Text 1a Computing & Computers

find the answers to the questions below in the text underneath.

What was the achievement of the firstindustrial revolution? What was the task of the second one? What is a computer? What can it make? What can you use it for?

What does a person need to become a computer? What can be the rate1 of computing? How old is the idea of an automatic digital computer? How old is the computer? 1rate – зд. скорость.

The 20^th century is the century of the second industrial revolution. The achievement of the first revolution was to replace human muscles by machines. The task of the second one is to use electronic computers instead of human brain.

A computer is a person or a machine that can take in information, perform reasonable operations upon the information, and put out answers. This process is called computing. For example, a human being aided by a pencil and paper may be a computer. He may take in information, write some of it on the paper, perform reaso­nable operations the information and give an answer. Likewise a machine is able to take in information, record it inside the ma­chine, perform reasonable operations upon that information and put out the result. Both are computers.

We can make a computer do anything that we can express as a series of arithmetic operations. Most modern electronic compu­ters can do over billions operations реr second.

The idea of an automatic digital computer, a machine able to perform a number of operations both arithmetic and logical in a reasonable sequence is more than 120 years old. But the reality, a physically existing machine it no older than 1944. That was the year when the first one of the modern automatic digital computers started operating; it was the Harvard IBM Automatic Sequence Controlled Calculator also called the Harvard Mark I.

1.1 Divide Text 1A into paragraphs and give a headline to each one.

1.2 Read the international words.

Revolution, muscles, electronic, person, information, position, series, arithmetic, operation, engineer, technological, cosmic, atomic, energy, idea, automatic, logic, reality, physically, start, control, calculator, result.

1.3 a) Mind the translation of the following words: second, card, express, record, accuracy.

b) Translate the following phrases & sentences.

An express train, the express mail, the express company, to express; the weather records, a records department, a Record Office, the records of past civilizations, an attendance record, a world record, to equal a record; an accurate person, the accurate statements, the accurate instruments, the accuracy of measurements; a visiting card, a calling card a Christmas card, an identity card, a key card, to give someone his cards, a cardboard box, a second in command, second(s) hand (of clock), on the second floor, the second largest city, second helping, second teeth, on second thoughts, second to none, second cousin, secondary, secondly.

1. The goods were sent express. 2. The teacher keeps a record of attendance. 3. It is a matter of record. 4. It is on record that you lost every game. 4. It was the hottest day on record. 5. This is off the record. 6. Is that symphony on record? 7. They made a new record of the song. 8. We shall have a record apple crop. 9. The book records his early years. 10. The camera recorded his features. 11. The thermometer recorded zero. 12. You are the second to ask me that. 13. Wait a second! 14. He addressed her in the second person singular. 15. France was a second home to him. 16. he has second sight. 17. He is second to none. 18. Her taste is second to none. 19. Second words with deeds. 20. His record is against him. 21. These goods are seconds. 22. Second thoughts are best. 23.that's the card.