Conversational Topics

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The Myth of Generation N

1. For decades, social scientists and technologists have alternatively predicted the emergence of “computer kids” or a “net generation”– children, teenagers, and young adults who have been immersed in digital technology and the digital way of thinking since their birth.
2. This new generation, the thinking goes, would be everything that their parents weren’t when it comes to technology:
3. They will be so adept at using computers that calling them “computer literate” would be an insult
4. People who spend years working with computers learn how to use them; people who lack that experience don't
5. The difference between these people and today’s teens is that, for many teens today, learning to use a computer is no longer optional.
6. Students who went to a less technological school system are expected to pick up the skill on their own.
7. Experts in human-computer interaction say that the real difference between teenagers and their elders is teens’ willingness to experiment with computers
8. The teens just deal with computers as they are forced to deal with any other aspects in their lives.
9. These strategies, once learned and internalized, are incredibly effective for working with today’s computer technology.
10. When you are surrounded by people who all share the same technological skills, it’s easy to forget that there are others who don't.
11. And that’s the danger in believing that time will give us a population that’s completely computer literate
12. Certainly, more kids today are growing up wired – but millions of them are not.
12. Meanwhile we are rebuilding our society in ways that make things increasingly difficult for people who are not online.
13. As a society, we need to come to terms with the fact that a substantial number of people, young and old alike, will never go online.
14. We need to figure out how we will avoid making life unbearable for them.

MY HOME

I would like to tell you a few words about my home. To begin with, I want to tell you that I live in Kolomyia. It is one of the ancient cities located on the picturesque banks of the Prut River.

Our family lives in a new flat in one of the largest newly built residential areas. We moved into our flat seven years ago. It is a three-room flat on the fifth floor of an eight storey building. It consists of a living-room, a study, a bedroom, a kitchen, a bathroom, two closets and a lavatory.

There are two balconies in our flat: the first one is in the living room, and the second — in the bedroom. Our flat has all modern conveniences: autonomous heating, running cold and hot water, electricity, telephone and gas. Besides, there is a lift and a garbage disposal in our building. The layout is very good, I must admit. The rooms are light, though not very large. In my opinion, it's quite a modern-looking flat. The windows face the park in front of the building and the view is really wonderful.

Our living-room is quite a big room of about 19 square meters. It is the largest room in our flat. My parents don't like much furniture in the house, so in the living-room there are two comfortable armchairs and a sofa, a coffee-table and a nice thick carpet on the floor.

Opposite the window there is a wall unit, but it doesn't take much space in the room. Of course there is a colour TV set and a stereo in the living-room. A nice chandelier is hanging from the ceiling and there is a standard lamp to the left of the sofa. During the day, the light comes in through the window, but at night when it gets dark, we switch on the light and draw the curtains across the windows. We like to receive our guests in this room.

Now I would like to describe our study. At first it was my daddy's room, but as I grew older, it became mine. To tell you the truth I am very happy to have a room for myself, that's why I always try to keep it tidy and cosy. There is a sofa, a writing table, a bookcase, a wardrobe in my room. On the wall there are some shelves full of Ukrainian books. The dressing-table is next to the sofa. In the chest of drawers I keep clean linen and handkerchiefs and in the wardrobe I keep my clothes, which I hang on coat-hangers. I have two water-colours on the wall above the sofa.

We like our flat very much. It is important that our house is rather close to the bus stop and we can easily get to any place we like.

Nature

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