COMPUTER ELEMENTARY final 1

A pen scanner looks like a pen; you can scan text, figures, barcodes and handwritten numbers.

The resolution of a scanner is measured in dpi or dots per inch. For example, a 1,200 dpi scanner gives clearer, more detailed images than a 300 dpi scanner. Most scanners come with Optical Character Recognition software. OCR allows you to scan pages of text and save them into your word processor; they can then be edited.

Another way to input data is to use a microphone (in the case of audio data, such as speech or music), or when using voice recognition software to dictate to a wordprocessing program, for example. Digital cameras and MP3 players are also commonly used to input data.

A digital camera doesn't use film. Photos are stored as digital data (bits made up of 1s and 0s), usually on a flash memory card. You can connect the camera or memory card to a PC and then alter the images using a program like Adobe Photoshop, or you can view the images on a TV set. Many printers have a special socket so that you can print images directly from a memory card or camera.

A camcorder, or digital video camera, records moving pictures and converts them into digital data that can be stored and edited by a computer with special video editing software. Digital video cameras are used by home users to create their own movies or by professionals in computer art or video conferencing. They are also used to send life video images via the Internet. In this case they are called web cameras or webcams.

/Alan Simpson “English for IT and the Internet’/

1.What input devices do you know?

2.What is a keyboard? What do we use it for?

3.What types of keys can you name? What do we use them for?

4.Can we use the keyboard instead of mouse?

5.How can we use the shortcut keys?

6.What is a scanner? What types of scanners do you know?

7.What are the characteristics of a scanner?

111

8.What is a microphone can be used for?

9.What is the difference between a digital camera and a camcorder?

10.What is web camera? When can we use it?

Exercise 2. Give Russian equivalents for the words and word combinations from

the text.

Exercise 3. Complete the sentences using the information from the text

1.Input devices are used to …

2.The keyboard is …

3.There are some special keys…

4.The Function keys are the keys laid … .

5.The exact role that the function keys play depends … .

6.Most keyboards also have a numeric … .

7.You can use the navigation … .

8.When the Num Lock key is “on”, … .

9.When the Num Lock is off… .

10.Shortcut keys are always expressed as: … . 11.A scanner is an electronic device used to … .

12.There are different types of scanners. They are … . 13.The resolution of the scanner is … .

14.OCR stands … .

112

15.A digital camera is used to … .

16.A camcorder can be used to… .

Exercise 4. Read the text. Answer the questions.

Text 2

Pointing devices

The mouse

Pointing devices allow the user to point to elements on the screen. The most useful pointing device is a mouse - a small electronic device that is normally attached to the computer by means of a thin cable. It is operated using the hand on a small mat called a mouse mat or mouse pad. The mouse gets its name from the fact that it looks like a mouse with a tail.

Obviously you know how to use your mouse, since you must have used it before. But let's take a look at the facts and buzzwords anyway. Your mouse probably has at least two buttons on it. The button on the left is called the primary mouse button, the button on the right is called the secondary mouse button or just the right mouse button. I'll just refer to them as the left and right mouse buttons. Many mice have a small wheel between the two mouse

buttons, as illustrated.

The idea is to rest your hand comfortably on the mouse, with your index finger touching (but not pressing on) the left mouse button. This is used to control the position of the pointer on the screen, which generally appears as either a small vertical line (known as an I-beam pointer) or an

arrow (known as a selection pointer). As you move the mouse, the mouse pointer moves in the same direction. When moving the mouse, try to keep the buttons aimed toward the monitor -- don't "twist" the mouse as that just makes it all the harder to control the position of the mouse pointer.

113

If you find yourself reaching too far to get the mouse pointer where you want it to be on the screen, just pick up the mouse, move it to where it's comfortable to hold it, and place it back down on the mousepad or desk. The buzzwords that describe how you use the mouse are as follows:

•Point: To point to an item means to move the mouse pointer so that it's touching the item.

•Click: Point to the item, then tap (press and release) the left mouse button.

•Double-click: Point to the item, and tap the left mouse button twice in rapid succession - click-click as fast as you can.

•Right-click: Point to the item, then tap the mouse button on the right.

•Drag: Point to an item, then hold down the left mouse button as you move the mouse. To drop the item, release the left mouse button.

•Right-drag: Point to an item, then hold down the right mouse button as you

move the mouse. To drop the item, release the right mouse button.

Pointer and cursor

The terms pointer and cursor are often used interchangeably, though sometimes a distinction is made between them. An arrow that moves on the screen when you move the mouse (or other pointing device) is called a pointer, mouse pointer or selection pointer (or arrow), and the solid rectangle or blinking underline character that indicates where the next character you type will appear on the screen is called the cursor. Sometimes, text processors use a special pointer (or cursor), called an I-beam pointer, that appears as a vertical line like a capital 'I' between characters. This identifies the point at which text may be inserted.

Other pointing devices

Laptop computers often have a touchpad on the keyboard which the user can use to direct the pointer on the screen by moving a finger across the pad. A graphics tablet (or digital tablet or simply tablet) is a device which functions like an electronic pen

114

and paper. The user can draw on its flat surface with a special 'pen' or 'stylus', and the drawings are transferred onto the screen.

Other input devices include:

a light pen: acts like a mouse, but allows the user to move the pointer and to select objects on the screen by pointing at them with the light pen, which uses a lightsensitive detector

a joystick: similar to the device a pilot holds when flying an aeroplane, often used for playing computer games

a pointing stick: a miniature joystick the size of a pencil's eraser tip, situated between the keys of a notebook, and operated with a fingertip to move the pointer on the screen

a tracker ball: a ball moved by the user's palm or fingers to move the pointer on the screen.

Alan Simpson “English for IT and the Internet”

1.What is a pointing device?

2.What is a mouse? What do we use it for?

3.What is the difference between a cursor and a pointer?

4.What other pointing devices are described in the text?

5.Which of the pointing devices do you think is the most convenient?

6.Recommend the most suitable pointing device to the following people. Convince them that it is the best choice.

a)an ordinary user to work with a desktop computer at home: to surf the Internet, to work with docs;

b)a teenager needs something to play an airplane simulation game;

c)a graphics designer to use at work;

d)a businessman to use the laptop when travelling;

e)a student using a tablet in the University.

Exercise 5. Give Russian equivalents to the words given below.

Exercise 6. Correct false statements.

1.Pointing devices allow the user to move the elements.

2.Among pointing devices we can name a mouse, a touchpad, a mouse mat, a navigation key, a light pen, a joystick.

3.All mice have two or three button and a wheel.

4.A mouse is used to control the position of the pointer on the screen. As you move the mouse, the mouse pointer moves in the opposite direction.

5.The terms pointer and cursor are often used interchangeably, there is no distinctions between them.

VOCABULARY

Exercise 7. Match each term with the correct definition.

Exercise 8. Choose the right word.

1.When you move an item across the screen you should hold the mouse right (button/key).

117

2.Can I (edit/change) the brightness of the photo.

3.Right (point/click/drag) means to point to the item and tap the button on the right.

4.When you use optical mice you actually do not need a mouse (pad/pointer).

5.To find the end of the text quickly (roll/ scroll) it down.

6.To (scan/input) a text into your computer make sure the scanner is on.

7.(Scroll/Roll) the text up to find the introduction to the topic.

8.To play some games it’s more convenient to use a (joystick/keyboard)

9.To move up or down the document you can (roll/scroll) the mouse wheel.

10.To put the cursor into the right place (click/point) a button. 11.Two clicks of a mouse are called (double/dual) click.

12.I don’t think the scanner is (compatible with/ suitable for) the computer.

Exercise 9. Complete the gaps. Make sure that you use the correct grammatical

the screen very quickly. Making the same movements with the arrow keys on the

screen moves in the same direction. The pointer usually looks like an I-bar, an arrow, or a pointing hand, depending on what you are doing.

A mouse has one or more buttons to communicate with the computer. For example,

(5)……………………………… in some way.

The mouse is widely used in graphics and design. When you want to move an image, you position the (6)…………………………….. on the object you want to

image to a new location on the screen. Similarly, the mouse is used to change the

The mouse is also used to start a program or open a document: you put the pointer

Exercise 10. Read the instructions of using the scanner. Put the actions in the

right order. Are all the steps described? Which of them are missing?

1.Check the text for mistakes.

2.If the image is too dark or too light you can adjust the brightness and the contrast.

3.The scanning software will automatically make a preview.

4.Lift the lid and put the original on the scanner glass.

5.Click “scan”

6.If you scanned a text it can be read by OCR software. The scanned image can be manipulated by image editing software.

7.For high image quality choose to scan at 300 dpi resolution.

8.If you want to save a text or an image choose a file format.

Exercise 11. Translate the text from Russian into English.

119

2.Сенсорныеэкраны предляназначенытех,ктонеможетпользоваться обычнойклавиатурой.Пользоваможетввессимволилиткомандуель прикосновенипальцаопределобластиэкр.Теобразомннойкимна отпаданеобходимовещеодномтперифеустройстве. ьи ном Компьютерзанимаещеменьшеста

3.Сканеры преобразуютвцифровуюг афическуюмуинформацию

(рисунки,чертежипр.)большобъемытекстовойинформации.Это оченьудобнадо,тепнеполностьюрьперепечавесьтекст, ывать

достаточнооткры,полошкуть житьлистбумагинастекло,нажать кнопкусканировать« »За.паруминтекстбупреобразовандет циформувую,и кажетсянаэкранекомпьютера.Ещепаруминутвам понадобпроверкутекстаиможнотьсясохранятьеговнужной

программе.Существуютраз личныевидысканеров.Длядомашнего использованияприобпларетаютсяычсканерше,хо яые