Are gadgets in our lives good or bad? How mobile technologies have changed our lives How new gadgets have changed our lives

Level B. My world.

About modern gadgets

We live in the 21st century. It is the age of technologies and information. Nowadays the majority of people use modern gadgets.

A "gadget" is a modern word, which usually describes a small electronic device. This device helps people to solve some of their problems and contemporary tasks. Everybody uses different gadgets, according to their own needs.

But nowadays one kind of gadgets is the most popular - it is smartphone. The smartphone is a contemporary version of a usual mobile phone. Smartphones get very big evolution nowadays. They are very powerful and useful. And they are really convenient and comfortable to use. Smartphones help people to communicate with each other in spite of the territorial disposition. Smartphones are usually connected to the Internet using a wireless type of connection. This helps people to be always online.

There are three primary kinds of smartphones nowadays: iPhone, Android-platform devices, and Windows Phone-devices. I think the most popular model of smartphones in Russia is iPhone. The second place belongs to Android-platform devices, and after them there are Window-Phone devices. Every kind of smartphones works under the control of its own operation system: iPhones run under iOS, Android-devices run under Android OS, and Windows Phone-devices run under Window Phone OS. Every operation system has its own pros and cons. As for me, I prefer Android OS. But I also like iOS, and I also have an iPod touch. It is a mp4 player, and it is like the iPhone but without making calls. The Windows Phone is the youngest system among them, and it is not so enhanced. But it is becoming better and better. And I think it will become a very good system very soon.

I’d also like to tell you about Pad-computers. They are like big smartphones. Many people have Pads nowadays. Pads work on the same operation systems as smartphones. But I think that among Pads the Pads with iOS are the best. They are called iPads. iOS is optimized for pads better than other systems. So, for sure, smartphones and Pads are the most popular gadgets nowadays.

We live in the 21st century. This is the time of technology and information. Nowadays, most people use modern gadgets. "Gadget" is a modern word that usually describes a small electronic device. This device helps people solve some of their problems and modern challenges. Everyone uses different gadgets according to their needs.

But nowadays one type of gadget is the most popular - the smartphone. A smartphone is a modern version of a regular mobile phone. Smartphones have evolved a lot nowadays. They are very powerful and useful. And they are really convenient and comfortable to use. Smartphones help people communicate with each other, regardless of geographical location. Smartphones are usually connected to the Internet using a wireless connection. This helps people to always be online.

There are three main types of smartphones these days: iPhone, Android and Windows Phone. I think that the most popular smartphone model in Russia is the iPhone. Second place belongs to devices on the Android platform - followed by Windows Phone devices. Each type of smartphone runs its own operating system: iPhones run iOS, Android devices run Android OS, and Windows Phone devices run Window Phone OS. Each operating system has its pros and cons. As for me, I prefer Android OS. But I love iOS, and that's why I also have an iPod Touch. This is an MP4 player, it's like a mobile phone, but without the ability to make calls. Windows Phone is the youngest system among them, and it is not that developed. But she's getting better and better. And I think it will become a very good system very soon.

I would also like to tell you about tablet computers. They look like big smartphones. Many people have tablets nowadays. Tablets run the same operating systems as smartphones. But I think among tablets, iOS tablets are the best. They're called iPads. iOS is optimized for a tablet better than other systems. So, smartphones and tablets are the most popular gadgets nowadays.

1. Nowadays it's difficult to imagine our life without different gadgets and machines. 2. They help us do our housework quicker and better. 3. So we clean our clothes with the help of a washing machine. 4. Most people have automatic wahsing machines. 5. We use vacuum cleaners for cleaning our homes. 6. But most of modern gadgets can be found in the kitchen. 7. We can say that modern kitchen is overflowing with different electrical appliances. 8. We boil water with electirical kettles, cook on elecric or gas cookers and put dirty dishes in the dishwasher. 9. Only some years ago people spent much time preparing food. 10. These days busy people can take some frozen food out of the refrigerator and put it in the microwave oven. 11. It"s not the healthiest option but it"s quick. 12. Other gadgets which are usually udsed in the kitchin are: a food mixer, a juicer, a toaster. 13. There are a lot of gadgets which are used in the office. 14. They are: computers, scanners, calculators, fax machines, printers. 15. All people nowadays use mobile phones, digital cameras or camcorders to take photos or videos. 16. Many people watch films using flat screen TVs, DVDs or video players. 17. They use personal stereo to listen to music. 18. Our family also got a lot of modern gadgets which make our lives easier and more comfortable. 1. Nowadays, it is difficult to imagine life without various gadgets and machines. 2. They help you do housework faster and better. 3. This is how we clean our clothes using a washing machine. 4. Most people have an automatic washing machine. 5. We use a vacuum cleaner to clean our houses. 6. But most modern gadgets can be found in the kitchen. 7. We can say that the modern kitchen is overflowing with various appliances. 8. We boil water using an electric kettle, cook on an electric or gas stove, and wash dishes in the dishwasher. 9. Just a few years ago, people spent a lot of time cooking. 10. These days, busy people can take frozen food from the refrigerator and put it in the microwave. 11. This is not the healthiest choice, but it is quick. 12. Other gadgets that are commonly used in the kitchen: mixer, juicer, toaster. 13. Many gadgets are used in the office. 14. These are: computers, scanners, calculators, faxes, printers. 15. All people nowadays use mobile phones, cameras or video cameras to take pictures or shoot videos. 16. Many people watch movies using TV, DVD or video players. 17. They use players to listen to music. 18. Our family also has many modern gadgets and machines that make our life easier and more convenient.

When we talk about mobile technologies, we usually mean all kinds of gadgets, applications, processors, batteries, displays. This is all interesting and exciting, but let's think about such an important aspect as the type and degree of influence of mobile technologies on our daily lives.

Several decades ago, at the beginning of its development, mobile technologies were not yet very mobile. Proud and very wealthy owners needed good physical shape in order to comfortably operate heavy and bulky gadgets. In addition, you had to have access to an electrical outlet to use the first mobile devices, since batteries were not yet built into them.

Since then, technology has advanced incredibly far, with particularly large qualitative growth occurring over the past ten years. Mobile devices have become smaller, more powerful and much more useful. They have penetrated into all areas of our lives, and their role continues to grow. The availability of all kinds of smartphones, tablets, electronic readers, now smart watches and, in the near future, smart glasses, contributes to their rapid spread throughout the world. And, of course, all these billions of mobile devices have a serious impact on our quality of life.

But let's ignore how much thinner, lighter and more adaptive the hardware of gadgets can be. In the end, what is more important is not “faster-higher-stronger”, but what do we, as users, get from using all this variety?

Communication and society

Yes, all kinds of gadgets can make our lives easier and more fun. And not the least role in this is played by the simplification of establishing and maintaining social connections. Today you can get in touch with the right person equally easily and quickly, whether he is in a neighboring house or in nature thousands of kilometers away from you. You can send large amounts of information anywhere in the world within a few seconds, which is especially important for various critical business tasks. You can work on the same project with people on the other side of the planet. You can get confirmation or approval on urgent, vital issues. In other words, mobile technologies have greatly expanded our ability to do business.

Almost instant communication means we can feel much closer to family and friends. We can talk to them at any time, exchange news, ask for advice or help. And communicate visually, using video chat. We can keep in touch with our children even if we can't be with them. This is much more important than it seems at first glance. And what benefits have romantic relationships of any kind gained from the development of mobile technologies...

Thanks to the development of mobile technologies, the rapid growth of social networks that is observed today has become possible. But sharing trivial information about our daily lives with friends and relatives allows us to strengthen our relationships. And without mobile Internet, smartphones and tablets, we would be completely dependent on desktop computers, as well as on landline phones. Sounds like a dreary old nightmare, right?

Mobile technologies make it possible to save many lives of those who, by chance, find themselves in areas of natural or man-made disasters. People can do more than just call for help; Hearing a human voice on the phone, at least a little, makes you feel less alone.

However, over-reliance on social media can create the illusion of an extremely wide range of people to whom we matter. And mobile devices, which are always nearby, always at hand, provide access to social networks at any time of the day or night within a few seconds. And now we are constantly checking new messages, new “photos”, statuses, Facebook, Twitter. Spending a lot of time corresponding with many virtual friends, liking photos right and left, receiving similar feedback in return, it is easy to succumb to the temptation and take everything at face value. But it’s better not to succumb to this misconception, because in reality, for the vast majority of your friend feed, you will not matter at all.

Information and consumer opportunities

With the help of mobile technology, we can now pay for parking directly from our phones. Built-in maps allow you not to get lost in any area of ​​an unfamiliar city. We have access to transport schedules at the click of a button. In the end, now we can simply recognize and explore interesting places that we happen to be close to.

We now have more information about the world in our pockets and bags than at any other time in history. In fact, for hundreds of millions of people, it has become completely natural and habitual to immediately search their smartphones and tablets for information about any activity. Our gadgets can already anticipate what information may interest us and present it to us in a convenient form.
This seemingly superficial and frivolous everyday use of mobile technology has changed human society. It has made our connections with other people much wider and closer. We make real friends online that we have never met in person. We can learn and discuss any current issues and events happening around the world. This encourages communities to emerge and exchanges of ideas that were simply not possible before.

On the other hand, the opportunity for everyone to express their opinion has led to the rise of such a thing as online trolling. Unfortunately, many people begin to get too carried away by participating in online squabbles, subconsciously throwing out accumulated irritation and displeasure. Also, many users practice trolling as a way to have a good time. In addition to the quite obvious destructive influence on conversations and discussions, trolling leads to many useless comments and quarrels, and provokes interlocutors to “get personal.”

Medicine

In addition to changes in our social activity and the expansion of available information, mobile technologies may soon begin to actively influence our health. Technologies are now being actively developed and tested, which, in theory, will allow receiving medical advice using smartphones and tablets, including based on statistics on our daily physical activity and well-being. Add to this the “teledoctor”’s access to the test results of remote patients and the ability to measure certain physiological parameters using sensors built into mobile devices. In this way, it will be possible in the near future to establish primary diagnoses and provide medical advice in emergency cases. And some of these scenarios are already being implemented in a number of countries around the world, in hard-to-reach and underdeveloped areas.

Another of the many medical applications of mobile technology is to help people with limited or no mobility and those with autism. With the help of mobile gadgets, millions of such people gain the opportunity to contact the world. For example, patients after strokes and traumatic brain injuries are now very successfully using tablets to restore their previous abilities. Deaf people can now communicate with other people using SMS. Diabetics were able to monitor their glucose levels and send data wirelessly to compact insulin pumps. Thanks to smartphones, blind people have become less dependent on sighted people, since there is now software that can help them navigate cities, choose the right clothes for the current weather, scan the change given and report the amount.

Conclusion

All this is just a small part of how mobile technologies have transformed, improved and simplified the lives of billions of people. And this process occurs as the technologies themselves develop. We are, without exaggeration, lucky to live in the mobile era. These technologies have become indispensable assistants in just 15 years. Who among you has not periodically felt like being without a phone? The role of gadgets in many of our large and large affairs, daily routine and unique events has become very great.

But new opportunities brought with them new difficulties. Each technology has its own advantages and disadvantages that you either have to put up with or look for ways to solve them.

A few years ago, a boom in smartphones began, which began to rapidly displace keyboard-based mobile phones. An evolutionary change of species occurred. The unusual devices looked absolutely incredible, the lack of buttons was so unusual. But large screens (compared to regular phones), which took over almost all device control functions, turned out to be very “gluttonous.” The increase in information display area led to the rapid development of all kinds of software, which, in turn, spurred the use of more powerful processors and graphics chipsets. As a result of increasing energy consumption, the operating time of modern gadgets rarely reaches two days, provided there is sufficient active use. Of course, rechargeable compact energy sources have also come a long way in recent years. But batteries have not yet been able to keep up with the increased appetites of modern gadgets. So another unique innovation was implemented in YotaPhone, a second electronic ink display.

At one time, the advent of smartphones radically changed people’s understanding of what capabilities a mobile phone can have and what tasks it can be used for. The very approach to using a mobile phone has undergone radical changes thanks to the introduction of full touch screen technology that supports multiple simultaneous touches. With the introduction of the second screen, built using completely different technology, our understanding of mobile phone (now smartphone) use cases has changed again.

In addition to the obvious advantages, such as increased battery life and the ability to comfortably read texts in bright light, the rear screen has finally moved the smartphone into the category of “always on” devices. Certainly, technically All smartphones work all the time, but to use them, you need to do several actions: pick them up, press the power button, unlock the screen, press the desired icon or notification. Only after all this do we receive the information we need or access to some device capabilities. But the electronic ink of YotaPhone's second screen consumes almost no energy, and therefore it is best suited for permanent displaying all kinds of frequently requested information: notifications, messages, current time, etc. Moreover, the user himself chooses what information he wants to immediately see on the second screen. Often you don’t even need to pick up your smartphone, you just need to look at it.

We introduced new interesting ideas and solutions into the second generation of YotaPhone. The launch date of our new smartphone is approaching, and when the time comes, we will tell you in detail about what new it can give to its users, about the introduced innovations and advantages.

Introduction.

In our progressive times, many new interesting inventions are born every day. The advent of gadgets has greatly influenced our world, making it similar to the one we read about in books or saw in movies.

No matter what human activity is invented, there are gadgets everywhere that can help. Even for a small child, you can buy gadgets to develop or control him.

Gadgets are actively used in our world, where there is quite a large demand for such technological things.

Relevance The chosen topic is related to the need to use modern technologies in mastering a foreign language.

Target research: explore the possibilities of learning English using gadgets.

Tasks:

1) reveal the variety of modern gadgets in mastering the English language;

2) compile a list of educational sites on the Internet and the latest applications through which you can easily master a foreign language

Subject research is interactive learning of English, andobject – analysis of modern gadgets, training programs, applications and Internet sites.

Hypothesis: “If you use electronic devices in the process of learning a foreign language, you can achieve positive results.”

We used in the workmethods:

Search engine, aimed at selecting programs and sites for language learning;

Website data analysis

Classification of knowledge about electronic gadgets.

Chapter I . Theoretical part.

1.1 Modern gadgets

In the modern world, where electronic technologies are developing at a rapid pace, gadgets have developed. Gadgets (from the English “gadget” - device) are non-standard and original devices that help a person solve a lot of technical issues. These are lightweight, small-sized digital devices that are used as accessories for a personal computer, smartphone or other devices. The latest gadgets serve both for solving business issues and for entertainment purposes. They can work both as independent devices and as attachments to various equipment.

Personal computer software involves the use of gadgets as applications that provide additional information to the user, for example, about the state of exchange rates or the weather. As mini-applications, gadgets are used in various ways. There are also gadgets that are compatible with a computer.

Among the gadgets that are simultaneously used as an independent device and as an attached equipment, the most common are smartphones, communicators, handheld portable computers, MP3 players, and tablet computers.

The attributes of modern gadgets are portability and light weight. Such devices weigh no more than 300 grams and easily fit in the palm of your hand or pocket. Gadgets are highly functional, and most often, in addition to basic functions, contain a wide selection of additional features. Each individual gadget has only its original functions and characteristics. Most often, manufacturers do not equip gadgets with a sufficiently capacious battery, but the battery life of such a device, with average energy consumption, due to the use of basic functions and some additional capabilities, is about 8-12 hours of continuous operation.

One of the new trends in the development and use of modern electronic devices is a focus on educational institutions, primarily schools. Interactive electronic whiteboards, laptops for teachers, projectors, etc. have gained their reliable positions. .

The rapid pace of growth of informatization and the development of information and communication technologies dictate the living conditions of modern man: activity, mobility, the ability to rationally spend working and personal time, monitor the standard of living and information awareness, and live with the times. Students' interest in information and communication technologies has long been firmly established as an integral part of both life and learning, and therefore becomes the starting point in the educational process.

Nowadays, learning using modern gadgets is no longer something unusual. The trend in the development of the educational process in recent decades is the priority of individual electronic devices for schoolchildren, the purpose of which is to help with learning. An important condition for organizing the educational process is the creation of conditions for the student in which he will be comfortable and, most importantly, interested in working.

Modern children, already in elementary school, are fluent in using portable devices: tablets, digital voice recorders, players, etc. Now almost every gadget can be used in their studies, to make the work of students and teachers easier.

2. Practical part.

2.1 . Gadgets help you learn a foreign language

Learning languages ​​(both foreign and native) is a very complex process that requires a huge amount of text and graphic information, access to which is limited within traditional teaching methods. While for learning a language - this is a unique library that is always at hand. An indispensable thing when learning a language will be a book reader or an e-book - a device with which you can not only read works, but also take notes, listen and create audio recordings. Gadget translators will provide online translation services for texts of any complexity from any language you are interested in. Thus, learning using computer technology is a very exciting process that is characterized by high efficiency.

The translation gadget is designed to perform everyday tasks; it is assembled conveniently and efficiently and will not cause any difficulties when using it.

You speak, and the translating gadget DX20ER recognizes your Russian speech, processes and provides a translation into English ABSOLUTELY WITHOUT THE INTERNET! Dialogue mode is available offline, just press the virtual language keys and speak wherever you want and whatever you want! Communicate without borders and without language barriers! When connected to the Internet via WiFi or 3G, the translation gadget translates into 100 foreign languages ​​from voice to voice with automatic language recognition, i.e. You set a language pair and communicate, and the translating gadget itself determines what language is spoken and translates by voice into another language.

The presented model runs on the popular Android operating system. The motherboard of the device also has an excellent video processor, a large display allows you to view movies, photos, play games, etc. When working with this device, you get real pleasure from the effect of presence.

The translation gadget also has an excellent program in Russian that teaches English voice to voice and evaluates you. With this program you can learn spoken, everyday English in 4-6 months. It has additional learning programs Lingvo Leo, Nemo, 6000 words. has the ability to translate texts from Russian into foreign languages ​​and back into 50 languages ​​without the Internet. Languages: Russian, English, Dutch, Spanish, Italian, Chinese, Korean, German, French, Arabic, Hungarian, Vietnamese, Greek, Danish, Hebrew, Indonesian, Catalan, Malay, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Finnish, Croatian, Czech, Swedish, Japanese, etc. unites in one person at the same time: a translation language gadget, a smartphone and a foreign language teacher.

To access the Internet, the built-in wireless Wi-Fi adapter is useful, or you can use 3g since the device is equipped with 2 SIM slots and can work as a full-fledged smartphone!

Compact and lightweight (just 305g), LUX 2 fits in your pocket, and the high-contrast five-inch LCD screen provides first-class display quality. Translation of texts is available in 8 languages ​​without an Internet connection. Just type any text on the keyboard in Russian, English, French, Italian, Spanish, German, Polish or Portuguese and LUX will translate it at the touch of a button. Our latest speech synthesis system will translate text into eight languages.

LUX includes all the best linguistic products. These are Language Teacher training programs, speaking Oxford Academic English Dictionary, phrase books(English, Spanish, French, Polish, Italian, Portuguese, German) and many other tools, ready to work without additional configuration. Key features of the Language Teacher training program: These are interactive textbooks in 8 languages ​​that simulate real-life communication, so you can learn foreign languages ​​in the shortest possible time. All necessary instructions are voiced in your native language.

The Language Teacher system shows the spelling of a word or phrase, the corresponding picture and the translation itself, and also pronounces the word or phrase out loud. After this, you can pronounce the word or phrase directly into the translator, the system will evaluate your pronunciation and provide the correct version for comparison. This way, you can improve both your own pronunciation and listening comprehension. The program includes 4 sections: Alphabet Words Phrases Dialogues. The talking dictionary translates in both directions, depending on the selected language pair, and contains a database of more than 1,200,000 words and phrases. Detailed dictionary entries with transcription, examples, parts of speech, etc.

Smart pen Neo Smart Pen N2 - a pen that can not only digitize all handwritten notes, but alsotranscribe manuscript into electronic text, and the recognition percentage is very high and comparable to the human recognition percentage; it’s especially nice that Russian is supported.

In addition, Neo SmartPen N2 can take audio notes over a letter; in practice, this can be used to audio record a lecture over a handwritten note. Then you can select the fragment of interest and hear what the teacher or you yourself said at that moment.

All recordings are easily shared, so you can practically stream online to your classmates everything that was written with this gadget. The pen is very similar to an ordinary one and an uninitiated teacher is unlikely to guess that you have an unusual pen. This gadget feature offers a lot of possibilities for savvy students.

Application

List of Internet resources, language platforms and applications for those learning English.

English from scratch

- one of the most popular services for learning foreign languages ​​from scratch. The program of each course is built in the form of a “tree of achievements”: in order to move to a new level, you need to score a certain number of points, which are given for correct answers.

- penpals. A huge international community, built on the principle of Facebook or any other social network, but with an emphasis on language learning.

- a social network with ready-made English lessons. You can learn the language here in several ways: communicate with users in chat, on the forum or in private messages, solve grammatical riddles and listen to audio recordings.

- a service for working on written speech for those who have already mastered the basics of language practice. The user writes a text in the language being studied, after which a native speaker of the corresponding language checks what has been written and makes his own corrections.

- help another, and he will help you. Exercises that cannot be checked by the program are analyzed by native speakers. They do this for a reason, but in exchange for the fact that someone will later check their exercises.

- a network that turns any native speaker into a serious teacher. It is possible to give professional lessons to those interested by scheduling them and contacting them at a certain time.

- an online community for foreign language learners. Each member of the community is both a student and a teacher who helps those who wish to master their native language.

- here are activities to expand vocabulary and thematic lessons. Additional lessons are available for an additional fee.

YouTube channels in Russian

- many video lessons on various topics: grammar analysis, secrets and tips for learning the language, interesting expressions from TV series, pronunciation and much more.

- quite a fun and entertaining channel. Learn English through music, games, movies and humor.

- an educational and entertaining channel about learning English, fun and effective.

- learning living modern English. Lots of materials for beginners.

YouTube channels in English

- short two-minute lessons - convenient and effective. You can download it to your smartphone and watch it on the road.

- many useful grammar lessons.

- American English with short dictations and pronunciation analysis.

- short videos about everything in English.

- a huge archive of video tutorials on a variety of topics.

- Most of the videos are about grammar. Explained quite clearly, cheerfully and with humor.

- here you will find tips on how to improve your pronunciation, master grammar and much more. Useful for both students and teachers.

- the channel will be especially useful for those who have difficulties with pronunciation.

- the variety of material is impressive. Most lessons are devoted to grammar.

- about simple things in English. A channel for those who more or less understand grammar, but have problems communicating.

- a large number of interesting and educational videos on many topics.

- a popular channel with interesting podcasts and almost daily updates.

- good lessons on a variety of topics, based on modern teaching principles.

- an extensive selection of free video lessons from native English speakers.

Interactive services

- a site with a large number of materials for different levels of study and with different formats - from lessons and videos to games and communication with other users.

- suggests learning English through role-playing situations and memorizing various expressions. About 150 articles were collected.

- the service is built using a gaming method. Contains an extensive database of video, audio and text materials.

- a fairly advanced site with lessons, articles and videos. Before you start learning, select “Russian” on the main page.

- a good resource from California. Its main task is teaching English as a second language. The ability to download and work with a huge number of podcasts with printouts and dictionaries.

is a great resource for English learners. All presented material is divided into levels. Paul from the USA explains grammar in his videos.

- every day a lesson plan is created for you, which can be completed in 30 minutes. Everything is quite simple.

- a new approach to learning English. The teaching method is based on using videos, photos, games and chatting with friends to practice English every day.

- the ability to work with an interactive dictionary, there are numerous articles, photos and videos.

Learning a language through movies

- movies and TV series with built-in translator. A real find for film buffs learning English.

- language learning through short films. The site has a variety of films: about fun holidays in Barcelona, ​​and about the problems of English agriculture.

Speaking and listening comprehension

- interactive course for self-study. Speaking training, studying grammar with a lot of examples.

- learn a modern living language with the help of the BBC Russian Service with tasks in Russian.

- collected podcasts from all over the world on a variety of topics. Living language with printouts and explanations (all in English). You can compare pronunciation from Canada, England, Australia, etc.

- the site offers to tune into English and do it with the help of music. Here you can take dictation of song lyrics, sing karaoke, find exercises for the lyrics, and guess what song is being talked about using diagrams.

Vocabulary expansion

- a simulator for replenishing your English vocabulary. There are grammar exercises and tests in various subjects.

- during training, the user is asked to choose a mem picture or record for better memorization of a word - or create his own associative image. Then you need to perform exercises on choosing the correct answer and listening to the word.

- a visual dictionary divided into thematic lessons. The system offers to expand your vocabulary in 3 ways at once: repeating words after the speaker on the recorder, writing them using the suggested letters and reproducing them in an appropriate context.

- you can significantly expand your vocabulary. Learning occurs in the process of reading texts - either those offered on the site, or your own, which are quite easy to upload to the site.

- learn English with the help of song lyrics.

- you can significantly expand your vocabulary by doing exercises to practice reading, writing, listening comprehension and using words in context.

Reading in English

- here you can read books in the original, a professional literary translation of the text is always before your eyes.

Blogs

- by reading this blog, you can learn about a variety of ways to practice English every day.

- a blog in English where users share their experiences of learning the language.

Grammar and spelling practice

- excellent spelling practice in English. You are asked to listen to a word, then write it.- here you can easily prepare for language tests. There are sections for practicing pronunciation (American, English), idioms, slang, etc. TED.com and view it with subtitles in two languages ​​simultaneously.

- an excellent audio course for beginners, available online in the form of audio files and separately - in the form of scripts for them. Suggested for listening to the story in English. Contains 6 difficulty levels.

Collections of materials on the English language

- is a selection of materials on the English language for beginners. Documents and programs were collected by students and graduate students of Moscow State University.

- careful selection and classification of materials for learning English: online dictionaries, schools, forums, translators, tutors, tests, school textbooks, video courses, games, YouTube channels, podcasts and much more. Everything is free.

- a sea of ​​textbooks and books for downloading. The search engine works well. You can find almost everything.

- an online portal for learning languages, including English. Video lessons, exercises, online language learning system, forum for language lovers.

We live in the era of high technologies, and we use modern inventions in our everyday life because they have brought us much comfort. New technologies have spread on every field over the past 15 years. Moreover, they are rapidly changing. For example, video-recorders, DVD-players or compact disks have already become obsolete and have been replaced by more up-to-date devices. Today we can hardly imagine our life without such modern mobile devices as cell phones or laptops. Our offices are fully equipped with computers, printers, scanners, air-conditioners, interactive whiteboards and wi-fi modems. Household appliances (vacuum-cleaners, coffee-machines, dish-washers, food processors and others) help us to save our time and energy.

However, we should realize that digital and electronic inventions have both negative and positive impact on our daily life.

I am absolutely positive that new technologies or gadgets are making things faster, easier, more comfortable and interesting. For instance, if you install a GPS (Global Positioning System) in your car you’ll never get lost again. And could we imagine just 15 years ago all the things we can do on the wireless Internet nowadays: connecting with friends from all over the world, online shopping and banking, distance online learning, finding virtual relationships and even working from home? Isn’t that awesome?! Our parents used to go to post-offices to send letters or pay bills, they went to libraries to find a good book and they used telephone-booths for phone-calls.

On the other hand, I know some people who are strongly against some modern inventions because they really miss those days when they talked to each other face to face in reality, and not virtually. I partially agree with that as I really believe that people are becoming anti-social and too dependent on their gadgets. Some of my friends also spend half of the time occupying their shiny gadgets (smart-phones or i-pads) even when we go out together. Besides, people who use various social networks a lot (such as Facebook or Instagram) should worry more about their privacy.

Summing up, I could say that there are serious arguments both for and against the use of new technologies but anyway it’s really difficult to imagine our life without them today.

New technologies in our lives

We live in an era of high technology and use modern inventions in our daily lives as they have brought us a lot of comfort. New technologies have proliferated in every field over the past 15 years. Moreover, they are changing rapidly. For example, VCRs, DVD players or CDs have become obsolete and are being replaced by more modern devices. Today we can hardly imagine our life without such modern mobile devices as cell phones or laptops. Our offices are fully equipped with computers, printers, scanners, air conditioners, interactive whiteboards and wi-fi modems. Household appliances (vacuum cleaners, coffee machines, dishwashers, food processors and others) help us save time and energy.

However, we need to understand that digital and electronic inventions have both negative and positive impacts on our daily lives.

I completely agree that new technologies or gadgets make many things faster, easier, more convenient and more interesting. For example, if you install a GPS (Global Navigation System) in your car, you will never get lost again. Could we imagine just 15 years ago all the things we can do today via wireless Internet: connecting with friends around the world, online shopping and banking, online distance learning, searching for virtual acquaintances and even working from home? Is not that great?! Our parents used to go to the post office to post letters or pay bills, they went to libraries to find a good book and they used telephone booths to make calls.

On the other hand, I know people who are completely against some modern inventions, since they really miss the days when they communicated with each other, face to face, in reality, and not virtually. I partly agree with this because I think people are becoming anti-social and too dependent on their gadgets. Some of my friends also devote half of their time to their shiny gadgets (smartphones or iPads), even when we go out together. In addition, people who use social networks a lot (such as Facebook or Instagram) need to be concerned about protecting their personal information.