Computer applications on railways

Computers and other electronic devices play an increasingly important part in railroad operations.

Computerized systems facilitate the management of rail yards¹ where freight trains are sorted and assembled. The signaling and switching² functions of classification yards are controlled by computers. Electronic scanners read color-coded identification labels² on all freight cars entering a yard and relay the information to computers that assign the cars to the proper track.

Automation is also adopted by many passenger rail lines. In a number of systems, automatic equipment is used so extensively that the function of the train driver is limited to simple on and off operations during station stops. Since commands from automatic controls are continuously fed to other automatic mechanisms in response to information collected by sensors strategically positioned on the engine and track, human control of the engine is only required in an emergency.

An impressive example of automated rail transportation is the Bay Area Rapid Transit⁴ (BART) system serving the San Francisco-Oakland area of California. BART consists of more than 75 miles of track and about 100 trains operating between 33 stations at peak hours. Both the operation of trains and ticketing of passengers are fully automated. As a train enters a station, it automatically transmits its identification and destination to the control center and to a display board for passengers to see. The control center, in turn, sends signals to the train that regulate its time in the station and its running time to the next destination. An ideal schedule is established every morning and, as the day progresses, the performance of each train is compared with that schedule. The performances of individual trains are then adjusted as required. The entire BART system is controlled by essentially one computer. There is an identical backup computer that can assume control if necessary.

Notes: ¹(classification) yard – сортировочная станция;

²switching– маневровая работа;

³color-codedidentificationlabel– опознавательная бирка с цветовым кодированием;

⁴BART(BayAreaRapidTransit) – БАРТ ("Скоростная система Зоны залива")Система метрополитена в городах Сан-Франциско и Окленд.

Ex. 49. Write a summary of the text. Make use of the following phrases:

• The title of the text under review is …

• The text gives us (a sort of, detailed, interesting, etc.) information about …

• The subject matter of the text is that …

• At the beginning, the author describes (explains, touches upon, analyses, comments, characterizes, underlines) …

• As far as I can understand, …

• Then (after that; further on; next) the author passes on to (gives a detailed description; goes on to say that) …

• The text pays special attention to …

• According to the author, ...

• To finish with, the author describes …

• I find the text rather interesting (important, disputable, informative, etc.) because …

• I agree (disagree) with the author that …

• I might as well add that …

• The text will be useful for those who take interest in …

• In conclusion, I'd like to …

UNIT THREE TYPES OF COMPUTERS

Ex. 1. Practice the reading of the following words and phrases:

automatically, component, result, microchip, microscopic, fundamentally, specialized, hydrodynamics, aerodynamics, mechanical, chemical, rotation, abbreviation, transform, synonymous, function, technique, evolution, resource, to code, to decode;

analog computer, hybrid computer, mathematical operation, logical operation, automobile speedometer, musical note, electronic calculator, university computing center, temperature of absolute zero, global climate.

Ex. 2. Revise the following words and phrases from your school active vocabulary:

to differ, to connect, to limit, to tune, to describe, to decide; decision, job, letter, brain, mind, plant, size, shape; different, each, nowadays, generally, even, however, simply, unfortunately, still, both, although, without.

Ex. 3. Memorize the following words.

series – ряд, последовательностьSyn: sequence to accept – принимать reason – причина to convert–преобразовывать, конвертировать conversion – преобразование, превращение pressure–давление voltage – (электрическое) напряжение to manipulate – 1) управлять, манипулировать;2) обрабатывать Syn: to handle field – 1) поле; 2) область, сфера (деятельности) to measure – измерять, мерить measure – мера to take measures – принимать меры measurement – 1) измерение; 2) pl. размеры to monitor – контролировать, управлять, проверять capacity – 1) объём, ёмкость; 2) возможность, способность to transfer – передавать, переносить Syn: to transmit frequency–частота to represent – изображать, представлять representation – представление, изображение to power – приводить в действие power – 1) мощность, энергия; 2) способность, возможность to equip – оборудовать (with – чем-л.) equipment – оборудование to exchange – обменивать(ся) character – символ, знак to entertain – занимать, развлекать entertainment – развлечение; развлекательное мероприятие to require – требовать required – необходимый, обязательный, требуемый requirement – требование, необходимое условие to meet requirements – отвечать требованиям to move – двигать(ся), перемещать(ся) movement – движение, перемещение to share–разделять, совместно (коллективно) использовать, sharing – совместное использование, коллективный доступ to improve – улучшать, усовершенствовать improvement – улучшение, усовершенствование to achieve – достигать achievement – достижение

Ex. 4. Translate the sentences, paying attention to the italicized words.

1. Geometric progression is a series of numbers, in which each is multiplied or divided by a fixed number to produce the next, for example 1, 3, 9, 27, 81.

2. Backup copy is a copy of a file, program, etc. that is applied if the original is lost or damaged.

3. This software enables companies to monitor employees' Internet use.

4. Information can be processed, exchanged between the windows on the screen or printed in the required sequence.

5. The entertainment industry is a large branch of the economy, which is engaged in making movies, television programmes, music records to entertain people.

6. For security reasons, video cameras were installed at the school entrance.

7. Data and messages can be transmitted from one computer to another by means of telephone lines, microwave links [радиорелейная линия], communications satellites, or other telecommunications equipment.

8. The government took new measures against illegal using and coping pirated software.

9. The software converts files from Macintosh format to Windows format.

10. A floppy disk usually holds 1.44 megabytes of data, which is equal to about 1,400,000 keyboard characters. At this storage capacity, a single disk can store a document about 700 pages long, with 2000 characters per page.

11. Frequency is the speed at which a sound or electromagnetic wave vibrates, i.e. moves up and down.

12. The screen size of monitors is measured by the distance from one corner of the display to the diagonally opposite corner.

13. Customers can select from thousands of products, which are represented in the online catalogues.

14. In the electronic game Tetris, players must manipulate geometric shapes that fall from the top of the screen. The aim is to create solid rows.

15. Mainframe is a large powerful computer, usually the centre of a network that is shared by many users.

Ex. 5. Fill in the gaps with the required words.

We regularly hold international conferences to ___ information with colleagues from other countries. To digitize means to ___ information into a digital form. The gas containers burst at high ___. The robot was programmed to imitate a ___ of human movements. Keith has a degree in computer science and engineering, but cannot find a job in this ___. This device ___ the level of radiation in the atmosphere. In 1996, a supercomputer built by Intel ___ a processing speed of more than one trillion operations per second. You can ___ data to a disk in a few seconds. The company sent some employees to the courses to ___ their computer literacy. As electric impulses can ___ at the speed of light, a computer can carry out great numbers of arithmetic-logical operations almost instantaneously. You can send a text message of up to 150 ___ in length. Many small businesses do not have the ability to ___ electronic payments. The program will prompt [подсказывать] you to enter data where ___. My cellular phone is ___ with a built-in digital camera. This is a simpler system that requires fewer engineers to ___ it.

accept achieved characters convert equipped exchange field improve manipulate measures move pressure required series transfer

Ex. 6. Give English equivalents to the italicized words. Mind your grammar!

1. Sociability and the способность to work in teams is a основное требование for the job.

2. This computer software может преобразовывать speech into typed words.

3. Optical scanners read символы or изображения on a printed page and translate them into binary numbers.

4. Like any other type of оборудования, the computer требует regular servicing.

5. An точный diagnosis was made after a ряда of tests.

6. I напечатаю your report if you fix my computer in обмен.

7. Manufacturers используют программное обеспечение моделирования для того, чтобы улучшить the product разработка process.

8. One movie is classified as pure art, the other as развлечение.

9. A buffer is a запоминающее устройство, which принимает data at a very high speed.

10. The скорость, at which data передаётся over mobile phone networks, is constantly increasing.

11. A блок управления makes the computer выполнять the требуемые операции in the correct последовательности.

12. Ёмкость памяти usually измеряется in kilobytes, megabytes, and gigabytes.

Ex. 7. Match the beginnings and the ends of the sentences.

Everyone in the group exchanged… The office network allows users to share… He entertained us for hours… The largest capacity memory chips can hold… Digital Broadcast Satellite [спутниковое вещание] is an information delivery system that transmits… The operating system of a computer requires… Yamaha Corporation is the world’s largest manufacturer of… We have made great improvements to… Programming language is a set of words, characters and rules… The speed of the first computers…

with his stories and jokes. was measured in milliseconds. around 10 megabytes of information. sound and images in digital form to a television set at a high speed. sound and images in digital form to a television set at a high speed.musical instruments, professional and home audio equipment, and other electronic devices. files and software, and to use a central printer. some space on the hard disk for its own use. email addresses. the design of many of our electronic devices. that is used to write computer programs.

Ex. 8. Memorize the following adjectives and adverbs.

flat – плоский lightweight – легковесный, лёгкий huge – огромный powerful – мощный, обладающий большой вычислительной мощностью [об ЭВМ] internal – внутренний external – внешний handheld – портативный, переносной Syn: portable advanced – современный, передовой; усовершенствованный, модернизированный multiple – многочисленный, различный specific – определенный, конкретный overall – общий, весь, целый precise(ly) – точный; точно simultaneous(ly) – одновременный; одновременно continuously – постоянно, непрерывно Syn: constantly extremely – чрезвычайно, очень

Read and translate the sentences.

1. A flat-screen monitor will save you a lot of desk space.

2. Mainframe is a huge, powerful computer that can work very fast and that a lot of people can use simultaneously.

3. His new album includes multiple versions of the same songs.

4. He had specific instructions to check everyone's identity cards.

5. An external storage is an I/O device that is not built into the system unit but must be connected to it.

6. There are only two letters in the computer language: zeros and ones, and computers read these 1s and 0s extremely quickly.

7. The football match will be broadcast simultaneously on TV and radio.

8. To get the overall score, add up the sums in each column.

9. The most advanced and powerful telescopes are used by astronomers to study distant stars and galaxies.

10. Cellular phone is a hand-held, lightweight radio transceiver (combination transmitter-receiver) that provides voice communication and other services to mobile users.

11. Programs are often written as a set of smaller parts. Each part represents some aspect of the overall application program.

12. The amount of data that can be stored on devices such as magnetic disks is constantly increasing.

Ex. 9. TEST. Choose the required variant to complete each sentence.

1. Children’s television programmes are created for a ___ age group.

A. advanced C. simultaneous

B. specific D. overall

2. Servers are fast, ___ computers that have greater data processing capabilities than most personal computers and workstations.

A. lightweight C. specific

B. precise . powerful

3. The server is designed to store ___ amounts of data.

A. advanced C. overall

B. huge D. internal

4. One server can be used ___ by many people.

A. extremely C. simultaneously

B. multiple D. continuously

5. Input hardware includes ___ devices that provide information and instructions to the computer.

A. precise C. external

B. internal . powerful

6. Up to twenty users can have ___ access to the system.

A. constantly C. hand-held

B. simultaneous D. internal

7. This digital audio player supports ___ formats.

A. flat C. simultaneous

B. external D. multiple

8. The most ___ bomb-detection equipment is used now in most airports.

A. advanced C. specific

B. extreme D. portable

9. People used to [раньше] think the earth was ___.

A. lightweight C. overall

B. multiple D. flat

10. The ___ cost of the workstation, including a fax machine and a laser printer is £3,000.

A. multiple C. extreme

B. overall D. huge

11. The notebook computer is a ___ computer smaller than a laptop model, often about the size of a sheet of A4 paper.

A. portable C. advanced

B. huge D. specific

12. UNIX is a multi-user operating system that allows ___ users to access the system.

A. advanced C. multiple

B. powerful D. overall

Ex. 10. Memorize the meaning of the constructions: either…or (или…или, либо…либо) and neither…nor (ни…ни). Translate the sentences.

Model: Computers can be either digital or analog. – Компьютеры могут быть либо цифровыми, либо аналоговыми. She neither called nor wrote. – Она не звонила и не писала.

1. You can either install the program on your hard disk or run it from the CD.

2. She had neither the time nor the desire to help them.

3. I’m going to buy either a camera or a DVD.

4. A robot is a programmable device used either to manipulate or to transport objects in a manufacturing process.

5. Neither the TV nor the video actually work.

6. A semiconductor is a material that is neither a good conductor of electricity (such as copper) nor a good insulator (such as rubber).

7. You can pay for the software either now or after one-week trial period.

8. Neither the programmer nor the analyst could explain the cause of the computer errors.

9. His latest work cannot be categorized as either a novel or an autobiography.

10. Installation program is a program whose function is to install another larger program, either on a storage device or in memory.

Ex. 11. As you know the word rather means довольно. Memorize the meaning of the phrase rather than (а не; вместо того чтобы). Translate the sentences.

1. I was rather surprised to see him among the participants of the conference.

2. Notebook computers have flat LCDs rather than television-like video display monitors.

3. It was a rather difficult question and I needed some time to think it over.

4. Why didn’t you ask for help rather than trying to do it on your own?

5. The software, which you are offering, seems rather interesting and useful for my work but it is too expensive for me to buy.

6. Dell Computer Corporation, a major manufacturer of PCs, computer peripherals and software sells its products directly to customers through the Internet and mail order catalogs rather than through retail outlets.

7. She thought it best to keep silence rather than get into an argument.

8. He is very nice, but I find him rather dull and predictable.

9. I’d prefer to email rather than phone, if that’s OK by you.

10. It will be cheaper to transport the equipment by rail rather than by road.