Xga: abbreviation for extended graphics array. An ibm display screen standard with
resolution of 1024 X 768 pixels and up to 65,536 colors.
Task 1: Match the pictures in the ‘Starter’ with the descriptions below.
( ) PDA (personal digital assistant): a small handheld computer providing a variety of
tools for organizing work, e.g. a calendar, to do list, diary, address list, calculator, etc.
( ) portable (computer): a computer that is small and light enough to be carried from
place to place. It can usually be powered by batteries.
( ) workstation: a powerful desktop computer used by power users for work that requires
a lot of processing, e.g. graphic design.
( ) a supercomputer: the most powerful type of mainframe computer.
( ) pen-based computer: a small computer that has a pen input device instead of a
keyboard.
( ) desktop (PC)/(computer): a personal computer that is designed to be used on a
desktop computer.
( ) mainframe (computer): the largest and most powerful type of computer. It is
operated by a team of professionals.
Task 2: Match the possible users below to each type of computers in Task 1 and ‘Starter’.
( ) Marketing research person collecting data from the general public
( ) large company processing payroll data
( ) traveling salesperson giving marketing presentations
( ) large scientific organization processing work on nuclear research
( ) businessperson keeping track of appointments while travelling
( ) graphic designer
( ) secretary doing general office work
Task 3: What do these abbreviations mean?
CD-ROM
RDRAM
MB
GHz
AGP
SDRAM
SVGA
( ) Advanced Graphics Port or Accelerated Graphics Port. A video bus interface that
allows the use of a fast video card and allows the use of three-dimensional graphics.
( ) Super Video Graphics Array. A video screen display standard that provides 1024 X
768 or 1280 X 1024 pixel resolution with up to 16.7 million colors.
( ) Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory. A type of fast memory that uses a
separate clock signal in addition to the normal control signals.
( ) Gigahertz. A unit of frequency equal to one thousand million herts (cycles every
second).
( ) Compact Disk Read-Only Memory. A read only storage device in the form of a disk
that is read using laser light.
( ) Megabyte. Unit of storage capacity equal to 1 048 576 bytes.
( ) Rambus Dynamic Randon Access Memory. A new RAM technology capable of very
high-speed transfer of data.
R
eading
1:
“How
to read a Computer Ad.”
1 The main processing chip that operates at a clock speed of 1.7 thousand million cycles
per second.
2 A small size of tall and narrow style of case containing the computer system.
3 256 megabytes of Rambus dynamic type of main memory chips that constitute the
computer RAM.
4 A hard drive internal storage device with a capacity of approx. 60 thousand million
bytes.
5 A video controller for controlling the monitor screen that is built on to the computer
motherboard. It can process 3D images using the AGP type of video bus interface. It
also contains approx. 64 million bytes of synchronous dynamic random access memory
that is used as video memory.
6 A soundcard that has 64 voices and generates sounds using the wavetable system.
7 A CD-ROM storage device that operates at 48 times the speed of the original CD-ROM
devices.
8 A color monitor for displaying output on a screen resolutions determined by the SVGA
standard. The diagonal measurement of the actual viewable area of the screen is only
17.9 inches.
9 The operating system that is used to control the system.
Task 4: Study the text above to find this information.