142 Chapter 8
Exercise 8. Read the following text. Find all examples of classifying. Give the name of the class, members of the class, and basis for classification.
The earliest computing device was the abacus used by the ancient Greeks and Romans. Sliding scales date back almost two millenia. In 1642, French philosopher-mathematician Pascal built a mechanical adding machine, and in 1671, German philosopher-mathematician Gottfried Leibniz built a machine to perform multiplication. In 1835, British mathematician Charles Babbage designed the first mechanical computer. The work of another British mathematician Alan Turing, in the 1930s, marked the next major milestone: he developed the mathematical theory of computation (by the way, the name of the test for measuring the success of computer programs that are claimed to have «Artificial Intelligence» is Turing). In 1940s, American mathematician John van Neumann developed the basic design for today's electronic computers. Finally, with the development of the transistor in 1952 and the subsequent microelectronic revolution, the Computer Age started.
A computer is a collection of various components. At the heart is the CPU (central processing unit), which performs all the computations. This is supported by memory which holds current program and data, and «logic arrays», which help move information around the system. Peripheral devices, or add-ons, can be attached. These will normally be keyboards and VDU (visual display unit) screens for user I/O (input and output), disc drive units for mass memory storage, and printers for printed output. The program and data to be manipulated — text, figures, images, or sounds — are input into the computer which then processes the data and outputs the result. The results can be printed out, displayed on VDU, or stored in memory for subsequent manipulation. Whatever the task, a computer can function in only one of four ways: input/output operations, arithmetical operations, logic and comparison operation, and movement of data to, from, and within the central memory of the machine. The programmer devises a set of instructions — algorithms that utilize these four functions in a combination appropriate to the job in question.
There are four «sizes», corresponding roughly to their memory capacity and processing speed. Microcomputers are the smallest, usually single-user machines often referred to as home computers, are used in small business, at home, and in schools. Minicomputers, also known as personal computers are generally larger, and may support up to 30 users at once. They will be found in medium-sized business and university departments. Mainframes, which can often service hundreds of users at once, are found in large organizations. Supercomputers are the most powerful of all. They are mostly used for special highly complex scientific tasks.
Exercise 9.
(to) recognize recognition recognized |
1. John is a young author struggling for____.
2. Our city has changed so much you wouldn't ____ it.
3. He is a ____ authority on materials science.
(to) alter alteration(s) . |
4. There have been a few ____ to our proposal.
5. This dress will have to be ____.
(to) add addition(s) |
6. We should _____ some more names to the list.
7. I would like _____ something to what you've said.
8. ____ are made to the project, of course.
9. In ____ to giving a general introduction, the course also provides practical discussion.
Chapters 143
Exercise 10. Read the passage and answer the questions that follow.
In the middle of Salisbury plain in southern England, a circle of massive stones marks one of the strangest monuments known to humanity. Stonehenge contains a set of giant standing stones weighing 25 tons each. They form a circle surrounding two horseshoe-shaped patterns. The circle is more than 30 meters wide and 4 meters high, raized 4 meters above the ground. Their place of origin is unknown. The discovery that many of the stones were brought from hundreds of miles away to this particular spot, makes the matter even more interesting. «Why» is not the only question. How? Scientists point out that Stonehenge has been built over a period of many centuries, during three distinct phases. It has been realized since 1771 (after having been forgotten for perhaps thousands of years) that at the summer solstice — the day in the year (currently June 21st) when the Sun is the farthest north and the day is the longest — the Sun rizes directly over a particular stone, caled the Heelstone (located 60 meters outside the outer circle of stones) as seen from the center of Stonehenge. So probably the people who built Stonehenge must have had substantial astronomical knowledge. |
|
1. What is the best title for the passage?
a. Early astronomers
b. Salisbury plain
c. Gigantic projects
d. One of the famous mysteries
2. It can be inferred from the passage that
a. the stones were cut from quarries
b. it was easy to transport the stones
c. the Heelstone is not very heavy
d. an incredible amount of work went into making the construction
3. According to the author of this passage
a. Stonehenge is located in northern England
b. giant monuments have puzzling features
c. some stones were put on top of each other
d. the stones were not transported from a great distance
4. The author implies that
a. nobody knows for sure how the stones got there, and what their exact purpose was
b. not many people undertook this construction project
c. Stonehenge is not a mystery anymore
d. the circle is less than 30 meters wide
5. The passage was most probably written by a specialist in
a. astrology
b. archaeoastronomy
c. biology
d. philosophy