Communication

What is communication? The dictionary defines it: “giving or exchanging information or news by speaking or writing”. In today’s world, long-distance communication is easy. We can call people on the telephone, send them telegrams, or write them letters. We receive news and other information on radio or television every day. Our modern inventions allow us to communicate with people in every part of our planet.

In early times, how did people communicate over long distances? How did they tell other people about a storm that was coming or an enemy who was planning to attack?

At first, people probably used their feet. When the people of one village wanted to send a message to someone who was far away, they gave the news to a runner. This messenger ran to the nearest village and gave the message to another runner. Then the second runner took it to a third runner, and so on.

This was a very slow method of communication, and the message didn’t always reach its destination. The messengers had to run through forests and fields, cross rivers, and climb mountains. Sometimes they met wild animals and never arrived at the next village. And the message frequently became mixed up, because each person who relayed the information changed it a little.

People used other methods of communication, too. Cyrus the Great, who founded the Persian Empire, built a series of towers. A man with a very strong voice stood on each tower. When the king wanted to send a message, he gave it to the man on the first tower, who shouted it to the man on the second tower, who relayed it to the man on the third tower. These messengers usually used megaphones, which made their voices louder.

The use of fire and smoke was another primitive way of communication. People used blankets or leafy branches to control the puffs of smoke that came from a fire. The number and size of the puffs made a kind of code. This method wasn’t very efficient in rainy days or at night, and little wind could mix up the message very badly.

A few old methods of communication are still in use today. One of these methods is the use of drums. Some drums are made of hollow logs and animal skins. When the drummer hits the drum, it makes a noise that sounds a little like human speech. Drumbeats travel quickly, but they can travel only a little way.

In 1790, a man in France invented the semaphore, which was a tall pole with “arms” at the top. Ropes moved the arms up and down to form letters of alphabet. Semaphore operators were able to relay messages very quickly. A kind of semaphore is still in use on railroads.

Задание2. Ответьте на вопросы:

1. What is communication?

2. How can we communicate with people in today’s world?

3. What were the methods of communication in early times?

4. What kind of communication did Cyrus the Great prefer?

5. What old methods of communication are still in use today?

Вопросы к практическому занятию

1. Можете ли вы сказать, о чем текст, основываясь на заголовке? Выскажите предположения.

2. Какие слова и словосочетания относятся к общенаучному стилю?

3. Озаглавьте каждый абзац текста так, чтобы заголовок выражал основную идею абзаца.

4. Изложите основное содержание текста.