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UNIT 20TASK 1. Study new words and word combinations.
Task 2. Read the text and translate it from English into Russian. Bioengineering isthe application of engineering knowledge to the fields of medicine and biology. The bioengineer must be well grounded in biology and have engineering knowledge that is broad, drawing upon electrical, chemical, mechanical, and other engineering disciplines. The bioengineer may work in any of a large range of areas. One of these is the provision of artificial means to assist defective body functions—such as hearing aids, artificial limbs, and supportive or substitute organs. In another direction, the bioengineer may use engineering methods to achieve biosynthesis of animal or plant products—such as for fermentation processes. Before World War II the field of bioengineering was essentially unknown, and little communication or interaction existed between the engineer and the life scientist. A few exceptions, however, should be noted. The agricultural engineer and the chemical engineer, involved in fermentation processes, have always been bioengineers in the broadest sense of the definition since they deal with biological systems and work with biologists. The civil engineer, specializing in sanitation, has applied biological principles in the work. Mechanical engineers have worked with the medical profession for many years in the development of artificial limbs. Another area of mechanical engineering that falls in the field of bioengineering is the air-conditioning field. In the early 1920s engineers and physiologists were employed by the American Society of Heating and Ventilating Engineers to study the effects of temperature and humidity on humans and to provide design criteria for heating and air-conditioning systems. Today there are many more examples of interaction between biology and engineering, particularly in the medical and life-support fields. In addition to an increased awareness of the need for communication between the engineer and the associate in the life sciences, there is an increasing recognition of the role the engineer can play in several of the biological fields, including human medicine, and, likewise, an awareness of the contributions biological science can make toward the solution of engineering problems. Much of the increase in bioengineering activity can be credited to electrical engineers. In the 1950s bioengineering meetings were dominated by sessions devoted to medical electronics. Medical instrumentation and medical electronics continue to be major areas of interest, but biological modeling, blood-flow dynamics, prosthetics, biomechanics (dynamics of body motion and strength of materials), biological heat transfer, biomaterials, and other areas are now included in conference programs. Bioengineering developed out of specific desires or needs: the desire of surgeons to bypass the heart, the need for replacement organs, the requirement for life support in space, and many more. In most cases the early interaction and education were a result of personal contacts between physician, or physiologist, and engineer. Communication between the engineer and the life scientist was immediately recognized as a problem. Most engineers who wandered into the field in its early days probably had an exposure to biology through a high-school course and no further work. To overcome this problem, engineers began to study not only the subject matter but also the methods and techniques of their counterparts in medicine, physiology, psychology, and biology. Much of the information was self-taught or obtained through personal association and discussions. Finally, recognizing a need to assist in overcoming the communication barrier as well as to prepare engineers for the future, engineering schools developed courses and curricula in bioengineering. TASK 3. Read the following words and word combinations and explain the purpose of each of the devices given below: Braille printer, adaptive switch, adapted keyboard, on-screen keyboard, voice recognition system, screen-pointing device, pneumatic switch (sip and puff) Model: A screen magnifier is a program used to help visually impaired people read the text on the screen. TASK 4. Ask Wh-questions and retell the text. TASK 5. Read the text and match the left and the right columns of alternative input devices: TYPES OF ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY PRODUCTS Assistive technology products are designed to provide additional accessibility to individuals who have physical or cognitive difficulties, impairments, and disabilities. When selecting assistive technology products, it is important to find products that are compatible with the computer operating system and programs on the particular computer being used. Below are descriptions of the various types of assistive technology products that are currently available on the market today. You may also want to use a tool to identify the right type of assistive technology that might be useful. Alternative input devices allow individuals to control their computers through means other than a standard keyboard or pointing device. Examples include:
TASK 6. Fill in the gaps using suffixes and prefixes. Braille embossers transfer … (compute) generated text into embossed Braille output. Braille … (translate) programs convert text scanned-in or generated via standard word processing programs into Braille, which can be printed on the embosser. Keyboard filters are typing aids such as word … (predict) utilities and add-on spelling … (check) that reduce the required number of keystrokes. Keyboard filters … (able) users to … (quick) access the letters they need and to avoid inadvertently selecting keys they don't want. Light signaler alerts monitor computer sounds and alert the computer … (use) with light signals. This is … (use) when a computer user cannot hear computer sounds or is not … (direct) in front of the computer screen. As an example, a light can flash alerting the user when a new e-mail message has arrived or a computer command has completed. On-screen keyboards provide an image of a standard or modified keyboard on the computer screen that allows the user to select keys with a mouse, touch screen, trackball, joystick, switch, or … (electron) pointing device. On-screen keyboards often have a scanning option that highlights individual keys that can be selected by the user. On-screen keyboards are … (help) for individuals who are not able to use a standard keyboard due to dexterity or mobility … (difficult). Reading tools and learning disabilities programs include software and hardware designed to make text-based materials more … (access) for people who have difficulty with reading. Options can include scanning, reformatting, navigating, or speaking text out loud. These programs are … (help) for those who have difficulty seeing or manipulating … (convention) print materials; people who are developing new literacy skills or who are learning English as a foreign language; and people who comprehend better when they hear and see text highlighted … (simultaneous). Refreshable Braille displays provide tactile output of information … (present) on the computer screen. A Braille "cell" is composed of a series of dots. The pattern of the dots and … (vary) combinations of the cells are used in place of letters. Refreshable Braille displays … (mechanics) lift small rounded plastic or metal pins as needed to form Braille characters. The user reads the Braille letters with his or her fingers, and then, after a line is read, can refresh the display to read the next line. Screen enlargers, or screen magnifiers, work like a magnifying glass for the computer by … (large) a portion of the screen which can increase legibility and make it easier to see items on the computer. Some screen enlargers allow a person to zoom in and out on a particular area of the screen. Screen readers are used to verbalize, or "speak," everything on the screen including text, graphics, control buttons, and menus into a computerized voice that is spoken aloud. In essence, a screen reader transforms a graphic user interface (GUI) into an audio interface. Screen readers are essential for computer users who are blind. Speech recognition or voice recognition programs, allow people to give commands and enter data using their voices rather than a mouse or keyboard. Voice … (recognize) systems use a microphone attached to the computer, which can be used to create text documents such as letters or e-mail messages, browse the Internet, and navigate among … (apply) and menus by voice. TASK 7. Listen to the recording and fill in the gaps in the sentences below. The work that Mike is currently is involved in: … Assistive technologies for blind users: … The difference between voice recognition and speech synthesis: … The goal of the web Accessibility initiative: … Comprises developing assistive technology products: … |