English for Information Technology Engineers. Учебно-методическое пособие

Unit 3. Storage Devices

3.1. Magnetic Storage

Warming up

What magnetic storage devices do you know?

Match the words into the phrases

Reading

Read the text and correct the sentences if it is necessary.

•A hard drive spins at the same speed as a floppy disk drive.

•If you format a hard drive that has files on it, the files will be deleted.

•Hard drives cannot be partitioned to run separate operating systems on the same disk.

•Seek time and transfer rate mean the same thing.

•Disk drives are not shock resistant, especially in operating mode.

Magnetic storage devices store data by magnetizing particles on a disk or tape. A floppy disk is so called because it consists of a flexible sheet of plastic, coated with iron oxide- a magnetizable material. A floppy disk drive spins at 360 revolutions per minute (rpm), so it's relatively slow. However, a hard drive spins at over 7,200 rpm and stores data on a stack of metal rotating disks called platters. This means you can store much more data and retrieve information much faster.

New disks need to be formatted before you can use them, unless they come preformatted from the manufacturer. When the disk is formatted, the operating system (OS) organizes the disk surface into circular tracks and divides each track into sectors. The OS creates a directory which will record the specific location of files. When you save a file, the OS moves the read/write head of the drive towards empty sectors, records the data and writes an entry for the directory. Later on, when you open that file, the OS looks for its entry in the directory, moves the read/write heads to the correct sector, and reads the file in the RAM area. However, formatting erases any existing files on a disk, so do not format disks on which data that you don't want to lose is stored.

The OS allows you to create one or more partitions on your hard drive, in effect dividing it into several logical parts. Partitions let you install more than one operating system (e.g. Windows and Linux) on your computer. You may also decide to split your hard drive because you want to store the OS and programs on one partition and your data files on another; this allows you to reinstall the OS when a problem occurs, without affecting the data partition.

The average time required for the read/ write heads to move and find data is called seek time (or access time) and it is measured in milliseconds (ms); most hard drives have a seek time of 7 to 14 ms. Don't confuse this with transfer rate - the average speed required to transmit data from the disk to the CPU, measured in megabytes per second.

How to protect your hard drive

•Don't hit or move the computer while the hard drive is spinning. Hard drives are very sensitive to vibration and shocks, especially when they are operating; when the read/write head touches the rotating disk, it can scratch and damage the disk surface. This is known as head crash.

•You shouldn't turn your computer off and on quickly. Wait at least ten seconds to ensure that the drive has stopped spinning.

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•Check your hard drive regularly for logical and physical errors. To check and repair a drive, you can use a disk diagnosis utility like Windows Scan Disk.

•To minimize the risk of data loss or corruption, you should install an up-to-date virus scanner. You should also back up your hard drive regularly.

Find the English equivalents of the phrases form the text:

намагничивание частиц на диск, состоит из гибкого листа пластика, вращаться на ... оборотов в минуту, делить каждый трек на секторы, к пустым секторам, создать еще один сектор, не оказывая влияния на разделение данных, измеряется в миллисекундах, обеспечить

Put the words into the right order to make up questions and answer them using information from the text.

•does/how/work/a magnetic disk

•the crash time/does/what/mean

•the seek time/does/what/mean

•the speed/is/of/what/ a floppy disk rotation

•can/ used/ disk diagnoses utility/what/be/for

•of/a floppy disk drive/does/what/consist

Read the rules for CD-ROM and floppy disk care. Name the points you agree with and the ones you don`t agree with.

Can you add any more points?

•Hold a CD-ROM by the edges.

•Keep the optical side of the CD-ROM clean.

•Don`t put a floppy disk near a magnet.

•Write the contents on the label of a floppy disk.

•Remove by force a disk stuck in the drive.

•Remove a disk when the drive lights on.

3.2.Hard Disk Drive

Warming up

What is the internal hard drive? What is it used for?

What is the largest storage capacity of a hard disk at present?

Can lost data from a hard drive be recovered?

Read and translate the phrases

•with a blank stare

•spinning platter

•punched cards

•tightened with express coding techniques

•special protective coating

•treated with respect

•disastrous consequences

•streaming data

Reading

Read the text and do the tasks after it.

Hard Disk Drive

A few years ago, a question about the health of a person's hard disk drive would have been met with a blank stare. Nowadays, almost everyone is aware of this remarkable electronic storage medium that is part of every modern computer, even though most users remain ignorant of the complexity of hard drive technology. In the early days of computing, an information record of a computer' s memory content was kept on punched cards

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similar to the way in which an automated piano stores the keynote sequences on a piano roll. Later, magnetic tape was used to store electronic signals, and is still the favoured means of economically backing up the contents of hard drives. However, accessing information sequentially stored on tape is slow since the electronic data must be input through a fixed head in a single pass.

Hard disk drives solve this problem by incorporating a spinning platter on which magnetic data can be made accessible via a moving head that reads and writes information across the width of the disk. It is analogous to the way in which a person can choose to play a particular track on a CD player by causing the arm to move the head across the disk. The CD player is, in fact, necessarily similar in design to a hard drive, although there are significant differences in speed of data access. Most modern hard drives incorporate several platters to further reduce the time spent seeking the required information. Also, some newer drives have two heads; one for reading, and a second head for writing data to disk. This separation of tasks enables much higher densities of magnetic information to be written on the platter, which increases the capacity of the hard drive.

There are three important ways in which the capacity of hard disks has been increased. First, the data code itself has been tightened with express coding techniques. Second, as previously noted, the head technology has been improved; and third, the distance between the heads and the platters has been greatly reduced. It is hard to believe, but the head can be made to pass over the magnetised platter at distances of less than 1 microinch (the width of a typical human hair is 5000 microinches). This is achieved by means of a special protective coating applied to the platter. Each of these three improvements enables speedier access to the data.

Hard drives are more commonplace than tape recorders these days, but it must be remembered that they are much more fragile. Treated with respect they may last a number of years, but they are quite easily damaged, often with disastrous consequences for the user, whose precious data can become lost forever. Dropping a drive is almost always fatal, as is passing an incorrect electrical current through one (by faulty connection). Dust and even extremes of temperature can cause failure. Yet, no physical damage can ever result from the input of data via the keyboard or mouse. Of course, over time the magnetised coating on the platters will erode, yet this is almost entirely independent of the amount of use.

Serious questions are being raised about the direction of the future of electronic storage media. Some researchers claim that it would be wiser to invest more time and money in setting up systems for streaming data across networks of computers from centralised banks of information storage. This would avoid the need for each personal computer user to have his or her own copy of a software program resident on a local hard drive. Personal data files could be kept at a central storage unit, and be suitably protected from disaster by a failsafe backup system.

As the Internet becomes ever more pervasive, and the speed of access to other machines increases across our telephone lines, it might be possible to do away with local storage systems altogether.

What part of a HD is it? Read the functions and name:

•Reads information across the width of the disk;

•Contains magnetized areas of data storage;

•Writes data to the disk;

• Shortens the required distance between the head and the platter to less than 1 microinch.

Choose the right answer:

1)Nowadays, hard disk drive technology is:

a)less complex

b)part of every modern computer

c)expensive

d)not difficult to understand

2)Magnetically-coated disks are one of many types of:

a)sequential access information systems

b)information storage solutions

c)tape storage solutions

d)CD players

3)Connecting a hard drive incorrectly usually:

a)results in excess temperature

b)erodes the magnetised material on the platters

c)damages the keyboard or mouse

d)destroys the drive

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4)Keyboard or mouse use can easily cause:

a)incorrect electrical currents

b)the magnetised coating on the platter to wear out

c)physical damage to the hard disk drive

d)none of the above

5)In the future, a computer user might be able to access personal data files from:

a)a central storage unit

b)a local hard drive

c)a software program

d)the local bank

6)Centralised banks of storage information could:

a)offer better protection of a user's data files

b)stream data across telephone lines

c)mean the end of local storage systems

d)all of the above

Have a look at the phrases underlined in the text. What grammar phenomenon do they refer to?

Grammar Practice

Passive Voice

Watch the video to revise the forms of the Passive Voice: https://youtu.be/B1m5kK_J6yY Write all the examples given in the video.

Take the verb build. Write it in all the forms into the table.

Fill in the gaps with the verbs into the correct form.

a)It must … (remember) that hard drives are very fragile.

b)Later, magnetic tape … (use) to store electronic signals.

c)Nowadays serious questions about the direction of the future of electronic storage media…(raise).

d)Personal data files could … (keep) at a central storage unit.

e)The capacity of hard disks … (increase).

Put the verb into the correct form, present or past, active or passive.

a)Two hundred people are employed (employ) by the company.

b)The company employs (employ) 200 people.

c)Water … (cover) most of the earth’s surface.

d)How much of the earth’s surface … (cover) by water?

e)While Peter was on holiday, his wallet … (steal) from his pocket.

f)While I was on holiday, my camera … (disappear) from my hotel room.

g)Marcus and his sister …. (bring up) by their grandparents.

h)The boat hit a rock and … (sink) quickly.

i)Fortunately, everybody … (rescue) so far.

j)Mary … already (fire) from her job. She wasn’t very good at it.

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k)Mrs. Sweet … (resign) from her job because she didn’t enjoy it any more.

l)It can be noisy living here, but it … (not / bother) me.

m)It can be noisy living here, but I …(not / bother) by it.

Complete with the passive so the meaning is the same.

a)People don`t use this room very often. – This room isn`t used very often.

b)They subtitle a lot of books. – …

c)The technician from IT department is repairing my laptop now. – …

d)They haven`t yet opened a new bakery at the corner. – …

e)My colleagues won`t finish the project until the end of the week. – …

f)You have to collect the dishes after dinner. – …

g)Damien Chazelle directed “La La Land”. – …

h)They have already written all the essays. – …

i)They were interviewing the writer about his new novel.

3.3.Flash Memory

Warming up

Match the words to make up meaningful phrases

Flash memory is a type of non-volatile memory that can be electronically erased and reprogrammed. Its name was invented by Toshiba to express how much faster it could be erased - in a flash; which means 'very quickly'. Unlike RAM, which is volatile, flash memory retains the information stored in the chip when the power is turned off. This makes it ideal for use in digital cameras, laptops, network switches, video game cards, mobile phones and portable multimedia players. In addition, it offers fast read access times (although not as fast as RAM), with transfer rates of 12MB per second. Unlike ROM chips, flash memory chips are rewritable, so you can update programs via software. Inside the chip, data is stored in several floating gate transistors, called cells. Each cell traditionally stores one bit of data (1 = erased and 0 = programmed). New devices have a multi-level cell structure so 20 they can store more than one bit per cell. The chips are constructed with either NOR or NAND gates. NOR chips function like a computer's main memory, while NAND works like a hard drive. For example, in a camera, NOR flash contains the camera's internal software, while NAND flash is used to store the images.

Flash memory is used in several ways.

•Many PCs have their BIOS (basic input/output system) stored on a flash memory chip so it can be updated if necessary.

•Modems use flash memory because it allows the manufacturer to support new protocols.

•USB flash drives are used to save and move MP3s and other data files between computers. They are more easily transported than external hard drives because they use solid-state technology, meaning that they don't have

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fragile moving parts that can break if dropped. However, USB flash drives have less storage capacity than hard drives.

•New U3 smart drives allow users to store both applications and data. They have two drive partitions and can carry applications that run on the host computer without requiring installation.

•Flash memory cards are used to store images on cameras, to back up data on PDAs, to transfer games in video consoles, to record voice and music on MP3 players or to store movies on MP4 players. They are as small as a stamp, and capacity can range from 8MB to several gigabytes. The only limitation is that flash cards are often not interchangeable between devices. Some formats include: CompactFlash, Secure Digital, MultiMedia Card, miniSD card, and xD-Picture Card. Sony has its own product called the Memory Stick, used in its digital still cameras, video camcorders and the PlayStation Portable. The photos stored in a digital camera can be downloaded to a computer via cable or wirelessly. Another option is to have a flash card reader permanently connected to your PC; you simply eject the card from the camera and put it into the reader instead of having to plug the camera in.

The future of hard drives may be hybrid hard drives. Hybrid hard drives 70 combine a magnetic hard disk and flash memory into one device. This allows computers to boot quickly, and also reduces power consumption.

Find the words and phrases with the following meanings:

•able to hold data without power;

•able to be rewritten in many times;

•a small handheld device equipped with a microprocessor that is used especially for storing and organizing personal information (such as addresses and schedules);

•to start or ready for use especially by booting a program;

•a data-storage device consisting of a drive and one or more hard disks.

Put the sentences into the dialogue between a salesperson and a customer into the right order.

Hello there. I`m thinking of buying a USB flash drive and I`ve heard you are presenting a new device at this show. Could I see it?

Well, this model can hold 64 gigs. The drive consists of a USB connector covered by a removable cap, a mass of storage controller, and a flash memory chip. It also includes a whit-protect switch and password protection.

What is the storage capacity?

Sure. This is the new Dragon flash drive, a compact flash memory drive that acts like a portable hand drive.

You just plug it into a USB port on your computer. You can copy files to and from it.

You know, a flash drive is more durable as it doesn’t contain any internal moving parts. It is also small enough to carry it into the pockets.

What is the advantage of using a flash drive instead of a hard drive?

It sounds too technical for me! Does it connect like a normal drive?

Act out the dialogue together with your fellow-student.

3.4. A New Way to Store Data

Warming up

Think about your answers to the questions:

•What methods of data storage are used today? Are they effective or not?

•What problem of data storage do we have?

•Where do you store your data?

Listening

You are going to watch and listen to a talk about a way to store date.

Before watching read and translate the phrases below:

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Make up a dialogue discussing the problem raised into the speech.

Use the ideas to begin the dialogue:

A:Have you watched TED Talks video “How can we store digital data in DNA?”

B:Yes, I have. The speaker covers a very important problem of data storage.

A:Right, in digital world it is difficult to store much data that form our digital footprint

B:…

Revision

1. Match the words with the definitions

f.something produced by a cause or necessarily following from a set of conditions

2.Rewrite the sentences in Active Voice.

a)The novel is being read by Mary.

b)The stone was being thrown by the kid.

c)A new car has been bought by him.

d)The door had been knocked at by someone.

e)The data have not been stored by the employer.

f)Yam is eaten by people in my country.

g)The mother tongue would be taught to him by her.

h)The fish is eaten by the cat.

3. Give short answers to the questions. How does a hard disk work?

What are the main rules to handle a hard disk?

What devices of magnetic storage are used nowadays? What innovative ways of storing data do you know?

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Unit 4. Output devices

4.1. Printers

Warming up

How many types of printers can you think of?

Read and translate the words and expressions.

•vary substantially

•take into account

•pins

•shape a character

•ink droplet

•precise mixing of cyan, magenta

•scalable font

•wide-format inkjet

Reading

Read and translate the text.

Which type of printer should I buy?

Printing is the final stage in creating a document. Since the results you can obtain different types of printer will vary substantially, here is a guide to help you decide which one is most suitable for your needs. To begin with, you should take into account that printers vary in cost, speed, print quality, and other factors such as noise or printing method. Technology is evolving so quickly that there is always a printer for every application or need.

Dot-matrix printers use pins to print the dots required to shape a character. They can print text and graphics; however, they produce relatively low resolution output - 72 to 180 dots per inch (dpi).They are used to print multi-part forms, self-copying paper and continuous-form labels. They are slower than laser printers (see below) but much cheaper.

Inkjet printers operate by projecting small ink droplets onto paper to form the required image. Colour and hues are created by the precise mixing of cyan, magenta, yellow and black inks. Inkjets are fairly fast, quiet, and not as expensive as laser printers. Nevertheless, you can still expect high quality results because there are some inkjet printers on the market with a resolution of 2,400 dpi.

Laser printers produce output at great speed and with a very high resolution of 1,200-2,400 dpi. They scan the image with a laser beam and transfer it to paper with a special ink powder called toner. They are constantly being improved. In terms of speed and image quality, laser printers are preferred by experts for various reasons; for instance, they have a wider range of scalable fonts than inkjets, can emulate different language systems, and can produce highquality' graphics; however, they are still expensive for home users.

Thermal transfer printers are used to produce colour images by transferring a wax-based ink onto the paper. They are popular for printing bar codes, labels and medium-resolution graphics.

Imagesetters produce very high-resolution output (up to 3,540 dpi) on paper or on the actual film for making the printing plates. In addition, they are extremely fast. Imagesetters are most often used in desktop publishing (DTP). Although they produce the highest quality output, they have one important disadvantage: they are too expensive for homes or small offices.

In modern lithographic printing, images are created on a DTP computer and then output directly to the printing plates, without requiring film as an intermediate step. This technology is called computer to plate, or CTP, and the machine used is called a platesetter.

Finally, we have plotters. Plotters use ink and fine pens held in a carriage to draw very detailed designs on paper. They are used for construction plans, engineering drawings and other technical illustrations. Nowadays, traditional plotters are being replaced with wide-format inkjets.

Give the definitions to the words in bold.

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Fill in the table according to the text.

Make up a short plan of the text and retell it.

Grammar Practice

Questions

Remember how to build a question in the English language. What types of questions are there?

Put the words in brackets in the correct order.

a)(when / was / built / this house?) When was this house built?

b)(how / bread / is / made?)

c)(why / Ted / working / isn’t / today?)

d)(what time / coming / your friends / are?)

e)(why / was / cancelled / the concert?)

f)(when / invented / the first telephone / was?)

g)(where / your parents / were / born?)

h)(why / you / to the lecture / didn’t / come?)

i)(how / the accident / did / happen?)

j)(why / happy / you / aren’t?)

k)(how many / speak / can / languages / she?)

Read the text. Make up questions using the prompts below the text.

The Birthday Present

Peter got home late last night, around midnight. His wife, Nina, was sitting on the couch waiting for him. She was quite worried because he is never late. Tomorrow is Nina's birthday. Unfortunately, Peter doesn't think she will be happy with her birthday present. Yesterday, he bought her a bike and he decided to ride it home from the bike shop. While he was riding down a hill, a driver came too close to him, and he landed in a ditch. Peter was okay, but the bike was ruined. Peter found a bus stop nearby and finally got home.

Peter told Nina the story, but Nina didn't care about the bike. She said she had a better present: her husband.

1.When\ Peter \ get home

2.Where\ be\ his wife

3.What\ Peter\ buy

4.Why\ be\ Peter\ late

5.What present \ Nina \ get

Listening

Before watching

Do you know who Emily Blunt is? Share some information.

Put the words into the right order to make up questions.

•where/you/grow up/did

•do/miss/most/England/when/about/in America/you/what/you/are

•there/over London/is/anything/New York/has

•being on set (быть на съемочной площадке)/is/the best/part/what

•is/the director/work with/who/you`d love to/

•being/ an actress/the biggest/is/what/misconception (заблуждение)/about

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