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Microsoft has announced plans for a free web-based version of its popular Office software. Computer users will be able to use software such as Windows, Excel and PowerPoint on the Internet. Analysts believe Microsoft has to go online to compete against similar software offered by Google. One expert said: "Microsoft was forced to provide a free product" because of Google Docs, a free, online document and spreadsheet editing programme. The Web-based version of the Office suite will be available next year. There is an intense rivalry between Google and Microsoft. Google has the lion’s share of the search market. Google hopes its Chrome browser will lure people away from Microsoft’s Internet Explorer.
Microsoft’s latest announcement has raised eyebrows in the technology world. Analysts are surprised it is giving away a free version of one of its most profitable products. They say the software giant looks like it is shooting itself in the foot. The Office suite made $9.3 billion in profit from $14.3 billion in total software sales in 2009. Free versions of Office will surely put a dent in these figures. A Microsoft Office spokesperson, Chris Bryant, said the free version was responding to customer needs, saying: "It's something our users have said they'd like." The Web version of Office 2010 does not yet have a name, but it will have advertising. There will be five different versions on sale for personal, small business and corporate use.
Task 1. True/false sentences
| a. | Microsoft is to stop selling its Office software and put it online for free. |
| b. | Microsoft faces no competition for products such as Word and Excel. |
| c. | Google’s share of the Internet search market is bigger than Microsoft’s. |
| d. | Google wants more people to use Internet Explorer. |
| e. | Microsoft’s recent announcement surprised many in the tech industry. |
| f. | Many believe giving away a free version of its Office suite is a mistake. |
| g. | Microsoft users expressed no preference for a free version of Office. |
| h. | A new version of Office 2010 will be called “Office Five”. |
Task 2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article:
| 1. | announced | a. | offered for purchase |
| version | b. | tempt | |
| 3. | expert | c. | edition |
| 4. | the lion’s share | d. | money-making |
| 5. | lure | e. | reacting |
| 6. | raised eyebrows | f. | made public |
| 7. | profitable | g. | the most |
| 8. | dent | h. | surprised |
| 9. | responding | i. | specialist |
| 10. | on sale | j. | cut |
Task 3. PHRASE MATCH: Match the following phrases from the article (sometimes more than one combination is possible):
| 1. | Microsoft has announced plans | a. | similar software |
| Analysts believe Microsoft has | b. | in the foot | |
| 3. | compete against | c. | eyebrows |
| 4. | an intense | d. | for a free web-based version |
| 5. | lure people | e. | in these figures |
| 6. | Microsoft’s latest announcement has raised | f. | rivalry |
| 7. | giving away | g. | away |
| 8. | shooting itself | h. | customer needs |
| 9. | put a dent | i. | to go online |
| 10. | responding to | j. | a free version |
Task 4. TEST EACH OTHER: Look at the words below. With your partner, try to recall how they were used in the text:
| · announced · analysts · forced · available · share · lure | · eyebrows · profitable · foot · dent · needs · five |
Computer Vocabulary
Task 1. Fill in the gaps with the words given below.
Of all …1, word processing is the most common. To perform word processing, you need a computer, a special program called a …2, and a printer. A word processor enables you …3 a document, …4 it electronically on a disk, …5 it on a screen, …6 it by entering commands and characters from the keyboard, and …7 it on a printer.
The great advantage of word processing over using a …8 is that you can …9 without retyping the entire document. If you make a typing mistake, you simply back up the cursor and …10 your mistake. If you want …11 a paragraph, you simply remove it, without leaving a trace. It is equally easy …12 a word, sentence, or paragraph in the middle of a document. Word processors also make it easy …13 sections of text from one place to another within a document, or between documents. When you have made all the changes you want, you can send the file to a printer to get a …14.
typewriter; to insert; computer applications; to create; hardcopy; display;
print; word processor; make changes; store; to delete; modify; to move
based on www.library.dmu.ac.uk
Task 2. Look at this screenshot from Microsoft Word and translate the labeled features and functions into your own language.
Task 3. Match the feature and its descriptions
| 1. copy 2. cut and paste 3. delete text 4. insert text 5. page size and margins 6. print 7. search and replace 8. word wrap | a) Allows you to define various page sizes and margins, and the word processor will automatically readjust the text so that it fits. b) Allows you to direct the word processor to search for a particular word or phrase. You can also direct the word processor to replace one group of characters with another everywhere that the first group appears. c) Allows you to duplicate a section of text. d) Allows you to erase characters, words, lines, or pages as easily as you can cross them out on paper. e) Allows you to insert text anywhere in the document. f) Allows you to remove (cut) a section of text from one place in a document and insert (paste) it somewhere else. g) Allows you to send a document to a printer to get hardcopy. h) The word processor automatically moves to the next line when you have filled one line with text, and it will readjust text if you change the margins. |
Listening
Date: 2015-01-29; view: 1431
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