IX. Choose the proper name to each part of the computer.

(a) keyboard; b) key; c) mouse; d) drive; e) case; f) screen; g) monitor; h) a floppy disk; i) earphones; j) speaker)

Lesson 2 from the history of computers

The educated man of 200 years ago did not need to know anything about, science.

The educated man of 25—30 years ago did not need to know anything about computers. But the educated man of today needs to have some significant knowledge of science and a little significant knowledge about computers.

The computer is no doubt the most amazing achievement of mankind. It is a data storage system created by man. A human tells the machine what to do, when to do it and how it should be done.

The word computer comes from a Latin word which means to count.

Nearly one hundred fifty years ago there were no such things as computers. Knotted ropes, marks in clay, the abacus are all methods of keeping track of numbers.

In 1833 an English inventor and mathematician Charles Babbage, professor of Cambridge University designed the first computer. The mathematical programme for his machine had been composed by Lord Byron's daughter.

The first programmed computer which operated successfully was built in 1939 by H. H. Aiken, professor of Harvard University.

In our country the first electronic digital computer MACM was constructed by the Ukrainian Academician S.A.Lebedev in 1950.

Such computers as BESM, Minsk, Ural, Razdan-3, M-20, M-220, Nairi-3, Strela, Dniepr were created in our country.

Nowadays computers greatly increase man's thinking capabilities of planning, analyzing, computing and controlling. Hundreds of computers are already in daily use. They penetrate almost into all spheres of our modern society, from nuclear energy production and missile design to the processing of bank checks, weather forecasting, manufacturing, research and medical diagnoses.

There are three kinds of computers: digital, analogue and hybrid. An analogue computer computes by using physical analogue of numerical measurements. A digital computer computes by using numbers or digits. A hybrid computer is a machine which combines some of the properties of digital and analogue computers.

Vocabulary notes

abacus – golyós számológép

achievement – eredmény, teljesítmény

amazing – bámulatos, elképesztő

capability – adottség, képesség

knotted rope – kötél csomókkal

data storage system – adattároló redszer

knot – csomó

digital – digitális

missile – rakéta

measurement –mérték, felmérés

clay – agyag

penetrate – áthat(ol)

digit – szám(jegy)

hzbrid – hibrid, vegyes

to keep track of numbers – számol

Exercises

I. Read the text. Write the key questions about it to ask your fellow-students.

II. In the sentences below some statements are true and some are false. Copy out the true statements.

1. The computer is a data storage system created by man.

2. In 1853 an English inventor and mathematician Charles Babbage designed the first computer.

3. The mathematical program for the first computer was composed by Lord Byron’s daughter.

4. In 1938 the first programmed computer was built.

5. There are three kinds of computers: digital, analogue and hybrid.

6. An analogue computer computes by using numbers or digits.

7. A hybrid computer computes by using physical analogue of numerical measurements.