Computer Machines

What is a computer? The electronic system of a computer is very complex. Its electronic brains produce information. It is a complex instrument made up of hundreds Ш devices, miles of electronic wire. At a panel desk connected to the instrument, an operator feeds facts, figures, and sym­bols into the machine, to be stored on magnetic tape or punched cards. More than 100,000 pieces of information can be stored in one machine, and when the operator wants answers, he asks the machine in a special language to process the infor­mation taken from storage, and for solving the problem. How long did it take you to multiply the large numbers? In one third of a second a computer can multiply two 127-digit num­bers. In one whole second, it can add 4,000 five-digit num.-bers; in two seconds it can complete 320 long-division prob­lems. The same machine does the work of thousands of trained mathematicians in any given time period, and without the mistakes which human beings are bound to make. The ma­chine can flash its answers on a screen, can print them'on paper, store them away on magnet tapes or cards. The elec­tronic machine can give any answer or combination- of possi-, ble answers, from the information fed to it for storage. But... it is human beings who do the thinking, wh6 feed informaton to the machines which help us to find answers and produce facts faster and more accurately. Machines work for us, but they do not think for us.

 

Vocabulary:

brain мозг, рассудок, разум

to store запасать, откладывать, хранить на складе

storage хранение, склад, хранилище

tape лента

card карта, карточка

digit цифра, однозначное число; digital цифровой

long-division долгое деление, разногласие, разлад

to train обучать, тренировать, дрессировать

human being человек

are bound to make обычно делают

to flash вспыхнуть, сверкнуть, мелькнуть

to print печать, запечетливать

panel desk щит, пульт управления

to process обрабатывать

to feed, fed, fed кормить, вводить данные в машину

to complete закончить, завершить

to punch пробивать (отверстие)

punched cards перфокарты

 

1) Прочитайте и переведите следующие словосочетания:

electronic system, electronic devices, panel desk, magnetic tape, magnetic card, digit numbers, long-division problems, human beings, automatic controls.

2) Слова для активизации:

to store, storage, to train, to flash, to print, tape, card, channel desk, digit, brain, digit numbers, to feed (fed, fed), symbols, to multiply, to process.

3) Вопросы:

1 Is the electronic system of a computer very complex?
2 What do its electronic brains do?

3 What is a computer made up of?

4 What does an operator do at a panel desk?

5 How many pieces of information can be stored in one machine?

6 How does the operator speak to a machine?

7 How much time does it take a computer to process the information?

8 Where is the information of a computer stored?

9 How does a computer give its answers?

10 Machines work for us, do they? |

11 Can machines think for us?

4) Test. Замените английскими эквивалентами русские слова в скобках:

1 (Электронные мозги) called (цифровыми) computer (выдают, производят) information.

2 A computer is а (сложный) instrument made up of hun­dreds of electronic (приборов).

3 An operator at а (пульте управление, вводит) facts, fig­ures, and symbols into the machine.

4 All these (данные, цифры и символы) are stored on magnetic (ленте) or on (карточках).

5 More than 100,000 pieces of information (могут храниться) in one machine.

6 An operator asks the machine in a special language
(обрабатывать) information taken from (хранилище).

7 In one third of a second a computer can (умножить) two 127-(цифровых чисел),

8 A computer can (закончить) 320 long-division problems in two seconds.

5) Выразите своё согласие или несогласие с данными утверждениями.

1. A computer can...

a) produce informations;

b) multiply large digit numbers;

c) complete long-division problems;

d) answer without mistakes;

e) store the informations.

2. A computer does the work of thousands of trained matheitiaticians.

3. A computer works for human beings.

4. A computer a) can b) cannot think for us.