SPEAKINGSPEAKING

‘‘Information Technology’ Information Technology’ ‘‘Computers’Computers’

Make dialogues on a spot, without preparation. Use active vocabulary

from the topics ‘Information Technology’ and ‘Computers’!

Problem One

Student A Your computer is too slow. Videos seem to buffer forever, and

websites take ages to load. You are asking your friend who seems to know everything about computers to help you.

Student B You are trying to help your friend checking whether s/he has

plenty of free space on the hard drive holding the operating system.

Problem TwoStudent A Your machine keeps restarting. You are asking your friend who

seems to know everything about computers to help you.

Student B Try to figure out some possible solutions. Hardware problems

are hard to diagnose and solve. First, confirm that it’s not the latest wave of Windows updates, which can automatically restart the computer during installation. Then work on updating all of the critical system drivers. The graphics card, the motherboard, and network card drivers are crucial.

Problem ThreeStudent A You don’t like that pop-up ads are appearing on your desktop

all the time. You are asking your friend who seems to know everything about computers to help you.

Student B You are trying to help your friend. If s/he is not running

her/his Web browser and is still getting pop-up ads on her/his desktop, s/he has most likely installed adware – a program that displays unwanted ads. You suggest running a full scan with credible antivirus software as a first step.

Problem FourStudent A Google doesn’t look right. You are asking your friend who

seems to know everything about computers to help you.

Student B You’ve detected the problem. Browser hijackers are a

particularly nasty breed of malware. Such programs take over the Web browser and can stealthily redirect Google searches and other queries to fake pages meant to steal personal information or to further infect your system. Find a solution.

Problem Five

Student A You keep seeing ‘There is a problem with this website’s

security certificate’. You are asking your friend who seems to know everything about computers to help you.

Student B You’ve detected the problem. Sometimes the biggest

problems have the easiest fixes. According to support technicians, the lion’s share of issues are due to an incorrect system clock.

Problem SixStudent A You’ve got an e-mail and you can’t open email attachments.

You are stressed out by this fact. You are asking your friend who seems to know everything about computers to help you.

Student B You are trying to help. You suggest that it should probably

happen because your friend doesn’t have the software necessary to view the file. Give advice.

Problem Seven

Student A Your favorite program isn’t working on you new PC. You feel

frustrated. You are asking your friend who seems to know everything about computers to help you.

Student B You suggest that before calling tech support, your friend has

to make sure that the software s/he is trying to run is compatible with her/his operating system.