Using Computers
Computers are being used more and more in business because they are fast, efficient and 1_______.
Here are some ways in which computers are used:
- Insurance companies use them to store and 2_______ details of clients policies.
- Production departments in companies use them to ensure they have adequate 3_______ of raw materials and 4_______.
- Banks use them for processing details of accounts and 5_______.
- Personnel departments use them to keep 6_______ of a companys employees.
For the most part, the computers, software, and 7_______ that are needed depend on individual needs. For instance, if youre an architect you may want a system with good 8_______ capability. If a lot of records are to be kept, then youll want ample 9_______, perhaps even a CD-ROM 10_______ for permanent storage of massive amounts of data. Regular disks can then be used for 11_______ copies. For desktop 12_______, you may want a monitor with a full-page 13_______ and a high-quality laser 14_______. If quality printing is not so important, then a cheaper ink-jet or even cheaper dot-matrix printer may be more suitable. If youre in a business where you need to do a lot of 15_______, then maybe you should consider a modem, so you can communicate with other computers 16_______.
Vocabulary Bank Unit 1
Task 3. Read, write the translation and learn the basic vocabulary terms:
1. advantage
2. animation
3. appliance
4. appropriate
5. attachment
6. benefit
7. boardroom
8. call monitoring
9. clipart
10. computer output
11. connectivity
12. customer
13. device
14. disabled
15. efficiency
16. endure
17. engine
18. environment
19. equipment
20. expansion card
21. forwarding
22. FTP
23. graphical interface
24. handheld computer
25. hard disk
26. information superhighway
27. interior designer
28. inventory
29. landscape
30. opportunity
31. password
32. relevance
33. remote
34. research
35. search engine
36. security system
37. significantly
38. sophisticated
39. spreadsheet
40. storage device
41. supervision
42. to determine
43. to encourage
44. to perform
45. to download
46. to enhance
47. to log on
48. to plug into
49. to proliferate
50. to require
51. to stay in touch
52. to telecommute
53. to upload
54. vacuum-sealed case
55. videoconferencing
56. word processor
Text 1A. COMPUTER USERS
A computer is a device that processes data according to a set of instructions known as a program. The equipment is known as the hardware and the programs and data are the software. A special set of programs, called an operating system, provides an interface for the user and allows applications programs to communicate with the hardware. Common applications programs include word processors for creating and editing texts, spreadsheets for calculating mathematical formulae and databases for storing data in a way that allows the data to be sorted and searched. Anti-virus programs are used to detect and remove viruses. Some operating systems have graphical (user) interfaces that allow the computer user to select items from menus and to start programs using an input device called a mouse. This is done by pressing a button on the mouse i.e. clicking the mouse. The main device for inputting the data is a typewriter-style keyboard and the output is commonly displayed on a monitor screen that looks like a small television screen.
|
|
|
There is a range of sizes and types of computer. Those designed for use by one person at a time are known as personal computers (PCs). Personal computers include desktop computers and handheld computers that can be carried around by the user. Electronics can be added to desktop computers by plugging in expansion cards (electronic circuit boards that can be plugged into special sockets called expansion slots).
It is also possible to build all the main parts of a computer into one electronic integrated circuit packaged as a single electronic chip i.e. the 'computer on a chip'. This enables computers to be built into other devices including household devices such as washing machines and fridges and to be incorporated into plastic cards i.e. smart cards, which are able to store information such as health records, drivers' licences, bank balances, etc. Devices that include a computer circuit are commonly referred to as smart devices. A multimedia computer can process different forms of data including text, graphics, audio (sound), animation and video. This enables computer systems to be used for a combination of education and entertainment, sometimes referred to as edutainment.
Unlike most machines, computers do not have a fixed purpose. They are multi-purpose tools. They can be used in a very wide variety of situations and are found in a wide range of systems including security systems, cars and phones. Advanced systems, known as expert systems, enable computers to 'think' like experts. Medical expert systems, for example, can help doctors diagnose an illness and decide on the best treatment. As computer systems are developed, they are becoming more common and are gradually being used for more and more purposes. How they are developed, and for what purposes they are actually used in the future, can be influenced by computer users. A variety of devices known as peripherals can be added externally to a computer. One of the most common peripherals is a printer used for printing the computer output on paper. A digital camera allows photographs to be input to a computer for editing.
Not all computer systems are compatible i.e. they cannot use the same programs and data. Connecting computers together to form a network can provide the 'connectivity' required to enable computers and software to communicate and to share resources. Networks connected together form an internet. The connection of networks throughout the world is known as the Internet or, more simply, the Net. Various communication services are available on the Internet, including email (electronic mail) for sending and receiving text messages and IRC (Internet Relay Chat) which allows users to communicate using text messages in real-time i.e. without any delay, while the users are logged on (connected to a network system account, normally using a password) to the system. An Internet service called FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is used for transferring data or program files between the powerful server computers that provide the network services and the client computers that use these services e.g. downloading music files. Note that copying data from a larger server system to a client is referred to as downloading and copying from the client to the server is known as uploading.
|
|
|
One of the newest and most popular services available on the Internet is the World Wide Web (WWW) which is often simply referred to as the Web. The Web contains interlinked documents called webpages. A set of related webpages stored together on a server computer is called a website. Websites, such as Dogpile and Askjeeves, give the user access to special programs called search engines that are designed to allow the user to find relevant webpages on the Web. An Internet system designed to provide free, interactive access to vast resources for people all over the world is sometimes referred to as an information superhighway.
Services such as these allow people to telecommute (use their computers to stay in touch with the office while they are working at home). Computer users mentioned in this unit include producing greetings cards; using the Microsoft Word word-processing program including features such as clipart (ready-drawn graphic images that can be inserted into documents); communicating on the Internet using email and chat programs including the use of email attachments (other types of files e.g. video files attached to simple email text messages); distance learning and videoconferencing; electronic classrooms or boardrooms; browsing the Web (moving from webpage to webpage using a Web browser program); selling, using a website; painting; scanning pictures; downloading music and creating CD-ROMs. CD-ROMs are storage devices that use laser light for reading and writing data. The most common storage device is a hard disk (a set of aluminium disks coated in a magnetic material and enclosed in a vacuum-sealed case) used for storing the operating system and applications programs as well as the user's data.
Task 4. Answer the following questions.
1. What is a computer? 2. What does an operating system provide? 3. What types of computers do you know? 4. What are the advantages of multimedia? 5. Name some types of devices that can be added externally to a computer? 6. Why are not all computer systems compatible? 7. What is the connection of networks throughout the world called? 8. What do we call downloading (uploading)? 9. What is the structure of the Web? 10. What services does telecommunication provide? 11. How do CD-ROMs function? 12. What is a hard disk used for?
Task 5. Give the Ukrainian equivalents for:
a spreadsheet for calculating mathematical formulae; interlinked documents; to select items from menus; by pressing a button on the mouse; displayed on a monitor screen; to be able to store information; by plugging in an expansion card; to share resources; a system designed to provide access; a vacuum-sealed case; sockets called expansion slots; to add externally to a computer; networks throughout the world.
Task 6. Find the English equivalents for the following Ukrainian word combinations.
1. ; 2. ; 3. ; 4. '; 5. ' ; 6. ; 7. ; 8. , ; 9. ; 10. .
Task 7. Memorize the following definitions.
1. A spreadsheet is a type of application program with an array of cells that is used for calculating formulae. 2. An expansion slot is a long thin connector that is used for adding additional electronics in the form of expansions cards. 3. A mouse is a common cursor control input device with two or three button switches on top and a ball underneath that is rolled on a flat surface. 4. A server is a main computer that provides a service on a network. 5. Output is the processed data or signals that come out of a computer. 6. A password is a secret code used to control access to a network system.
|
|
|
Task 8. Match the terms in Table A with the statements in Table B.
Table A Table B
| 1. Edutainment 2. Multimedia 3. Expert system 4. Telecommute 5. Information superhighway | a) Software that enables computers to think like experts b) Use computers to stay in touch with the office while working at home c) Internet system designed to provide free, interactive access to vast resources for people all over the world d) Multimedia materials with a combination of educational and entertainment content e) A combination of text with sound, video, animation, and graphics. |
Task 9. Mark the following as True or False.
1. A personal computer can process different forms of data including text, graphics, audio, animation and video. 2. Videoconferencing is a form of communication over a network that uses video cameras. 3. Anti-virus programs are used to connect a number of computers and peripheral devices together. 4. A hard disk is a piece of equipment used for putting data into a computer. 5. A chip which is the common name for a microchip is an electronic integrated circuit in a small package. 6. Desktop computers are referred to the powerful type of computers, operated by a team of professionals.
Task 10. Fill in the blanks with the words from the box.
| ability to combine; handles; in hardware and software; operating systems; increased precision; parallel processing; to count; data and information; to store this program |
1. The word computer comes from a Latin word which means . 2. The feature which makes the computer more than just a calculator is its thousands of such small operations into a program and . 3. All the data which a computer are in the form of numbers. 4. The term computer generations helps to single out the major technological developments . 5. The production of a type of systems software and applications software packages increased rapidly. 6. We must be selective about the type of we process. 7. Data processing is getting faster and faster, mathematical calculations continue to be performed with . 8. Traditional computers act on only one problem at a time; means that many processors will work on the problem at the same time.
Task 11. Read the text and try to retell it:
The digital age
We are now living in what some people call the digital age, meaning that computers have become an essential part of our lives. Young people who have grown up with PCs and mobile phones are often called the digital generation. Computers help student to perform mathematical operations and improve their math skills. They are used to access the Internet, to do basic research and to communicate with other students around the world. Teachers use projectors and interactive whiteboards to give presentations and teach science, history or language courses. PCs are also used for administrative purposes schools use word processors to write letters, and databases to keep records of students and teachers. A school website allows teachers to publish exercises for students to complete online.
Students can also enroll for courses via the website and parents can download official reports. Mobiles let you make voice calls, send texts, email people and download logos, ringtones or games. With a built-in camera you can send pictures and make video calls in face-to-face mode.
|
|
|
New smart phones combine a telephone with web access, video, a games console, an MP3 player, a personal digital assistant (PDA) and a GPS navigation system, all in one.
In banks, computers store information about the money held by each customer and enable staff to access large databases and to carry out financial transactions at high speed. They also control the cashpoints, or ATMs (automatic teller machines), which dispense money to customers by the use of a PIN-protected card. People use a Chip and PIN card to pay for goods and services, instead of using a signature to verify payments, customers are asked to enter a four-digit personal identification number (PIN), the same numbers used at cashpoints; this system makes transactions more secure. With online banking, clients can easily pay bills and transfer money from the comfort of their homes.
Airline pilots use computers to help them control the plane. For example, monitors display data about fuel consumption and weather conditions. In airport control towers, computers are used to manage radar systems and regulate air traffic. On the ground, airlines are connected to travel agencies by computer. Travel agents use computers to find out about the availability of flights, prices, times, stopovers and many other details.
