1. Дайте ответы на следующие вопросы письменно:

1. Когда и почему Бэббидж заинтересовался вычислительными машинами?

2. Какие машины он создал и с какой целью?

3. Почему вычислительные машины считаются «детищем» Бэббиджа?

2. Напишите значение слов, которые Вы запомнили:

calculator, to produce, to design, to develop, difference, to use, during, mistake, to introduce, to discover, table, to begin (began, begun), several, to build (built, built), to compute, simple, to perform, necessary, to solve, flexibility, speed, device, scientist.

TOPIC 5. WHAT IS A COMPUTER.

1.Определите значение следующих слов:

machine, medium, terminal, data, logical, mathematical, to magnetize, to manipulate, program, input, output, to process, processing, medicine.

2. Дайте русский эквивалент английским словам:

1) to operate

2) to magnetize

3) to store

4) to input

5) to process

6) to perform

7) to solve

8) to output

9) information

10) signal

11) core

12) character

13) letter

14) switch

15) data

16) logical and mathematical operations

17) problem

TEXT.

The word computer comes from Latin word which means to count. A computer is a machine with a complex network of electronic circuits that operate switches or magnetize tiny metal cores. The switches, like the cores, are capable of being in one of two possible states, that is, on and off; magnetized or demagnetized. The machine is capable of storing and manipulating numbers, letters, and characters. The basic idea of the computer is that we can make the machine do what we want by inputting signals that turn certain switches on and turn others off, or that magnetize or do not magnetize the cores.

The basic job of computers is the processing of information. For this reason, computers can be defined as devices which accept information in the form of instructions called a program and characters called data, perform mathematical and/or logical operations. The program, or part of it, which tells the computers what to do and the data, which provide the information needed to solve the problem, are kept inside the computer in a place called memory.

Some of the most common methods of inputting information are to use punched cards, magnetic tape, disks, and terminals. The computer's input device (which may be a card reader, a tape drive or disk drive, depending on the medium used in inputting information) reads the information into the computer.

For outputting information, two common devices used are a printer which prints the new information on paper, or a CRT display screen which shows the results on a TV – like screen.

There are different kinds of computers. These are special – purpose computers. But there are some computers that can do many different jobs. They are called general – purpose computers. These are the "big brains" that solve the most difficult problems of science. They answer questions about rockets and planes, bridges and ships – long before these things are ever built. Computers help our space program, our business and industry, medicine and education. They are powerful tools which help to change our life and world around us.