Narrator Listen to a talk on home automation in a mechanical engineering class. Now get ready to answer the questions. You may u

Narrator
Listen to a talk on home automation in a mechanical engineering class.
Professor
Today I would like to talk about automated home facilities. Current advances in home automation offer homeowners comfort, convenience, security and energy saving. In a fully automated house, you would be able to pick up phone, call your house and instruct it to stop the security system, turn on lights, turn on the compact disc player and start cooking the food in the oven, etc. , all while you were away from home.
    These and other advances in home automation are fast becoming available to people nowadays, thanks to the ongoing efforts of scores of consumer electronics companies.
During the last decade, consumers have readily accepted such technological wonders as microwave ovens, fax machines and cellular phones. Cars are computerized, automated teller machines are widely used in banks and many people have access to personal computers. The interest in home automation, however, is not born of a desire to create a space-age home. It stems from a genuine interest in finding new ways to make a house safe, energy-efficient and comfortable.
    Take security for example. If there is a fire, an automated house will detect it, turn off the gas, turn on the lights, unlock the doors, set off an alarm and call the fire department. If someone tries to enter your home, a triggered motion detector can turn on floodlights in the yard and instruct your stereo set to produce the sound of a barking dog in order to frighten the person away. If you want to avoid unwelcome guests, you can mount a video camera at the front door, and view visitors on a TV screen. If the caller is someone with a clipboard and a hopeful expression, you can skip that trip to the door. But if it is a friend, you could tap a couple of buttons on the remote control, unlock the door and welcome him in.
    With home manager, one of several automation systems being sold on the market, you can warm up the master bedroom, kitchen and bathroom in the morning before the alarm goes off. Or you can program it to keep your children’s room at a constant temperature. In midsummer, you can even instruct sensors in the house to open skylights, turn on the ceiling fans and close the curtains when the house reaches a certain temperature. The increase of working couples and single people living alone means there is less time for and interest in menial tasks. Why not automate these tasks whenever possible?
    Home control systems also offer a lot of conveniences. First of all, you can program your house to do certain things at different times of the day or for different scenarios. A "wake-up mode", for instance, might turn off the security alarm, turn on the kitchen lights, turn up the furnace, heat water and start the coffee pot. A "romantic mode" might allow you, with the flip of a switch, to dim the lights, play romantic music and light the fireplace. And an "unoccupied mode" will arm the security system and randomly turn lights on and off in different rooms. All of these functions can be controlled while in the house or remotely from a phone or computer.
    In addition, home automation offers tremendous lifestyle improvements for elderly and disabled people. For those who can’t push a button or flip a switch, a voice command can be used to activate security cameras, turn on the stereo volume or drop the room temperature a few degrees. The click of remote control could turn on the oven, close the window or open the door. So, what is home automation exactly? In short, it is actually a combination of several things including microprocessors, enhanced power line transmission, computer chips, telephone and cable wiring, infrared sensors and radio frequency waves.
Now get ready to answer the questions. You may use your notes to help you answer.
12. What is the talk mainly about?
13. What are the benefits of home automation?
14. According to the professor, what is the main reason for the popularity of home automation system?
15. How does home automation benefit disabled people?
16. What does the home automation system consist of?
Listen again to part of the lecture. Then answer the question.
Professor
Current advances in home automation offer homeowners comfort, convenience, security and energy saving.
17. Why does the professor say this?
Professor
Home automation offers security.