Vocabulary practice section 1

1. Match the things people do on the computer, their occupations and what they say about the use of computers in their lives.

A publication A business graph Web pages and email Searching the web Data sorting and searching Photo editing

A university professor A police officer A home user A publisher A bank manager A secretary

7. 'I use computers to do the usual office things like write letters and faxes, but what I find really useful is email. We are an international company and I send emails to our offices all over the world.'

8. 'We use PCs to produce all sorts of texts in digital format. We publish e-books (electronic books) and interactive e-learning programs on CD, and we help a local company to design an online newspaper, displayed on the Web.'

9. 'We use financial software to make calculations and then generate graphs or charts. We also use a database to store information so that it can be easily searched.'

10. 'I like to retouch photos on my computer; I improve them by making a few touches and then save them on a CD. I also enjoy looking at music portals on the Web. I surf the Web every day and I often download files, I copy music files from the Net to my PC.'

11. 'Having databases of names and fingerprints is useful for us.'

12. 'Our students can connect to the Internet to download software and also to find information for different research projects they are working on.'

2. What negative effect of computerization do these sentences refer to?

We are sorry to announce that most flights are delayed or cancelled. He should go to a psychologist. He spends hours surfing the Web. Technology changes so quickly that we have to scrap computers when they become obsolete. I've been getting emails about offers for lots of different products. My computer system has been broken into and some useful information has been destroyed

3. Fill in the gaps choosing the appropriate word.

1. The basic function of a computer is ………. information. a) to switch; b) to keep; c) to process. 2. A computer can carry out arithmetic-logical operations …… a) quickly; b) instantaneously; c) during some minutes. 3. Computers have become ………. in homes, offices, research institutes. a) commonwealth; b) commonplace; c) common room. 4. Space ………. uses computers widely.

a) information; b) production; c) exploration.

5. Computers are used for image ………..

a) processing; b) operating; c) producing.

6. Computers help in ………of economy.

a) environment; b) management; c) government.

7. Air traffic control depends on computer - ……… information.

a) generated; b) instructed; c) combined.

4. Which of the terms in the box are defined below?

technology for people with disabilities a program that reads aloud onscreen text menus and icons navigation system the artificial environment of the video games

virtual reality GPS (Global Positioning System) wireless network assistive technology DVD recorder screen reader HMD (head-mounted display)

Complete these sentences with words from the box above (there are some extra terms).

The ……. is a piece of software that interfaces with your PC and allows you, via keyboard commands, to get any text information read to you in synthetic speech. A ……. , as popularized by virtual reality, lets the user immerse him/herself in a synthetically generated environment. An ……. is a touch-sensitive device where a special pen or your finger can act as a mouse.

4. Tony Adams is now the proud owner of a dark silver Vogue, complete with leather interior, …. navigation, and a ……. with LCD TV screens.

5. The upgraded ……. at my university is great: we can connect our laptops, PDAs and Wi-Fi cell phones to the network anywhere in the campus. Communication is becoming easier and easier.

5. Put the proper words into sentences.
	computer networks info computer literate routine boring repetitive tasks accuracy come to terms with (2) quantative

1. Society is heading in the direction of ... majority.

2. Computer programs now can integrate text, ... data and graphs.

3. The source of ... is the computer.

4. It is difficult for some people to ... the speed of change in the modern world.

5. Any ... which people find ... and tiring can now be carried out by machines.

6. Computers give us speed, ..., scope, quality, flexibility, large ca­pacity, elimination of the ... and increased efficiency.

7. We need to ... with expanding computer technology and adjust our vision to a whole new world.

8. As more and more people are linked by ..., how soon will it be before the paperless office becomes a reality?

6. Complete the text with the nouns in the box to form appropriate noun phrases. There are two nouns that you do not need to use.

century fame key life information nonsense technology time

With the development of (1) ……. in recent years, the way of (2) ……. for a great number of people has changed beyond recognition. Because of increased speed in the transfer of (3) ……., news and ideas travel around the world in seconds. Whatever we want to know is available at the touch of a (4) ……. Not long after the turn of the (5) ……., scientists expect us to have computers which are so small and powerful that they

will fit into our pockets. Because of this, some believe that newspapers and books will become a waste of (6) ……., as we will have all the information we need through our personal computers.

KEY INFORMATION SECTION 2

Computer parts and essentials.

A computeris an electronic machine that accepts data in a certain form, processes the data, stores and gives the results of the processing in a specified format as information (manipulates data according to a set of instructions).

What distinguishes a computer from other information-processing devices are three basic characteristics:

• A computer is completely electronic - all its functions are carried out with electrical signals.

• A computer can remember informa­tionandholdit for future use. Computers do this on atemporarybasis with memory circuits andpermanentlywith storage devices such as magnetic disk and tape.

• A computer is programmable. Unlike other devices, built to perform a single function or limited range of functions, a computer can be instructed to do whatever task we tell it to do.

A typical computer consists of two parts: hardware and software.

Hardware is any piece of computer equipment, electronic or mechanical parts making up the computer systemthat are tangible objects.

Software refers to parts of the computer which do not have a material form, such as programs, data, protocols, etc. When software is stored in hardware that cannot easily be modified (such as BIOS ROM in an IBM PC compatible), it is sometimes called "firmware" to indicate that it falls into an uncertain area somewhere between hardware and software.

There are three basic hardware sections.

1. The CPUis the most important item of hardware, the heart of the computer, amicroprocessor chipat the center of the com­puter system which processes data, executing program instructions, and coordinates the activities of all the other units.

2. The main memoryholds the instructions and data which are being processed by the processor. It has two main sections:RAM (random access memory)andROM (read only memory). It only stores information while the computer is switched on and it has a limited capacity.

3. Peripherals are the physical units (devices) that can be attached to the computer. They include:

• Input devices, which enable data and commands to be fed into the computer memory (e.g. the keyboard and the mouse).

• Output devices, which let us extract the results from the system, usually to display the processed data (e.g. the monitor and the printer).

I/O is the means by which a computer exchanges information with the outside world. Hard disk drives, floppy disk drives and optical disc drives serve as both input and output devices. Computer networking is another form of I/O.

• Storage devices, which are used to store both data and programs permanently (e.g. hard disks and DVD-RW drives). They have a much greater capacity than the main memory. Disk drives are used to read and write data on disks.

On the rear panel of the computer there are several portsinto which we can plug a wide range of external devices with the help ofconnectors(e.g. a scanner, a modem, etc.). They allow communication between the computer and the devices.

These are the main physical units of a computer system, generally known as the configuration.

Functions of a PC.

The main functions any computer is designed to perform are: input, processing, output and storage.