Lesson 5 electronic computer evolution

1. Read and memorize the following words and word-combinations:

tremendous - величезний

by means of - за допомогою

complicated - складний

electricalcircuit - електрична схема

withlightningspeed - блискавично, зі швидкістюблискавки

responsenumber - кількість реагувань (спрацювань)

to increase - збільшувати

as early as 1960s - ще в 1960-ті роки

integratedcircuit - інтегральна схема

microprocessor - мікропроцесор

to give (gave, given) birth to - дати початок чому-небудь; викликати

wide application - широке застосування

appearance - поява

high-capacity - потужність

capable - здібний, здатний

to perform - виконувати

concept - поняття

II. Read and translate the following text:

One of the most progressive and dynamic branches of science and technology is computer technol­ogy. The word "computer" is of Latin origin and means «counting”. A computer is a special kind of counting machine. It can do arithmetic problem at a tremendous speed. By means of electrical circuits it can find the answer to a very difficult and complicated problem with lightning speed. A computer can remember information you give it and store it in its «memory» until it is needed.

The first electronic computer appeared in 1946 on the basis of electronic vacuum tube with response number of five thousand operations per second. As early as 1960s the second generation appeared in which transistors were used to increase the number of opera­tions to 200 thousand per second.

The appearance of integrated circuits and micro­processor gave birth to the third generation of computers (1964) capable of performing two million operations per second. It found wide application in all fields of economy solving the most complex economic problems.

The computers of the fourth generation (1979) are based on very high-capacity integrated circuits and microprocessor able to perform 100 million operations per second.

Now the fifth generation of computers is widely used in production The PS-200 (PS stands for «parallel system”) supercomputer is able to perform 200 million operations per second and is based on super high-capacity integrated circuits Here for the first time in the world engineering practice a new parallel system concept is used.

EXERCISES:

L Find the following words in the dictionary, read and translate them:

• act - active - acting - action - activity

^e compute - computing - computer - computation

• perform - performing - performance

• integrate - integrated - integrating ~ integration

• receive - received - receiving - reception

IL Arrange the following words in pairs according to the similar meaning:

1. to carry out; to suggest; to increase; to begin; to su­pervise; to control; to require;

2. total; quick; complex; radically; fast; whole; consid­erably; complicated.

III. Ask questions on the text

IV. Define the terms, using the word-combinations in brackets:

a microcomputer - (consists of, device, CPU, chips, or, more, one, of, function cannot, independently, composed)

the central processing unit (CPU) –ALU(arithmetic / logic unit), cir­cuits, consists of, that, of, interpre­tation, of, contain, that, instructions, control, execution, unit, and).

V. Retell the text.