THE PROS AND CONS OF PLAYING COMPUTER VIDEO GAMES

Social connection Only 3% of gamers are loners and never play with others, according to the latest Interactive Australia report by Bond University. Many games involve multi-person play, with players either in the same room or connected online. And, says Dr Lawrence Kutner, director of the Harvard Medical School’s Centre for Mental Health and Media and co-author of Grand Theft Childhood: The Surprising Truth About Violent Video Games and What Parents Can Do, games are a topic of conversation that allow kids to build relationships with their peers. "Boys and girls view game playing as a social activity, not an isolating one. For boys, game strategy is a topic of conversation. If you don’t play, you’re left out of that ubiquitous conversation."

Better visionVideo games can give you an eye for detail. Researchers from the University of Rochester found people who spent 30 hours training on action games over a month spotted targets on a cluttered screen 80% of the time; non-gamers managed this only 30% of the time. Allstate, a US insurer currently trialing video games for older drivers, has found that game software can improve visual skills important for safe driving. National Institutes of Health studies have shown the software reduces crash risk by up to 50%.

Brain boosterNo longer labelled simply as evil time-wasters, video games are now considered a fast-track to a sharper mind. When researchers from Iowa State University studied a group of laparoscopic surgeons, they found those who played video games three or more hours a week were 27% faster and made 37% fewer errors. The surgeons were not playing games specifically designed for them, according to Dr Douglas Gentile, one of the study’s authors. "They were whatever off-the-shelf games they had played in the past."

Раздел 1. Чтение

Задание 1. Прочитайте и переведите текст письменно.

Задание 2. Найдите эквиваленты для данных слов и выражений.

1. gamer 2. peer 3. cluttered screen 4. trialing video game 5. game software 6. off-the-shelf game 7. surgeon 8. action game 9. train on 10. multi-person play

a.коллега b.серийная игра c.хирург d.геймер e.игра-боевик f.перенасыщенный экран g.тренироваться h.испытательная видеоигра i.групповая компьютерная игра j. программное обеспечение для игры

Задание 3. Заполните пропуски подходящими словами.

reduces, involve, are considered, a topic of conversation, training on

1. Many games … multi-person play, with players either in the same room or connected online.

2. Games are … that allow kids to build relationships with their peers.

3. They found people who spent 30 hours … action games over a month spotted targets on a cluttered screen 80% of the time.

4. Video games … now a fast-track to a sharper mind.

5. National Institutes of Health studies have shown the software … crash risk by up to 50%.

Задание 4. Заполните пропуски словами из второй колонки, преобразовав их лексически и грамматически.

ПРИМЕР: Only 3% of … are loners and never play with others.	game
1) Many games involve multi-person play, with players either in the same room or … online.	connection
2) They found people who spent 30 hours … on action games over a month spotted targets on a cluttered screen 80% of the time	train
3) … Institutes of Health studies have shown the software reduces crash risk by up to 50%.	nation
4) The surgeons were not playing games … designed for them	specific
5) New research shows that the risk of … overweight increases with every hour teens spend on virtual play.	be

Задание 5. Составьте пять вопросов разных типов к тексту.

Раздел 2. Грамматика

Задание 1. Перепишите предложения, раскрывая скобки, ставя глаголы в нужную временную форму Future Indefinite or Future Continuous.

1. Video games (give) you an eye for detail.

2. He (play) this computer game tomorrow when I will be on-line.

3. Next year there (be) new computer games.

4. Some year later computer gamers (create) their own society.

5. We (try) a new computer game this time next week .

Задание 2. Вставьте необходимые предлоги.

1. Many games involve multi-person play, with players either … the same room or connected online.

2. Video games can give you an eye … detail.

3. National Institutes of Health studies have shown the software reduces crash risk by … 50%.

4. Video games are now considered a fast-track … a sharper mind.

5. The surgeons were not playing games specifically designed … them.

Задание 3. Заполните пропуски словами из рамки.

will have to, can, must, May, Could

1. Video games … give you an eye for detail.

2. … I take your laptop to play this game?

3. You … follow the directions to win the game.

4. In some years he … visit a doctor.

5. … you explain me the rules of this game.

Раздел 3. Устная речь

Задание 1. Ответьте на вопросы (на английском языке).

1. Who is a gamer?

2. What is a multi-person play?

3. Game strategy is very important for video games, isn’t it?

4. What does the phrase “off-the-shelf game” mean?

5. How can computer game influence player’s weight?

Задание 2. Подготовьте сообщение на тему “The role of computer games in my life” (15-20 предложений).

ВАРИАНТ 4

Текст