Final Test (7
term)
1.
Read the text and choose the correct heading for paragraphs A-G from the list
below. Two headings are extra.
Seeing
The Future in With Video Conferencing Reading Answers
A. Video-conferencing
(or Video teleconferencing-VTC) as a means of communication intra and inter-
Business has essentially been possible since the dawn of television. But the
early systems, first demonstrated in 1968, were in fact so prohibitively
expensive and of such poor picture quality that they were not viable
applications for general public use.
B. However,
in the 1980s, digital telephone networks like ISDN began to proliferate, so
that by the 1990s the decrease in cost brought the equipment necessary for
video-conferencing within the reach of the masses. The I990s also saw the
arrival of IP (Internet Protocol) based video-conferencing with more efficient
video compression technologies being introduced, thus permitting desktop, or
personal computer (PC)-based video conferencing. VTC had come on the scene in a
big way as free services, web plugins and software, such as NetMeeting, and MSN
Messenger, Skype, and others brought cheap, albeit low quality, VTC to the
public at large.
C. Video-conferencing
has been disparaged for the lack of eye-contact that can affect the efficacy of
the medium and for the fact that participants can be camera conscious. But
these obstacles are not insurmountable. The size of modern televisions along with
the vast improvement in picture quality as a result of the arrival of the
digital age has enhanced the potential of the latest video-conferencing
equipment, going somewhat towards solving the former problem. Early studies by
Alphonse Chapanis found that the addition of video hindered rather than
improved communication. However, as with video and sound recording of meetings,
interviews etc, awareness of the presence of the technology diminishes with
time to the point that its presence is not felt. A further drawback common to
all technology is the ever-present possibility of technical hitches. But in the
end, video-conferencing is no different from any electronic device like a PC or
a telephone and so in time, any problems will be ironed out.
D. Conferencing
by video has enhanced the performance of different organizations through its
efficiency and effectiveness, saving both time and money for businesses and, in
this carbon-conscious age, by the reduction in the environmental cost of
business travel from one corner of the world to another. These apart,
video-conferencing has an immediacy that is difficult to challenge. It is now
essential in any work situation where organizations with employees on different
sites or in different parts of the globe can contact each other rapidly. Like a
telephone line permanently connected it is easy to dial up a colleague in
seconds anywhere in the world.
E. And
what about the equipment? The equipment for video-conferencing is relatively
straightforward to use. It has, in fact, been commonplace in the news media for
a number of years as corporations have broadcast live from the back of a truck
or van in news hotspots around the world. Two ISDN lines are needed at each
location: one for video output and the other for video input; a high-quality
camera with omnidirectional microphones or microphones which can be hand-held,
clipped on, or central is required; and for data transfer, a LAN is also
needed. And, of course, a television screen at each end is essential.
F. The
potential use of video-conferencing in the educational field has yet to be
fully exploited. In this day and age when academic institutions are supposed to
be more revenue-conscious and much more flexible, video-conferencing could be
employed to bring business into the educational field and vice versa. The
system can also be used to take expertise anywhere in the world. It is no
longer necessary for experts to travel vast distances for conferences or to
teach. In certain areas, say remote islands like the Outer Hebrides in Scotland
or the Cape Verde Islands off West Africa, where it may be difficult to find
teachers in specialist subjects like languages, video conferencing is a perfect
way to bring education within the reach of everyone. Video-conferencing is
certainly not a panacea for every problem, not an end in itself, but a useful
tool that can complement rather than supplant existing teaching methods.
G. Like
the electronic or smart whiteboard, whose introduction in the classroom has met
with resistance, video-conferencing may take some time to become mainstream, if
ever. But, perhaps with the mounting concern about our carbon footprint, the
environment will ultimately be the biggest spur. A sobering thought is whether
classrooms and offices of the future will consist solely of TV screens.
List of Headings
1. Some criticisms of
video-conferencing
2. The future of
conferencing by video
3. The transmission of
education to remote areas
4. The first stages of
video-conferencing
5. The necessity of having
two TVs
6. How video-conferencing
can benefit organizations
7. How video-conferencing
became more accessible to the general public
8. The various pieces of
equipment needed
9. The lack of exploitation
of video-conferencing in education
2. Vocabulary. Choose the correct answer
1. A real time text conversation is
A. instant messaging
B. spam
C. attachment
2. Unwanted email is
A. UPC
B. EPC
C. spam
3. A file sent with an email
A. attachment
B. scan
C. text
4. A code that identifies individual items
A. UPC
B. EPC
C. ISP
5. Equipment that codes and reads signals
A. video bridge
B. monitor
C. codec
6. A camera that broadcast sound and video
on Internet
A. codec
B. webcam
C. dedicated system
7. A videoconference among people in
different locations
A. multipoint
B. mediapoint
C. unipoint
8. A feature that eliminates unwanted
sound during a videoconference
A. document sharing
B. dedicated system
C. echo-cancellation
9. The amount of space an MP3 player has
to store files
A. calibration
B. capacity
C. catalog
10. It is stored electronically as a
series of ones and zeros
A. digital
B. autonomous
C. feed
11. A device that connects an MP3 player
to a computer
A. CCD
B. digital camera
C. dock
12. A wireless network that connects your
phone with other devices
A. broadband
B. Bluetooth
C. Assembler
13. A feature of some cell phones that
lets you dial a number by voice instead of by hand
A. voicemail
B. wayponts
C. voice activation
14. A feature of some cell phones that
alerts you someone is calling while you are on the line with someone else
A. caller ID
B. call waiting
C. cartography
15. A power source in cell phones
A. lithium-ion battery
B. CPU
C. Bluetooth
16. A malicious software on my old
computer
A. Malware
B. Spyware
C. Trojan horse
17. A malicious virus that seems
beneficial
A. worm
B. Trojan horse
C. spyware
18. Using a legitimate-looking website to
trick people
A. phishing
B. pharming
C. card scanning
19. Capturing information stored on cards
A. pharming
B. phishing
C. card scanning
20. A word or phrase or image that is used
as a link
A. anchor
B. Flash
C. applet
21. A list of common questions and their
answers
A. CAD
B. CBT
C. FAQ
22. Using a computer to design products
A. DVD
B. CAD
C. CBT
23. Using a computer to train employees
A. CBT
B. CAD
C. FAQ
24. A shared file used to spread information
A. media player
B. Flash
C. electronic bulletin board
25. A media format that can be used to add
videos, animations and other media to a website
A. Flash
B. DVD
C. MPEG
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