Text 1 What is a computer?

“I think it’s fair to say that personal computers have become the most empowering tool we’ve ever created. They’re tools of communication, they’re tools of creativity, and they can be shaped by their user.”

Bill Gates

Modern world is impossible without computers and their applications. They are almost in every sphere of our life. But what is a computer? While the term computer can apply to virtually any device that has a microprocessor in it, most people think of a computer as a device that receives input from the user through a mouse or keyboard, processes it and displays the result on a screen.

The first electronic digital computers (developed between 1940 and 1945) were the size of a large room, consuming as much power as several hundred modern personal computers (PCs). Modern computers based on integrated circuits are millions to billions of times more capable than the early machines, and occupy a fraction of the space.

A computer is an electronic device that accepts, processes, stores and outputs information. A typical computer system consists of two parts: hardware and software. Hardware is any electronic or mechanical part you can see and touch. Software is a set of instructions, called a program, which tells the computer what to do.

All general-purpose computers require the following hardware components:

- memory: enables a computer to store, at least temporarily, data and programs.

- mass storage device: allows a computer to permanently retain large amounts of data. Common mass storage devices include disk drives and tape drives.

- input device: usually a keyboard and mouse, the input device is the conduit through which data and instructions enter a computer.

- output device: a display screen, printer, or other device that lets you see what the computer has accomplished.

- central processing unit (CPU): the heart of the computer, this is the component that actually executes instructions.

There are physical units attached to the computer (e.g. the keyboard, the monitor, etc.). They are called peripherals. At the back of the computer there are ports into which we plug external devices (e.g. a scanner, a modem, etc.). They allow communication between the computer and the devices. In addition to these components there are many others that make it possible for the basic components to work together efficiently.

Personal computers in their various forms are what most people think of as “computers.” However, the embedded computers found in many devices from MP3 players to fighter aircraft and from toys to industrial robots are the most numerous.

Computers help to diagnose diseases. They are the best means for storage and management of data. There are fully automated factories running on software. We book air tickets or railway tickets using the Internet. We make hotel reservations online.

Shopping via Internet is common nowadays.

Nowadays millions of people can no longer live without computers.

Exercise 1. Answer the following questions.

1. When was the first digital computer developed?

2. What was the size of this computer?

3. What is a computer?

4. What is Hardware?

5. What is Software?

6. What are the main components of the computer?

7. What are peripherals?

8. What allows communication between the computer and the devices?

9. Where can we use computers?

Exercise 2. Find the English equivalents for the following words and word combinations in the text.

Персональный компьютер, давать возможность, создавать, применение, получать, ввод, мышь, клавиатура, обрабатывать, отображать, экран, мощность, пространство, память, запоминающее устройство, устройство ввода, устройство вывода, центральный процессор, внешний, внутренний.

Exercise 3. Match the phrases with their Russian equivalents.

1	single-board computer	a	входной буфер
2	all-purpose computer	b	злоумышленное использование компьютера
3	computer centre	c	временно
4	computer imitation	d	устройство вывода
5	computer fraud	e	область ввода
6	input buffer	f	универсальный компьютер
7	serial input/output	g	компьютерные имитации
8	input device	h	одноплатный компьютер
9	input area	i	пространство
10	output area	j	центральный процессор
11	output device	k	компьютерный центр
12	embedded computer	l	выводить результат
13	to display the result	m	устройство ввода
14	space	n	встроенный компьютер
15	to consist	o	последовательный ввод/вывод
16	temporarily	p	состоять
17	central processing unit	q	область вывода

Exercise 4. Match the words which are very close in their meaning.

1	modern	a	core
2	personal	b	individual
3	typical	c	information
4	impossible	d	equipment
5	device	e	contemporary
6	data	f	unrealizable
7	heart	g	inserted
8	embedded	h	normal

Exercise 5. Match the words with the opposite meaning.

1	modern	a	permanently
2	impossible	b	front
3	large	c	ancient
4	general	d	unique
5	the first	e	common
6	back	f	small
7	temporarily	g	possible
8	typical	h	internal
9	input	i	the last
10	external	j	output

Exercise 6. Match the words on the left with their definitions on the right.

1	The CPU	a	capacity for storing information.
2	Microprocessor	b	the part of a computer (a microprocessor chip) that does most of the data processing.
3	Personal computer	c	computer instructions or data.
4	Memory	d	an auxiliary device, such as printer, modem, or storage system that works in conjunction with a computer.
5	Hardware	e	a peripheral device that is used to enter information into a computer.
6	Software	f	an integrated computer circuit that performs all the functions of a CPU.
7	Peripheral	g	information represented in a form suitable for processing by a computer.
8	Input device	h	electronic equipment used to transfer data out of the computer in the form of text, images, sounds, or other media.
99 1	Output device	i	the physical element used in a computer system, such as the central processing unit, peripheral devices, and memory.
10	Mouse	j	a device that controls the movement of the cursor or pointer on a display screen.
11	Data	k	a small digital computer based on a microprocessor and designed to be used by one person at a time.

Exercise 7. Mark the sentences: True/False/ No information.

1. Our life is impossible image without computers.

2. The first computers consumed as much power as a lot of modern PC.

3. Simple computers are small enough to fit into mobile devices, and mobile computers can be powered by small batteries.

4. There are personal financial assets, medical records and important documents in electronic format in a computer system.

5. Peripherals are the physical units attached to the computer.

6. Ports allow communication between computers and peripherals.

7. We keep data and programs in memory system where they are available for processing.

8. It’s too difficult to find embedded computers in our life.

Exercise 8. Fill in the gaps with the words given below.

Personal computers, computers, screen, heart, mouse, data, email, port, software, a keyboard, ports, hardware

1. Today, __________ are all around us.

2. A computer has the ability to store, retrieve, and process ________.

3. We can use a computer to type documents, send ________, and surf the Internet.

4. ____________ come in two main styles: PC and Mac.

5. The CPU is the ___________ of the computer.

6. We enter data with ____________, a webcam, etc.

7. At the back of a computer there are _______________ into which we can plug external devices.

8. __________ is any physical part of the computer, which includes all of the internal components and also the external parts like the monitor and the keyboard.

9. Computers use a combination of hardware and ____________.

10. We can see the result on the ______________ or in printed form.

11. The ____________ is a device moved by hand to indicate position on the screen.

12. Plug your printer into a free USB __________.

Exercise 9. Write down the names of computer’s details.

1. ________

2. ________

3. _________

4. _________

5. ________

6. ________

7. _________

8. ________

9. ________

10. ________

Exercise 10. Fill in the gaps with the words given below. Translate the text.

Multiple, mainframes, adapter, mobile phones, embedded, desktop computers, personal computers, computer, mobile, keyboard

A desktop computer is a small machine that has a screen which is not part of the _____________. Most people keep them on top of a desk that is why they are called ‘_____________’. Similar in operation to desktop computers, laptop computers are miniaturized and optimized for _____________ use. Laptops run on a single battery or an external _____________ that charges the computer batteries. They are enabled with an inbuilt _____________, touch pad acting as a mouse and a liquid crystal display. Both laptops and desktops are called _____________, because one person at a time uses them for things like playing music, surfing the web, or playing video games.

There are bigger computers that many people at a time can use. They are _____________. Large organizations use mainframes for highly critical applications such as bulk data processing. Most of the mainframe computers have capacities to host _____________ operating systems and operate as a number of virtual machines. They can substitute (to substitute -заменить) for several small servers.

There is another type of computer, called an embedded computer. An embedded computer is a computer that does one thing and one thing only, and usually does it very well. For example, an alarm clock is an _____________ computer: it tells the time. Embedded computers cannot be programmed. Some _____________, automatic teller machines, microwave ovens, CD players and cars are examples of embedded computers.

Exercise 11. Translate the following text in a written form. Use a dictionary if necessary.

A computer is one of the most brilliant inventions of mankind. Thanks to computer technology, we have been able to achieve storage and processing of huge amounts of data. We can rest our brains by employing computer memory capacities for information storage. Owing to computers, we have been able to achieve higher processing speeds, execute critical transactions and that too with great precision and accuracy.

Computers of the earlier times were of the size of a large room and required to consume huge amounts of electric power. However, with the advancing technology, computers have shrunk to the size of a small watch.

Read and translate the dialogues.

I

Sam - John, my younger brother decided to study a computer. Will you help him, please? He’s got a lot of questions.

John – With pleasure.

William – John, what is a computer?

John – It is an electronic device that executes the instructions in a program.

William – What is Hardware?

John – Physical parts of the computer.

William – And what is Software?

John – Programs that tell the computer what to do.

William – And what is the difference between ‘data’ and ‘information’?

John – Data is individual facts like first name, price. Information is data which has been messaged into a useful form, like a complete mailing address.

William - What makes a computer powerful?

John – Speed.

William – How many actions can a computer do?

John – Billions of actions per second.

William – And what about storage?

John – A computer can keep huge amounts of data... Sam, are you ready?

William – What are the main functions of the computer?

John – They are four functions: input, processing, output, and storage…. Sam! We are short of time…

II

- What is a computer made of?

- Computers are made of electronic parts called components. Each component has a specific function.

- When do they work?

- They all work together when a computer is operated.

- Can I see them?

- Some of the components can be seen partly from the outside.

- And others?

- Some components are inside the computer box where we can’t see them.

- Seeing the components inside the computer is interesting.

- Yes. Look at the brain of the computer, CPU.

- What is the main function of the CPU?

- Whenever we press a key, click the mouse, or start an application, we send instructions to the CPU. These are all executed by the CPU.

III

- Can we see the details of the components inside this computer, after logging in?

- Yes, on the desktop, from the taskbar. Click on the System submenu.

- And then?

- Under Administration click on System monitor, which shows you details and status of hardware and software of the computer.

- Hey! There are four processors in this computer. There are many details for these processors.

- The processing of your instructions is shared between the four processors, just the way you share work among your team.

- What does 2.66 GHz mean?

- This stands for 2.66 Giga Hertz. You know that Mega means million and Giga means billion. Hertz means cycles per second.

- How many cycles does the CCPU need?

- The CPU needs one or more cycles to perform an action. More cycles per second means that the CPU can process more instructions per second.

- Oh, I understood: the higher the Hertz, the faster the CPU can process instructions.