Text 1 Peripherals. Input devices.

What are peripherals? Peripherals are physical units attached to the computer. They include:

Input devices, which let us enter data and commands (e.g. the keyboard and the mouse)

Output device, which let us extract the results (e.g. the monitor and the printer)

Storage devices, which are used to store information permanently (e.g. hard disks and DVD-RW drives).

Peripheral equipment is always separated from the central processing unit (CPU) by a device controller.

Peripherals normally have no function when not connected to a computer. They connect over a wide array of interfaces. The most common peripheral linking device is probably USB technology. Some peripherals are even used for security. A good example of this is the dongle. The dongle * is often used to protect very expensive applications from software piracy.

The mouse and the keyboard are the most common input devices. The keyboard is an input device which we use to enter data. It translates numbers, letters, symbols and control keys into signals that can be interpreted by the PC. The keyboard helps us tell the computer what we want it to do. QWERTY is the most common modern-day keyboard layout on English-language computer and typewriter keyboards. It takes its name from the first six letters seen in the keyboard's top first row of letters.

The computer mouse is a device which helps us navigate through different programs.

It helps us give the computer commands which the keyboard cannot. Or commands which would otherwise take a longer time to give on the keyboard. The mouse makes a lot of things simpler.

We can also interact with a computer by using one of these: a touchpad, touch screen, a light pen, a scanner, a microphone and etc.

Touch pads are most commonly built into a laptop computer. A touch pad is a rectangular plastic piece which can control the pointer on a computer simply by dragging your finger across its surface. Touchpads were originally known as trackpads.

A scanner is a device that uses light to read an image or text and turn it into a digital message.

Some peripherals, such as touchscreens, work for both input and output. A touchscreen is a display screen that is sensitive to the touch of a finger or stylus. By using the touch of a finger on a computer screen, the computer is able to receive input from the movement of your finger to control operations of the computer. The finger transfers electrical currents to the computer.

Without any input devices, a computer would only be a display device and not allow users to interact with it, much like a TV.

*dongle – Защитная заглушка, электронный защитный ключ (аппаратное средство защиты программного обеспечения и данных от несанкционированного доступа)

Exercise 1. Answer the following questions.

1. What is a peripheral?

2. What types of peripheral devices do you know?

3. When do peripherals have no function?

4. What is the most popular peripheral linking device?

5. What is the dongle used for?

6. What are the most common input devices?

7. What is a keyboard?

8. What is a mouse?

9. What is a scanner?

10. What input devices do you know?

11. What peripherals work for both input and output?

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

Изображение, поверхность, электронный защитный ключ, электрический ток, передвигаться, соединительное устройство, сенсорный экран, раскладка клавиатуры, наружный, внутренний, взаимодействовать, защищать.

Exercise 3. Match the words which are very close in their meaning.

1	to separate	a	usual
2	to protect	b	information
3	device	c	to be understood
4	to give	d	current
5	to interpret	e	gadget
6	to connect	f	to disconnect
7	common	g	to defend
8	different	h	to pass
9	modern-day	i	to join
10	data	j	various

Exercise 4. Match the words with the opposite meaning.

1	internal	a	to attack
2	wide array	b	output
3	to protect	c	less
4	known	d	few
5	input	e	cheap
6	to separate	f	unknown
7	more	g	to connect
8	expensive	h	external

Exercise 5. Match the words on the left with their definitions on the right.

1. Peripheral device is	a) an electronic visual display that the user can control through simple or multi-touch gestures by touching the screen.
2. A keyboard is	b) a pointing device featuring a tactile sensor that can translate the motion of a user's fingers to a relative position on the operating system.
3. A mouse is	c) an acoustic-to-electric transducer or sensor that converts sound into an electrical signal.
4. A touchscreen is	d) a video camera that feeds or streams its image in real time to or through a computer to computer network.
5. A touchpad is	e) a computer device that is not part of the essential computer.
6. A microphone is	f) a computer input device that enables a user to hand-draw images, animations and graphics, similar to the way a person draws images with a pencil and paper.
7. A camcorder is	g) an electroacoustic transducer that produces sound in response to an electrical audio signal input.
8. A loudspeaker is	h) a small box-shaped device with wheels that is moved about over a flat surface and generates signals to control the position of a cursor.
9. A web cam	i) an electronic device combining a video camera and a video recorder.
10. A graphics tablet	j) the set of input keys enables to enter data into the computer.

Exercise 6. Match the words from the box with the pictures.

digital camera, webcam, speakers, scanner, touchpad, microphone, mouse, graphics tablet, keyboard, touchscreen

1. _________________________ 2. __________________

3. ________________________ 4. ________________________

5. _______________________ 6. _______________________

7. ___________________ 8. ___________________

9. ______________________ 10. ___________________________

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

1. Input devices are the pieces of hardware which allow us to enter information into the computer.

2. Peripheral device is a computer device that is not part of the essential computer.

3. Internal peripheral devices are often referred to as integrated peripherals.

4. There are three types of peripherals: input devices, output devices, and storage.

5. The most popular peripheral linking device is a keyboard.

6. QWERTY is a popular layout on English language computer nowadays.

7. The computer mouse helps us give the computer commands which would take less time to give on the keyboard.

8. A touchpad, a touchscreen, a microphone are devices that help us to interact with a computer.

9. Touchscreens are input device.

10. A camcorder records moving pictures and converts them into digital data that can be stored and edited by a computer.

Exercise 8. Complete each sentence (1-9) with the most appropriate ending (a-i).

1	An input device is	a	keyboards, mice, scanners, digital cameras and joysticks.
2	Example of input devices include	b	to its external environment.
3	Input devices allow us	c	the computer keyboard.
4	Input and output (I/O) units link the computer	d	to extend and enhance (to enhance – улучшить) what a computer is capable of doing without modifying the core components of the system.
5	The most basic computer part is	e	any peripheral used to provide data and control signals to an information processing system.
6	The purpose of peripherals is	f	to enter information into the computer.
7	Peripheral equipment is necessary for people	g	input and output devices.
8	The QWERTY design was patented by	h	to interact with a computer system.
9	Peripheral equipment is also called	i	Christopher Sholes in 1867.

Exercise 9. Fill in the gaps with the words given below.

Design, screen, size, smartphones, touchscreen, to interact

A touchscreen is an electronic visual display that the user can control by touching the ________ with a special stylus/pen or a finger. Some touchscreens use ordinary or specially coated gloves to work. The others use a special stylus/pen only. The user can use the ___________ to react to what is displayed and to control how it is displayed. The user can zoom the text __________.

The touchscreen enables the user ___________ directly with what is displayed.

Touchscreens are common in devices such as game consoles, personal computers, tablet computers, and __________. They can also be attached to computers or, as terminals, to networks. They also play a noticeable role in the ____________ of digital appliances such as personal digital assistants (PDAs), satellite navigation devices, mobile phones, and video games and some books (Electronic books).

Exercise 10. Translate the following text in a written form. Use a dictionary if necessary.

The most often used input device is the keyboard. The layout of the keys was borrowed from the typewriter with a number of new keys added. Various keyboards have different extra keys. A keyboard for a Windows computer has different extra keys than one for an Apple computer. Laptop computers have fewer keys but have an additional Fn key that can be combined with other keys to replace the missing keys. Keyboards can be customized for other languages, too.

Text 2

Read and translate the text.