Students Worksheet

ATM

An Automatic teller machine (ATM) is a machine permitting a

banks customer to make cash withdrawals at any time without a
human teller.
ATMs have a wide variety of names, such as: Automatic Teller
Machine, Automated Banking Machine, Hole-in-the-wall, Cash
Dispenser and some other names.
ATMs allow people to deposit cash or checks, check their account
balances, transfer money between their bank accounts, and many
others.
In modern ATMs, customers authenticate themselves by using a
plastic card with a magnetic stripe. It encodes the customers account
number. By entering a passcode called a PIN (Personal Identification
Number), a customer can make withdrawals. If the customer enters it
incorrectly several times in row, most ATMs will retain the card as a
security precaution.
Most ATMs are connected to interbank networks. It enables the
customers to withdraw in places where their bank has no branches.
Besides, it is also possible to withdraw local currency in a foreign
country. Many banks charge a fee for the use of their ATMs by nondepositors. Nowadays, many banks place ATMs in grocery stores,
shopping malls, and other locations.
(Source: worldwidewebfind.com/encyclopedia/en/wikipedian/
a/au/automatic_teller_machine_1.html March 19, 2005)
Question A:
1. What is the purpose of the text?
2. How many paragraphs does the text consist of?
3. What is the structure of the text?
4. What tenses are used in the text?

Question B:
1. What is an ATM?
2. What can people do through ATM?
3. Under what condition will an ATM retain the card?
4. What benefits can the customers get from the ATMs interbank
networks?
5. Where do the banks usually place their ATMs?
6. Where is the text taken from?