УДК 802.0 (075.8)

ББК 81.432.1 я 73

 

ISBN 985-488-009-5 © Коллектив авторов, составление, 2006

 

© БГУИР, 2006

UNIT 1. C O M P U T E R A R C H I T E C T U R E

STARTER

1. Name different types of computers. Then match the possible users below to each type. Justify your choice.

 

1) Marketing research person collecting data from the general public.

2) Large company processing payroll data.

3) Travelling salesperson giving marketing presentations.

4) Large scientific organisation processing work on nuclear research.

5) Businessperson keeping track of appointments while travelling.

6) Graphic designer.

7) Secretary doing general office work.

 

2. What do these abbreviations mean?

 

CD-ROM, RDRAM, MB, GHz, AGP, SDRAM, SVGA

 

READING

3. Now study the information below to find the folloning:

 

What is the memory size of this PC?

Which input devices are supplied?

What size is the monitor?

How fast is the processor?

What is the capacity of the hard drive?

Which operating system does it use?

What multimedia features does the computer have?

 

HOW TO READ A COMPUTER AD.

 

1. Intel Pentium IV 1.7GHz Processor

2. Mini Tower Chassis

3. 256MB Rambus RDRAM

4. 60GB Hard Drive

5. Embedded Intel 3D Direct AGP video with 64MB SDRAM

6. 64-voice wavetable sound

7. 48 X CD-ROM Drive

8. 19” (17.9” VIS) Colour SVGA monitor

9. Microsoft Windows XP

10. 1.44MB 3.5” Floppy Drive

11. Microsoft Intellimouse

12. 105-key keyboard

c) The main processing chip that operates at a clock speed of 1.7 thousand million cycles per second.

d) A small size of tall and narrow style of case containing the computer system.

e) 256 megabytes of Rambus dynamic type of main memory chips that constitute the computer RAM.

f) A hard drive internal storage device with a capacity of approx. 60 thousand million bytes.

g) A video controller for controlling the monitor screen that is built on to the computer motherboard. It can process 3D images using the AGP type of video bus interface. It also contains approx. 64 million bytes of synchronous dynamic random access memory that is used as video memory.

h) A soundcard that has 64 voices and generates sounds using the wavetable system.

i) A CD-ROM storage device that operates at 48 times the speed of the original CD-ROM devices.

j) A colour monitor for displaying output on a screen at resolutions determined by the SVGA standard. The diagonal measurement of the whole screen is 19 inches but the diagonal measurement of the actual viewable area of the screen is only 17.9 inches.

k) The operating system that is used to control the system.

 

4. Match each item in Column A with its function in Column B. Then describe its function in two ways.

 

A Item

B Function

RAM Processor Mouse Clock 3.5” floppy drive Monitor keyboard DVD-ROM drive Cache ROM

controls the cursor inputs data through keys like a typewriter displays the output from a computer on a screen reads DVD-ROMs reads and writes to removable magnetic disks holds instructions which are needed to start up the computer holds data read or written to it by the processor provides extremely fast access for sections of a program and its data controls the timing of signals in the computer controls all the operations in a computer

 

5. Describe the functions of these items.

 

A. Scanner B. Printer C. ATM D. PDA E. Hard disk drive

F. Supercomputer G. Mainframe computer H. Barcodes I. Swipe cards J. Memory

6. Complete each sentence using the correct preposition.

 

The CPU is a large chip……….the computer.

Data always flows………the CPU……… the address bus.

The CPU can be divided……… three parts.

Data flows……… the CPU and memory.

Peripherals are devices……… the computer but linked………it.

The signal moves………the VDU screen………one side………the other.

The CPU puts the address……… the address bus.

The CPU can fetch data……… memory………the data bus.

 

PROBLEM-SOLVING

7. Study these ‘System upgrades and options’ for the computer described in Task 3. Which upgrades and/or options would improve these aspects of this computer: capacity, speed, protection from damage due to power failure, network connections

 

Upgrades and options

3Com 10/100 Ethernet controller

CD-RW Drive

Extra memory module

APC 1400 Smart-UPS

3 Year Next-Business-Day On-site Service