I've never worked with databases.

Present perfect continuous

We form the present perfect continuous with have/has been + present participle.

Since January I've been writing programs in C.

We use this tense to talk about:

• Actions which started in the past and are still happening.

For the last three years I've been working as a software engineer for Intelligent Software.

• Past actions that continue to the present, where we put an emphasis on duration {how long).

She's been working all morning.

Contrast with the past simple

We use the past simple to talk about events that happened at a specific time in the past that are now finished.

I graduated in May 2003.

Not: / have graduated in ...

1. stayed in this job until March 2004.

Two years ago, I spent three months in Spain.

В Put the verbs in brackets into the present perfect simple or past simple.

1. She (be) a software engineer since 2004.

2. After graduation I (work) for a year with NCR.

3. (you ever work) as an IT consultant?

4. I (lose) my PDA.

5. I (send) my CV last Monday. Have you received it yet?

| Make questions using these prompts. In pairs, ask and answer the questions.

1. ever / live or work in another country?

2. ever / have a bad job interview?

3. ever/do a job you hated?

4. how long / study English?

5. how long / use computers?

6. how many emails/receive today?

7. how many jobs/ apply for this year?

6 Applying for a job

f - Л

Vacancies at eJupiter.Co.Uk Webmaster

We are seeking a Webmaster for eJupiter.co.uk, a company dedicated to e-commerce.

The successful candidate will manage our website.

You will be responsible for making sure the web server runs properly, monitoring the traffic through the site, and designing and updating our web pages.

Experience of using HTML and Java is essential. Experience of Adobe PDF and Photoshop is an advantage. The successful candidate will also have knowledge of web editors - MS FrontPage or equivalent.

A Iffij Look at the job advertisement for a webmaster at eJupiter. Maria Quintana is interested in applying. Use her curriculum vitae on page 155 to write a letter of application. Follow these steps:

Paragraph one: reason for writing I am writing to apply for the position of...

Paragraph two: education and training

I graduated in (date)...

I completed a course in ...

Send your CV and a covenng tetter to James Taylor, eJupiter Computers, 37 Oak Street, London SW10 6XY

Paragraph three: work experience For the past Xyears I have been ...

Since XI have been ...

Paragraph four: personal skills I spent X months in (country)... ,sol have knowledge of (foreign languages).

I can ...

Paragraph five: reasons why you are applying for this job

1. now feel ready to... and would welcome the opportunity to ...

Paragraph six: closing / availability for interview

1. enclose... I look forward to... I will be available for an interview...

В Write your own CV in English, using Maria's CV as a guide. Think of your ideal job and write a letter of application for it. If you prefer, look on the Internet for real jobs and practise applying for those. Now visit www.cambridge.org/elt/ict for an online task.

Computers tomorrow

Unit

page

Infotech 1

Computers today 20

Technical specifications 37

unit з Inside the system 37

What is inside a PC system? 38

Language work: defining relative clauses 44

How memory is measured 47

A PC system 49

6 Your ideal computer system 51

unit4 Buying a computer 57

Vocabulary tree 66

Recommending a computer 66

unit 5 Type, click and talk! 72

Interacting with your computer 72

Describing input devices 72

Describing functions and features 74

The keyboard 80

Mouse actions 81

6 Speech recognition systems 82

The eyes of your computer 83

Facts and opinions 84

Language work: superlatives 85

Language work: suffixes 86

Press release: a digital camera 31

Describing a camera 31

Your computer screen 32

How screen displays work 32

Ergonomics 37

Language work: instructions and advice 37

An ergonomic school or office 38

nit8 Choosing a printer 38

Language work: connectors 1 41

Choosing the right printer 41

Multi-function printers 42

Language work: comparatives 42

6 Reading quiz - printer adverts 43

unit 9 Devices for the disabled 44

Assistive technology 44

Computers for the disabled 45

Language work: noun phrases 48

Assistive technologies for the blind 53

Investing in assistive technologies 53

Storage devices 54

Types of magnetic drive 56

Unit 10 Magnetic storage 56

Buying a portable hard drive 56

Magnetic storage 57

Language work: precautions 58

Word building 59

Explaining hard drive precautions 59

CDs and DVDs 57

unit и Optical storage 57

Optical discs and drives 57

Language work: connectors 2 61

Choosing storage devices 55

Format wars 56

Flash-based gadgets 57

unit i2 Flash memory 57

Memory in a flash! 58

Language work: word building 70

Describing flash drives 74

Vocabulary revision 75

Windows Vista 65

Language work: countable and uncountable nouns 67

Writing a summary 69

unit i4 Word processing (WP) 70

Word processing features 70

Word Sudoku 72

The Cut and Paste technique 73

Language work: giving and following instructions 74

WP tools 75

Spreadsheets and databases 77

Spreadsheet programs 77

An invoice, a business letter and a fax 79

Databases 80

Language work: plurals 85

Software at home and at work 85

unit i6 The Internet and email 88

Internet basics 88

Internet FAQs 88

Email features 93

Unit 17 The Web 88

The collectives of cyberspace 90

Language work: collocations 2 92

E-commerce and online banking 94

Language work: the prefixes e- and cyber- 97

What do you use the Web for? 102

unit is Chat and conferencing 89

Netiquette 91

R и free 4 a chat? 91

At a cybercafe 97

Plan your own cybercafe 97

unit i9 Internet security 98

On alert 98

Security and privacy on the Internet 98

Safety online for children 108

!■ The history of hacking 112

Language work: the past simple 118

6 Internet issues 123

Creative software 124

unit20 Graphics and design 126

Computer graphics 126

Language work: the -ing form 130

The toolbox 132

Choosing graphics software 134

Describing graphics 134

unit2i Desktop publishing 136

What is desktop publishing? 136

Language work: order of adjectives 138

Steps in a DTP publication 111

Writing a letter 108

E-publishing versus paper publishing 113

unit22 Multimedia 110

1 Multiple forms of media 110

Components and system requirements 110

Multimedia magic! 112

Language work: conditional sentences 114

Applications of multimedia 116

unit23 Web design 117

A typical home page 117

2Web page design 117

Language work: modal verbs 116

Designing a website 117

unit24 Program design and computer languages 121

Programming 121

Steps in programming 121

Computer languages 123

Word building 124

Language work: the infinitive 126

Visual BASIC and VoiceXML 127

Java applets 128

The Java language 126

Language work: the -ed form 131

Your experience with computers 133

Unit 26 Jobs in ICT 134

IT professionals 134

Job advertisements 134

A letter of application 136

A job interview 137

Language work: the present perfect 138

6 Applying for a job 137

Computers tomorrow 138

unit27 Communication systems 143

Information and communications technologies (ICT) 143

Language work: the passive 139

VoIP technology 142

Mobile phones 142

SQO 144

unit 28 Networks 140

Small networks 140

Networking FAQs 145

Language work: phrasal verbs 147

WANs and satellites 148

unit29 Videogames 150

Game platforms 150

Game genres 152

Game genres 152

Language work: adverbs 147

Present and future trends in gaming 148

The pros and cons of gaming 149

unit зо New technologies 150

rO 150

RFID tags 152

3Language work: future forms 154

Making predictions 156

Appendix: a model CV 159

Glossary 160

Irregular verbs 177

Acronyms and abbreviations 179

Learning objectives