Technology · Level 1 · 124 words

The Bridge Between Two Plugs

Original passage © Studio AM, written for Fluency.

A cable has one kind of plug, but a screen has another port. An adapter can form a bridge between them. One end fits the cable. The other end fits the screen.

Matching shapes is only the first step. The devices must also send a signal the other side can understand. Some adapters simply connect matching wires in new positions. Others contain tiny circuits that translate one signal into another.

An adapter cannot create every missing ability. A small phone may not send video through its port at all. No plug shape can add that feature by itself. Before choosing an adapter, a user should check both devices and the kind of signal needed. A bridge helps only when both shores can meet it.

Comprehension questions

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4 questions
1. What is the main idea of the passage?

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D. An adapter connects different ports only when their devices also support compatible signals.
The passage distinguishes physical fit from the signal abilities required on both sides.

2. Why might a fitting adapter still fail?

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A. One device may not send the needed signal.
The final paragraph explains that a phone may lack video output despite a fitting shape.

3. What does “translate” mean here?

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B. change one signal form into another
Tiny circuits convert signals so the other device can understand them.

4. What may some adapters contain?

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C. tiny circuits
The second paragraph says some adapters contain tiny circuits.

Source: Written for Fluency. Original passage © Studio AM, written for Fluency.