учебник 3 курс ICT

ENGLISH FOR ICT STUDENTS

Учебное пособие по английскому языку

для студентов направления «Информатика и вычислительная техника»

часть 1

Екатеринбург

2009

CONTENTS

PEOPLE AND COMPUTERS: INFORMATION SOCIETY……….………………………………4

INPUT DEVICES…………………………………………………………………………………..29

DATA PROCESSING………………………………………………………………………………48

OUTPUT DEVICES…………………………………………………..……………………………63

DATA STORAGE…………………………………………………………………………………..84

OPERATING SYSTEMS……………………………………..…………………………………..104

EXTRA HUMOUR SECTION…………………………….………….…………………………..122

СПИСОК ИСПОЛЬЗОВАННОЙ ЛИТЕРАТУРЫ…………………………..…………………137

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'brain', but its achievements are limited by the minds of human beings as it only works according to the given instructions. It is a calculating machine that speeds up financial calculations; it is an electronic filing cabinet which manages large collections of data such as customers' lists, accounts, or inventories. It is a magical typewriter that allows you to type and print any kind of document — letters, memos or legal documents. It is a personal communicator that enables you to interact with other computers and with people around the world. If you like gadgets and electronic entertainment, you can even use your PC to relax with computer games.

Computers are used in almost every type of work and can be found everywhere. Computercontrolled robots are able to improve the quality of manufactured products and to increase the productivity of industry. Computers can control the work of power stations, plants and docks. The work of banks depends upon computer terminals for millions of daily operations. Computers form a part of many military systems including communication and fire control.

Space exploration depends on computers for guidance, on-board environment and research. Computers are widely used in medicine as valuable diagnostic tools. Air traffic control is impossible without them.

In libraries and bookshops, they can help to find books as quickly as possible. Most television advertisements and many films use graphics, produced by a computer. Personal computers influence education, affecting both the learner and the teacher. The list of applications of PCs is almost endless and many other uses of computers that we cannot imagine at present will become commonplace in future.

But such omnipresence of computers in our lives has its darker side.

Our society has developed technological dependence. When computers are down, our way of

life breaks down: planes stop flying, telephones don't work, banks have to close.

Computers produce electronic waste, plastic cases and microchips that are not biodegradable

and have to be recycled or just thrown away.

They are responsible for health problems, e.g. computer addiction, an

inappropriate and excessive use of computers.

Cybercrime, crime committed with the help of computers, is creating serious problems.

Citizens may feel a loss of privacy because of unauthorized use of personal data or receiving unwanted electronic messages.

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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.

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?

1.We are sorry to announce that most flights are delayed or cancelled.

2.He should go to a psychologist. He spends hours surfing the Web.

3.Technology changes so quickly that we have to scrap computers when

they become obsolete.

4. I've been getting emails about offers for lots of different products.

5.My computer system has been broken into and some useful information has been destroyed

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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?

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

1. 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.

2.A ……. , as popularized by virtual reality, lets the user immerse him/herself in a synthetically generated environment.

3.An ……. is a touch-sensitive device where a special pen or your finger can act as a mouse.

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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.

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.

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KEY INFORMATION SECTION 2

Computer parts and essentials.

A computer is 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 information and hold it for future use. Computers do this on a temporary basis with memory circuits and permanently with storage devices such as magnetic disk and tape.

• A computer is programmable. Unlike other devices, built to perform a single function or limited

computer system that 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 CPU is the most important item of hardware, the heart of the computer, a microprocessor chip at the center of the computer system which processes data, executing program instructions, and coordinates the activities of all the other units.

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

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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 ports into which we can plug a wide range of external devices with the help of connectors (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.

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