FCE READINGS

Wole Soyinka
Wole Soyinka
Wole Soyinka, who was born in 1934, is a Nigerian writer, poet and play wright. Many 1) __________
him as Africa's most 2) __________ playwright.He won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1986, the first
African
writer
to
win
this
honour.
Soyinka has played an active role in Nigeria's 3) __________ history. In 1967, during the Civil War in
Nigeria,he was arrested by the Federal Government and put in solitary 4) __________ for attempting to
broker a peace between the warring parties. While in prison he wrote 5) __________ which was
published in a collection. He was released two years later after international attention was drawn to his
6) __________. His experiences in prison are recounted in a book.He is an outspoken 7) __________
of many Nigerian administrations, and of political tyrannies worldwide, including the Mugabe regime
in Zimbabwe. Much of his 8) __________ has been concerned with "the 9) __________ boot and the
irrelevance of the colour of the foot that wears it".
1986 was his most glorious year and occurred during the reigns of several violent and repressive
African regimes. The Swedish Academy 10) __________ him the Nobel Prize for Literature as a writer
who in a wide 11) __________ perspective and with poetic overtones fashions the drama of 12)
__________. The foremost Nigerian 13) __________ became the first African Nobel laureate,
enshrined forever in the history of world literature. His Nobel Lecture was devoted to South African
freedom-fighter Nelson Mandela. Soyinka's 14) __________ speech criticised apartheid and the
politics of racial segregation imposed on the population by the Nationalist South African government.
That year brought him another 15) __________ award - the Agip Prize for Literature - and he was
awarded a Nigerian national decoration: Commander of the Federal Republic.

Comprehension Questions
1
Regard
distinguished
2
Politics
3

Confinement
4
Poems
Imprisonment
5
critic
6
writings
7
oppressive
8
awarded
910
Cultural
1
exist
11
Dramatist
213
acceptance
14
Literary
415

Reality TV
Reality Television
Reality television is a genre of television programming which, it is claimed, presents unscripted
dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and features ordinary people rather than
professional actors. It could be described as a form of artificial or "heightened" documentary. Although
the genre has existed in some form or another since the early years of television, the current explosion
of
popularity
dates
from
around
2000.
Reality television covers a wide range of television programming formats, from game or quiz shows
which resemble the frantic, often demeaning programmes produced in Japan in the 1980s and 1990s (a
modern example is Gaki no tsukai), to surveillance- or voyeurism- focused productions such as Big
Brother.

Critics say that the term "reality television" is somewhat of a misnomer and that such shows frequently
portray a modified and highly influenced form of reality, with participants put in exotic locations or
abnormal situations, sometimes coached to act in certain ways by off-screen handlers, and with events
on
screen
manipulated
through
editing
and
other
post-production
techniques.
Part of reality television's appeal is due to its ability to place ordinary people in extraordinary
situations. For example, on the ABC show, The Bachelor, an eligible male dates a dozen women
simultaneously, travelling on extraordinary dates to scenic locales. Reality television also has the
potential to turn its participants into national celebrities, outwardly in talent and performance programs
such as Pop Idol, though frequently Survivor and Big Brother participants also reach some degree of
celebrity.
Some commentators have said that the name "reality television" is an inaccurate description for several
styles of program included in the genre. In competition-based programs such as Big Brother and
Survivor, and other special-living-environment shows like The Real World, the producers design the
format of the show and control the day-to-day activities and the environment, creating a completely
fabricated world in which the competition plays out. Producers specifically select the participants, and
use carefully designed scenarios, challenges, events, and settings to encourage particular behaviours
and conflicts. Mark Burnett, creator of Survivor and other reality shows, has agreed with this
assessment, and avoids the word "reality" to describe his shows; he has said, "I tell good stories. It
really is not reality TV. It really is unscripted drama."

Comprehension Questions
Q1 - In the first line, the writer says 'it is claimed' because:
- They agree with the statement.
- Everyone agrees with the statement.
- no one agrees with the statement.
- They want to distance themselves from the statemen
Q2 - Reality television has
- Always been this popular.
- has been popular since well before 2000
- has only been popular since 2000

- has been popular since approximately 2000

The Man Booker Prize

Instructions: Read through the text below, answer the questions that follow, then click on 'Grade Me!'
to view your score.

The Man Booker Prize

The Man Booker Prize for Fiction is awarded every year for a novel written by a writer from the
Commonwealth or the Republic of Ireland and it aims to represent the very best in contemporary
fiction. The prize was originally called the Booker-McConnell Prize, which was the name of the
company that sponsored it, though it was better-known as simply the Booker Prize. In 2002, the Man
Group became the sponsor and they chose the new name, keeping Booker.
Publishers can submit books for consideration for the prize, but the judges can also ask for books to be
submitted they think should be included. Firstly, the Advisory Committee give advice if there have
been any changes to the rules for the prize and selects the people who will judge the books. The
judging panel changes every year and usually a person is only a judge once.
Great efforts are made to ensure that the judging panel is balanced in terms of gender and professions
within the industry, so that a writer, a critic, an editor and an academic are chosen along with a wellknown person from wider society. However, when the panel of judges has been finalized, they are left
to make their own decisions without any further involvement or interference from the prize sponsor.
The Man Booker judges include critics, writers and academics to maintain the consistent quality of the
prize and its influence is such that the winner will almost certainly see the sales increase considerably ,
in addition to the 50,000 that comes with the prize.

Piranhas
Piranhas
Scientists in the UK have announced that the piranha fish's reputation 1) __________ a fearsome 2)
__________ may well not be deserved. The fish, which is found in the Amazon in Brazil, have been
portrayed as deadly 3) __________ that work in shoals to overwhelm their prey and strip it of its flesh
in
seconds.
However, 4) __________ from St Andrews University say that piranhas are omnivores that mainly eat
fish, plants and insects. They form big groups not to hunt but to defend 5) __________ against other
predators,
according
to
the
team.
"Previously it was thought piranhas shoaled as it 6) __________ them to form a cooperative hunting
group," said Professor Anne Magurran. "However, we have found that it is primarily a defensive 7)
__________."
Piranhas can be attacked by animals 8) __________ dolphins, caimans and large fish, so forming a
shoal is a good way of 9) __________ being killed. Piranhas of 10) __________ age stay in the middle
of the group for 11) __________ and the 12) __________ of the shoal 13) __________ according to the
level of 14) __________. When the water level is high, the fish form small groups as there is space to
escape, but when the water level drops, they form large groups as protection against 15) __________.

The Fastest Dinosaurs

The fastest dinosaurs
According 1) __________ computer models that were used to estimate the running speeds of dinosaurs,
the Tyrannosaurus Rex would have been able to outrun a footballer. The study shows that the dinosaur
could reach a top 2) __________ of 8 metres a second, which is 3) __________ faster than the average
professional footballer. There has been a lot of controversy 4) __________ whether the Tyrannosaurus
Rex was a predator or a scavenger; some believe that its highly developed sense of smell indicates that
it was a scavenger, 5) __________ others say that its keen eyesight shows that it was a hunter. The 6)
__________ group will appreciate the recent study, as a hunter is more 7) __________ to require such
speed
The University of Manchester study used a powerful supercomputer to calculate the running speeds of
five meat-eating dinosaurs and used data taken 8) __________ from dinosaur fossils, 9) __________
than referring to previous work on modern animals. The Tyrannosaurus Rex, 10) __________, was

not the fastest dinosaur. A small dinosaur 11) __________ Compsognathus, which was about the 12)
__________ of a chicken, could run at 18 metres a second, 13) __________ is faster than the ostrich,
the fastest two-legged animal today. It could run 100 metres in a little over six seconds, which would
14) __________ modern Olympic 15) __________ more than a third of the track behind.

Scottish Independence
Scottish Independence
The majority of people in Scotland are in favour breaking away from the rest of the UK and becoming
independent, according to a poll taken just before the 300th anniversary of the Act of Union, which
united Scotland and England.

A pair of Acts of Parliament, passed in 1706 and 1707 that came into effect on May 1, 1707, created
Great Britain. The parliaments of both countries were dissolved, and replaced by a new Parliament of
Great Britain in Westminster, London.
The poll showed support for independence for Scotland is running at 51%. This is the first time since
1998 that support for separation has passed 50%, and the first time since devolution gave power to the
country in 1999. Six months before elections for the Scottish Parliament, these poll results come as
good news to the Scottish Nationalist Party, who are hoping to make progress against Labour and
further the cause of an independent Scotland.
Many people have become disillusioned with devolution, and believe that the Scottish Parliament has
failed to deliver what they had hoped it would; only a tenth have no opinion. In fact, only 39% of those
polled want to keep things as they are.

Comprehension Questions

Angkor Wat
Visit Angkor Wat
Siem Reap is a small town near the world famous temple of Angkor Wat. The town is charming and

worth exploring, with some fine examples of Khmer and French colonial architecture set among the
more modern developments. Nowadays, visitors are flocking in, using it as a base for visits to the
nearby temples.

A Carved City
From the 9th to the 14th centuries, when Europe was still struggling out of the Dark Ages, the
Cambodian Empire of Angkor covered most of present-day Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, and Thailand.
The heart of this empire during the 12th century was the ancient capital of Angkor Thom, near present
day Siem Reap, the site of the worlds largest temple complexes, which were rediscovered in 1861.This
spectacular city was built over 30 years under the reign of King Suryavarman II (1113-1150). The area
covers about 400 square kilometres and is full of the finest examples of Khmer art and architecture.
Tourists are always amazed at the scale of the place.
In Angkor Wat you will find more than 100 stone monuments and temple buildings, each of which
contains countless statues, sculptures and reliefs that have weathered extremely little over the last 800
years. To see the whole thing can take several days. The most important temples to visit in the area are
Angkor Wat, especially at sunrise or sunset; Angkor Thom, the remains of the capital; Ta Prohm, a
palace overgrown by jungle; and Bayon.

Getting a visa
Visas are required to enter Cambodia. You can obtain one on arrival at Siem Reap International Airport
for $20, and 1 passport photo is required per person. You will also need another passport photo for the
Angkor Temple Entrance Pass. Please ensure you take comfortable walking shoes, light clothing and
plenty of water to drink as it is very hot there. The most commonly accepted currency in Cambodia is
the US dollar.

Comprehension Questions

Papua New Guinea Reconciliation

In Papua New Guinea, the descendants of cannibals who killed and ate four Fijian missionaries in 1878
have apologised for their ancestors' actions. They held a reconciliation ceremony, which was attended
by thousands of people, in the East New Britain province where they were killed.
The missionaries were part of a group of Methodist ministers and teachers who arrived in 1875 to
spread Christianity. The murders three years later, by Tolai tribespeople on the Gazelle Peninsula,
triggered angry reprisals. The English pastor who was head of the mission, George Brown, avenged the
killings by taking part in an expedition that resulted in the deaths of a number of tribespeople and the

burning

of

several

villages.

Candles were lit in memory of the four. Fiji's High Commissioner in Papua New Guinea, Ratu Isoa
Tikoca, accepted the apologies on behalf of the descendants."We at this juncture are deeply touched
and wish you the greatest joy of forgiveness as we finally end this record disagreement," he said.
The Governor-General Sir Paulias Matane praised the early missionaries for making the country
Christian and called for more people to follow the guiding principles of the religion.

Mark Rothko
Mark Rothko
Mark Rothko, one of the greatest painters of the twentieth century, was born in Daugavpils, Latvia in
1903. His father emigrated to the United States, afraid that his sons would be drafted into the Czarist
army. Mark stayed in Russia with his mother and older sister; they joined the family later, arriving in
the winter of 1913, after a 12-day voyage.
Mark moved to New York in the autumn of 1923 and found employment in the garment trade and took
up residence on the Upper West Side. It was while he was visiting someone at the Art Students League
that he saw students sketching a nude model. According to him, this was the start of his life as an artist.
He was twenty years old and had taken some art lessons at school, so his initial experience was far
from an immediate calling.
In 1936, Mark Rothko began writing a book, which he never completed, about the similarities in the
children's art and the work of modern painters. The work of modernists, which was influenced by
primitive art, could, according to him, be compared to that of children in that "child art transforms itself
into primitivism, which is only the child producing a mimicry of himself." In this same work, he said
that "the fact that one usually begins with drawing is already academic. We start with colour."
It was not long before his multiforms developed into the style he is remembered for; in 1949 Rothko
exhibited these new works at the Betty Parsons Gallery. For critic Harold Rosenberg, the paintings
were a revelation. Rothko had, after painting his first multiform, secluded himself to his home in East
Hampton on Long Island, only inviting a very few people, including Rosenberg, to view the new
paintings. The discovery of his definitive form came at a period of great grief; his mother Kate died in
October 1948 and it was at some point during that winter that Rothko chanced upon the striking
symmetrical rectangular blocks of two to three opposing or contrasting, yet complementary colours. As
part of this new uniformity of artistic vision, his paintings and drawings no longer had individual titles;
from this point on they were simply untitled, numbered or dated. However, to assist in distinguishing
one work from another, dealers would sometimes add the primary colours to the name. Additionally, for
the next few years, Rothko painted in oil only on large vertical canvasses. This was done to overwhelm
the viewer, or, in his words, to make the viewer feel enveloped within the picture.
On February 25, 1970, Oliver Steindecker, Rothkos assistant, found him in his kitchen, lying on the
floor in front of the sink, covered in blood. His arms had been cut open with a razor. The emergency
doctor arrived on the scene minutes later to pronounce him dead as the result of suicide; it was
discovered during the autopsy that he had also overdosed on anti-depressants. He was just 66 years old.

Comprehension Questions

The Great Wall of China

The Great Wall of China
Walls and wall building have played a very important role in Chinese culture. These people, from the
dim mists of prehistory have been wall-conscious; from the Neolithic period when ramparts of
pounded earth were used - to the Communist Revolution, walls were an essential part of any village.
Not only towns and villages; the houses and the temples within them were somehow walled, and the
houses also had no windows overlooking the street, thus giving the feeling of wandering around a huge
maze. The name for city in Chinese (cheng) means wall, and over these walled cities, villages,
houses and temples presides the god of walls and mounts, whose duties were, and still are, to protect
and be responsible for the welfare of the inhabitants. Thus a great and extremely laborious task such as
constructing a wall, which was supposed to run throughout the country, must not have seemed such an
absurdity.
However, it is indeed a common mistake to perceive the Great Wall as a single architectural structure,
and it would also be erroneous to assume that it was built during a single dynasty. For the building of
the wall spanned the various dynasties, and each of these dynasties somehow contributed to the
refurbishing and the construction of a wall, whose foundations had been laid many centuries ago. It was
during the fourth and third century B.C. that each warring state started building walls to protect their
kingdoms, both against one another and against the northern nomads. Especially three of these states:
the Chin, the Chao and the Yen, corresponding respectively to the modern provinces of Shensi, Shanzi

and Hopei, over and above building walls that surrounded their kingdoms, also laid the foundations on
which Chin Shih Huang Di would build his first continuous Great Wall.
The role that the Great Wall played in the growth of Chinese economy was an important one.
Throughout the centuries many settlements were established along the new border. The garrison troops
were instructed to reclaim wasteland and to plant crops on it, roads and canals were built, to mention
just a few of the works carried out. All these undertakings greatly helped to increase the countrys trade
and cultural exchanges with many remote areas and also with the southern, central and western parts of
Asia the formation of the Silk Route. Builders, garrisons, artisans, farmers and peasants left behind a
trail of objects, including inscribed tablets, household articles, and written work, which have become
extremely valuable archaeological evidence to the study of defence institutions of the Great Wall and
the everyday life of these people who lived and died along the wall.

Comprehension Questions

Which is the hardest language?

The hardest language
People often ask which is the most difficult language to learn, and it is not easy to answer because there
are many factors to take into consideration. Firstly, in a first language the differences are unimportant
as people learn their mother tongue naturally, so the question of how hard a language is to learn is only
relevant when learning a second language.
A native speaker of Spanish, for example, will find Portuguese much easier to learn than a native
speaker of Chinese, for example, because Portuguese is very similar to Spanish, while Chinese is very
different, so first language can affect learning a second language. The greater the differences between
the second language and our first, the harder it will be for most people to learn. Many people answer
that Chinese is the hardest language to learn, possibly influenced by the thought of learning the Chinese
writing system, and the pronunciation of Chinese does appear to be very difficult for many foreign
learners. However, for Japanese speakers, who already use Chinese characters in their own language,
learning writing will be less difficult than for speakers of languages using the Roman alphabet.
Some people seem to learn languages readily, while others find it very difficult. Teachers and the
circumstances in which the language is learned also play an important role, as well as each learner's
motivation for learning. If people learn a language because they need to use it professionally, they often
learn it faster than people studying a language that has no direct use in their day to day life.
Apparently, British diplomats and other embassy staff have found that the second hardest language is
Japanese, which will probably come as no surprise to many, but the language that they have found to be
the most problematic is Hungarian, which has 35 cases (forms of a nouns according to whether it is
subject, object, genitive, etc). This does not mean that Hungarian is the hardest language to learn for
everyone, but it causes British diplomatic personnel, who are generally used to learning languages, the
most difficulty. However, Tabassaran, a Caucasian language has 48 cases, so it might cause more
difficulty if British diplomats had to learn it.
Different cultures and individuals from those cultures will find different languages more difficult. In
the case of Hungarian for British learners, it is not a question of the writing system, which uses a
similar alphabet, but the grammatical complexity, though native speakers of related languages may find
it easier, while struggling with languages that the British find relatively easy.
No language is easy to learn well, though languages which are related to our first language are easier.
Learning a completely different writing system is a huge challenge, but that does not necessarily make
a language more difficult than another. In the end, it is impossible to say that there is one language that
is the most difficult language in the world.

Comprehension Questions

Cheating and Plagiarism

Cheating and Plagiarism
Students are responsible for familiarising themselves with the University Code of Student Conduct, as
on enrollment with the University the student has placed themselves under the policies and regulations
of the University and all of its duly constituted bodies. Disciplinary authority is exercised through the
Student Conduct Committee. The Committee has procedures in place for hearing allegations of
misconduct. Copies of the student conduct code are available at the Student Services Office.
Academic dishonesty is never condoned by the University. This includes cheating and plagiarism,
which violate the Student Conduct Code and could result in expulsion or failing the course.
Cheating includes but is not limited to obtaining or giving unauthorized help during an examination,
getting unauthorized information about the contents of an examination before it is administered, using

unauthorised sources of information during an examination, altering or falsifying the record of any
grades, altering or supplying answers after an examination has been handed in, falsifying any official
University record, and misrepresenting the facts to get exemptions from or extensions to course
requirements.
Plagiarism includes but is not limited to submitting any paper or other document, to satisfy an
academic requirement, which has been copied either in whole or in part from someone elses work
without identifying that person; failing to identify as a quotation a documented idea that has not been
thoroughly assimilated into the student's language and style, or paraphrasing a passage so closely that
the reader could be misled as to the source; submitting the same written or oral material in different
courses without obtaining authorisation from the lecturers involved; or 'dry-labbing', which includes
obtaining and using experimental data from fellow students without the express consent of the lecturer,
utilizing experimental data and laboratory write-ups from other parts of the course or from previous
terms during which the course was conducted, and fabricating data to fit the expected results.

Comprehension Questions

English as a National Foreign Language in India

English as a National Foreign Language
India has two national languages for central administrative purposes: Hindi and English. Hindi is the
national, official, and main link language of India. English is an associate official language. The Indian
Constitution also officially approves twenty-two regional languages for official purposes.
Dozens of distinctly different regional languages are spoken in India, which share many characteristics
such as grammatical structure and vocabulary. Apart from these languages, Hindi is used for
communication in India. The homeland of Hindi is mainly in the north of India, but it is spoken and
widely understood in all urban centers of India. In the southern states of India, where people speak

many different languages that are not much related to Hindi, there is more resistance to Hindi, which
has allowed English to remain a lingua franca to a greater degree.
Since the early 1600s, the English language has had a toehold on the Indian subcontinent, when the
East India Company established settlements in Chennai, Kolkata, and Mumbai, formerly Madras,
Calcutta, and Bombay respectively. The historical background of India is never far away from everyday
usage of English. India has had a longer exposure to English than any other country which uses it as a
second language, its distinctive words, idioms, grammar and rhetoric spreading gradually to affect all
places, habits and culture.
In India, English serves two purposes. First, it provides a linguistic tool for the administrative
cohesiveness of the country, causing people who speak different languages to become united. Secondly,
it serves as a language of wider communication, including a large variety of different people covering a
vast area. It overlaps with local languages in certain spheres of influence and in public domains.
Generally, English is used among Indians as a link language and it is the first language for many welleducated Indians. It is also the second language for many who speak more than one language in India.
The English language is a tie that helps bind the many segments of our society together. Also, it is a
linguistic bridge between the major countries of the world and India.
English has special national status in India. It has a special place in the parliament, judiciary,
broadcasting, journalism, and in the education system. One can see a Hindi-speaking teacher giving
their students instructions during an educational tour about where to meet and when their bus would
leave, but all in English. It means that the language permeates daily life. It is unavoidable and is always
expected, especially in the cities.
The importance of the ability to speak or write English has recently increased significantly because
English has become the de facto standard. Learning English language has become popular for business,
commerce and cultural reasons and especially for internet communications throughout the world.
English is a language that has become a standard not because it has been approved by any standards
organization but because it is widely used by many information and technology industries and
recognized as being standard. The call centre phenomenon has stimulated a huge expansion of internetrelated activity, establishing the future of India as a cyber-technological super-power. Modern
communications, videos, journals and newspapers on the internet use English and have made knowing
English indispensable.
The prevailing view seems to be that unless students learn English, they can only work in limited jobs.
Those who do not have basic knowledge of English cannot obtain good quality jobs. They cannot

communicate efficiently with others, and cannot have the benefit of Indias rich social and cultural life.
Men and women who cannot comprehend and interpret instructions in English, even if educated, are
unemployable. They cannot help with their childrens school homework everyday or decide their
revenue options of the future.
A positive attitude to English as a national language is essential to the integration of people into Indian
society. There would appear to be virtually no disagreement in the community about the importance of
English language skills. Using English you will become a citizen of the world almost naturally. English
plays a dominant role in the media. It has been used as a medium for inter-state communication and
broadcasting both before and since Indias independence. India is, without a doubt, committed to
English as a national language. The impact of English is not only continuing but increasing.

Comprehension Questions

Shambo
Shambo
Shambo, the bull at the centre of a three-month legal fight, has been killed. After a positive test for TB,
an order was made for his slaughter, in keeping with the law. However, the multi-faith community
where he lived went to court to try to save him as he was a sacred animal to Hindus.
A High Court judge said that the order to kill him was unlawful, but the decision was overturned in the
Appeal Court. Police had to be called in as worshippers had formed a human shield around the animal
to stop him being taken away. Opinion is very divided on the issue- some believe that he was a danger
to the national herd and needed to be killed, while others feel that religious beliefs should be respected
and the community had offered to provide sufficient measures to ensure that he would not infect any
other animals if he contracted the disease as they planned to isolate him. The authorities cut through the
security fence and led the bull away. The following morning they announced that he had been given a
lethal injection.
The debate on the issue is unlikely to end with the death of Shambo and may widen into a debate about

the policy of killing cows that test positive for TB.

Comprehension Questions

Gender bias and poverty

Gender bias and poverty
1) __________ between men and women results in poorer health for children and greater 2)
__________ for the family, 3) __________ to a new study. The UN agency Unicef found that in places
where women are 4) __________ from family decisions, children are more likely to suffer from 5)
__________. There would be 13 million 6) __________ malnourished children in South Asia if women

had an equal say in the family, Unicef said.

Unicef 7) __________ family decision-making in 30 countries 8) __________ the world. Their chief
finding is that equality between men and women is vital to 9) __________ poverty and improving
health, especially that of children, in developing countries. The conclusions are contained in the
agency's latest report. This report 10) __________ to a greater 11) __________ of opportunities for girls and
women in education and work which contributes to disempowerment and poverty. Where men control the household, less
money is spent on health care and food for the family, which 12)

__________ in poorer health for the children.

An increase in 13) __________ and income-earning opportunities for women would increase their 14)
__________ power, the report said. For example, the agency found that 15) __________ has the greater
share of household income and assets decides whether those resources will be used for family needs.

Comprehension Questions

Ada Lovelace: The First Computer Programmer

The First Computer Programmer
Ada Lovelace was the daughter of the poet Lord Byron. She was taught by Mary Somerville, a wellknown researcher and scientific author, who introduced her to Charles Babbage in June 1833. Babbage
was an English mathematician, who first had the idea for a programmable computer.
In 1842 and 1843, Ada translated the work of an Italian mathematician, Luigi Menabrea, on Babbage's
Analytical Engine. Though mechanical, this machine was an important step in the history of computers;
it was the design of a mechanical general-purpose computer. Babbage worked on it for many years
until his death in 1871. However, because of financial, political, and legal issues, the engine was never
built. The design of the machine was very modern; it anticipated the first completed general-purpose
computers by about 100 years.
When Ada translated the article, she added a set of notes which specified in complete detail a method
for calculating certain numbers with the Analytical Engine, which have since been recognized by
historians as the world's first computer program. She also saw possibilities in it that Babbage hadn't:
she realised that the machine could compose pieces of music. The computer programming language
'Ada', used in some aviation and military programs, is named after her.

Comprehension Questions

Bully for you

Bully for you
The makers of a controversial computer game about bullying have decided to go ahead and launch it
despite calls for it to be banned. In the game, players take on the role of a new students at a school and
have to fight the bullies, by punching them or hitting them with a baseball bat.
Critics have said that the game encourages violence, but the makers deny this and say that, while there
is violence in the game, it is just an amusing look at school life, besides which, the violence in the
game is directed against the bullies to protect pupils who are being bullied. The makers also say that
players will learn to stand up to bullies.

A British politician, a former minister, has called for it to be banned as it might affect the way young
people perceive violence.
Anti-bullying charities have said that the game might make people respond violently to bullies, which
might make things more complicated and result in injuries.

Comprehension Questions

The Digital Divide

The Digital Divide
A recent survey has shown that the number of people in the United Kingdom who do not intend to get
internet access has risen. These people, who are know as 'net refuseniks', make up 44% of UK
households, or 11.2 million people in total.
The research also showed that more than 70 percent of these people said that they were not interested in
getting connected to the internet. This number has risen from just over 50% in 2005, with most giving
lack of computer skills as a reason for not getting internet access, though some also said it was because
of the cost.
More and more people are getting broadband and high speed net is available almost everywhere in the
UK, but there are still a significant number of people who refuse to take the first step.
The cost of getting online is going down and internet speeds are increasing, so many see the main
challenge to be explaining the relevance of the internet to this group. This would encourage them to get
connected before they are left too far behind. The gap between those who have access to and use the
internet is the digital divide, and if the gap continues to widen, those without access will get left behind
and miss out on many opportunities, especially in their careers.

Comprehension Questions

The ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum
In April 1982 a British company, headed by Sir Clive Sinclair, launched the ZX Spectrum computer on
the
market
and
sparked
an
IT
revolution.
The tiny black computer with its rubber keys ignited the home computer age both in the UK and
elsewhere, which led to an boom in computer manufacturing and developed software programmers
whose
talent
is
still
evident
today.
The ZX Spectrum was the brainchild of the entrepeneur Clive Sinclair, who had previously developed

one of the first cheap and slim pocket calculators. The Spectrum was Sinclair's fourth computer, but
was
by
far
the
most
successful.
For many people, the ZX Spectrum was their first experience of using a computer and it soon gained a
loyal following. In fact, it would not be a great exaggeration to credit Clive Sinclair and his ZX
Spectrum with almost single-handedly creating the IT industry in the UK and providing the first
learning tools for the programmers who shape today's video games and information technology.
Even today, there are programs being written for the Spectrum, though it has not been made for years.
The computer was so successful that there are many nostalgic users all over the world, who look back
on this machine with great affection.

Comprehension Questions