5. Make up 5 sentences using the vocabulary from ex. 1. Ask your partner to translate them into Russian.

6. Translate the following sentences using the highlighted words and expressions from Text 3.

1) Большинство людей стали слишком зависимыми от компьютеров и проводят много времени за ними. 2) Хакеры используют свои знания неправильным образом, взламывая не только сайты простых граждан, но и правительственные и банковские системы. 3) Общение онлайн часто заменяет живое общение, что не дает возможности узнать человека лучше.

4) Компьтер банкомата предоставит доступ к твоему банковскому счету, если пин-код введен правильно. 5) Многие образовательные учреждения используют устаревшие компьютеры по причине недостаточного финансирования. 6) В середине 20-го века компьютеры были ненадежными и имели много недостатков, например, огромный размер. 7) Компьютеры внутри одной фирмы образуют сеть и используют одни и те же данные.

8) Короче говоря, имея компьютер, человек не ограничен в своих возможностях.

SPEAKING

1. Work in small groups. Think about the activities people perform or want to perform using a computer (email, online shopping, etc.). Think about all types of computers that are necessary for you to complete your day-to-day activities. Use the following prompts of possible options: at streets, at shops, at the cinema, at hospital, on TV, on the Internet, at the airport, at the railway station, at the police department and etc. Be ready to report your results to the rest of the group.

2. Role-play “An expert and a dummy”.

Work in pairs. Student A is a computer expert who knows everything and even more. Student B is A’s friend or relative who wants to learn how to use a computer. An expert tries to explain common rules of computer use; a dummy doesn’t understand how this weird machine can function in different spheres of life. The argument starts but in the end everything is ok. Be ready to act your dialog out. You are welcome to use the active vocabulary from unit 1 and such phrases as:

AN EXPERT	A DUMMY
First of all you should… Of course, it’s easy/elementary Can you be so stubborn/lazy/such a doubting Thomas that you … Even children can…	Really? How come? Indeed? That’s impossible/outrageous/unthinkable Are you kidding? I’m too old/well-bred/patient/generous to do it. Let’s start from the beginning…

Unit 2. Computer architecture

COMPUTER TALKING

1. Work in pairs and speak on the questions.

1) Have you got a computer at home? What kind is it? 2) How often do you use it? What do you use it for? 3) Do your parents/grandparents try to use computers? If yes, did you teach them? If no, why can’t you show them how to do it?

4) Do you take your computer with you (to university/to friends/ to malls)? Why?

2. Name these different types of computers. Label the pictures with the words given in the box.

tablet PC PDA mainframe laptop desktop PC supercomputer

a) b) c)

d) e) f)

3. Work in groups of three and discuss the following questions:

1) What spheres of life are the computers from ex. 2 used in? 2) What type do you use? 3) Which type is the most powerful/popular/power-consuming/energy-efficient/the lightest?

4. Work in pairs. Think of all important components a computer consists of. Make the list of them. Compare your ideas with others.

READING

1. Read the first part of the text about what computer is and compare if you have mentioned every important detail in ex. 4.

2. Answer the questions on the text.

1) What is a computer? What kind of such machines are there? Which is the most popular and useful? 2) What’s the difference between hardware and software? Can a computer func­tion without any of these components? 3) What does the central processing unit do? 4) What is RAM? What function does it have? 5) Read-only memo­ry (ROM) loses its components when power is re­moved, doesn’t it? 6) Does cashe constantly hold data or program instructions to improve overall computer performance? 7) What is memory capacity measured in? 8) What are all of the others internal components connect to? 9) How can all other chips attached to the motherboard access the CPU? 10) What kinds of cards make the use of a computer so exciting?

Part I

To begin with, computer is a programmable electronic machine that processes data and performs calculations and other symbol manipulation tasks. It can take information from a person through the keyboard or mouse, from a device like CD or from the network through a modem.

There are three types of machines: the digital computer, which manipulates information coded as binary numbers; the analog computer, which works with continuously varying quantities; and the hybrid computer, which has characteristics of both analog and digital computers.

The mechanical, electrical, and elec­tronic components of a computer system are called hardware. A collection of programs and procedures for making a computer perform a specific task is called software. Software is created by programmers and is either distributed on a suitable medium, such as a floppy disc, or built into the computer in the form of firm­ware. Examples of software include operating system, compilers, and application programs.

The main component of a computer is the central processing unit (CPU). It includes the arithmetic and logic unit that carries out all calculations and logical operations, and control unit, which helps to run information around the system, since it decodes, synchro­nizes, and executes program instruction.

The next important component of a computer is called «ran­dom access memory» or RAM. The memory is considered «ran­dom access» because the memory locations can be accessed direct­ly rather than requiring sequential access. It means that the data can be selected without having to skip over earlier data first. Virtual memory-space on a hard disc used to temporarily store data and swap it in and out of RAM as needed. RAM is the short-term memory of the computer. It is vola­tile, which means that any information stored in it will be lost if power goes out.

A permanent type of memory storage used by the computer for important data that does not change is called read-only memo­ry (ROM). It does not lose its components when power is re­moved. ROM contains programs that are critical to the opera of the computer, for example, the instructions necessary to boot the computer when it is turned on.

BIOS (basic input/output system) is a type of ROM that used by the computer to establish basic communication when computer is turned on.

Cache is a special memory subsystem within a computer that temporarily holds data or program instructions to improve overall computer performance.

Hard disc (sometimes called Winchester) is large-capacity per­manent storage used to hold information such as programs and doc­uments. Needless to say, that memory is one of the most important components of every computer. The larger the memory is the more possibilities are available and can be realized. Memory capacity (computer memory size) is measured in bytes, kilobytes, megabytes, or gigabytes.

No doubt, the computer is a very complicated compound de­vice, but nevertheless each more or less experienced user who wants to acquire a computer is always interested (besides the volume and rate of its memories) in parameters of its components, such as motherboard and video board or video adapter. Of course these parameters must depend on the purposes which his computer will be targeted to.

Motherboard is the main circuit board of the computer that all of the others internal components connect to. Typically, the motherboard contains the CPU, BIOS, memory, mass storage interfac­es, serial and parallel ports expansion slots, and all the controllers required to control standard peripheral devices, such as the display screen, keyboard, and disc drive.

Video board is located on an expansion board and inserted into a slot in the computer to provide it with the ability to display a video image. The parameters of this device are very important for the multimedia purposes. Sound card is used by the computer to record and play audio by converting analog sound into digital information and vice versa. Graphics card translates image data from the computer into a format that can be displayed by the monitor.