The pros and cons of playing computer VIdeo games

Social connection Only 3% of gamers are loners and never play with others, according to the latest Interactive Australia report by Bond University. Many games involve multi-person play, with players either in the same room or connected online. And, says Dr Lawrence Kutner, director of the Harvard Medical School’s Centre for Mental Health and Media and co-author of Grand Theft Childhood: The Surprising Truth About Violent Video Games and What Parents Can Do, games are a topic of conversation that allow kids to build relationships with their peers. "Boys and girls view game playing as a social activity, not an isolating one. For boys, game strategy is a topic of conversation. If you don’t play, you’re left out of that ubiquitous conversation."

Better vision Video games can give you an eye for detail. Researchers from the University of Rochester found people who spent 30 hours training on action games over a month spotted targets on a cluttered screen 80% of the time; non-gamers managed this only 30% of the time. Allstate, a US insurer currently trialing video games for older drivers, has found that game software can improve visual skills important for safe driving. National Institutes of Health studies have shown the software reduces crash risk by up to 50%.

Brain booster No longer labelled simply as evil time-wasters, video games are now considered a fast-track to a sharper mind. When researchers from Iowa State University studied a group of laparoscopic surgeons, they found those who played video games three or more hours a week were 27% faster and made 37% fewer errors. The surgeons were not playing games specifically designed for them, according to Dr Douglas Gentile, one of the study’s authors. "They were whatever off-the-shelf games they had played in the past."

 

 

Раздел 1. Чтение

 

Задание 1. Прочитайте и переведите текст письменно.

Задание 2. Найдите эквиваленты для данных слов и выражений.

1. gamer 2. peer 3. cluttered screen 4. trialing video game 5. game software 6. off-the-shelf game 7. surgeon 8. action game 9. train on 10. multi-person play

a.коллега b.серийная игра c.хирург d.геймер e.игра-боевик f.перенасыщенный экран g.тренироваться h.испытательная видеоигра i.групповая компьютерная игра j. программное обеспечение для игры

Задание 3. Заполните пропуски подходящими словами.

 

reduces, involve, are considered, a topic of conversation, training on

 

1. Many games … multi-person play, with players either in the same room or connected online.

2. Games are … that allow kids to build relationships with their peers.

3. They found people who spent 30 hours … action games over a month spotted targets on a cluttered screen 80% of the time.

4. Video games … now a fast-track to a sharper mind.

5. National Institutes of Health studies have shown the software … crash risk by up to 50%.

 

Задание 4. Заполните пропуски словами из второй колонки, преобразовав их лексически и грамматически.

 

ПРИМЕР: Only 3% of … are loners and never play with others.	game
1) Many games involve multi-person play, with players either in the same room or … online.	connection
2) They found people who spent 30 hours … on action games over a month spotted targets on a cluttered screen 80% of the time	train
3) … Institutes of Health studies have shown the software reduces crash risk by up to 50%.	nation
4) The surgeons were not playing games … designed for them	specific
5) New research shows that the risk of … overweight increases with every hour teens spend on virtual play.	be

 

Задание 5. Составьте пять вопросов разных типов к тексту.

 

Раздел 2. Грамматика

Задание 1. Перепишите предложения, раскрывая скобки, ставя глаголы в нужную временную форму Future Indefinite or Future Continuous.

 

1. Video games (give) you an eye for detail.

2. He (play) this computer game tomorrow when I will be on-line.

3. Next year there (be) new computer games.

4. Some year later computer gamers (create) their own society.

5. We (try) a new computer game this time next week.

Задание 2. Вставьте необходимые предлоги.

1. Many games involve multi-person play, with players either … the same room or connected online.

2. Video games can give you an eye … detail.

3. National Institutes of Health studies have shown the software reduces crash risk by … 50%.

4. Video games are now considered a fast-track … a sharper mind.

5. The surgeons were not playing games specifically designed … them.

Задание 3. Заполните пропуски словами из рамки.

 

will have to, can, must, May, Could

 

1. Video games … give you an eye for detail.

2. … I take your laptop to play this game?

3. You … follow the directions to win the game.

4. In some years he … visit a doctor.

5. … you explain me the rules of this game.

Раздел 3. Устная речь

Задание 1. Ответьте на вопросы (на английском языке).

1. Who is a gamer?

2. What is a multi-person play?

3. Game strategy is very important for video games, isn’t it?

4. What does the phrase “off-the-shelf game” mean?

5. How can computer game influence player’s weight?

Задание 2. Подготовьте сообщение на тему “The role of computer games in my life” (15-20 предложений).

ВАРИАНТ 4

 

Текст

THE PROS AND CONS OF PLAYING COMPUTER VIDEO GAMES

Painkiller Games are also proving to be a powerful analgesic. "Conscious attention is required for the experience of pain," says Professor David Patterson of the University of Washington’s Department of Rehabilitation Medicine. "Virtual-reality games are unusually attention-grabbing, leaving less attention to process incoming pain signals. "Snow World is the first custom-designed virtual reality game for burns patients. Patients who play it while having dressings changed report a 40-50% reduction in pain.

Obesity New research from the University of Zaragoza in Spain shows that the risk of being overweight increases with every hour teens spend on virtual play. Yet games may also be part of the solution. A study from the University of Hong Kong found playing games in which players mimic the actions involved in sports are a good way of keeping fit. Players can use about the same energy as they would on a brisk walk.

"Nintendo thumb" Hours of repeated movements can damage tendons and nerves in the thumbs. Physiotherapists are also alarmed by what slouching is doing to young spines." Most children sit on the floor playing games, or on their beds, or in chairs that are generally too big for them," says physiotherapist Wendy Emberson. "If they were at work, health and safety officers would have a field day!

Violence Studies at the University of Missouri-Columbia have found violent games diminish players’ brain responses to images of real-life violence. And when players were given the chance to "punish" a fake opponent, those who’d recorded the lowest brain responses were most brutal. But does this relate to real-life aggression? The few studies in this area usually base their measure on "thoughts", says Jonathan Freedman from the University of Toronto.

Раздел 1. Чтение

 

Задание 1. Прочитайте и переведите текст письменно.

Задание 2. Найдите эквиваленты для данных слов и выражений.

1. virtual-reality 2. custom-designed 3. repeated 4. physiotherapist 5. real-life 6. violence 7. punish 8. fake opponent 9. aggression 10. overweight

a.повторяющийся b.физиотерапевт c.жестокость d.геймер e.виртуальная реальность f.наказывать g.фальшивый противник h.агрессия i.реальный j. специально разработан для

 

Задание 3. Заполните пропуски подходящими словами.

 

being overweight, mimic, be part of, proving, tendons and nerves

 

1. Games are also … to be a powerful analgesic.

2. The risk of … increases with every hour teens spend on virtual play.

3. Games may also … the solution.

4. Hours of repeated movements can damage … in the thumbs.

5. Playing games in which players … the actions involved in sports are a good way of keeping fit.

 

Задание 4. Заполните пропуски словами из второй колонки, преобразовав их лексически и грамматически.

 

ПРИМЕР: Only 3% of … are loners and never play with others.	game
1) Games are also proving to be a … analgesic.	power
2) … games in which players mimic the actions involved in sports are a good way of keeping fit.	play
3) Hours of … movements can damage tendons and nerves in the thumbs.	repeat
4) People who play virtual games are sometimes ….	violence
5) Virtual … is a very dangerous world.	real

 

Задание 5. Составьте пять вопросов разных типов к тексту.

Раздел 2. Грамматика

Задание 1. Перепишите предложения, раскрывая скобки, ставя глаголы в нужную временную форму Future Indefinite or Future Continuous.

 

1. Some year later computer gamers (create) their own society.

2. Video games (increase) the risk of being overweight.

3. While playing this computer game he (mimic) some actions involved in sports.

4. Next year there (be) new computer games.

5. We (try) a new computer game this time next week.

Задание 2. Вставьте необходимые предлоги.

 

1. The risk of being overweight increases … every hour teens spend on virtual play.

2. Games may also be part … the solution.

3. Playing games … which players mimic the actions involved in sports are a good way of keeping fit.

4. Hours of repeated movements can damage tendons and nerves … the thumbs.

5. Games are also proving … be a powerful analgesic.

Задание 3. Заполните пропуски словами из рамки.

 

will have to, can, must, may, Could

 

1. Games … be a powerful analgesic.

2. In some years he … visit a doctor.

3. Games … also be part of the solution.

4. Playing games you … mimic the actions involved in sports in order to be fit.

5. … you explain me the rules of this game.

Раздел 3. Устная речь

Задание 1. Ответьте на вопросы (на английском языке).

1. What is a powerful analgesic for many people?

2. What can increase overweight?

3. Hours of repeated movements can damage tendons and nerves in the thumbs, can’t they?

4. What can help to keep fit?

5. Are some computer games violent? Is it dangerous?

Задание 2. Подготовьте сообщение на тему “Computer games: benefit or danger” (15-20 предложений).

 

 

GRAMMAR REFERENSES

 

Типы вопросов

В английском языке существуют пять типов вопросов.

1. Общий вопрос начинается с соответствующей формы глагола to be (am, is, are, was, were), с модального (can, may, must) или любого вспомогательного глагола (do, does, did). Вслед за вспомогательным глаголом следует подлежащее или группа подлежащего. А смысловой глагол ставится после подлежащего:

Are you doing anything special tonight? Can your friend speak fluent English?

В случае если вспомогательный глагол состоит из двух или более компонентов, то подлежащее ставится после первого из них:

Have you been waiting for a long time? Will they have completed the construction of the bridge by next year?

В начале общего вопроса эти глаголы произносятся с ударением. В конце такого вопроса употребляется восходящий тон.

2. Специальный вопрос начинается с какого-либо вопросительного слова (what, when, where, why, how, how many, how long, how much, whom, whose), за которым следует глагол to be, вспомогательный или модальный глагол, затем ставится подлежащее и все остальные части предложения. В конце специального вопроса употребляется нисходящий тон:

What do you usually do at the weekends? When do you get up on weekdays? How many pupils are there in your English class? How long does it take you to get to school by bus?

3. Альтернативный или выборочный вопрос начинается также как общий вопрос, т.е. с глагола, с вспомогательного или модального глагола. Он состоит из двух частей, первая из которых произносится с восходящим тоном, а вторая с нисходящим, если речь идёт о выборе из двух предметов или явлений:

Is it a book or a textbook? Does Dan get up early or late? Do you go anywhere in the evening or do you stay at home?

4. Разделительный вопрос также состоит из двух частей. Первая часть представляет собой повествовательное предложение либо утвердительное, либо отрицательное. Вторая - краткую форму вспомогательного или модального глагола:

You always get up at seven on weekdays, don't you? You never get up early at the weekends, do you? It wasn't Sunday yesterday, was it?

В первой части вопроса всегда употребляется нисходящий тон. Во второй части употребляется восходящий тон, если вы хотите получить ответ на свой вопрос или нисходящий тон, если вы уверены в ответе. Ваш собеседник может ограничиться лишь кивком головы.

5. Вопрос к подлежащему начинается с вопросительных местоимений who, what, за которыми следуют либо смысловой глагол, либо глагол to be или модальный глагол. Вспомогательный глагол для построения такого вопроса не требуется:

Who wakes up early every morning? What helps you to learn English? Who can play tennis?

Who is at home today?

Примечание:

В разговорном языке местоимение whom (кому, о ком, с кем и т.д.) часто заменяется на местоимение who, а предлог ставится в конце предложения:

Whom did you meet there? = Who did you meet there? Кого ты там встретил?

To whom did you show the letter? = Who did you show the letter to? Кому ты показал письмо?

With whom did you go to the movies? = Who did you go to the movies with? С кем ты ходил в кино?

Если местоимение who является подлежащим, то глагол, стоящий после него всегда употребляется в единственном числе:

Who is there in the living-room? Кто находится в гостиной?

Who wants more coffee? Кто хочет ещё кофе?

What has happened to our cat? Что случилось с нашей кошкой?