificial
Intelligence.
Computer Games
Many computer games, such as Empire III, have some form of … in them. According
to the Empire III‘s official website, ‘‘It‘s the … of a new age in the real-time strategy
(RTS) games‘‘. Games in the RTS category are played in … time, which means that the
player decides then and there which route to go. This, in turn, has an impact how the game
… . A huge sub-category are the so-called city-builder games, where the player has to ….
a city with all there is to it, and depending on how a great job he/she does, the city does
well or not. These kinds of games date back to the 80s or so.

Robo-Dogs, Humanoid Robots and Other Entertainment Robots

Now … in AI are a large part of the research. In the designing of an alternative human
there are also advancements in alternative pets and advanced robot toys. The idea of robot
… has really been thriving in the AI industry. One of the many types of robot pets are
dogs such as the ‘‘AIBO‘‘ pet dog by Sony. The … of its sales have been in Japan. The
toy is equipped with programmable software. This … users to update the pet and teach it
new tricks and moves. The dog can also be programmed to pick up … from its
surroundings. While it is in the end just a ‘‘…‘‘ dog, it is still a step into the future for
Artificial Intelligence. The neat thing about the advancing of AI is that the programs are
getting easier to program. As for the AIBO, Sony said that to re-program or add on to the
remaining information was a child-level … . They said that‘s where the system lacks in
power, it … in simplicity. Another example is ‘‘ASIMO‘‘, a humanoid robot built by
Honda, who is regularly awing spectators at various events. ASIMO can perform tasks
such as interaction with recognition. He can even … . And as in the sentence before,
humans are readily referring to the robot as ‘‘he‘‘, because ASIMO is built and developed
to perform more and more human interactions. Another widely-known entertainment
robot is ‘‘…‘‘. It was created by Monster Robots, Inc. and stands 40 feet tall, weighing a
whopping 30 tons. It is a … between a robot and a dinosaur. The robot appears at motor
spport events, air shows and a variety of other special events. The robot is a mixt of state-
of-the-art technology and great special effects. Wherever it appears, it raises a crowd. Its
main … in life is to destroy cars and other objects and it shoots a 20 foot flame out its …!
The ‘‘Robosaurus‘‘ is a one-of-a-kind piece of machinery. It has been shown all around of
the US from Salinas, CA to the town of Columbus, Georgia. Robosaurus is the largest
robot built, but it can still be sized down to a convenient semi truck hauling position.
Since the robot can fold up into a semi trailer, the robot is also the largest transformer.
Robosaurus was also featured in several … such as ‘‘Steel Justice‘‘, produced by Monster
Robots, Inc. and Universal Studios, ‘‘Walking Up in Reno‘‘ starring Billy Bob Thornton,
Patrick Swayze, Charlize Theron and Natasha Richardson, and ‘‘The Recycler‘‘ starring
 Hank Williams Jr. The Robosaurus truly is a very different entertainment robot! Similar
machines … a new kind of ‘‘sport‘‘ called ‘‘Robot Wars‘‘. It includes robots made tough
and durable interfacing in a fierce competition-like battle. The robot left running then
moves to the next round. This goes on for several … . Then, after several rounds, the
surviving robot is deemed the winner. The robots are … with clever archaic weapons and
designs that make it very hard for the opponents to damage each other. The robots usually
have to worry about some … in the arena. There can be a saw blade come up out of the
floor or wall can fall to try and crush the robots. This competition is definitely a battle of
wits and maneuvers. This sport … since about the early 1990s. It is one of the many uses
of robots and AI in the entertainment world.
Chess
In the 1997, Kasparov was beaten by Deep Blue, a … computer built by IBM. What
makes chess so challenging and … to humans is the fact that it involves a high level of
abstract thinking. That means that a player has to calculate several different … and
scenarios in his/her head before making a move. This is also why chess seems perfect for
human-machine match-ups. A computer programmed to play chess isn‘t really playing.
It‘s calculating possible moves and then … them based on the way it was programmed.
The calculation steps look really complicated when you see them on your paper. Kasparov
basically lost the second time he played Deep Blue, because he lost his …, which made
him play much worse than he otherwise would have- something that could never happen
to a computer. When he challenged IBM to a rematch, the company …. A 2003 match
with the virtual reality software X3D Fritz ended in a draw.
Kasparov announced his … from chess in 2005. For many people, he is the best
chess player ever.

VIII. Translate into Romanian:

A huge use for Artificial Intelligence is jobs that no human can- or would want to- do,
mainly because of the fact that humans would actually be an obstacle, rather than a help, or
they are so dangerous that the possibility of somebody dying or other bodily harm is too great.
In other cases, like space fighting, it is not currently possible to send humans beyond the
moon into outer space. Many companies are developing machines that are designed to either
save lives or make life easier. Some robots were designed to perform jobs that are dangerous
for humans, such as land mine clearance work. The robots are designed to dig the ground and
explode mines. They can operate without any electricity, so they can go into very remote
areas. Comet III, which weighs one tone, is one such example. A humanoid robot developed
in Japan, the prototype HRP-2 is also designed to work in places dangerous for humans.
Below are listed a couple of other uses that are either already taking place or will pretty soon.
We focused mainly on the United States military, as well as NASA.
Military Uses

The possibilities of military use of AI are boundless, exciting, intimidating, and frightening.
While today's military robots are used mainly to find roadside bombs, search caves, and act as
armed sentries, they have the potential to do so much more.

Not all military uses of AI directly relate to the battlefield however; it can use Artificial
Intelligence for more passive purposes as well. For example, the military has developed a
computer game that uses AI to teach new recruits how to speak Arabic. The program requires
soldiers to complete game missions during which they must be able to understand and speak
the language. This system gives the soldiers a more realistic, easy, and effective way to learn
the new tongue. This particular game works by using speech recognition technology that
evaluates the soldier's words and detects common errors. It can then create a model of the
soldier, keeping track of what he's learned and what he hasn't in order to provide
individualized feedback for the soldier's specific problems. Those who are working on this
project believe that it will change the face of all language learning and similar programs will
become mainstream sometime in the near future.

The military is also trying to create automated vehicles — the ultimate autopilot. Machines
already have the ability to see the world around them and read a map, theoretically well
enough to be able to drive from point to point without human assistance. However, when the
Pentagon first sponsored a competition for prototype-automated vehicles in the Mojave Desert
in 2004 to test their resilience against difficult terrain, none of the fifteen entries crossed the
finish line. The following year, a car built by students at Stanford University completed the
131 mile course in six hours and 53 minutes. The car completed the race without any human
input, using only onboard computers and sensors to navigate terrain meant to mimic combat
conditions in Iraq and Afghanistan. Though this proved that great strides had been made in
one year alone, even more are needed before the technology can be marketed and put to real
use.

According to the Pentagon, actual robotic soldiers powered by Artificial Intelligence will be a
major fighting force in the American army, probably within the next decade. The first robot
soldiers will actually be remote-controlled vehicles. The military has poured tens of billions
of dollars into this project already. Congress wants to see this happen, and they ordered that a
third of all military vehicles and deep-strike aircraft be automated by 2010.

As the machines begin to think, see, and react more like humans, the level of their autonomy
and our level of trust in them will grow as well. However, it is predicted that a true soldier-
simulating robot will not come about for another 30 years. These robots need to be able to
determine friend from foe and enemy from bystander, and teaching them to do so will require
a tremendous amount of research and work. The government has assured us however that
these robotic soldiers will not be put into the field and allowed to make such decisions until
they are ready to do so.

Another current infantry prototype knows how to recognize an enemy when it is under fire.
When this happens, it can react to enemy fire on its own or follow orders given to it from a
remote observer. Although it's programmed to work autonomously, in its present state, it still
requires some set of outside monitoring controls in order for it to work. Its designers plan to
have it usable for infantry missions by 2015.

Another one of their prototypes nearly realizes the anthropomorphic goal imagined by Isaac
Asimov in his I, Robot book. This prototype is a machine about four feet high with a Cyclops
eye and a gun for a right arm. It is programmed to perform basic hunting and killing tasks. It
can actually find valid targets on its own and can shoot at them with remarkable accuracy.

The list of benefits of using machines to achieve military goals is long and significant. The
immediate and most evident boon of such technology is the elimination of human risk:
machines, not humans, would be lost in battle. In addition, specialized robots can be designed
to accomplish specific tasks more effectively than humans can, increasing the military's
overall effectiveness. They are also more cost-effective. Robots will always be able to do
what they were designed to do and can be recycled when they are obsolete. A human soldier
costs on average $4 million dollars over his lifetime, and the U.S. Pentagon cannot obtain the
money to pay all of them. Robots could cost a tenth of that amount or less.

Although the ultimate goal of the robot soldier is to completely eliminate human risk, even
the experts say that war will always be a human endeavor involving human loss of life, no
matter how much the AI warrior is developed. New ethical questions will arise once we have
the ability to invade countries without risk of bloodshed on the part of the invader. And even
though these robotic developments will soon be on our doorstep, it‘s a little frightening to see
that the only ones who are addressing the issue of use and or misuse of such technology are
the scientists and the authors of science-fiction.
(http://library.thinkquest.org/05aug/01158/AIwar.html)

Robots in Sports

A university in London is developing a computer-generated competitor for tennis players. It

analyses video footage of former tennis professionals, picking out moves and techniques and
developing a database against which it can compare other players. It can track both players
throughout the game, and it knows the difference between an attack and a defensive play. Not
only can this save players and coaches from hours of pouring over opponents‘ video tapes, but
it keeps everything on record so that anything can be accessed later on with ease.

In several European countries, soccer clubs use Artificial Intelligence technology when
administering physical examinations to players to help trainers and coaches determine the
likelihood of a player developing an injury. The machine collects the player's biomedical data
and compiles it with other records and signs of illness. Once the information is analyzed, the
technology can spot injuries, or potential injuries, much more quickly and effectively than a
doctor or coach may be able to. Athletes‘ personalities and psychological profiles can also be
stored in the machine, and can be used to guess the way people will act or perform in different
situations. Some scientists are still skeptical, wondering how accurate the hollistic, cut-and-
dried decisions made by robots will be when dealing with atypical or complicated situations.
However, most agree that the technology has potential as long as the computer and the
coaches use actual soccer experience to judge players‘ physical and mental fitness.

Not only are robots used to examine human players, but some also actually play the sport as
well. The RoboCup is an international competition in which competing teams—usually from
universities—create teams of robots that play soccer against each other. The robots have to be
autonomous and self-propelled. The creators cannot use any kind of remote control to operate
the robots. The contest includes several categories, including humanoid, four-legged, small,
and middle-sized, and it has taken place in many different countries including Japan and
Germany. Younger students can participate in the RoboCup Junior competition and compete
against other primary and secondary school students. The RoboCup Junior was designed to
teach younger children about robotics and Artificial Intelligence.

The ultimate goal of this international program is to have a team of fully autonomous
humanoid robots beat a human world champion team by 2050. The robot-sportsmen must
incorporate many different types of technology and strategy in order to be successful. The
June 2006 competition will take place in Bremen, Germany.
NASA and AI

NASA is planning to add a strong dose of artificial intelligence (AI) to planetary rovers to
make them much more self-reliant, capable of making basic decisions during a mission.

Scientists at NASA Ames Research Center, in the heart of California's Silicon Valley, are
developing very complex AI software that enables a higher level of robotic intelligence. In the
past, very simple artificial intelligence systems on board rovers allowed them to make some
simple decisions, but much smarter AI will enable these mobile robots to make many
decisions now made by mission controllers.

Image left: Future robotic rovers will have enough intelligence to navigate the martian
landscape without detailed instructions from scientists on Earth. Image courtesy: NASA.

"Human beings make decisions in response to their environment. How do you encapsulate
this behavior into a rover, or a robot, sitting on a planet millions of miles away? That's what
we are working on," said Kanna Rajan, a computer scientist at NASA Ames. "We want to put
software on rovers to give them the capability to be artificially intelligent," Rajan explained.

Large teams of human beings on Earth direct the Mars Exploration Rovers (MER) now
rolling across the martian terrain to look for evidence of water. It now takes the human-robot
teams on two worlds several days to achieve each of many individual objectives.

"It takes about three days for a MER rover to visualize a target, get to the target and do some
contact science," said Rajan. "Part of the problem is we are not closing the loop on board the
rover. Signals from the rover have to go to Earth for a human with his/her cognitive capacity
to deliberate on the information in the signal and make a decision. Based on that decision, a
signal goes back to Mars to instruct the rover to take pictures or do other work," Rajan noted.

A robot equipped with AI, on the other hand, could make an evaluation on the spot, achieve
its mission faster and explore more than a robot dependant on decisions made by humans on
Earth. Today's technology can make a rover as smart as a cockroach, but the problem is it's an
unproven technology, according to Rajan.

Image right: Rovers with additional artificial intelligence will be able to avoid hazards
including holes, impassible rocks or steep grades. Image courtesy: NASA.

"The way new space technology is generally proven is to have field tests here on Earth -- to
have an Earth analog mission," Rajan explained. "You take a rover -- similar to the ones on
now exploring Mars -- to a location that resembles the martian terrain here on Earth, and you
simulate the entire mission, but you also install an AI capability on the rover to take over
decision-making that would normally be done by human beings."

"State-of-the-art artificial intelligence software will deliberate on board the rovers. One such
state-of-the-art, complex, AI-based agent software is based on an ambitious architecture
called Intelligent Deployable Execution Agents, or IDEA, developed at NASA Ames over the
last 4 years,'" Rajan explained. An agent is software that mimics the human thought process to
do things a human being wants to be done.

"What we expect to do within the next 10 years is to not only deploy one AI-based rover, but
a collection of rovers using the AI-based IDEA architecture, which cooperatively perform
tasks orders of magnitude more complex than the MER rover, and do it in a much more robust
way," Rajan predicted.

Using surveying instruments, teams of robots may well be able to map large tracts of the
surface of Mars, according to Rajan, who said there are many reasons to use a large robot
team. "One reason is better coverage of a large area of land. Another reason is redundancy; if
one or more of the robots fails, you still can accomplish the mission. Also, a team could do
complex tasks that a single rover could not do. Better science results from a team effort,
whether it is by robots, humans or even a robot-human team," Rajan said.

Robotic spacecraft may also fly in 'swarms,' or teams, to make scientific observations of
planets, moons and other celestial objects, according to Rajan.

"Creating strong AI software is a very exciting and challenging problem, and it inspires us
and our students to work on this bold effort," said noted artificial intelligence expert professor
Milind Tambe of the University of California, Los Angeles, who has worked with Rajan.
Tambe explained that AI research inspires the next generation of computer scientists because
when they hear about NASA AI work, "their eyes light up, and then they understand what this
research could mean for the future."
(http://www.nasa.gov/vision/universe/roboticexplorers/robust_artificial_intelligence_jb.html)

Satellites and Weather Predictions

The field of science has received many benefits from the use of AI. Satellites and weather
predictors are two examples of Artificial Intelligence in science.

Satellites that orbit the earth contain AI that detects and diagnoses failures and errors that
ground control can fix or work around. Its biggest job is troubleshooting. With the new
technology, the program can monitor the software that runs the satellite‘s autonomous
imaging system. The AI program, Livingstone Version 2, contains a computerized model of
how the satellite is supposed to work. If the actual performance is different from the ideal
performance, it can send a report containing information about the failure back to a team on
Earth. Without the Artificial Intelligence searching for these problems, finding them would be
extremely difficult. Because spaceships have many common parts, Livingstone can be
reprogrammed for use in other forms of spacecraft fairly easily. As software intricacy
increases, programs like Livingstone will find use in other, more common fields as well.

In addition, Artificial Intelligence can use satellite pictures and mathematical models to look
at the ocean and better predict the weather. Visible masses of water, or fronts, have distinct
properties that make each mass different from the others. The ability of neural networks to
deal with imprecise data makes them best able to deal with the unpredictable movements and
temperatures of the fronts, though they still don't work over a long period of time. The
computer can collect raw data such as the sea's density, salinity, and temperature at any given
spot, from sensors placed in the ocean. With these, it can put together a model of the ocean
and its movements, predicting where each front will move next. The ultimate goal of this
project is to make a computer able to predict continuously the weather at any point over the
ocean and without human intervention.
Satellite observations of the world‘s oceans are created with lasers, radars, and infrared
scanning devices. This can be somewhat difficult as the electromagnetic waves cannot
penetrate the water well, but this is overcome with data recorded from the upper layers of the
oceans and provides aid to oceanographers in the navigation of shipping vessels.

The first satellite, which aided in providing oceanographers with a ‗map‘ of the ocean floor,
was the Seasat-A. This was created in the 1970‘s, and it produced a flight path in which it was
able to circumnavigate the earth over a period of time, developing a visible picture of the
ocean floor. The seafloor height was measured every few kilometers, and the data complied
by the satellite was used to compile a global map of the surface of the sea and the seafloor.
The trenches and ridges on the surface of the seafloor have an effect on the gravitational
effects of the sea surface. The future of physical oceanography was greatly increased with the
establishment of Seasat-A. (http://library.thinkquest.org/05aug/01158/AIwar.html)

IX. Translate into English:

A. Ministerul rus pentru Situaţii de Urgenţă a livrat roboţi pentru a fi folosiţi la

stingerea incendiilor de pădure în zona centrului de cercetare nucleară din
Sarov. Roboţii mobili de tip EL-4 şi EL-10 au fost creaţi pentru misiuni de
recunoaştere, monitorizare şi stingere a incendiilor, precum şi pentru îndepărtarea
obstacolelor pe căile de acces în zonele afectate de incendii. Alţi doi roboţi MRK-RP
au fost creaţi pentru misiuni de recunoaştere prin intermediul unui sistem video, pentru
transport şi operaţiuni de detectare şi izolare a incendiilor. Unitatea mobilă de sprijin
împotriva incendiilor LUF-60 le va permite pompierilor să stingă incendiile în zone
periculoase, în care nu pot ajunge oamenii. În plus, unitatea poate dispersa fumul şi
ventila încăperile. (http://www.mediafax.ro/externe/pompierii-rusi-vor-folosi-roboti-
pentru-a-stinge-incendiile-din-zona-centrului-nuclear-sarov-6778796)
B. Japonezii au inventat prima profesoara robotizata din lume, care si-a sustinut cea
dintai lectie la o scoala primara din Japonia, spre surprinderea elevilor. Copiii au
descris-o pe Saya prin cuvinte ca "frumoasa", "amuzanta" sau "infricosatoare", fiind
cu totii surprinsi de prezenta robotului in sala de curs. Ea si-a inceput prima lectie
strigand numele fiecarui elev. Profesorul Hiroshi Kobayashi de la Universitatea de
Stiinta din Tokyo a lucrat vreme de 15 ani la robotul Saya, al carui corp metalic este
acoperit cu latex, pentru a imita pielea umana. Robotul are incorporate 18 motoare
care actioneaza pe post de muschi si poate vorbi in aproape orice limba. In prezent,
Saya poate formula circa 300 de fraze, vocabularul ei fiind setat pentru a include 700
de cuvinte. Profesoara-robot poate reda expresii faciale care imita stari de teama,
dezgust, bucurie, tristete sau surprindere si este programata sa raspunda intrebarilor.
Un astfel de exemplar costa 25.000 de lire sterline. Japonezii au de gand sa utilizeze
in continuare profesorii-roboti in scoli si sa le supervizeze miscarile dintr-un centru de
control. (http://www.apropo.ro/wow/japonezii-au-inventat-profesorul-robot-poze-
4332249)

WORD FOCUS

I. Sentence Connectors:
Types: Examples:
- additive (they give She pretended not to recognize me. Furthermore, she even
supplementary turned her head in the opposite direction.
information): furthermore,
similarly, in addition, etc.
- adversative (they I told her I am sorry. However, she still doesn‘t want to see
introduce information that me.
is opposed to what has
been mentioned before):
however, nevertheless, on
the other hand, etc.
- causal (they introduce Maria is very upset with me. So, she didn‘t invite me to come
the result of the previous with her in Switzerland.
information). In their turn,
they can be: consequently,
for this reason, so, etc.
-temporal (they express a I went to visit my grandparents. Then, I decided to have a
time relation with the walk in the park.
information that has been
mentioned before): then,
after that, at last, finally,
etc.

II. Pay attention to the difference between to lay and to lie.

a)
Verb: Forms: Meaning: Example:
To lay lay-laid-laid -to put down carefully in a flat I laid the book on
Present participle: position; the shelf.
laying bricks/carpet/concrete/cables, etc. I laid this carpet
-to give information (formal) two years ago.
I have laid my
proposal before
the board.

Expressions with to lay: Meaning:

-to lay the table; - to put the cloth, the plates, etc. on the table;
-to lay an egg; - to produce an egg from its body;
-to lay the foundation; -to provide the conditions that will make
something successful;
-to lay emphasis/stress on -to emphasize something;
something;
-to lay a hand/finger on somebody;
- to touch someone with the intention of
hurting him/her;
-to lay bare/open; - to remove a thing that is covering something
else;
-to lay somebody/something open - to do something that makes it possible for
to something; other people to blame you;
-to lay plans/a trap; - to prepare plans or a trap for;
-to lay siege to; - to get the control of a place by surrounding it.

b)
Verb: Forms: Meaning: Example:
a) To lie- irregular lie-lay-lain -to be down I wish I could lie in
verb Present -to be/become horizontal bed all day long.
participle:
lying
b) to lie- regular lie-lied-lied - not to tell the truth How many times
verb Present did you lie to me?
participle:
lying

Expressions with to lie: Meaning:

-to lie at the heart/centre/root of = to be the most important part of something;

something;

-to lie low; = to remain hidden;

-to lie (in) second/third/fourth, etc. = to be in second/third/fourth position in a

competition;
- to lie heavy on somebody (formal) = to be unhappy because of something.

!!! The noun lie can be used with the following determiners:
- a complete/outright lie;
- a blatant lie (=shocking lie);
- a bald-faced/barefaced lie(=shocking lie);
- a white lie (= a lie that is not serious, told to avoid upsetting someone);
- a pack/ tissue of lies (= a set of lies).

III. Pay attention to the different meanings of board:

Board - a flat wide piece of wood, plastic, etc. that is used to show
information;
- a flat piece of wood, plastic, etc., that is used for a particular
purpose (such as cutting things on it or playing indoor games);
- group of people in a company who make the rules;
- to get on a bus, plane, train, etc;
- to stay in a room in someone‘s house that you pay for;
- on board = aboard
- go by the board = used to express something that fails to happen;
- to take something on board = to accept a suggestion.

EXERCISES:
I. Give examples of sentence connectors from the lesson.

II. Fill in the blanks with the appropriate sentence connector from the ones mentioned below:
on the contrary, consequently, though, thus, even so, likewise, meanwhile, at last, moreover,
but.

1. I will prepare dinner in the kitchen. .., you could clean up the house so that we finish
sooner.
2. I advised him not to lend money to them … he didn‘t listen to me.
3. We had been waiting for him for three hours! .., he showed up with a bare bag in his hand.
Of course, we were very disappointed.
4. He is far from being very sick. …, he still has to go to the meeting.
5. He went there …. I told him not to.
6. The salad was delicious. …, the steak was excellent.
7. Who told you that she hates them? …, she really likes them.
8. The price of the house is reasonable. …, the location is perfect. I think we should by it
immediately!
9. There is no evidence! …, it is impossible to send him to jail.
10. Your attitude is unacceptable! …. , you are no longer welcomed in our family!

III. Write down a text of your own using the following connectors: accordingly, although, by
contrast, by way of illustration, despite, hence, nevertheless, notwithstanding, otherwise, still,
yet.

IV. Translate into English using to lie and to lay whenever possible:

1. Trebuie să pun masa pentru 7 persoane. Soţul meu a invitat la cină pe şeful său cu soţia şi
copiii.
2. Au întins covoare noi în toată casa.
3. Nu pot să-l suport când întinde cablurile prin toată casa!
4. Am găsit aceste scrisori zăcând într-un sertar.
5. Dacă pui mâna pe mine, ţip.
6. Armata a asediat clădirea în mai puţin de 10 minute.
7. Doar lucrând împreună putem pune bazele unei companii de succes.
8. O să mă întind pe canapea până când îmi trece durerea de cap.
9. M-am simţit atât de prost ieri, că am zăcut în pat toată ziua.
10. Ai de gând să-i întinzi o capcană?
11. Insultele ei mă apasă chiar şi astăzi.
12. Este pe locul trei în competiţie.
13. Copilul ăsta minte tot timpul! Nu ştiu ce să mă mai fac cu el!
14. Dificultatea stă în scrierea cărţii într-un timp atât de scurt.
15. Taie toţi copacii astfel încât porţiuni mari de pământ sunt lăsate goale.
16. Aici se află dilema: să încerce să rezolve problema de unul singur sau să ceară ajutor.
17. Banii se află mereu în centrul tuturor problemelor.
18. Te expui la ridiculizare.
19. Trebuie să rămâi ascuns pănă când îţi dau telefon.
20. Ei pun mare accent pe bunele maniere.
V. Translate into English using board whenever possible:

1. Lista cu numele celor absenţi era pe panou.

2. Bunica taie legumele pe un tocător de lemn.
3. Consiliul de administraţie va decide în legătură cu această problemă.
4. Sunt 100 de pasageri la bordul acestui avion.
5. S-a terminat cu chiulul! De azi înainte, te duci la şcoală în fiecare zi.
6. Am refuzat să iau în considerare propunerile lor.
7. Ai nevoie de pioni şi de o tablă de joc ca să joci şah.
8. Ce faci cu această tablă de joc ? Joci şah sau table?
9. Îmbarcarea ! Trenul pleacă în două minute !
10. M-am urcat în trenul spre Bucureşti.
11. Când erau studenţi, au stat cu chirie la doamna Thomson.

VI. Make sentences with the following and translate them into Romanian:
-body board;
-swing board;
-toe board;
-sound board.
 Examples of Artificial Intelligence: Japan baby-robot teaches parenting skills

Before reading the text below, try to answer the following questions:

1. What do you think will be the future of computers?

2. Do you think that a robot will be able to replace a baby in the future? Why?

3. Read the text below and try to give it a suitable title.

TSUKUBA, Japan — It giggles and wiggles its feet when you shake its rattle, but will get
cranky and cry from too much tickling: Meet Yotaro, a Japanese robot programmed to be as
fickle as a real baby.

The cuddly baby-robot looks unearthly with a pair of luminous blue eyes and oversized
cheeks, but engineering students are hoping it will teach young people the pleasures of
parenting as Japan faces a demographic crisis.

"Yotaro is a robot with which you can experience physical contact just like with a real baby
and reproduce the same feelings," said Hiroki Kunimura of Tsukuba University's robotics and
behavioral sciences lab north of Tokyo.

Yotaro's face, made of soft translucent silicon with a rosy hue, is backlit by a projector
connected to a computer to simulate crying, sneezing, sleeping and smiling, while a speaker
can let out bursts of baby giggles.

The baby changes its facial expressions and moves its arms and legs when different parts of
its face and body are touched. Physical contact is detected by sensors, and Yotaro's mood
changes based on the frequency of touches.

Yotaro also simulates a runny nose, with the help of a water pump that releases body-
temperature droplets of water through the nostrils.

While the baby robot has a balloon-sized head and exaggerated facial features, its inventors
nonetheless hope "Yotaro could help young parents to learn about raising a baby," said
research team member Masatada Muramoto.

"We came up with the idea of a baby robot because we wanted to reproduce a human being's
warmth and skin colour," said Kunimura.

"We decided on an infant that has not yet learnt to talk because the feelings generated towards
a newborn will be the same for everyone, and because interaction is less complicated than if
we had made it talk."

Japan is already famous for highly sophisticated robots, from Honda's humanoid Asimo to
pancake-flipping chef Motoman to Paro the fluffy robot seal that helps ease loneliness among
the elderly.
Hundreds of thousands of industrial robots toil in factories, while robo-receptionists can serve
tea, greet guests or vacuum corridors. Japan even has a robot supermodel, the HRP-4C.

The pretty humanoid, which boasts 42 motion motors programmed to mimic the movements
of flesh-and-blood fashion models, was unveiled last year ahead of Tokyo Fashion Week.

The world last year also got a glimpse of Japan's first child-robot, the CB2, with a so-called
"biomimetic" body designed to learn and interact just like a human infant, mimicking a
mother-baby relationship.

Elsewhere the University of Osaka last week unveiled a robot that mimics a crawling baby,
part of a research project to examine the process by which a human being acquires the skills
to move and speak.

The 50-centimetre (20-inch), 3.5-kilogram (7.7-pound) M3-neony has a body similar to that
of a newborn. It is equipped with 22 motors, 90 tactile sensors and microphones placed near
the eyes and ears.

When ordered to move forward, the baby-bot, lying down, will wave its feet and arms,
gradually learning which movements will allow it to push itself up and crawl, said project
leader professor Minoru Asada.

Yotaro and M3-neony are part of Japan's push for a robotics revolution as the country seeks
solutions to a demographic crisis that threatens to deplete its workforce and the number of
carers for the elderly.

Japan has the world's longest average life expectancy -- 79 years for men and 86 years for
women -- and one of the lowest birth rates, meaning its population is headed for a steep
decline.

The Tsukuba students hope Yotaro may help Japanese want babies to revitalise a country
where more than a fifth of the population is aged 65 or older. By 2050, that figure is expected
to rise to 40 percent.

Yotaro may look unusual, with its broad face wrapped in a hoody sporting a pair of teddy-
bear ears, but the students think most Japanese will be comfortable with it, thanks to their
long exposure to robots in pop culture.

"Japanese have always been comfortable with robots who are not seen as threats but as beings
that have the potential to develop friendly relationships," said Muramoto.

(Japan baby-robot teaches parenting skills, by Kimiko de Freytas-Tamura (AFP) – Mar 9,

2010 in
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iWN2OcbOjkJGRAAhoEHiQFi-
AclQ)

I. A. Answer the following questions:

1. Who is Yotaro?
 2. Why was Yotaro created?
3. What can you say about Yotaro‘s face?
4. How can Yotaro‘s mood be changed?
5. How can Yotaro simulate a runny nose?
6. Can you name other Japanese robots?
7. What can you say about M3-neony?
8. What can you say about Japan‘s life expectancy?
9. How does Yotaro look like?
10. Why are Japanese accustomed to robots?

B. Say whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F):

1. Yotaro and Asimo are baby robots.

2. Yotaro moves its limbs when he is touched.
3. Yotaro has a rather small head.
4. Japan faces a demographic crisis.
5. Paro is a robot supermodel.
6. CB2 is Japan‘s first child-robot.
7. Motoman has a body similar to that of a newborn.
8. The chid robots are meant to increase the people‘s desire to become parents.
9. Yotaro looks perfectly normal.
10. Yotaro‘s face is made up of a soft material.

II. Match the following words with the correct definitions:

robot permitting the passage of light;

to wiggle any of numerous carnivorous marine mammals (families Phocidae
and Otariidae) that live chiefly in cold regions and have limbs
modified into webbed flippers adapted primarily to swimming;
to tickle to motion with the hands or with something held in them in signal
or salute;
to cuddle the attribute of colours that permits them to be classed as red,
yellow, green, blue, or an intermediate between any contiguous pair
of these colours;
translucent a flat cake made of thin batter and cooked (as on a griddle) on both
sides;
silicon either of the nares with the adjoining passage on the same side of
the septum;
hue to make a sudden violent spasmodic audible expiration of breath
through the nose and mouth especially as a reflex act;
droplet a precipitous place;
nostril a machine that looks like a human being and performs various
complex acts (as walking or talking) of a human being;
seal to imitate closely;
toil the number of workers potentially assignable for any purpose;
to crawl something that can develop or become actual;
to wave a flexible covering for the head and neck;
hood to remove a veil or covering from;
to flip to touch (as a body part) lightly so as to excite the surface nerves
 and cause uneasiness, laughter, or spasmodic movements;
pancake being past middle age;
to boast long strenuous fatiguing labor;
glimpse a tiny drop (as of a liquid);
to sneeze to puff oneself up in speech;
to unveil to hold close for warmth or comfort or in affection;
to mimic to cause to turn and especially to turn over;
potential to get a brief look at;
steep to move to and fro with quick jerky or shaking motions;
elderly to move slowly in a prone position without or as if without the use
of limbs;
workforce a tetravalent nonmetallic element that occurs combined as the most
abundant element next to oxygen in the earth's crust and is used
especially in ferrosilicon for steelmaking, in other alloys, and in
semiconductors.

III. Give the synonyms of the following: translucent, cuddly, oversized, to

exaggerate, to mimic, to threaten, to revitalise, hue, to shake, to detect, to
simulate, tactile, steep.

IV. Give the antonyms of the following: translucent, cuddly, oversized,

complicated, usual, friendly, frequent, to move, comfortable, tactile.

V. Match the following words with the right definition according to the text:

rattle
a) bell; b) little finger; c) reel; d) toy.

cranky
a) sad; b) irritable; c) disturbed; d) scared.

fickle
a) nice; b) whining; c) inconstant; d) wailing.

fluffy
a) flossy; b) friendly; c) funny; d) frisky.

to deplete
a) to exploit; b) to enhance; c) to exhaust (a epuiza); d) to bleed.

VI. Make sentences of your own with the following:

to head for
to face a crisis
to let out bursts of giggles
to change the facial expression
to raise a baby
to come up with an idea
to greet guests
to vacuum corridors
in flesh and blood
to get a glimpse of
to be equipped with
to seek a solution
to deplete the workforce
to be comfortable with

VII. Choose from the following words to complete the text below. Pay attention
that some forms of the words must be changed:

CIA, to understand, to trigger, happier, synthesized, to collect, to interact, before, naturally,

to curse, software, complex, robotic, sensors, to repeat, lulls, engaging, NASA, lobby, to
create, chit-chat, head, to expect, keyboard, upgrades, boss, fan, approach, shifty, response,
to bring, boring, mood, soap opera, more, attached, evenly, second, to cheer, to change,
angry, interest

This holiday season, a lot of children will open their presents and find … toys, like
mechanical dogs and dinosaurs. Unfortunately, robot toys often disappoint. They're just so
robotic, … the same things over and over again. But a team at Carnegie Mellon University in
Pittsburgh is exploring how to make robots more … over the long term. Their assistant is
roboreceptionist Marion "Tank" LeFleur. Tank sits in the … of a computer science building,
at a desk decorated with desert storm camouflage and a framed photo of Dwight Eisenhower.
He has a computer monitor for a…. On the screen is a blue Frankenstein face. When his …
register your presence, he smiles pleasantly and says, "Hello there. What can I do for you?"
Type on his … and you can ask Tank the same questions you'd ask a real receptionist: Where
is the bathroom? Where can I get some food? You can also ask Tank where to find the office
of Reid Simmons, the computer science professor who … the robot. Then, try asking Tank
what he thinks of Reid Simmons.

"Dr. Reid is my …," says Tank, sounding wary. "I don't know him very well yet. Don‘t you
think he has … eyes? And, what's up with that hair?"

Tank's suspicions about his boss come courtesy of the university's School of Drama. It's all
part of an experiment on how to make robots less …. The answer, Simmons says, is simple:
turn the robot into a ….

"The longest running shows on television, they're all soap operas. I mean they just keep going
for years and years and years," Simmons says. "The characters change, the stories change.
What really is going to keep the … is not what it does that's useful, but the fact that is has
these stories and that the stories … over time."

Computer scientists turned to Carnegie Mellon's playwrights for Tank's back-story and
motivations, then worked on ways to program it all in. Tank is their … robo-receptionist. The
first was Valerie, a spunky Barbara Streisand …. Simmons says that students and staff grew
very … to her.

"When Valerie disappeared after basically being here for two years, the number one question
people asked was, 'Where's Valerie?' Number two was, '… her back.'"

And Simmons … people to get much more attached to Tank, even though Tank is kind of a
pathetic character. He worked at … and failed as a satellite robot. A job at the … was also a
bust. Tank seems kind of bitter about it all: "Everyone knows those government agencies all
have quotas to fill. I was the token robot on staff," he complains in his … voice.

Emotionally, Tank is a loser. But he's important to computer scientists who are trying to
improve how machines … with humans. If robots are ever to become part of daily life, acting
as receptionists or cashiers, they'll have to respond … to human social cues.

Tank, for example, has a far more … emotional life than Valerie ever did. If you insult him or
bang on his keyboard, he gets … , saying things like, "I cannot waste my time with you
fooling around!" He also has … swings, depending on what is happening in his life.

"It will be interesting to see if people feel sorry for him and are willing to do things to try to
… him up," says Simmons. As an example, he types in "I love you!" This doesn‘t impress
Tank, who replies …, "You do not even know me."

Simmons says it's already clear that people will spend … time with a robot that has this kind
of natural …. He and his team analyze the thousands of interactions that people have with the
robot every month.

"It‘s out there for eight hours a day, five days a week, … data about people's interaction with
it," he says. "And we have a tremendous amount of data now on how people interact
successfully or unsuccessfully with the robot."

People often ask Tank things he can't …. Sometimes college kids just … at him. Sometimes
people ask for practical information, like directions or the weather report. But about 20
percent of the time, people are asking questions about Tank's life. That suggests that the soap
opera … is working.

And Simmons is planning … that should encourage more ….

"What we want to do is, especially when there are … in the conversation, that Tank will take
initiative,‖ he says. For example, Tank could make little comments like "Did you know my
brother is getting married next week?" These volunteered remarks could … all kinds of
questions and answers.

Simmons also wants Tank to start recognizing individuals using facial recognition ….. Right
now, Tank can detect if someone is standing in front of him, but he can't determine if it's
someone that he's interacted with …. Simmons believes that if Tank is able to recognize
people and seems happy to see them, then they just might be … to see the robot.
(http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5067678)
 VIII. Translate into Romanian:

A. The M3-Neony baby robot is the result of work done by Japanese researchers from the
University of Osaka. Professor Minoru Asada has been directing the research carried out in
partnership with the JST (Japan Science and Technology Agency) since 2005. The main
objective is to make the M3-Neony into a humanoid robot able to imitate the behaviour of
a human baby. For the time being, the baby is independent, it can crawl on all fours, it rolls
on the floor and tries to walk. It is approximately the same size of a real baby (which is a plus
since in the past we have seen baby prototypes that were over 1 meter high). It measures 50
cm high and weighs 3.5 kg. On the technical side, the robot has 22 motors used in movement;
its head is equipped with two video cameras and it has two microphones in its ears. It has 90
tactile sensors on its robotic skin in order to ―feel‖ when it is touched.
(http://www.robotshop.com/blog/m3-neony-the-baby-robot-302)

B. With fluttering eyelashes and a smile the receptionist at King's College London will greet
you and give you directions to your destination. She may also comment on your clothing or
the weather. She tends to be a little grumpy on a Monday but by Friday she's cheerful and
looking forward to her weekend.
So far, much the same as many office receptionists around the world - the big difference is
that this particular receptionist, Inkha, is a robot.
Built by master's students in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Inkha (Interactive,
neurotic King's head assembly) handles a third of all front desk enquiries, giving out
directions and event information. Her probation period over, Inkha looks set to be an integral
part of KCL's reception team for the foreseeable future and beyond. (http://www.research-
tv.com/stories/technology/robotics/)

IX. Translate into English: Asimo, robotul atlet al Honda, a făcut o demonstraţie la
Bucureşti. Roboţelul de 50 kg urcă scări, duce cafeaua, dansează şi aleargă.
Constructorul auto Honda lucrează de 25 de ani la acest proiect. Ţinta ar fi ca
în 10 - 15 ani un astfel de robot să poată fi comercializat la preţul unei maşini
de clasă medie, iar el să fie folosit ca ajutor la spitale sau în casele oamenilor,
nu pentru a-i înlocui pe aceştia, ci pentru a face mai bine anumite munci. La
abilităţi fizice Asimo stă bine, mai rămâne să "înveţe" să detecteze emoţiile
oamenilor şi să interacţioneze cu aceştia, spun reprezentanţii Honda. Astfel,
se poate spune că roboţii au făcut saltul de la brute industriale la humanoizi
joviali cu glas de copil. În 1986 Honda a început să facă cercetări pentru
dezvoltarea de roboţi. Primii aveau un aer rece, industrial, erau practic nişte
picioare cu alte agregate metalice deasupra. Primii paşi au fost făcuţi extrem de
greu, la propriu! fiindcă roboţii de la finalul anilor 80' făceau un pas în cinci
secunde, cu încetinitorul practic. Honda a studiat modul în care merg oamenii şi
cum îşi mişcă articulaţiile, calculând şi ce forţă este necesară. Progresele s-au
văzut iar prin 1993 roboţii Honda mergeau mai bine îşi puteau ţine echilibrul şi
puteau face câţiva paşi şi pe suprafeţe denivelate. Recrearea mersului oamenilor s-
a făcut greu, primii roboţi mergeau doar în linie dreaptă, iar Honda a studiat
mersul oamenilor şi a observat că atunci când merg par să-şi piarda echilibrul, ca şi
când ar cădea în faţă. Acest tip de mers dezechilibrat era foarte greu de reprodus la
un robot, dar până la urmă s-a reuşit. Totuţi, progresele cereau sacrificii, iar
roboţii Honda erau foarte înalţi (1,80 - 1,90 metri) şi extrem de grei (170 - 210
 kg). Schimbarea s-a produs în 2000 odată cu prezetarea lui Asimo care, fiindcă
tehnologia s-a perfecţionat, cântărea doar 52 kg şi avea 1,30 metri înalţime. S-a
decis că trebuie să fie mic deoarace putea face şi activităţi de migală şi avea
mişcări de mai mare precizie. În plus, un adult care stă pe scaun poate interacţiona
uşor cu Asimo fiindcă ochii îi sunt la acelaşi nivel cu al robotului. Honda a
prezentat vineri Asimo şi in Romania făcând o demonstraţie a ceea ce poate face.
A dus o tavă cu căni şi pahare, a urcat şi coborât câteva trepte, a alergat, a dansat
şi, cum spuneam, s-a jucat cu mingea împreuna cu un personaj mult mai cunoscut
decât el în România.
Asimo ar putea deveni un real ajutor pe lânga casă, dar nu mai repede de 10 - 15 ani

Poate vă veţi întreba ce legătură are Honda cu roboţii? Honda face maşini, însă evident că
Asimo e un proiect care e gândit să aducă un plus de imagine mărcii, dându-i un aer high-
tech. Însă este şi o ţintă practică, spune şeful de Corporate PR al Honda Europe, William de
Braekeleer. El spune că obiectivul este ca Asimo să fie vândut peste 10 - 15 ani la un preţ
accesibil şi să fie folosit ca ajutor în spitale, în casă sau la activităţi periculoase, cum ar fi
curăţarea unor locuri contaminate sau stingerea unor incendii."Scopul este să creăm un robot
pe care să-l vindem oamenilor fie pentru a-l folosi acasă, fie ca ajutor în spitale (...) poate fi
un bun ajutor de infirmieră, spre exemplu ar putea curăţa camera şi pregăti medicamentele, în
timp ce infirmiera s-ar putea concentra pe pacient", spune de Braekeleer. Reprezentantul
Honda adaugă că abilităţile fizice ale lui Asimo sunt cât se poate de bune acum, deci aceasta
etapă a fost bine depăşită, însă urmează una mai grea "Acum trebuie să ne concentrăm pe
creier, e vorba de interacţiunea cu oamenii, trebuie să-i recunoască şi să ia o atitudine cu
mediul în raport cu ceea ce vede". Practic scopul ar fi ca Asimo să îşi poată da seama când,
spre exemplu, un om este trist şi să ia atitudine. În prezent se fac progrese la partea de
"inteligenţă" iar Asimo poate recunoaşte anumite obiecte pe care nu le-a mai văzut până
acum, spre exemplu pornind de la informaţiile stocate, robotul poate să-şi dea seama că un
anumit obiect este un scaun, comparând cu alte scaune pe care le-a mai văzut. "În 10 - 15 ani
cred că vom comercializa un robot şi ţinta este să-l vindem la preţul unei maşini de segment
mediu, spre exemplu o Honda Civic", mai spune de Braekeleer care spulberă visele celor care
cred că roboţii vor domina planeta "Nu va înlocui omul, ci va face anumite munci mai bine",
spune el. Dar Honda vrea să pună pe maşini câteva din tehnologiile de la Asimo. Se vor
dezvolta sisteme care detectează diverse obiecte pe şosea (există deja la o serie de mărci, dar
devin tot mai performante), iar reprezentantul Honda spune că maşinile vor putea face
diferenţa şi între obiecte statice şi cele mobile pe şosea.
(Adapted, http://economie.hotnews.ro/stiri-auto-7274842-video-asimo-robotul-atlet-honda-
facut-demonstratie-bucuresti-robotelul-50-urca-scari-duce-cafeaua-danseaza-alearga.htm)

WORD FOCUS
1. Pay attention to the difference between:

To teach = to give lessons in a school/ college/ She taught me everything

university; to help somebody by giving I know.
him/her information
To learn = to gain knowledge of a subject by self- I have been learning
study French since I was five.

2. Pay attention to the difference among:

To look -the action is deliberately and implies Look at this statue!
 attention on the part of the person that is
looking
to look + an adjective= to appear He looks bad because he is
working too much!
To see - Stative use: the action is involuntary - Her grandmother sees
- Dynamic use: the action is voluntary; for without glasses.
eg. to meet - I am seeing my lawyer
tomorrow.
To watch - to watch something/somebody that is in I have been watching this
motion film for an hour.
To glance/ - to have a quick look She asked me to glance at
to have a her paper.
glance
To - to see somebody/something momentary, I glimpsed him as he
glimpse/ to imperfectly walked past me.
have a
glipmse
To gaze, - to look at somebody/something for a I feel uncomfortable here
To stare long time without moving your eyes because all these people
are gazing at my green
heat.
To peep - to look briefly generally through a hole She punished him because
she caught him peeping
through the keyhole.

3. Pay attention to the various meanings of ‘‘mood‘‘:

Meaning Example
= way you feel One can see that she is in a very good mood today!
= be in a mood I am in one of those moods and I can‘t pretend I enjoy seeing
them.
= be/feel in the I feel in the mood for shopping!
mood for
something
= be in no mood I was in no mood to solve exercises!
for something
= way a place or The rainy street sets the mood for the whole film.
event feels
= grammar tense The imperative is that mood that expresses a command.

4. The prefix ‘‘OVER- ‗‘ may have several meanings as can be seen in the below table:

Meaning:
- excess
- age: ‘‘over‘‘ + a number = a noun in
the plural to refer to people who are
older than the number mentioned.
- power: ‘‘over‘‘ + a verb/noun= verb
Example:
During this holiday, I overslept.
The over-fifties are no longer invited to act
in movies.
They had overthrown the king before
expressing the idea that a person/a spring came.
group has power over another
person/group

Exercises:

I. Translate into English:

1. Priveşte! Iar se ceartă în legătură cu tipul de antivirus care va fi achiziţionat.

2. Nu te mai holba la mine! Nu ştii că nu-mi place să fiu privită când parchez maşina?
3. Nu m-a învăţat să schimb roata la maşină aşa că evit să ies în afara oraşului cu maşina.
4. Voi învăţa să schimb cartuşul la imprimantă citind această carte.
5. Mă uit la acest calculator de ceva vreme şi tot nu înţeleg de ce costă atât.
6. M-aş uita şi eu la ei când joacă baschet dar trebuie să introduc aceste date în calculator.
7. Dacă te mai prind că te uiţi prin gaura cheii nu vei mai juca jocuri pe calculator o
săptămână.
8. Te rog mult, aruncă o privire peste traduceri, aş vrea să ştiu ce părere ai despre ele.
9. Deşi m-a învăţat să folosesc acest program, nici acum nu mă descurc foarte bine.
10. I-am văzut cu coada ochiului când au trecut pe sub fereastra mea.

II. Turn the following sentences into English using the appropriate phrases below: in a good
mood; in a bad mood; in a foul mood; in a confident/optimistic mood; to put somebody in a
good/bad mood; mood swings; to lighten somebody’s mood; reflect/capture somebody’s
mood, to be in a mood for, to be moody.

1. E o persoană cu toane: ceea ce-i place azi s-ar putea să nu-i mai placă mâine.
2. Are chef de o vacanţă în străinătate! Ce zici de Paris?
3. Poeziile ei arată dispoziţia pe care o avea la acea vârstă.
4. L-a făcut să se prost-dispună spunându-i despre tăierea de salariu.
5. Este prost dispus pentru că şi-a pierdut cheile de la maşină.
6. Aceste schimbări bruşte de dispoziţie m-au făcut să o suspectez de depresie.
7. Este încrezătoare în legătură cu succesul noului album.
8. Este foarte bine-dispusă în această dimineaţă întrucât a aflat aseară de prima pe care o va
primi de la şeful ei.
9. M-a făcut să mă bine-dispun povestindu-mi despre ce a făcut la petrecere. (2 variante)
10. Este foarte prost dispus pentru că habar nu are cum îşi va achita împrumutul la bancă.

III. Make sentences with the following words: overall, overalls, overcoat, to overhear, to
oversee, overseas.

IV. Fill in the blanks with the appropriate word from the ones mentioned below: to
overwhelm, overripe, to overshadow, to overcome, overcrowded, to over-react, to
overestimate, over-cautious, to overeat, overloaded, over-eighteens, to overpower,

1. He has definitely …! How can he get upset about the way his son talked to him?
2. Her parents are … with their daughter. They don‘t let her go anywhere alone.
3. It is not healthy at all to …! You may become obese.
4. I really don‘t like to go shopping in that store. It is always … .
5. Stephen the Great‘s army … the Turkish army.
6. I can‘t eat these oranges: they are … .
7. An accident might have occurred because the truck was … with goods.
8. They‘ve simply … me with all these presents! They are so kind!
9. Don‘t … yourself! You may not be so well prepared for this as you think!
10. In spite of all these misfortunes, I‘ve managed to … all the difficulties.
11. He did his best to … his wife‘s achievements.
12. Only the … are allowed to watch this film!
III. TEME DE CONTROL

SEMESTRUL I
1. Write an eassay on networks. (va fi transmisă până la data de 20
decembrie 2010)

SEMESTRUL II
1. Write an essay on Artificial Intelligence (va fi transmisă până la
data de 20 mai 2011)
IV. BIBLIOGRAFIE

1. Boeckner, Keith; Brown, P. Charles, Oxford English for Computing, Oxford University
Press, 1997.
2. Deaconu, Mădălina, English for IT, Bucureşti, Editura UTM, 2010.
3. Chilărescu, Mihaela, New Profociency in English, Iaşi, Editura Polirom, 2008.
4. Coşer, Cornelia, Vulcănescu, Rodica, Developing Competence In English. Intensive
English Practice, Iaşi, Editura Polirom, 2010.
5. Esteras, Santiago Remacha, Infotech- English for Computer Users, Cambridge University
Press, 2004.
6. Glendinning, Eric H.; McEwan, John, Basic English for Computing, Revised and Updated,
Oxford University Press, 2002;
7. Graver, B. D., Advanced English Practice, Oxford University Press, 1995.
8. Jones, Daniel, English Pronouncing Dictionary, Cambridge University Press, 1997.
9. Lagoutte, François, 1000 de cuvinte-cheie în informatică, Bucureşti, Editura Compania,
2003.
10. Paidos, Constantin, English Grammar- Theory and Practice, Iaşi, Editura Polirom, 2001.
11. Thomson, A. J., Martinet, A. V., A Practical English Grammar, Oxford University Press,
1997.