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Holiday Lessons
New Year's Day - Valentines Day - Easter - April Fool's Day - May Day - Summer Solstice - Battle of the Boyne - August Bank Holiday - Harvest Festival - Hallowe'en - Bonfire Night - Christmas
Windows With a Vista
Vocabulary
Task 1
Match the definitions on the left with the words on the right and fill them into the puzzle
| Across |
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| 2. replacements or followers | scanned |
| 3. renovate | scattered |
| 5. satisfying | fulfilling |
| 8. opening of a new thing | revamp |
| 9. thrown everywhere | fanfare |
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| Down |
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| 1. occurrence | phenomenon |
| 2. read visually | successors |
| 4. promised | unveiled |
| 6. revealed | launch |
| 7. the sound of trumpets saluting | pledged |
Microsoft launches new Vista systemDavid Byers and Rhys Blakely |
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Microsoft unveiled its latest version of Windows in London this morning - and predicted 100 million computers would be using it within a year. Bill Gates launched both Windows Vista and a new 2007 Office system, the successors to Windows XP, in an event at the British Library. The technology giant has described the new systems as "the most thoroughly tested software releases in Microsoft’s history". They will go on sale in four home versions, and claim to have an improved interface, multimedia set-up and new and more effective security tools. At the launch, Mr Gates described how he was using Vista's new parental controls at his own high-tech home to monitor what websites his daughter visits and how long his son uses his computer for. He also described how Vista has been designed to be "more connected" to tap into "the amazing internet phenomenon," an opportunity that Microsoft is often criticised for failing to make the most of. "There is a lot of plumbing in here for [internet telephony] and high definition video," he said. Mr Gates also unveiled a joint project between Microsoft and the British Library, under which two of Leonardo de Vinci's notebooks will be reunited - in digital form - for the first time in 500 years. The project will bring together the library's Arundel Codex and the Leicester Codex, which is owned by Mr Gates. Both books will be scanned and will be made available online using the upgraded graphics features included in Vista, which were originally created for faster, slicker video games. "This is a very special collaboration," Mr Gates said, describing his fascination with Leonardo's work. "He is a person who worked out science on his own. His work, his notebooks, which look at how light, water, weapons, worked is amazing." Mr Gates added: "He intended to organise these [notebooks] but never got the chance and his works were eventually scattered. By bringing them together again we are fulfilling his wishes." The revamp of its biggest cash cow is being billed as the most important event for Microsoft in a decade. Windows accounted for $10 billion (£5.1 billion) of the group's $16.5 billion operating profit last year. Five years in the making, Vista's 50 million lines of code have cost an estimated $7.5 billion to assemble. However despite the fanfare of today's much-anticipated launch, critics have already pointed to a number of perceived flaws with the system. |
Task 2
Answer these questions
1. How many computers will be using the latest version of Windows in a year?
2. Where did Bill Gates launch the products?
3. How many different home versions will there be?
4. What two things does Mr. Gates monitor in his high-tech home?
5. How long has it been since Leonardo de Vinci’s notebooks were together?
6. Whose wishes is Mr.Gates fulfilling?
7. How long did Windows Vista take to make?
8. How much hard disk space do computers need to run Vista?
Task 3
Write a formal letter to Microsoft to complain that your copy of Windows Vista
doesn’t work on your computer.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-2573821_1,00.html
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| Free English Forum | Free English Games |
| In the EVOLVE Forum we offer students and teachers the chance to get together. Whether you are an ESL teacher looking for a job, or a confused student looking for some help, the EVOLVE forum can offer you support. It costs nothing to post on the forum and can introduce you to the ESL community at large. Why not share some helpful advice or make new friends in our penpal network? | Games can lighten the tone of an otherwise boring session, as well as having a genuine didactic place as a part of a class. All of the games in this session have been carefully considered and included for their educational merit. |