4.7 Match each component in column I with its definition.

A storage device An input device An output device A main memory The CPU a processor Data A VDU A Program The output The input Software hardware A motherboard

displays the processed data. holds the programs and data being used by the processor. does all the processing and controls the peripherals. is a set of instructions telling the computer what should be done and in what order. is the data brought out of the computer. contains the processor and the main memory. is the particular information that has to be processed. allows data to be entered. The pieces of equipment making up the computer system are known as … is a system board containing the primary CPU. Information in the form of program and data is called … provides permanent storage for programs and data. usually consists of program and some data.

4.7 Complete the table in your exercise books.

	Mainframe	Minicomputer	Microcomputer
Size Power Use

4.8 Guess or Match the following abbreviations with the phrases and meanings.

a) BSc / BSC / HP / PS / PIN / CD-Rom = CDROM / CD-WORM / DVD / CTI / exe / ext / CTC / VIP lounge / PC / LCD / HI-FI / HDD / PROM / EPROM / CPU / VDU / E-time / ezine /edress / e-cash e-money emoney / RAM / PROM / EPROM.

b) Resident access method / random-access memory / electronic money Computer Telephony Integration / electronic magazine / execution time / Visual Display Unit / Central Pro­cessing Unit / card punching unit / programmable read-only memory / erasable programmable read-only memory / CD-Write-Once-Read-Many / basic (message) switching center / binary synchronous communication / Binary Synchronous Communications protocol / Bachelor of Science/Arts / Hewlett-Packard / packet switching / personal system / planning and scheduling / power supply / privileged state / pulse shaper / Personal Identification Number / compact disk read-only memory / writable CDROM / digital video disk / digital versatile disk / extension / extent / executable / conditional transfer of control / Color Transient Improvement / parameter checkout / personal computer / printed circuit / program counter / processing complexity / programmable controller / pulse code / pulse controller / punched card / Private Circuit / liquid-crystal display / long constrained data / high fidelity / hard disk drive / electronic mail.

c) Резидентный метод доступа, память с произвольной выборкой, ЗУПВ / оперативное запоминающее устройство, ОЗУ / электронные деньги (общее название для банковских операций в компьютерных сетях ) / электронный журнал / устройство виртуального отображения; дисплей / блок пробивки перфокарт / центральный процессор, ЦП / программируемая постоянная память, устройство, ПЗУ / стираемая программируемая постоянная память, устройство СППЗУ / компакт-диск с однократной записью и многократным считыванием / главный центр коммутации сообщений / двоичная синхронная передача данных / двоичный синхронный протокол связи / бакалавр наук/искусств (обладатель степени бакалавра по одной из гуманитарных или математических наук в университетах) / коммутация пакетов, пакетная коммутация / персональная (вычислительная) система общее и календарное планирование / 1) (электро-)питание 2) источник (электро-) питания / привилегированный режим / формирователь импульсов / личный номер, код / постоянное запоминающее устройство на компакт-диске, компакт-диск / цифровой видеодиск / универсальный цифровой диск / расширение / 1) экстент 2) степень, мера / исполняемый ( о файле ) / 1) условная передача управления; 2) команда условной передачи управления / интеграция телефона и компьютера, компьютерная телефония / регулировка насыщенности цвета / комната для важных персон, высокопоставленных лиц / контроль параметра / персональная ЭВМ, ПЭВМ, персональный компьютер, ПК / печатная схема / технологическая сложность / счетчик команд / программируемый контроллер / импульсный код / импульсный контроллер / перфорированная карта / выделенная линия, выделенный абонентский канал /жидкокристаллический индикатор, ЖКИ/ жидкокристаллический дисплей, ЖК-дисплей; жидкокристаллическое табло, ЖК-табло / данные с ограниченной задержкой / аппаратура класса HI-FI / высокая точность передачи или воспроизведения / накопитель на жестком диске.

Dialogue 4.9 read the dialogue in pairs, fill in the blancs.

3

Acronyms & Abbreviations

• What is it all about? There exist plenty of unknown words written in capital letters or given with a full stop (точка) in Computing. It drives me mad!

• I can help you. These words are called acronyms or abbreviations.

• Why are they called so?

• An acronym is a word formed from the initial letters of other words (e.g. laser, Nato). The noun abbreviation comes from the verb abbreviate meaning shorten, especially representing a word by a part of it. Some abbreviations are read as individual letters C-D/ V-I-P / T-V/ B-B-C/ I-S / P-S. If an abbreviation is read as a word we call it acronym (e.g. radar, yuppy).

• Can you give me some keys to the abbreviations you’ve just mentioned: e.g. / laser / Nato / radar / yuppy.

• E.g. (E-G) is abbreviated for example. It comes from Latin expression exempli gratia. Laser ['leɪzq] is a device that generates an intense beam of coherent light, or other electromagnetic radiation, in one direction. Its name is formed from the initial letters of the phrase light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation. NATO / Nato ['neɪtəʊ] stands for North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Radar ['reɪdə] [from radio detection and ranging] is a system for detecting the direction, range, or presence of objects, by sending out pulses of high frequency electromagnetic waves which they reflect; as well as an apparatus for this. Yuppie/ yuppy [from young urban professional] i.e. (I-E) [id est] (in other words) a young ambitious professional person working in a city.

• I see. But how do you know all that?

• There are some dictionaries nowadays which give the meanings of acronyms and abbreviation expansions (расшифровка аббревиатуры). For example, I use ABBYY Lingvo 9.0 English-Russian Electronic Dictionary and Electronic Oxford pocket Dictionary.

• I have seen some words rather different from the given above. But I feel they are also abridged terms. E.g. (For example) e-money / exe / fax and some others. I know that e-mail means electronic mail.

• e-money [Electronic money] defines the consumer equivalent of electronic funds transfer (EFT), which has taken place in the commercial banking and financial industries for years. E-money covers a variety of online financial transactions that transfer funds from bank accounts, debit cards and credit cards for paying bills, investing and shopping. In general, such words can be set apart because of their clipped structure, I mean some letters or syllables are omitted of utter words. Guess what their full-length are: lab / telly / exam / phone / ad /advert / rep / e-dress / frige.

• I can do it. They stand for… respectively. But I still don’t understand …

• Well done. Exe / EXE file [EXEcutable file] is a runnable program. Ltd. [Limited] when given after a company name being a limited company. Lsd ['elesdi:] means money; abbreviated from Latin librae, solidi, denarii. There is an expression it is only a matter of lsd (вопрос только в деньгах). Then, fax [FACSimile] [fæk'sɪmɪlɪ] was originally called telecopying, it is the communication of a printed page between remote locations. Fax machines scan a paper form and transmit a coded image over the telephone system. The receiving machine prints a facsimile of the original. A fax machine is made up of a scanner, printer and modem with fax signalling.

• As I can see there are also a great many of abbreviations having not one expansions and meanings of quite another nature as well. How can one differ them?

• You are quite right. To see what sense this or that abbreviation has one should take into account if it is given in capital or small letters, whether there is/isn’t a full stop. One of these may serve as a differential sign (отличительный знак), e.g. COD /c.o.d. [cash on delivery] (наложенным платежом); cod 1 means a large sea fish (треска); cod 2 in slang is perform a hoax/parody (надувать, обманывать); cod 3 in slang stands for nonsense [abbreviation of codswallop]. A widely used in the organization of language abbreviation etc.[etcetera /et cetera] [ɪt'setrə] and the rest, and so on (и так далее, и прочее). In capital letters ETC can stand for 1.Enhanced Transmission Correction (усовершенствованный протокол передачи данных с коррекцией ошибок (протокол, используемый в сотовой связи)); 2.European Translations Center (Европейский центр переводов); 3.Electronic Tipp Control (псевдосенсорное электронное управление).

• Well, I think one can differ the abbreviations judging by the context, am I right?

• Yes, you are quite right. Take, for one, ram / the Ram / RAM and choose from: Royal Academy of Music / random-access memory / resident access method / male sheep / zodiacal sign or constellation Aries / battering-ram (таран) / falling weight of a pile-driving machine / hydraulically operated water pump / force or squeeze into place by pressure / beat down or drive in by heavy blows / strike violently, crash against.

• O.K.

• OK [also okay] [originally US: probably abbreviation of orl (or oll) korrect, jocular form of ‘all correct’] equals as different parts of speech all right; satisfactory / well, satisfactorily / approval, sanction / approve. You see, this one of the most used English abbreviations has already got various forms Oks, OK's, OK'd, OK'ing.

• That’s interesting. Thank you for your explanation.

• It’s my pleasure.

Dialogue 4.10

3

Read in pairs.

Computer as It Is

• What is a computer?

• A computer is a general-purpose machine that processes data according to a set of instructions that are stored internally either temporarily or permanently. The computer and all equipment attached to it are called hardware. The instructions that tell it what to do are called software. A set of instructions that perform a particular task is called a program, or software program.

• What does a computer do?

• The instructions in the program direct the computer to input, process and output.

• What do you mean by that?

• To input means to enter data into the computer. The computer can selectively retrieve data into its main memory (RAM) from any peripheral device (terminal, disk, tape, etc.) connected to it. After processing the data internally, the computer can send a copy of the results from its memory out to any peripheral device (to output). The more memory it has, the more programs and data it can work with at the same time.

• What process is storage?

• By outputting data onto a magnetic disk or tape, the computer is able to store data permanently and retrieve it when required. A system's size is based on how much disk storage it has. The more disk is, the more data is immediately available.

• How is processing the data carrying out?

• It usually includes the 3 C's: calculate, compare, & copy. Once the data is in the computer's memory, the computer can process it by calculating, comparing and copying it.

• What is the difference between the above-mentioned terms in computing?

• 1. Calculate means that the computer can perform any mathematical operation on data by adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing one set with another. 2. Compare consists in that the computer can analyze and evaluate data by matching it with sets of known data that are included in the program or called in from storage. 3. Copy means that the computer can move data around to create any kind of report or listing in any order. By calculating, comparing and copying, the computer accomplishes all forms of data processing. For example, records are sorted into a new order by comparing two records at a time and copying the record with the lower value in front of the one with the higher value.

• So, one can give the computer any problem and it can solve it?

• If you wonder whether the computer can solve a problem, identify your data on paper. If it can be calculated, compared and copied on paper, it can be processed in the computer.

Dialogue 4.11 Fill in the blancs according to Text 4A.

a)Computerhardware (in the computer shop)

• Hello. Can I help you, madam?

• Yes, will you explain me the earmarking of all these devices?

• Most willingly. A complete microcomputer system is composed of a microprocessor, a memory and peripheral equipment.

• What is a processor?

• The processor is … . It does all the … .

• What is a memory?

• The main memory is … .

• …?

• However it only stores information while the computer is switched on and it has a limited capacity.

• Do all these need much room?

• The processor, memory and electronic controls for the peripheral equipment are usually put together on a single or on a few printed circuit boards inside the CPU box.

• What about extra equipment?

• All the other devices in the computer system, which can be con­nected to the CPU, are known as … . These include …put and …put devices as well as storage ones.

• You mean a keyboard, aren’t you?

• Not only. An input device is a peripheral, which enables information to be fed into the … . The most commonly used input device is a keyboard, similar to a typewriter one. Using the mouse, you can do a number of things by clicking on different icons (moving the mouse to point at different pictures at the top of the screen).

• There are some disks, aren’t there?

• Yes, you are quite right. There can be one or more hard disks inside the computer; the CD-ROM by means of which you’ll be able to use a large amount of information from a CD; and a floppy disk drive for small pics of floppy disks where less information can be stored.

• I see. And would you be so kind as to inform me about necessary output devices?

• An output device is a peripheral, which enables information to be brought out of the computer, usually to display the processed data. The most commonly used output device is a specially adapted tele­vision known as a … or VDU (V… D… U…). Another common output device is a … that prints the output of the CPU onto paper.

• Is that all I can need for my home computer?

• These are the main pieces of hardware of any computer system. But it depends on the problems your family will solve with the help of it. For example, if you want to listen to music, you should possess … . If you intend to join the Internet, add … . If you are interested in watching films in DVD (D… V… D…) format you should have … . When you start to make photos or video films, acquire the corresponding cameras, etc.

fill in the proper questions.

b)Computerssoftware (in a computer shop)

• …?

• As well as the hardware (the machines), you also need software (the programs needed to work the machines).

• … ?

• These programs are on disks, e.g. the hard disk inside the computer; or floppy disks or on CD-ROMs, a CD on which a large amount of information can be put.

• … ?

• A word processor is a computer used to prepare documents or letters, or the software that is used for this purpose. Many people use their computers for word processing; e.g. writing letters and reports.

• …?

• A lot of business people use spreadsheets (a program used to enter and arrange numbers and financial information) and databases (programs which allow you to store, look at or change a large amount of information quickly and easily).

• …?

• Some people also use graphics (the pictures and symbols a computer program can produce).

• …?

• Not only children, but adults as well are addicted to computer games and Internet searching nowadays.

• …?

• More and more people are becoming computer-literate.

• What do you mean by that?

• I mean they have experience of working with computers and know how to use them. Most of them are skilled computer users now.

Dialogue 4.12 Dramatize the dialogue.

Some advice

• What should I do? I don’t know anything about computers at all!

• Don’t be afraid of computers, as many programs and machines are so user-friendly.

• What do you mean by saying ‘user-friendly’?

• I mean easy to use.

• I’ve just purchased a modem, what can it be used for?

• The term ‘modem’ (MOdulator-DEModulator) means a device that adapts a terminal or computer to a telephone line. It converts the computer's digital pulses into audio frequencies (analog) for the telephone system and converts the frequencies back into pulses at the receiving side. The modem also dials the line, answers the call and controls transmission speed, which ranges from 300 to 14,400 bps¹ and higher. You can now connect your computer to computers all over the world using the Internet.

• I have heard very much about it, but I can’t understand how it works.

• In very simple terms I may say that it is a network that allows computers to connect using telephone lines. The user of the computer does not really need to know how computers work, unless they are interested in these workings. All you need to know is how to operate the Front End.

• How can I communicate with the help of the computer?

• Like many other people you may easily send each other e-mail messages using Internet.

• What does it mean ‘e-mail’?

• It’s electronic mail. There exist also: ‘e-mail address’ or simply ‘e-dress’.

• I’m in a trouble. My computer works so slowly!

• If your computer is slow it may need more memory.

• And what if I don’t add extra memory, what consequences can there be?

• It may crash if there is not enough memory or if it has a bug.

• May you decipher these terms?

• ‘to crash’ is to stop working. ‘A bug’ means either a software problem or a virus.

• How can I save my files?

• Make sure you make a back-up² copy of your work, I mean an extra copy on a floppy disk.

• Thanks a lot.

• You are welcome.

• NB: ¹bps - Bits Per Second - the measurement of the speed of data transfer in a communications system.² back up - to make a copy of important data onto a different storage medium for safety.