English for Informatics 1: Sixth Edition

UNIT 3
Multimedia

Picture 3.1

Learning Outcomes:
By the end of the lesson, the students are expected to be able to use appropriate English to:
▪ describe toolbox from a graphics package and multimedia equipment
▪ read and understand texts about MP3 and Video Games
▪ tell a process of creating and editing picture, audio, or video using time clauses and
passive voice

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3.1 Describing Toolbox from a Graphics Package and Multimedia Equipment

Exercise 1: Study this toolbox from a graphics package. Find the icons which represent these
features.

1. Text
2. Eraser
3. Polygon
4. Rectangle
5. Air brush
6. Select
7. Color fill
8. Curve

Exercise 2: Match the photos with the multimedia equipment in the box.

Headphones Microphone Projector Speakers

Virtual reality goggles Mirrorless Action camera

1. ___________ 2. ___________ 3. ___________ 4. ___________

5. ___________ 6. ___________ 7. ____________

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3.2 Reading and Understanding Texts about MP3 and Video Games

Exercise 3: Read this text to find the answers to these questions.

Understanding MP3

The name comes from MPEG (pronounced EM-peg), which stands for the Motion Picture Experts
Group. MPEG develops standards for audio and video compression. MP3 is actually MPEG Audio
Layer 3.

MP3 competes with another audio file format called WAV. The key difference is that MP3 files are
much smaller than WAV files. An MP3 file can store a minute of sound per megabyte, while a WAV
file needs 11 or 12 megabytes to hold the same amount. How does MP3 achieve this compression?
CDs and audio files don't reproduce every sound of a performance. Instead, they sample the
performance and store a discrete code for each sampled note. A CD or WAV file may sample a song
44, 000 times a second, creating a huge mass of information.

By stripping out sounds most people can't hear, MP3 significantly reduces the information stored.
For instance, most people can't hear notes above a frequency of 16kHz, so it eliminates them from
the mix. Similarly,

It eliminates quiet sounds masked by noise at the same frequency. The result is a file that sounds
very similar to a CD, but which is much smaller. An MP3 file can contain spoken word performances,
such as radio shows or audio books, as well as music. It can provide information about itself in a
coded block called a tag. The tag may include the performer's name, a graphic such as an album
cover, the song's lyrics, the musical genre, and a URL for more details.

1. What does MP3 stand for?

2. What is the difference between MP3 and WAV files?
3. What kind of sound does MP3 strip out
4. What kind of information is included in the tag?

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Exercise 4: Complete the text with the words in the box.

graphics consoles video games interactive multi player

There are games you play on video (1) _______ such as Nintendo, Sega, and the PlayStation.
Moreover, there are games you play on a computer, either alone or at multiplayer online sites
such as Microsoft’s Internet Gaming Zone and Battle.net.
(2) _______ have been made into films, such as Mortal Kombat 1 and 2, and film stars now
sometimes appear in video games. The (3) _______ in many games have taken on such a high
degree of realism that they almost seem like film. The X-Files game was practically an (4)
______ movie, full of actors from the show and sections of dialog and video. Some people
claim that the Blade Runner video game was better than the movie – not only were the sets
incredible but you also got to control the action and the ending.
(5) _______ online gaming is the next wave in the video game world. It provides a better
gaming experience, simply because people are more active and more challenging adversaries
than computers. Thousands of people can play simultaneously all over the world.
Professional English in Use ICT, p.41

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3.2 Telling a process of creating and editing picture, audio, or video using time clauses and
passive sentences

Exercise 5: Read this following explanation about time clauses. Then do the exercise.

Study these steps in the production of a graphic:

1. The basic design is drawn.

2. Detail is added.
3. Unnecessary parts are removed using the eraser.
4. The graphic is scaled to the right size.
5. The drawing is complete.
6. Color is added.
7. Text is added.
8. The author works on the graphic.
9. The graphic is ready to print.
10. The finished product is printed.

For example:
1+2 à After the basic design is drawn, detail is added.

3+4 à Before the graphic is scaled to the right size, the

unnecessary parts are removed using the eraser.
The sentences above can be linked using time words, such as after and before
Besides,
which the time
indicate word when
the sequence in can also
which be used
things to indicate one action
happen.
happens immediately after another.

For instance:
5+6 à When the drawing is complete, color is added.

The other time word is until which links an action with the limit of
that action. For example:
8+9 à The author works on the graphic until it is ready to print.

Study these steps in the production of a desktop-published student magazine.

1. Text is typed using a word processor.
2. The text is edited.
3. The text is spellchecked.
4. Line drawings are made using a graphics package.

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5. Photographs are scanned with scanner.

6. The first draft is completed.
7. The first draft is transferred to a page-make up program.
8. Text and graphics are adjusted on screen.
9. They all fit together.
10. The finished document is printed on a laser printer.

Link these pairs of sentences using these time words.

a. 1+2 after ______________________________________________
b. 2+3 before ______________________________________________
c. 3+4 after ______________________________________________
d. 5+6 after ______________________________________________
e. 6+7 when ______________________________________________
f. 8+9 until ______________________________________________
g. 9+10 after ______________________________________________

Exercise 6: Link these pairs of statements with suitable time words to make a description of the
development of computers.

1. Electronic computers were developed.

There were mechanical calculators similar in some ways to computers.

2. Word War 2 started.

The first electromechanical computer was developed to decipher codes.

3. The war ended.

Bell Laboratories developed the transistor.

4. But it took more than ten years.

Transistors replaced valves in computers.

5. Integrated circuits were introduced in the mid-1960s.

Developments happened quickly.

6. The first microcomputers came on to the market in the mid-1970s.

Desktop computing became reality.

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Exercise 7: In describing a process, sometimes we use passive sentences. When you state an
opinion or a general thought you can also use this type of sentence. Study these samples.

In the present, the passive voice uses the verbs is and are + past participle of the main verb.
The passive voice present is often used to describe:
Function Examples
Processes ▪ First the basic design is drawn, then the
detail is added.
General thoughts, opinions, and beliefs ▪ The finished image editing is
considered satisfying by the client.
It is believed that 3D printer is the highest
achievement in technology development.
Photoshop is seen as one of the world’s
most popular editing software.

Exercise 8: Now change the following active sentences into passive sentences.

1. Active: We update the company website frequently.

Passive: The company website ___________ frequently.

2. Active: Over 300,000 students take the online college entrance exam every
year.
Passive: The online college entrance exam _________ by over 300,000
students every year.

3. Active: A company in Korea manufactures Samsung mobile phones parts.

Passive: ________________________________________________________

4. Active: You need to open your student account first to do the online final test.
Passive: ________________________________________________________

5. Active: Andrea learns Python language programming this semester.

Passive: ________________________________________________________

6. Active: Virtual reality device simulates real workspaces for architecture.

Passive: ________________________________________________________

7. Active: Tony teaches Mobile Networking for sophomores this year.

Passive: ________________________________________________________

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8. Active: The government supports the sustainable development of information

technology.
Passive: ________________________________________________________

9. Active: Lisa buys several parts of computer today.

Passive: ________________________________________________________

10. Active: Google releases the new update features of Android Pie.
Passive: ________________________________________________________

Exercise 9: In a group, make a presentation about telling a process of making or editing pictures,
videos, or music using any software you know. Use time words and the passive voice you have
just learned above.

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