VI. Прочтите, перепишите и переведите.

PARTS OF A COMPUTER SYSTEM.

In order to use computers effectively to solve problems in our environment, computers systems may be discussed in two parts.

The first part is hardware - the physical, electronic, and electromechanical devices that are thought of and recognized as "computers". The hardware consists of Central Processing Unit (CPU), input devices. The CPU is made up of a processor and a main memory, or main store. The processor carries out, or executes, instructions in the program needed by the processor. The main memory also holds output data, or the results of processing.

Input devices are used to provide data for the CPU. The keyboard is a common data input device. By using a keyboard, a user can enter data directly into the computer system. Data is sometimes entered on cards. The cards are read by an input device called a card reader. Data is often input from a mass storage device, such as magnetic tape or magnetic disc. The tapes or discs are read by an input device called tapes drive or a disc drive.

VII. Ответьте на вопрос: What is CPU?

( тексты заочникам «АВТ» 2 к. 3 сем.)

TEXT № 1.                                           HARDWARE

TASK: Read and translate the following text. Learn the vocabulary by heart. Make up the short summary.

Hardware (computer), equipment involved in the function of a computer. Computer hardware consists of the components that can be physically handled. The function of these components is typically divided into three main categories: input, output, and storage. Components in these categories connect to microprocessors, specifically, the computer's central processing unit (CPU), the electronic circuitry that provides the computational ability and control of the computer, via wires or circuitry called a bus.

Software, on the other hand, is the set of instructions a computer uses to manipulate data, such as a word-processing program or a video game. These programs are usually stored and transferred via the computer's hardware to and from the CPU. Software also governs how the hardware is utilized; for example, how information is retrieved from a storage device. The interaction between the input and output hardware is controlled by software called the Basic Input Output System software (BIOS).

Although microprocessors are still technically considered to be hardware, portions of their function are also associated with computer software. Since microprocessors have both hardware and software aspects they are therefore often referred to as firmware. (1073)

Vocabulary:

hardware – аппаратное обеспечение

equipment – оборудование

to handle – управлять

firmware – программно-аппаратные средства

circuitry – цепь

TEXT № 2.                                       INPUT HARDWARE

TASK: Read and translate the following text. Learn the vocabulary by heart. Discuss the text about input hardware with your groupmates.

Input hardware consists of external devices—that is, components outside of the computer's CPU—that provide information and instructions to the computer. A light pen is a stylus with a light sensitive tip that is used to draw directly on a computers video screen or to select information on the screen by pressing a clip in the light pen or by pressing the light pen against the surface of the screen. The pen contains light sensors that identify which portion of the screen it is passed over, A mouse is a pointing device designed to be gripped by one hand. It has a detection device (usually a ball) on the bottom that enables the user to control the motion of an on-screen pointer, or cursor, by moving the mouse on a flat surface. As the device moves across the surface, the cursor moves across the screen. To select items or choose commands on the screen, the user presses a button on the mouse. A joystick is a pointing device composed of a lever that moves in multiple directions to navigate a cursor or other graphical object on a computer screen. A keyboard is a typewriter-like device that allows the user to type in text and commands to the computer. Some keyboards have special function keys or integrated pointing devices, such as a trackball or touch-sensitive regions that let the user's finger motions move an on-screen cursor.

An optical scanner uses light-sensing equipment to convert images such as a picture or text into electronic signals that can be manipulated by a computer. For example, a photograph can be scanned into a computer and then included in a text document created on that computer. The two most common scanner types are the flatbed scanner, which is similar to an office photocopier, and the handheld scanner, which is passed manually across the image to be processed. A microphone is a device for converting sound into signals that can then be stored, manipulated, and played back by the computer. A voice recognition module is a device that converts spoken words into information that the computer can recognize and process.

A modem, which stands for modulator-demodulator, is a device that connects a computer to a telephone line or cable television network and allows information to be transmitted to or received from another computer. Each computer that sends or receives information must be connected to a modem. The digital signal sent from one computer is converted by the modem into an analog signal, which is then transmitted by telephone lines or television cables to the receiving modem, which converts the signal back into a digital signal that the receiving computer can understand.

(2630)

Vocabulary:

input - ввод

light pen – световое перо

stylus – пишущий узел, перо

sensitive tip – чувствительный наконечник

clip – зажим, усечение

portion – узел, блок, часть

detection – обнаружение

receiving modem – принимающий модем

photocopier – фотокопировальное устройство

trackball – шаровой указатель, шаровой манипулятор

touch-sensitive region – чувствительная зона (область)

to allow - позволять

on-screen pointer – экранный указатель

motion – движение, перемещение, ход