Text # 4 “Silicon Valley - America's High Tech Centre”
Silicon Valley is located in the southern part of the San Francisco Bay area. It originally got its name from the large number of companies that produced silicon chips. Today it is a general name for the high-tech industry of Northern California. The beginning of Silicon Valley goes back to the early 20 th century when the United States military and other companies started experimenting in the fields of radio, communications and electronics. The area also grew because Stanford and other universities and colleges produced a number of students who were interested in technology. One of the first companies that started in Silicon Valley was Hewlett Packard. It was founded by two graduates of Stanford University in 1939. Today HP is the world’s largest technology company and operates in almost all countries in the world. After World War II an industrial park was built around Stanford University. Companies rented offices from the university and employed students as engineers and scientists. In the 1950s the silicon transistor was developed and many companies started moving into the region. In the 1970s Silicon Valley became a well-known term in the United States because of the computer and software firms that were founded in the area. About a hundred new companies were established every year. Such growth was possible because people could found a company, get money and rent office space in only a few weeks.
Mark the following statements as true or false (T/F):
1. Silicon Valley originally got its name from the large number of companies that produced silicon computers. T / F
2. Today Silicon Valley is a general name for the high-tech industry of Northern Carolina. T / F
3. One of the first companies that started in Silicon Valley was Hewlett Packard founded by two graduates of Stanford University in 1945. T / F
4. In the 1970s Silicon Valley became a well-known term in the United States because of the computer and software firms. T / F
5. The beginning of Silicon Valley goes back to the early 19 th century. T / F
6. The area where Silicon Valley is located grew because Harvard and other universities produced students interested in robots and technology. T / F