Microchips and Computer

4EBO/O1
Edexcel IGCSE
English Language B
Sample Assessment Material
NAYAN SIR (ENG.LANGUAGE)
THE MAGIC OF SCIENCE

PASSAGE: ONE
Microchips and computers are opening the doors to an increasingly automated home.
Already microcomputers are being used as one component in all sorts of electrical devices,
from 'intelligent' washing machines to the pre-programmed telephone; from thermostat
controls to the simple chip that makes our televisions stay in tune. There is now a vacuum
cleaner capable of thinking for itself, adapting its suction to the surface it is cleaning.
Already, infra-red control systems are on the market. These will, at the touch of a button,
automate up to sixteen electrical appliances. Soon you will be able to operate these
appliances just by speaking to them. VADAS - Voice. Activated Domestic Appliance
System, a machine which translates voice commands into actions - is being developed.
There is a machine which will make it possible to communicate with your home from the
office, and eventually from anywhere in the world. Amongst other things, it will be able to
activate the washing machine, turn on the house lights, close the curtains and even run
your bath ready for when you get home.
This influence is sure to grow. Just as the use of micros in offices brought word processing
and accounting into home computers, so the concept of the factory robot -seen on the
automated car plants of America and Japan - is spreading into the home. It is unlikely that
computerised homes will ever have tin robots staggering around, acting as butler and
housemaid as in early science fiction; rather, computers will be used to conftot specific
processes, built into the fabric of the home. This could take the form of a robotic unit,
controlled by a computer and using a whole series of microprocessors, modelled on
processes already used in industry. The technology exists to replace the comparatively
labour-intensive dishwasher, sink and waste-disposal unit of today, although the costs
might persuade you to keep the scourer and dish-cloth.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Edexcel IGCSE in English Language (Specification B) Sample Assessment Materials
NAYAN SIR (ENG.LANGUAGE) 01720-362975
4EBO/O1
Edexcel IGCSE
English Language B
Domestic robots on sale today are little more than eccentric robotic butlers, capable of
bringing you your slippers and pouring and serving you a much-needed drink after a day's
work. One example, Hero I, can use his articulated arm to fetch your slippers. There are one
or two problems, though. To get him to perforin what appears to be a simple task, you have
to leave both yourself and your slippes in exactly the same place as when you first
programmed him. Also, unless you point him in the right direction, he may bring you the
cat's dinner bowl instead.
PASSAGE: TWO
SCIENCE AND WONDER
In the meantime, the best example of the way in which microcomputers may well become
regarded as an indispensable part of the home is in the field of security. The use of
microprocessors and microcomputers has already revolutionised this area. Until recently,
computer-controlled security was used only in industrial, military and research
environments. Now micro technology is making what used to keep out the spies accessible
to the home-owner, in a development that has the furthest reaching implications for home
security.
A microcomputer can be programmed to detect changes of light in the pictures sent back
from closed-circuit television, to the extent where it can 'see' movement. Of course, the
software for this is relatively complex, since it must take account of weather patterns and
other light changes not caused by intruders. It also has to be able to filter out the prowlings
of the neighbourhood cats.
Once the computer has spotted the intruder, it will put a picture from the relevant camera
on to the screen in the security room. This system can theoretically now be used to alert a
householder that there is an intruder somewhere on his or her premises and screen the
person's progress. Also, sensors picking up a break-in can relay a message down a
telephone link to the householder's office or, at the same time, directly to the police or the
security firm handling the system.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
4EBO/O1
Edexcel IGCSE
English Language B
The great advantage of this system is that it goes a long way towards dealing with a major
problem for any security system - false alarms. If a system is continually triggered by
wind-blown plastic bags, temperature changes and stray dogs and cats, the chances are that
the response will be slow in the event of a real emergency. A system designed to filter out
these false alarms, becomes more dependable.
SECTION: A
Refer to Passage One:
1. Explain what is meant in the passage by the sentence 'rather, computers will be used to
control specific processes, built into the fabric of the home' (lines 18-20) MARK:1
2. From the context explain the meaning of labour-intensive' (line 20). MARK:1
3.Text-analysis. Explain how the writer concedes us about his impression throughout the
text. You should support your answer with close reference to the passage, including brief
quotations. MARKS:10
Refer to Passage Two:

4. What development has 'the furthest reaching implications for home security' (lines 5-6)?
5. Which two methods are used to indicate that an intruder is on the premises? MARKS:2
6.Text-analysis. Explain how the writer acknowledge text with its language
technique throughout the passage. You should support your answer with close
reference to the passage, including language features. Marks:10
Refer to Both Text One and Text Two to answer the following question.
7. Compare how the writers of Text One and Text Two convey their ideas and
experiences. Support your answer with examples from both texts. Marks:15
SECTION: B
_______________________________________________________________________________________
4EBO/O1
Edexcel IGCSE
English Language B
8.Imagine that you are a salesperson for a computer firm. Write a description of all the new
equipment being developed for domestic purposes referred to in Passages One and Two to
inform householders. Marks:30
SECTION: C
9.Write between 350 and 400 words on one of the following:
(a) What new technology may be available by the end of the century?
Or,
(b) How I keep in touch with friends and relatives.
Or,
(c) The Machines that controlled the world. Marks:30
_______________________________________________________________________________________

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4EBO/O1

THE MAGIC OF SCIENCE

Refer to Passage Two:

9.Write between 350 and 400 words on one of the following:

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