How to choose the right computer

1. When you want to buy a personal computer (PC), the first question you must ask yourself is “What will I use it for?” If you are going to use it for studying, for office work, for Internet and for games, may be, you should buy a really powerful modern PC.

2. The power of the computer depends on the speed and the capacity: the speed of the processor and the capacity of the memory and the hard disk.

3. The speed of the processor shows how fast the computer processes data. Speed is usually given in megahertz and gigahertz. The faster the processor, the more powerful the computer.

4. The capacity shows how much storage space there is in the computer. The capacity depends on how much memory there is, how big the hard disk is.

5. There are two types of memory: RAM (Random Access Memory) and ROM (Read Only Memory). We measure RAM and video memory in megabytes. You will also have cache memory in your PC, it is in kilobytes.

6. As for hard disk memory, it is in gigabytes. Always look for the computer with the highest numbers. Remember: the higher the number, the more powerful is the computer.

Task 8

Прочитайте текст и найдите в нем английские эквиваленты следующим русским словам и словосочетаниям. Read the text and find the equivalents to the following Russian words and expressions.

Кэш память, объем памяти, скорость процессора, жесткий диск, память только для чтения, обрабатывать данные, мощный компьютер, скорость дается в мегагерц и гигагерц, чем больше…, тем мощнее, скорость зависит от….

Task 9

Answer the questions. Дайте ответы на вопросы по тексту.

1. What does the power of the computer depend on?

2. Which parameter of the computer tells how fast the computer works?

3. Is the speed given in megahertz and gigahertz?

4. Why must users look for the biggest numbers of speed and memory capacity?

5. Do we measure RAM in kilobytes or megabytes?

Task 10

В каком параграфе (укажите номер параграфа) текста “How to choose the right computer” говорится о:

Which paragraph of the text “How to choose the right computer” tells about:

1. The storage space in the computer;

2. Hard disk memory;

3. The general recommendation when choosing a computer;

4. Units of measurement which we use to measure speed?

Variant II

Task 1

Употребите глагол to be в нужной форме (am, is, are, was, were, will/shall be) и переведите предложения на русский язык.

1. Next year they …… second-year students.

2. Last year the progress of most students …… very good, because nobody skipped classes.

3. Tutorials in British universities …… individual consultations given to students by lecturers and professors.

4. Loans are given to some full-time students if it …… necessary to support them financially.

5. Last year the number of students in the Agricultural Academy … ten thousand.

6. There … some very helpful techniques of fast reading.

7. Honesty … the best policy.