Text 11. Automatic Translator

Another machine that we can foresee would be used for translat­ing from one language to any other. We can call it an automatic translator. Suppose that you want to say “How much?” in Swedish. You dial into the machine “How much?” and press the button “Swed­ish”, and the machine will promptly write out “Hur mycket?” for you. It also will pronounce it, if you wish, for there would be little difficulty in recording on magnetic tape the pronunciation of theword as spoken by a good speaker of the language. The machine could be set to repeat the pronunciation several times so that the student could really learn the sound. He could learn it better, probably, by hearing it and trying to say it than he could by using any set of written symbols.

Notes

to foresee [fo:'si:] — передбачати

automatic [^ta'maetik] — автоматичний

to pronounce [pre'nauns] — вимовляти

pronunciation [ргз^лпві'еі/п] — вимова

Text 12. Universal Electronic Computer

Without calculating machines normal life of modern society and continued progress in science and technology would be impossible. But even with the aid of mechanical, nonelectronic calculating ma­chines people nowadays are no longer able to deal with extremely complicated problems posed by modern life. This led to the appear­ance of electronic computers over twenty years ago.

At present the electronic computer became the most powerful cal­culating instrument. Electronic computers do deal instantly with a flood of numbers.

Unbelievably high speed of count is only one of the extraordinary properties of the marvelous machine, which can extract roots, inte­grate and solve the simplest algebraic equations as well as the most complex differential equations.

Machine tools, shops and factories are controlled by computers. There are computers that do the work of engineers, translators, teachers, etc.

Notes

universal [^iKni'vaisl] — універсальний

technology [tek'nolad3i] — техніка

aid ['eid] — допомога

nowadays ['nauadeiz] — у наш час

extremely [iks'tri:mli] — надзвичайно

to pose ['pouz] — ставити запитання

to deal [di:l] — обходитися з...

instantly ['instantli] — негайно

extraordinary [iks'tro:dnri] — незвичайний

marvellous ['maivilas] — чудовий

equation [i'kwei/п] — вирівнювання; рівняння

Text 13. What Is a Digital Computer?

What is a digital computer? Is it a lightning calculator which can multiply two 10-digit numbers in the time it takes a jet plane to fly 1 inch? Is it a data-processing machine which can automatically spew out yards of accurate and complete business reports? Or is it a device which can make decisions and check its own work? Or a device which accepts a set of thousands of instructions and then faithfully exe­cutes them in the appropriate sequence without outside help?

The digital computer is all these and more. It is more because its complicated mechanism is composed of simple, basic elements; be­cause it applies the rules of logic to stimulate many of the functions of the human brain; and because of its fantastic accuracy, reliability, and flexibility.

In what way is a digital computer different from the many calcu­lating machines man has devised ever since he learned how to count? Before we can discuss the digital computer itself, we must know what is meant by a digital device.

The simplest digital device is any device which can count. The simplest of all counting devices are the ten figures. As a matter of fact, the word “digital” is derived from the latin digitus, which means finger. Another simple digital device is the clock. It ticks away, or counts, little bits of time called seconds.

In ancient days man learned to substitute beads for fingers in order to help him count. He built a counting board which consisted of several stiff wires mounted on a wooden frame, with ten sliding beads on each wire. By moving a certain number of beads toward the bot­tom of the board, any digit from 0 to 9 can be placed on each of the wires. Even 10 can be placed on a wire.

The ancient Chinese simplified the counting board into the abacus. Instead of ten beads on each wire, the abacus has seven. Two beads are mounted above a dividing wooden member, and five beads are mount­ed below the wooden member. All beads are in neutral position when they are furthest from the dividing member. Each of the lower beads has a value of one; each of the upper beads has a value of five.

Notes

digital ['did3it3l]	— цифрова лічильна машина
calculator [,kaelkju'leit3]	— обчислювальна машина
Is it a data-processing machine which can automatically spew out yards of accurate and com plete business reports?	— Чи це обчислювальна машина для обробки данних, яка може видавати автоматично цілі ярди точних цілком ділових звітів?
to stimulate ['simjuleit]	— спонукати; стимулювати
accuracy ['aekjurasi] to finger ['firjga] to simplify ['simphfai] abacus ['aebakas] instead [xn'sted]	— точність — торкати — спрощувати — абака; рахівниця — замість