Infotech: English for Computer Users
Module 1

Unit 4. Buying a computer

1. In a computer shop

Exercise D. Listen to two people making inquiries about buying a computer and complete the product descriptions.

iMac

  1. RAM
  2. Hard drive capacity
  3. Operating system
  4. Price

MacBook
  1. Processor speed
  2. RAM
  3. Hard drive capacity
  4. DVD drive included?
  5. Operating system

Exercise E. Listen again and complete the extract from the conversation.

2. Language functions in a computer shop

Complete the Exercise. Answers.

  1. power > powerful (Describing)
  2. less practical > more practical (Comparing)
  3. Where's > What's (Asking for technical specs)
  4. looking a desktop > looking for a desktop (Explaining what you are looking for)
  5. the help > any help (Greeting and offering help)
  6. how many > how much (Asking the price)
  7. is a > has a (Giving technical specs)

3. Role play - buying a computer

Use the prompts and product descriptions of computers on page 18 to role play the conversation.

Shop assistant. Greet the customer and offer help.

Customer. Explain what you are looking for.

Shop assistant. Show the cutomer two possible models.

Customer. Ask for some technical specs.

Shop assistant. Give technical specs.

Customer. Ask about any firther technical specs.

Shop assistant. Give the information required.

Customer. Ask the price.

Shop assistant. Answer and give details that might persuade the customer to buy the computer.

4. Choosing the right computer

Exercise A. Listen to four people talking about their computer needs and answer the questions.

Speaker 1.
  1. What kind of computer does the speaker need?

  2. What does the speaker need the computer for?

  3. What kind of screen does he neeed for the computer and why?

  4. Which of the four computers would you recommend for this speaker?

Speaker 2.
  1. What is the speaker's job?

  2. Why does the speaker need a powerful system?

  3. What application do you think the speaker would need to buy to go with his computer.

  4. What size hard drive would you recommend? Why?

  5. Which of the four computers would you recommend for this speaker?

Speaker 3.
  1. What is the speaker's job?

  2. What does the speaker's job involve?

  3. Why does the speaker need lots of memory and large drive?

  4. What application software would you recommend for this speaker?

  5. Which of the four computers would you recommend for this speaker?

Speaker 4.
  1. What is the speaker's job?

  2. For waht kind of company does the speaker work?

  3. Why does the speaker need a lighwight computer?

  4. How will the speaker use the computer?

  5. What application software would you recommend for this speaker?

  6. Which of the four computers would you recommend for this speaker?

5. Vocabulary tree

Complete the exercise by putting each of the words below into the appropriate box.

processor, ROM, expendable memory, ALU, DIMMs, hard drive, RAM, computer brain, byte, DVD, system clock, keyboard, mouse, gigahertz, printer, megbyte, webcam, registers

  • CPU
  • Main memory
  • Peripherals

    • Complete Workbook 4.

    Copyright ©. George Goce Mitrevski. mitrevski@pelister.org