|
|
Тема 4. YOUR COMPUTER AND YOUR HEALTH
1. Make sure you are familiar with these words and phrases:
Health; myopia; fatigue; computer screen; sensations; bedazzlement; impairment; headache.
2. Before you read the text below, discuss these questions.
• How much time do you spend in front of the computer?
• Are you indisposed after long work on the computer?
• Do you think long work on a computer is harmful? Explain why yes or no.
Your computer and your health
Computer users have no reasons to fear any permanent detriment to their vision: that at least is the conclusion reached by studies on the subject. Work with computer screens, even if of long duration, does not cause myopia. However, it does solicit certain eye faculties to such an extent that a discomforting and sometimes painful eye fatigue can be experienced.
After several hours in front of a computer screen, a certain number of operators complain of stinging eyes, burning sensations, bedazzlement and sometimes of impairment of their sight. The visual constraints can also contribute to headaches or even dizzy spells. These symptoms of eye fatigue can appear during or after finishing work; they tend to disappear after a few hours of a night’s sleep.
Reflections and contrasts
A certain number of ergonomical factors contribute to the on-coming of eye fatigue.
Reflections, in particular, provoke a visual and nervous overload: they reduce the contrast between the characters and the surrounding background, making for poor legibility. Required to react twice (by both the actual and the reflected image) the eyes rapidly tire.
The technical characteristics of the picture are also important. If incorrectly adjusted, the contrast, colours and the brightness can affect the eyes. Characters may be difficult to read if the screen has a low resolution.
A poor-working position is sometimes responsible for accentuating eye-fatigue: for example if the distance between eye and screen is inferior to 50 cm, or, if other documents are being consulted, if the distances between eye and screen and eye and document overly differ.
The acuteness of eye fatigue will also depend on the nature of the work undertaken: therefore data recording tasks are the most exacting, demanding by their very nature rapid and frequent glances.
How to prevent eye fatigue
To reduce eye fatigue it is often sufficient to follow a few simple rules:
- Adjust manually the picture characteristics (contrast, brightness) to the optimum level for your eyes. Avoid certain colour combinations: some are considered ‘aggressive’ (blue characters on a red background, for instance); others lead to poor legibility (yellow on a white background).
- Position your computer so as to eliminate the effects of reflections on the screen: distance the screen from sunlight and or position it perpendicular to the windows. Also choose a screen with anti-reflective qualities.
- Avoid light sources emanating from an angle 30 degrees above the level of the eyes.
- Maintain a good distance from the screen and documents.
Eye specialists also insist on the necessity of a systematic work schedule. This involves either taking regular breaks or alternating one’s activities if daily work on the computer exceeds 4 hours. It is also advisable to identify any pre-existing eye defects considered to be causes of eye fatigue.
It is not always necessary to invest large sums in the buying of equipment. The computers of today on the whole have good picture quality and one should be wary of advertised qualities (such as “biological” screens, “anti-fatigue” devices, “anti-radiation” glasses and protecting screens, and other gadgets), which are not always based on scientific fact. Indeed, as F. Cail and R. Floru of the French National Institute for Research and Safety note, “they present a double danger for they increase the apprehension of the operator with regard to computer work and give the impression of providing and easy solution instead of the necessary ergonomical ones.
Can computers cause stress?
According to studies, the use of computer at work could be a specific cause of psychological tension. Computer users, for example, may become frustrated or vexed if the computer has a slow response time when processing data. As the user does not know how long the computer will take to process the job, he remains very alert and attentive as he waits.
In the case of data input the poor and repetitive nature of the work can make the user feel unqualified. It also encourages a feeling of weariness, tediousness, or saturation.
In addition, computer technology can be used to check the performance of employees, hence the feeling of being watched over could exacerbate psychological tension. All these problems are aggravated by time pressure.
Of course, it would not be fair, or true, to blame the computer itself as the only cause of stress: it all depends on how computer technology is used. Several other factors of psychological tension can be found in today’s work environment, such as the organization of work, social relationships and work atmosphere.
Study the vocabulary list:
fear v – бояться
detriment n – вред, ущерб
vision, sight n – зрение
screen n – экран
duration n – продолжительность
solicity v – воздействовать
faculty n – способность
painful adj – болезненный
fatigue n – утомление, усталость
complain v – жаловаться
sting n – жгучая боль
burning sensationn – ощущениежжения
impairment n – повреждение
constraints n – принуждение
headache n – головная боль
dizzyspells n – приступы головокружения
on-coming n – приближение
reflection n – отражение, отображение
overload n – перегрузка
legibility n – четкость
tire v – утомлять
adjust v – приспособлять, прилаживать, регулировать
resolution n – разрешающая способность
responsible adj – ответственный
accentuate v – делать ударение, подчеркивать, выделять
inferior adj – ниже
acuteness n – острота, сообразительность
glance n – взгляд
preventv – предотвратить
manually adv – вручную
poor adj – слабый
eliminate v – устранять
emanatе v – проистекать, происходить
angle n – угол зрения
schedule n – расписание, распорядок
break n – перерыв
exceed v – превышать
wary adj – осторожный, осмотрительный
gadgets n – приспособления
danger n – опасность
apprehension n – понимание, опасение
tension n – напряжение
frustrated adj – расстроенный
vexed adj – раздраженный, огорченный
alert adj – настороженный
repetitive adj – повторяющийся
encourage v – стимулировать
weariness n – усталость
tediousness n – утомление
saturation n – пресыщение, насыщение
hence – следовательно
exacerbate v – усиливать, обострять
aggravate v – отягчать, ухудшать
blaim v – обвинять
cause n – причина
1. Practise reading the following words and collocations.
a) Vision, myopia, discomforting, bedazzlement, headache, symptoms, accentuating, inferior, acuteness, perpendicular, schedule, exceed, gadget, alert, unqualified, tediousness, saturation.
b) Permanent detriment, eye fatigue, stinging eyes, visual constraints, poor legibility, advertised qualities, biological screens, psychological tension, frustrated or vexed, frequent glances, work environment.
c) Impairment of their sight, provoke a visual and nervous overload, pre-existing eye defects, repetitive nature of the work, maintain a good distance.
2. Find in the text English equivalents for the following.
Вызывать близорукость; болезненная усталость глаз; жаловаться на жжение в глазах; ухудшение зрения; головные боли и головокружения; визуальная и нервная перегрузка; неправильно настроенные контраст, цвет и яркость; зрительное утомление; достаточно следовать нескольким правилам; настраивать вручную характеристики изображения; делать регулярные перерывы; защитные экраны; увеличить психологическое напряжение.
3. Give the most suitable Russian equivalents for the following expressions.
To fear any permanent detriment; conclusion reached by studies; computer screen; long duration; cause myopia; solicit certain eye fatigue; to such an extent; complain of stinging eyes; burning sensations; visual constraint can contribute; headache and dizzy spells; appear; tend to disappear; provoke a visual and nervous overload; reduce the contrast; poor legibility; incorrectly adjusted; distance between eye and screen; therefore; to reduce eye fatigue; avoid certain colour combinations; to eliminate the effect of reflections on the screen; screen with anti-reflecting qualities; maintain a good distance from the screen; insist on the necessity; systematic work schedule; take regular breaks and alter one’s activities; exceed four hours; invest large sums in; advertised qualities; anti-fatigue devices; anti-radiation glasses; protecting screens; double danger; specific cause of psychological tension; may become frustrated and vexed; slow response time; to blame computer itself.
4. Match the following words and phrases to make complete expressions from the text.
A
|
computer eуe burnings dizzy visual psychological night’s poor regular “biological” data cause social repetitive |
nature tension breaks screen of stress relationships sensation fatigue input legibility sleep constraint screen spells |
B
|
visual the contrast the acuteness data rapid to eliminate systematic today’s |
the effects work colours and frequent of eye work recording and nervous |
schedule environment task overload fatigue and the brightness glances of reflections |
Exercise 5. In each of the four sets of words below, one is the odd one out: different from the others. Find the word that is different, and circle it. For example:
monitor printer scanner spread sheet
Аspreadsheet is an application, the others are machines.
bug ………error……… howler……… message
allocate……… emulate…….. replicate……… simulate
click …….. drag………point ……… type
lcd …… qbe .. ……tft ……. vga
beep …….. bloop ………wipe ……….zap
bps.…...dpi……mips……… ppm
6.Consult the dictionary and give the Russian equivalents for the following:
User: user account; user-definable; user-defined characters; user-friendly; user group; user identification code; user interface; user name; user’s program; user-selectable.
Display: display adapter; display character; display colour; display device; video display; display line; display screen; display space; display unit; digital display; plasma display; to display on the screen.
Record: record format; record length; records management; record structure; logical record; physical record; to record the results in this column; recordable CD; magnetic tape recorder; recording density; recording indicator; recording level.
7. Match the following words with the correct definition from the list below:
manually, contrast, solution, screen, egronomics, reflection, legibility, background, resolution
1. Display device capable of showing a quantity of information, the surface on to which a picture image is projected or shown.
2. Light or image which is reflected.
3. Difference between black and white tones or between colours.
4. Being able to be read.
5. Number of pixels (picture elements) that a screen or printer can display per unit area.
6. Done by hand, not automatically.
7. Part of a picture which is behind the main object of interest.
8. Answer to a problem.
9. Study of people at work and their working conditions, concerned with improving safety and making machines easy to use.
8. Complete the sentences with the words from the box.
Nature, overload, characteristics, screen, fatigue, disappear, constraints, bedazzlement
1. Works with computer screens of long duration can cause sometimes painful eye … … … .
2. The visual … … … can contribute to headache or dizzy spells.
3. After a few hours of working on a computer, stinging eyes, burning sensations and … … … can be experienced.
4. The tend to … … … after a few hours of a night’s sleep.
5. Reflections provoke a visual and nervous … … … .
6. The technical … … … of the picture are important.
7. Characters can be difficult to read if the … … … has a low resolution.
8. The acuteness of eye fatigue will also depend on the … … … of work undertaken.
9. Translate into Russian:
1. He made an error in calculating the total. 2. The letter was sent to the London office by error. 3. A wrinkled or torn page may be the cause of scanning errors. 4. Microcom has launched a new version of its error correction protocol. 5. The technical staff are trying to correct a programming fault. 6. The manuscript is written in pencil and is hardly legible. 7. The keyboarders find the manuscript lacks legibility. 8. The paper has to be manually fed into the printer. 9. I think the joystick needs adjustment as it sometimes gets stuck. 10. The resolution of most personal computer screens is not much more than 70 dpi. 11. The manual is included with the system. 12. Using a computer should eliminate all possibility of error in the address system. 13. The spelling checker does not eliminate all spelling mistakes. 14. A special piece of software running on an Apple Macintosh can emulate Microsoft Windows and allow you to run PC programs on a Mac. 15. The old data was contrasted with the latest information. 16. His background is in the computer industry. 17. The other machines around this device will produce a lot of background noise.
10. Answer the questions:
1. What detriments can computers cause?
2. How can computers influence your sight?
3. What does the on-coming eye-fatigue depend on?
4. How can one prevent the eye-fatigue?
5. Why is it sometimes dangerous to buy computers of the up-to-date models?
6. How can computers influence the psychological condition of a man?
7. Are the computers the only cause of stress?
11. Say if the statements are true or false.
1. Work on a computer can cause myopia.
2. Work with the computer screen doesn’t cause any health problems.
3. The symptoms of eye fatigue tend to disappear after a few hours of a night’s sleep.
4. Prolong work in front of a computer screen can cause cancer.
5. The way the contrast, the colours and the brightness are adjusted is not important.
6. Characters may be difficult to read if the screen has a low resolution.
7. Poor-working position can also be in charge of eye fatigue.
8. The recommended distance between eyes and a screen is 30 cm.
9. Working on a computer you should take regular breaks or alter activities to avoid health problems and discomforts.
12. Say what you have learnt from the text about.
1. Computer’s impact on health.
2. Reflections and contrasts.
3. How to prevent eye fatigue.
4. Computers cause stress.
13. Translate into English:
1. У пользователей компьютеров нет причин бояться постоянного вреда для своего зрения. 2. Работа с компьютерным экраном, даже длительное время, не вызывает появление близорукости. 3. После нескольких часов перед компьютерным экраном, определенное количество операторов жалуются на боль в глазах, ощущения жжения, а иногда и ухудшение зрения. 4. Эти симптомы усталости глаз могут появиться во время или после окончания работы; обычно они исчезают после нескольких часов сна. 5. Технические характеристики изображения также очень важны: контрастность, цвет и яркость могут влиять на зрение. 6. Символы трудно читать, если у экрана низкое разрешение. 7. Усталость глаз также зависит от вида работы, которую вы выполняете. 8. Необходимо делать регулярные перерывы или менять вид деятельности, если ежедневная работа на компьютере превышает четыре часа. 9. Нет необходимости вкладывать большие суммы денег на покупку специального оборудования. 10. Сегодня компьютеры в целом обладают хорошим качеством изображения, и следует быть осторожным относительно рекламируемых качеств, которые не всегда базируются на научных фактах. 11. Обладание информацией – одно из первостепенных условий успешного ведения бизнеса. Это аксиома, подтвержденная веками предпринимательской практики. В нынешнюю же эпоху научно-технического прогресса и обострения конкурентной борьбы в транснациональных масштабах бессмысленно говорить об информированности без взаимосвязи с вопросом о технических возможностях приема, обработки и передачи огромных информационных потоков.
14. Sometimes the best way to support an argument is to come up with an unexpected fact:
The following paragraph contains some surprising facts (given in italics). Read the paragraph aloud and introduce each of these facts with one of the phrases from the list.
Start:
Do you realise that ....
Believe it or not, ......
You may not believe it ..........
It may sound strange, but .......
The surprising thing is .........
Surprisingly, .........
Oddly enough, ........
Funnily enough, ............
End with:
Generally.......
By and large ..............
As a rule .............
Normally ..............
Usually ..............
On the whole, ................
Example:
TV plays a very large role in British life. (There were 2.3 TVs per household in Britain in 1987.)
• Do you realise that there were, on average, 2.3 TVs per household in Britain in 1987? Normally TV is an important part of British life.
TV has a tremendous effect on children. (Children spend more time watching TV than doing anything else in their waking hours.) Early in life, children learn from TV to influence their parents about what to buy – not just in the area of toys, but also at the supermarket. (Women buy more snack foods when accompanied by children.) Also, when parents don’t limit their children’s TV watching, they become so dependent on televesion for their entertainment that they begin to lose their potential for creativity. (A study has shown that children without TV who are left to themselves develop their own creative powers.) Many people are also worried about the high percentage of programmes that highlight violence. (Children have been shown to learn violence from TV.) In short, the negative effects of TV probably outweigh its possible positive influence in presenting the world to the growing child.
Do you agree with the text you read?
If not, give your arguments and try to include some surprising facts which you know.
Exercise 15. Summarize the text “Your computer and your health”.