Reading 3

TELECOMMUNICATION SYSTEM

The technology of telecommunications has continued to advance rapidly ever

since the invention of telegraph and telephone systems that revolutionized the means
of communications about a century ago. Today, the electrical telecommunications
system is regarded as the most economical means available for transmitting voice,
facsimile, data, radio, or television signals.
The most commonly used telecommunications system is a telephony
communication system where men are information sources as well as users, and
telephones used as transmitters/ receivers. Currently, the machine-run information
announcement service, characterized by the machine acting as information source
and man serving as users, is in high demand. In addition, machine-to-machine
communications such as data communications are now in service. Communications
carried out through the interface between men and machines, and between machines,
as in the case of conventional methods, are expected to become more popular.
Together with the conventional telecommunications services based on the
telephone and telegraph systems independently run through the utilization of the
subscriber telephone network, an increasing number of highly sophisticated and
powerful means such as data and video communications are being installed and
operated.
Digital transmission is employed in the telecommunications system in order to
achieve high reliability and because the cost of digital switching systems is much
lower than the cost of analog systems. In order to use digital transmission, the analog
signals must be subjected to a process of analog-to-digital conversion. (In data
transmission this step is bypassed because the signals are already in digital form;
most television, radio, and voice communication, however, use the analog system and
must be digitized).
In the early part of the 1960s, PCM (Pulse Code Modulation) method was
successfully commercialized, thus providing that digital transmission method was far
more economical than conventional analogue transmission method. Ever since, the
digital switching systems run on the digital transmission system have been installed
and operated widely.
Researchers and engineers in the advanced countries are working hard to develop
this type of digital communications network. Also available is the ISDN (Integrated
Service Digital Network) where integrated services are provides with digitalized
terminals. In addition, as the types of telecommunications services offered become
more varied, a wide range of terminal types, one of the three important parts of
telecommunications network, namely, terminal, transmission, and switching
facilities, are now used widely.
Most existing public terminals are designed to be easily operated as much as
possible, however some of them, called integrated terminals, are equipped with
advanced features used for special services. Consequently, the formats of using
communications will become more diversified, and also the efforts to develop
technology adequate for those purposes will be made.
 (Text adapted from General Introduction of Telecommunication Theory by LG
Information & Communications, Ltd.)

Words and expressions

advanced (adj) tiên tiến, phát triển

characterize (v) đặc trưng cho
cost (n) giá thành
diversified (adj) phong phú, đa dạng
effort (n) nỗ lực
telecommunications (ngành) viễn thông
facility (n) phương tiện
facsimile (n) máy fax
feature (n) tính năng
interface (n,v) giao diện
integrated (adj) tích hợp, liên kết
PCM (pulse code modulation) điều xung mã
regard (v) as coi, cho (… là)
reliability (n) độ tinh cậy, tính tin cậy
revolutionize (v) cách mạng hoá
sophisticated (adj) phức tạp, tinh vi
terminal (n) (thiết bị) đầu cuối

1. Main idea
Which statement best expresses the main idea of the text? Why don’t you
choose the other choices?
1. Terminals, transmission lines, and switching facilities are the three most
important components of a telecommunication system.
2. A typical telecommunication system based on the telephony system is capable of
transmitting various kinds of information and speech.
3. Based on the telephony system, a typical telecommunication system, which is
now in the process of digitalization, is capable of transmitting diversified types
of information.
2. Questions
Answer the following questions.
4. What were the first devices used in telecommunication?
……………….……………….……………….……………….……………….……………….………
5. What is a typical telecommunication system capable of doing?
……………….……………….……………….……………….……………….……………….………
6. Why is digital transmission to be more widely used in telecommunication
systems?
……………….……………….……………….……………….……………….……………….………
7. What is meant by PCM? What is its function?
……………….……………….……………….……………….……………….……………….………
8. What characteristic of the ISDN is mentioned in the text?
……………….……………….……………….……………….……………….……………….………
3. Understanding the passage
Decide whether the following statements are true or false (T/F) by referring
to the information in the text. Then make the necessary changes so that the false
statements become true.
1. …… In the telephony communication system, men are considered both
information sources and users.
2. …… An increasing number of powerful means of video and data
communication are being installed and operated.
3. …… In data transmission, signals must be converted into the digital form
before transmission.
4. …… With the introduction of PCM, costs of transmission were greatly
reduced.
5. …… Transmission lines are most important component of a
telecommunication system.

4. Understanding words
Refer back to the text and find synonyms (i.e. words with a similar meaning)
for the following words

1. considered (para 1) ………………………..

2. in use (para 2) ………………………..
3. complicated (para 3) ………………………..
4. ignored (para 4) ………………………..
5. ensuring that (para 5) ………………………..

Now refer back to the text and find antonyms (i.e. words with an opposite
meaning) for the following words.

6. receivers (para 2) ………………………..

7. uninstalled (para 3) ………………………..
8. higher (para 4) ………………………..
9. digital-to-analog (para 4) ………………………..
10. narrow (para 6) ………………………..

5. Content review
Use the information in the text to complete the following summary.
1. A typical telecommunication system is capable of transmitting voice, facsimile,
data, radio, or ………………………. signals.
2. The most commonly used telecommunication system is a ……………………….
system.
3. Digital transmission is applied in telecommunication systems so as to achieve
high ………………………. .
4. Digital switching systems have been widely used due to the development of
………………………. method.
5. In ISDN, all terminals must be ………………………. .
6. The formats of using telecommunications will be ……………………….in the future.
7. English- Vietnamese translation
Translate the following sentences into Vietnamese, basing on the information
in the text.
1. Communications carried out through the interface between men and machines,
and between machines are expected to become more popular.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

2. Based on the telephony system, a typical telecommunication system, which is now

in the process of digitalization, is capable of transmitting diversified types of
information.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

8. Vietnamese- English translation

Translate the following sentences into English, basing on the information in
the text.
1. Do có độ tin cậy cao và giá thành hạ, các hệ thống truyền dẫn số đang được sử dụng
ngày một rộng rãi hơn, đáp ứng nhu cầu ngày càng tăng về những dịch vụ viễn
thông chất lượng cao.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

2. Các thiết bị đầu cuối, một trong ba bộ phận quan trọng nhất trong ngành viễn
thông điện tử, đang trở nên ngày một phong phú và phức tạp hơn.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

9. Discussion
Talking about analog to digital conversion
− Reason of using analog to digital conversion
− Application of analog to digital conversion
− Some analog to digital conversion techniques
− Pulse code modulation