Unit 3 inside the system

Text 1 What’s inside a PC system?

The nerve centre of a PC is the central processing unit or CPU? The unit is built into a single microprocessor chip – an integrated circuit – which executes program instructions and supervises the computer’ overall operation. The unit consists of three main parts:

I the control unit, which examines the instructions in the user’s program, interprets each instruction and causes the circuits and the rest of the components – disk drives, monitor, etc. – to be activated to execute the functions specified;

II the arithmetic logic unit (ALU), which performs mathematical calculations (+,–, etc.) and logical operations (and, or, etc.);

III the registers, which are high-speed units of memory used to store and control information. One of these registers is the program counter (PC) which keeps track of the next instruction to be performed in the main memory. Another is the instruction register (IR) which holds the instruction that is currently being executed (see Fig. 1).

One area where microprocessors differ is in the amount of data – the number of bits – they can work with at a time. There are 16, 32 and 64-bit processors. The computer’s internal architecture is evolving so quickly that the new 64-bit processors are able to address 4 billion times more information than a 32-bit system.

The programs and data which pass through the central processor must be loaded into the main memory (also called the internal memory) in order to be processed. Thus, when the user runs an application, the microprocessor looks for it on secondary storage device (disks) and transfers a copy of the application into the RAM area. RAM (random access memory) is temporary, i.e. its information is lost when the computer is turned off. However, the ROM section (read only memory) is permanent and contains instructions needed by the processor.

Most of today’s computers have internal expansion slots that allow users to install adapters or expansion boards. Popular adapters include high-resolution graphics boards, memory expansion boards, and internal modems.

The power and performance of a computer is partly determined by the speed of its microprocessor. A clock provides pulses at fixed intervals to measure and synchronize circuits and units. The clock speed is measured in MHz (megahertz) or GHz (gigahertz) and refers to the frequency at which pulses are emitted. For example, a CPU running at 1,600 MHz (1,600 million cycles per second) will enable the computer to handle the most demanding applications.

The RAM capacity can sometimes be expended by adding extra chips. These are usually contained in small circuit boards called single in-line memory modules (SIMMs). Modern Pentium processors also accept dual in-line memory modules (DIMMs), which allow for a wider data path.

nerve centre ['nɜ:v sentə] - мозговой центр, руководящее ядро (организации) integrated circuit - интегральная схема, ИС to execute ['eksɪkju:t] - исполнять, выполнять (программу, команду) to supervise ['s(j)u:pəvaɪz] - смотреть (за чем-л.), конторолировать to consist of smth - состоять, быть составленным из ч-л. control unit - устройство управления, блок управления to examine[ɪg'zæmɪn] - исследовать, изучать, проверять to interpret [ɪn'tɜ:prɪt] - объяснять, интерпретировать circuit ['sɜ:kɪt] - схема, цепь, контур arithmetic logic unit - арифметико-логическое устройство АЛУ register - регистр high-speed - быстродействующий, (высоко)скоростной program counter (PC) - счётчик команд to keep track - отслеживать instruction register (IR) - регистр команд currently ['kʌr(ə)ntlɪ] - теперь, в настоящее время architecture['ɑ:kɪtekʧə] - структура (конфигурация) to evolve [ɪ'vɔlv] - выявлять, устанавливать

RAM[ræm] сокр. от Random Access Memory - оперативная память, оперативное запоминающее устройство ROM сокр. от read-only memory - ПЗУ, постоянная память permanent ['pɜ:m(ə)nənt] - постоянный, долговременный expansion slot - расширительное гнездо expansion board - расширительная плата high resolution - высокое разрешение internal modem - встроенный модем to determine [dɪ'tɜ:mɪn] - определять, устанавливать clock - часы, синхронизатор, схема синхронизации to synchronize ['sɪŋkrənaɪz] - синхронизировать, согласовывать во времени to refer to smth. [rɪ'fɜ:] - относиться (к чему-л.), ссылаться frequency ['fri:kwən(t)sɪ] - частота to emit - выпускать, издавать, выделять to handle - обрабатывать, оперировать capacity [kə'pæsətɪ] - ёмкость, мощность, пропускная способность SIMM сокр. от single in-line memory module - модуль памяти с однорядным расположением выводов DIMM сокр. от dual in-line memory module - модуль памяти с двухрядным расположением выводов data path - канал (путь) передачи данных

Text 2 The Matrix

The Matrix is a cyber-thriller which captures the audience’s attention from the beginning. The movie, directed by the Wachowski brothers, has a storyline that combines action, science fiction, and special effects. The world is a virtual environment created by computers, where people are just slaves to AI machines which generate energy from human bodies.

Neo is a computer hacker that looks for an answer to the question. “What’s the Matrix?” He discovers the truth when he meets the rebels Trinity and Morpheus. Trinity helps Neo and kills “agents”, who are really machines in human form. Morpheus shows Neo what the Matrix is – a reality beyond reality that controls human lives. The Matrix is protected by “agents” led by Agent Smith, the character who tries to kill Neo.

Neo receives strong powers and becomes “The One” who will liberate humankind from the evil artificial intelligence known as the Matrix. In the end, he kills Agent Smith and saves the humans. But … does he really kill him? Find out the next Matrix movie.

Text 3 Types of memory

The main memory of a computer is also called “internal memory”, as distinct from any storage memory available on disks. PCs make use of two types of main memory: RAM or ROM.

RAM stands for “Random Access Memory”. It is called that because the processor can find data in any cell or memory address with equal speed, instead of looking for the data in a sequential order.

The data in the RAM is volatile, so it is lost when the power is switched off. Therefore, if we want to use this data later on, we have to save it on disk. When running an application, the CPU finds its location in the storage device (e.g. hard disk) and transfers a temporary copy of the application to the RAM area. Consequently, the size of RAM is vital when various programs are opened simultaneously or when a file is very complex.

The RAM capacity can be expanded by adding extra chips, which are contained in Single In-Line Memory Modules or SIMMs.

We can designate a certain amount of RAM space as cache in order to store data that a program uses repeatedly. A RAM cache may speed up our work, but we need a lot of memory or a special cache card.

ROM is an acronym for “Read Only Memory”, which implies that the processor can read and use the data stored in the ROM chip, but cannot put data into it. For this reason, it is also referred to as “firmware”. ROM chips have “constant” information, including instructions and routines for the basic operations of the CPU. These are used to start up the computer, to read the data from the keyboard or to send characters to the screen.

matrix['meɪtrɪks] -матрица, дешифратор cyber-thriller['saɪbə 'θrɪlə] - кибер-триллер to capture attention — привлечь внимание, увлечь story line['stɔ:rɪlaɪn] - фабула, основная сюжетная линия virtual ['vɜ:tjuəl] - виртуальный slave - подчинённый, подчинённый компонент системы AI сокр. от artificial intelligence – искусств. интеллект to generate['ʤen(ə)reɪt] - производить, генерировать hacker['hækə] - информ. хакер to discover the truth - устанавливать истину rebel - повстанец, восставший, бунтарь beyond[bɪ'jɔnd] - за, по ту сторону, за пределами to liberate - освобождать humankind - человечество in the end -в заключение, в конечном счёте

internal memory - внутренняя память, внутреннее ЗУ memory address - адрес (ячейки) памяти sequential[sɪ'kwen(t)ʃ(ə)l] – следующий, последовательный volatile['vɔlətaɪl] - непостоянный, временный to save data on disk - сохранить данные на диске to run an application - запускать программу temporary ['temp(ə)r(ə)rɪ] - временный consequently ['kɔn(t)sɪkwəntlɪ] - следовательно, поэтому simultaneously [sɪm(ə)l'teɪnɪəslɪ] - вместе, одновременно in order to - для того, чтобы repeatedly[rɪ'pi:tɪdlɪ] - часто, неоднократно acronym['ækrə(u)nɪm] - акроним, звуковая аббревиатура to imply[ɪm'plaɪ] - заключать в себе, означать firmware - программно-аппаратные средства, встроенные программы routine[ru:'tin] - (рутинная) операция, (рутинная) процедура