Reading and speaking

Exercise 9. Read and translate the text below. Depict the information of the text in the form of a scheme, a diagram or a table. Tell about computer applications using your scheme / diagram/ table.

Useful words and phrases:

Computers are used to V…

A PC can also be used for Ving…

Computers can help … make … control … store … keep … provide … manage … give … perform … measure … test … provide access to …

Computer applications Communication

C omputers make all modern communication possible. Local-area networks (LANs) link the computers in separate departments of businesses or universities, and larger networks, such as the Internet, permit modems to link individual computers to other computers anywhere in the world. Emailing, videoconferencing (Fig. 3) and the use of voice messages are very fast, effective and surprisingly cheaper as well. When connected to the Internet, people can gain various amounts of knowledge, and know about world events as they occur. Purchasing on the Internet is also becoming very popular, and has numerous advantages over the traditional shopping methods. Fig. 3. Videoconferencing.

Science and Research

Scientists and researchers use computers in many ways to collect, store, manipulate, and analyze data. A simulation is one of the most important applications. Data representing a real-life system is entered into the computer, and the computer manipulates the data in order to show how the natural system is likely to behave under a variety of conditions. In this way scientists can test new theories and designs or can examine a problem that does not lend itself to direct experimentation. Computer-aided design (CAD), programs enable engineers and architects to design three-dimensional models on a computer screen. Chemists may use computer simulations to design and test molecular models of new drugs. Some simulation programs can generate models of weather conditions to help meteorologists make predictions. Flight simulators (Fig. 4) are training tools for pilots. It is much more effective to teach pilots how to fly in a computerized cockpit or simulators. . Railway engineers can also be given some kind of training on how to run a train with the help of a computerized system.

Fig. 4. Airplane Simulator.

Industry

I n the factory, computer-assisted manufacturing, or CAM, programs help people plan complex production schedules, run automated assembly lines, and control robots. Computers are used in thousands of products ranging from calculators to airplanes. Computers have made their way towards jobs that were unpleasant or too dangerous for humans to do. In other industries, computers are used to control the production of resources very precisely. All robots and machinery are now controlled by various computers (Fig. 5), making the production process faster and cheaper. Fig. 5. Robots making cars.

Government

Among other tasks, the federal government uses computers to forecast the weather, to manage parks and historical sites, to process immigrants, to produce social security checks and to collect taxes. The most important use of the computer system in this field is perhaps the Army, the Air Force and the Navy. The computers have to be very powerful and in order to be run they have to be very accurate and precise.