Interacting with your computer

Input devices are the pieces of hardware which allow you to enter information into the computer. The most common are the keyboard and the mouse. We can interact with a computer by using one of these: a lightpen, a scanner, a trackball, a graphics tablet, a joystick, or a voice recognition device.

About the keyboard

The keyboard is where the data or information is input into the computer. It is usually arranged like an ordinary typewriter keyboard with a number of other keys added which carry out special functions.

1. Alphanumeric keys: arranged in the same order as a typewriter.

2. Function keys: used by various programs to instruct the PC to perform specific tasks, such as Save, Copy, Paste, Help, etc.

3. Numeric keypad: set of numeric or editing keys. The NumLock key is used to switch from numbers to editing functions.

4. Editing keys: cursor and other keys usually used within word processors to page up and down in a long document or to edit text (using Insert or Delete keys).

5. Special keys: used to issue commands or to produce alternative characters in key combinations, for example, the Alt key.

(E.C.U.)

Упражнение 37.

1. Попытайтесь ответить на следующие вопросы:

1. How is the mouse connected to the computer?

2. What does the mouse pointer look like on the screen?

3. What are the functions of the mouse buttons?

4. What are advantages of a computer mouse over a keyboard?

b) Прочитайте текст и проверьте, правильно ли вы ответили:

Point and Click!

Typically a mouse is a plain sized device, slightly smaller than a pack of cards. On top of the mouse there are one or more buttons for communicating with the computer. A ‘tail’ or wire extends from the mouse to a connection on the back of the computer.

The mouse is designed to slide around on your desktop. As it moves, it moves an image on the screen called a pointer or mouse cursor. The pointer usually looks like an arrow or I-bar, and it mimics the movements of the mouse on your desktop.

What makes the mouse especially useful is that it is very quick way to move around on a screen. Move a desktop mouse half an inch and the screen cursor will leap four inches. Making the same movements with the arrow keys takes much longer. The mouse also issues instructions to the computer very quickly. Point to an available option with the cursor, click on the mouse, and the option has been chosen.

Mice are so widely used in graphics applications because they can do things that are difficult if not impossible to do with keyboard keys. For example, the way you move an image with a mouse is to put the pointer on the object you want to move, press the mouse button and drag the image from one place on the screen to another. When you have the image where you want it, you release the mouse button and the image stays there. Some actions are so much more difficult to perform with keyboard that most graphics programs require a mouse.

The buttons on the mouse are used to select items at which the mouse points. You position the pointer on an object on the screen, for example, on a menu or tool bar in a paint program, and then you press the mouse button to select it. Mice are also used to load documents into a program: you put the pointer on the file name and double-click on the name – that is, you press a mouse button twice in rapid succession.

(E.C.U.)

Упражнение 38. Основными действиями, связанными с мышью являются «щелчок», «двойной щелчок» и «перетаскивание». Прочитайте данные ниже описания и определите, к какому из действий относится каждое из них:

click double-click drag

1. Position the pointer on something, then rapidly press and release the mouse button twice. (You do this to load a program, open a document or select text or graphics).

2. Position the pointer on something, hold down the mouse button and move an image to a new location on the screen.

3. Position the pointer on something, then press and release the mouse button. (You do this to place the insertion point to choose an option, or to close a window).

Упражнение 39. Устройством, которое значительно облегчает ввод информации и виде текста или графического изображения, является сканер. Прочитайте текст и сравните два основных вида сканеров. В чем преимущества и недостатки каждого из них?