Exercise 2. Remember the following words and word combinations.

UNIT 7

COMPUTER ESSENTIALS

Exercise 1. In pairs, discuss these questions.

Exercise 2. Remember the following words and word combinations.

Accept приймати

Process обробляти

Store зберігати

Output результат

Hardware технічне забезпечення

Software програмне забезпечення

Main memory основна пам'ять

Random access memory оперативна пам'ять

Read only memory постійний запам’ятовуючий пристрій

Peripherals периферійне обладнання

Input devices пристрої введення даних

Output devices пристрої виведення даних

Storage devices пристрої зберігання інформації

External devices зовнішні пристрої

Port порт

Exercise 2. Read this advertising slogan and say which computer element each pair refers to.

1. а) Point and click here for power

b) obeys every impulse as if it were an extension of your hand.

2. a) display your ideas with perfect brilliance

b) see the difference – sharp images and a fantastic range of colours

3. a) it’s quiet and fast

b) it’s easy to back up your data before it’s too late

4. a) power and speed on the inside

b) let your computer’s brain do the work

5. a) …a big impact on the production of text and graphics

b) just what you need: a laser powerhouse

Exercise 3. Find the words in the slogans with the following meanings.

1 to press the mouse button

2 clear, easy to see

3 to make an extra copy of something

4 selection

5 shows

Exercise 4. Read and translate the text

Parts of a Computer

A computer is an electronic machine which can accept data in a certain form, process the data, and give the result of the processing in a specified format as information.

A typical computer consists of two parts: hardware and software.

Hardware is any electronic or mechanical part you can see or touch. Software is a set of instructions, called a program, which tells the computer what to do. There are three basic hardware sections: the central processing unit (CPU), main memory and peripherals.

The CPU is the most influential component. It executes program instructions and coordinates the activities of all the other units. In a way, it is the brain of the computer.

The main memory holds the instructions and data which are being processed by the CPU. It has two main sections: RAM (random access memory) and ROM (read only memory). Peripherals are the physical units attached to the computer. They include storage devices and input/output devices.

Storage devices include hard drives, DVD drives or flash drives. They provide a permanent storage of both data and programs. Disk drives are used to read and write data on disks. Input devices enable data to go into the computer’s memory. The most common input devices are the mouse and the keyboard. Output devices enable us to extract the finished product from the system. For example, the computer shows the output on the monitor or prints the results onto the paper by means of printer.

On the rear panel of the computer there are several ports into which we can plug a wide range of peripherals – a modem, a digital camera, a scanner, etc. they allow communication between the computer and the devices. Modern desktop PCs have USB ports and memory cards readers on the front panel.

Exercise 5. Match the words from the text with the correct meanings:

1. software a. the brain of the computer

2. peripherals b. physical parts that make up a computer system

3. main memory c. programs which can be used on a particular computer system

4. hard drive d. the information which is presented to the computer

5. hardware e. results produced by a computer

6. input f. input devices attached to the CPU

7. ports g. section that holds programs and data while they are executed or processed

8. output h. magnetic deice used to store information

9. CPU i. sockets into which an external device may be connected

Exercise 6. Answer the following questions.

1. What is hardware?

2. What is software?

3. What are main sections of the main memory?

4. What are peripherals?

5. What do input devices include?

6. What do output devices include?

7. What is the function of storage devices?

8. What are ports?

Exercise 7. Read and render the article

Optional Parts of a Computer

All the parts below I consider optional because you don't require any of them to have a working computer.

USB Drive. These are especially effective if you need to quickly move files from one computer to another that are not connected by a network. I also often use a USB Jump Drive to store files which I want to backup. They work just like another drive on a computer, and they are plug and play. With a high capacity and a compact size, they're a really nice portable storage.

External Hard Drive. Another good alternative if a USB drive doesn't offer enough storage, the part of a computer you'll be after is an external hard drive, or if you prefer, get a USB hard drive case and make your own. Almost all of them are plug and play and hold a lot of information. Just make sure if you're looking at getting one for portability, that it does not require an external power source.

Computer Mouse. Whether it's point and click to open a program, or if you need to get the fastest response to maximize your gaming experience. I never realized how much more I could enjoy using my computer until I got a computer mouse that I really like. For me wire, ball mice are a thing of the past, and something that can stay with the initial invention. A cordless optical is a must.

Computer Keyboard. Even more important than a mouse when it comes to enjoying your computer experience is the computer keyboard. Once you feel comfortable with a keyboard, it will let you type effortlessly. Music controls, and volume dials built in just help to make it the master control panel for your workstation. If you want to go with a wireless keyboard, let me give you some tips to help you get the best one. If you don't know how to type, or would like to take some time at learning the computer keyboard we'll try to look after you as well.

Monitor. Although it's probably the first thing that catches your eye and lets you know a computer is there, from a hardware point of view, I have it last because it's not something that will effect the speed of the computer. That being said, picking the best computer monitor for your budget is still very important, simply because you need to like what you look at.

Exercise 8. Work in pairs. Study this diagram of the inside of a computer.

Can you label these components? Compare your answers with other students in your class.

1. hard disk drive 5. processor

2. motherboard 6. speaker

3. memory chips 7. expansion cards

4. power supply 8. floppy drive

UNIT 8

STORAGE DEVICES

Different Types of Storage

Magnetic Storage. Magnetic devices store data magnetically. A disk drive spins the disk at high speed and reads its data or writes new data onto it.

· A floppy disk drive uses 3.5 inch diskettes which can only hold 1.44 MB of data; it’s often called A: drive and is relatively slow. Floppy drives are becoming increasingly rare.

· The inside of a hard drive Most PCs have one internal hard drive, usually called C: drive. It is used to store the operating system, the programs and the user’s files in a convenient way. A hard drive can hold hundreds of gigabytes of data.

When you format a disk, or prepare it for use, its surface is divided into concentric circles called tracks. Each track is further divided into a number of sectors. The computer remembers where information is stored by noting the track and sector numbers in a directory.

The average time required for the read\ write heads to move and find data is called access time; it is measured in milliseconds. Don’t confuse access time’ with transfer rate, the rate of transmission of data from the disk to the CPU (e.g. 15 megabytes per second).

A portable hard drive is an external unit with the drive mechanism and the media all in one sealed case. You can use it to make a backup, a spare copy of your files, or to transport data between computers. External hard drives are connected to the USB or FireWire port of the computer. They can be small as a wallet but can have as much capacity as internal drives.

Magnetic tapes and drives: A tape drive and reads and writes data on tapes. It is sequential-access – i.e. to get to a particular point on the tape, it must go through all the preceding points. Tapes can hold hundreds of gigabytes of data and are used for data collection, backup and archiving.

Optical storage. Optical drives use a laser to read and write data, so they are not affected by magnetic fields; but they are slower than hard drives. Modern DVD recorders accept all CD and DVD formats.

Portable DVD players let you watch movies or TV, play games and listen to music, wherever you are. They usually run on batteries, have a widescreen (rectangular 16:9 format) LCD and support multi-format playback, allowing you access to many file formats including DVD video, JPEG pictures, MP3 music, etc. They have two built-in stereo speakers or headphones if you don’t want to disturb other people.

Optical discs and drives. Optical discs can data at much higher densities than magnetic disks. They are therefore ideal for multimedia applications were images, animation and sound occupy a lot of disc space. Furthermore, optical discs are not affected by magnetic fields, meaning that they are secure and stable, and can be transported through airport metal detectors without damaging the data. However, optical drives are slower than hard drives.

Look at the table and compare CD and DVD:

At first sight, a DVD is similar to a CD. Both discs are 120 mm in diameter and 1.2 mm thick. They also both use a laser beam to read data. However they are very different in internal structure and data capacity. In DVD, the tracks are very close together, thus allowing more tracks. The pits in which data is stored are also smaller, so there are more pits than track. As a result, a CD can hold 650-700MB, whereas a basic DVD can hold 4.7 GB. In addition, a DVD can be double-sided and dual layer, with a capacity of 17 GB.

CDs come in three different formats:

-CD-Roms (read-only memory) are read-only units, meaning you cannot change the stored on them (for example, a dictionary or a game).

-CD-R (recordable) discs are write-once devices which let you duplicate music CDs and other data CDs.

-CD-RW (rewritable) discs enable you to write onto them many times, just like a hard disk.

DVDs also come in several format:

-DVD-ROMs are used in DVD computer drives. They allow for data archiving as well as interactive content (for example, an encyclopedia or a movie).

-DVD-RW or DVD=RW discs can be erased and reused many times. They are used to back up data files and to record audio and video.

The DVD drive used in computers is also called a DVD burner because it records information by burning via a laser to a blank DVD disc. However, a DVD recorder typically refers to a standalone unit which resembles a video cassette recorder. New DVD recorders can play all CD and DVD formats. There are also portable DVD players – handled devices which let you watch movies or TV, play games and listen to music, wherever you are. They come with a built-in DVD drive and widescreen (rectangular 16:9 format) LCD display. They usually support multi-format playback – that is, they can play many file formats, including DVD-video, DivX, CD audio discs, MP3 music and JPEG images.

HD-DVD and Blu-ray discs

These two competing formats are expected to replace current DVD as the standard for watching movies at home. On one side are Toshiba, Microsoft and the DVD Forum, who support the High Definition-DVD (HD-DVD). Sony, Panasonic, Samsung, JVC and many movie studios are behind Blu-ray format.

A Blu-ray disc has a capacity of 25 GB (single layer), 50 GB (dual layer) and 100 GB (four layer). Unlike DVDs, which use a red laser to read and write data, Blu-ray uses a blue-violet laser, hence its name. Blu-ray dusk can record and play back high-definition television and digital audio, as well as computer data.

Magnetic storage. Magnetic storage devices store data by magnetizing particles on a disk or tape.

A floppy disk is so called because it consists of a flexible sheet of plastic, coated with iron oxide – a magnetizable material. A floppy disk drive spins at 360 revolutions per minute (rpm), so it’s relatively slow. However, a hard drive spins at over 7,200 rpm and stores data on a stack of metal rotating disks called platters. This means you can store much more data and retrieve information much faster.

New disks need to be formatted before you can use them, unless they come preformatted from the manufacturer. When the disk is formatted, the operating system (OS) organizes the disk surface into circular tracks and divides each track into sectors. The OS creates a directory which will record the specific location of files. When you save a file, the OS moves the read\write head of the drive towards empty sectors, records the data and writes an entry for the directory. Later on, when you open that file, the OS looks for its entry in the directory, moves the read\write head to the correct sector, and reads the file in the RAM area. However, formatting erases any existing files on a disk, so do not format disks on which data that you don’t want to lose is stored.

The OS allows you to create one or more partitions on your hard drive, in effect dividing it into several logical parts. Partitions let you install more than one operating system (e.g. Windows and Linux) on your computer. You may also decide to split your hand drive because you want to store the OS and programs on one partition and your data files on another; this allows you to reinstall the OS when a problem occurs, without affecting the data partition.

The average time required for the read\write heads to move and find data is called seek time (or access time) and it is measured in milliseconds (ms); most hard drives have a seek time of 7 to 14 ms. Don’t confuse this with transfer rate – the average speed required to transmit data from the disk to the CPU, measured in megabytes per second.

How to protect your hard drive

- don’t hit or move the computer while the hard drive is spinning. Hard drives are very sensitive to vibration and shocks, especially they are operating; when the read/write head touching the rotating disk, it can scratch and damage the disk surface. This is known as head crash.

- you shouldn’t turn your computer off and quickly. Wait at least ten seconds to ensure that the drive has stopped spinning.

- check your hard drive regularly for logical and physical errors. To check and repair a drive, you can use a disk diagnosis utility like Windows ScanDisk.

- to minimize the risk of data loss or corruption, you should install an up-to-date virus scanner. You should also back up your hard drive regularly.

Removable flash memory

Flash memory is solid-state, rewritable memory; it is non-volatile, so it retains data when the power is turned off. This explains its popularity in small devices.

Flash memory cards such as Compact Flash or Secure Digital are found in cameras, PDAs and music players.

Flash drives, also known as thumb or pen drives, are connected to a USB port of the computer. They let you save and transfer data easily.

Exercise 4. Read the text and decide whether these statements are true or false. Correct the false ones.

Memory in a flash

Flash memory is a type of non-volatile memory that can be electronically erased and reprogrammed. Its name was invented by Toshiba to express how much faster it could be erased - “in a flash”, which means very quickly.

Unlike RAM, which is volatile, flash memory retains the information stored in the chip when the power is turned off. This makes it ideal for use in digital cameras, laptops, network switches, video game cards, mobile phones and portable multimedia players. In addition, it offers fast read access times (although not as fast as RAM), with transfer rates of 12 MB per second. Unlike ROM chips, flash memory chips are rewritable, so you can update programs via software.

Inside the chip, data is stored in several floating gate transistors, called cells. Each cell traditionally stores one bit of data. New devices have a multilevel cell structure so they can store more than one bit per cell. The chips are constructed with either NOR or NAND gates. NOR chips function like a computer’s main memory, while NAND work like a hard drive.

Flash memory is used in several ways:

- Many PCs have their BIOS (basic input/output system) stored on a flash memory chip so it can be updated if necessary.

- Modems use flash memory because it allows the manufacturer to support new protocols.

- USB flash drives are used to save and move MP3 and other data files between computers. They are more easily transported than external hard drives because they use solid-state technology, meaning that they don’t have fragile moving parts that can break if dropped. However, USB flash drives have less storage capacity than hard drives.

- New U3 smart drives allow users to store both applications and data. They have two drive partitions and can carry applications that run on the host computer without requiring installation.

- Flash memory cards are used to store images on cameras, to back up data on PDAs, to transfer games in video consoles, to record voice and music on MP3 players or to store movies on MP4 players. They are as small as stamp, and capacity can range from 8 MB to several gigabytes. The only limitation is that flash cards are often not interchangeable between devices.

The future of hard drives may be hybrid hard drives. Hybrid hard drives combine a magnetic hard disk and a flash memory into one device. This allows computer to boot, or start, more quickly, and also reduces power consumption.

ARTICLES

The Indefinite Article ‘A’ / ‘An’

A+ consonant sound (/b/, /d/, /g/, /f/, /l/, /p/, etc.)

An + vowel sound (/a/, /e/, /i/, /o/, /u/)

v with singular countable nouns after the verb to be to say what someone/something is.

e.g. He’s apilot. It’s a torch.

v with the verb have (got).

e.g. Mary has (got) a car.

v in certain expressions when we want to show how often we do something.

e.g. She goes shopping twice a month.

a/an is not used:

with uncountable nouns or plural countable nouns. We use some instead of a/an. e.g. We need some flour and some sugar. They bought some stamps.

before an adjective if it is not followed by a noun. However, if the adjective is followed by a noun, we use a if the adjective begins with a consonant sounds and an if the adjective begins with a vowel sound. e.g. It’s a house. It’s big. It’s a big house. This is John’s car. It’s new. It’s also an expensive car.

The Definite Article THE

The definite article the is used with countable and uncountable nouns.

e.g. the music, the woman, the trees

The is used:

with nouns when we are talking about something specific, that is, when the noun is mentioned for a second time or is already known. In other words, when we can answer the question ‘Who?’ or ‘Which?’ e.g. I received a letter and a postcard on my birthday. The letter was from my parents and the postcard was from my friend.

with nouns which are unique (the Sun, the Moon, the Earth, etc.).

with the names of rivers (the Nile), seas (the Black Sea), oceans (the Indian Ocean), mountain ranges (the Pyrenees), deserts (the Gobi), groups of islands (the Canary Islands) and countries when they include words such as state, kingdom, republic, etc. (the United States).

with the names of musical instruments (the piano, the saxophone) and dances (the tango).

with the names of hotels (the Sheraton Hotel), theatres/cinemas (the Odeon Theatre), ships (the Queen Mary), organizations (the UN), newspapers (The Times) and museums (the Louvre).

with nationality words (the Belgians) and names of families (the Johnsons).

with titles when the name of the person is not mentioned (the Duchess of Kent, the Queen) but: Queen Mary.

with the words morning, afternoon and evening. e.g. He goes home in the evening.

with the words station, shop, cinema, pub, library, city, village, etc.

e.g. She went to the station to meet Jim.

with historical periods/events (the Stone Age, the Middle Ages, the First World War) but: World War I.

with the words only, last, first (used as adjectives). e.g. He was the least person to arrive.

with adjectives/adverbs in the superlative form.

e.g. She is the most intelligent woman I’ve ever met. Bob drives the most carefully of all.

The is not used:

v with uncountable and plural countable nouns when talking about something in general, that is, when we cannot answer the question ‘Who?’ or ‘Which?’.

e.g. Trees produce oxygen. (Which trees? Trees in general.)

v with proper nouns. e.g. This is Tom.

v with the names of countries (Egypt), cities (Rome), streets (Oxford Street), parks (Hyde Park), mountains (Mont Blanc), railway stations (Victoria Station), bridges (Tower Bridge), individual islands (Rhodes), lakes (Lake Ontario) and continents (Asia).

v with the names of sports, games, activities, days, months, celebrations, colours, drinks, meals and languages (when they are not followed by the word ‘language’). e.g. I speak French. but: The French language is spoken in some parts of Canada.

v with the words this/that/these/those (this bag, those cars) NOT: the this bag

v with possessive adjectives or the possessive case. E.g. That isn’t my car – it’s Keith’s.

v with titles when the person’s name is mentioned (Prince Charles, President Reagan).

v with two words names when the first word is the name of a person or place (Luton Airport) but: the White House.

v with names of pubs, shops, banks and hotels named after the people who started them and end in –s or –‘s. Harrods, Lloyds Bank, Emma’s pub but: the Black Bull (pub) (because ‘Black’ is not a name of a person or place).

v with the words school, church, bed, hospital, college, university, court, prison or home when we refer to the purpose for which they exist. E.g. Jack was in prison. (He was a prisoner.) Jack’s mother went to the prison to see him. (She went to the prison as a visitor.)

v with the words home, father/mother when we talk about our own home/parents. e.g. Father is at home.

v with means of transport: by bus/car/train/plane, etc. e.g. She travelled by plane.

v with the names of illnesses. e.g. He’s got malaria. But: flu/the flu, measles/the measles, mumps/the mumps.

Exercise 1. Fill in the gaps with a or an.

1. An open door

2. ___ apple

3. ___ large box

4. ___ building

5. ___ old man

6. ___ computer

7. ___ unusual picture

8. ___ cat

9. ___ elephant

10. ___ tall woman

Exercise 2. Choose the correct definite or indefinite article: "the", "a", "an" or "x" (zero article).

1. I bought ___ pair of shoes.

2. I saw ___ movie last night.

3. They are staying at ___ hotel.

4. I think ___ man over there is very unfriendly.

5. I do not like ___ basketball.

6. That is ___ problem I told you about.

7. ___ night is quiet. Let's take a walk!

8. ___ price of gas keeps rising.

9. John traveled to ___ Mexico.

10. Juan is ___ Spanish.

11. I read ___ amazing story yesterday.

12. My brother doesn't eat ___ chicken.

13. ___ love is such beautiful thing.

14. I live in ___ apartment. ___ apartment is new.

15. I would like ___ piece of cake.

16. I was in ___ Japanese restaurant. ___ restaurant served good food.

17. Sara can play ___ guitar.

PRESENT PERFECT TENSE

I/You/We/You/They have Past Participle

Use

1. Unspecified point in the past

I have been to Spain three times. (At some unspecified time in the past, I went to Spain).

Compare with the Past Simple:

I went to Spain three times in 2005. (specified time in the past - the year 2005)

2. An action that occurred in the past, but has a result in the present (now)

We can't find our luggage. Have you seen it?

(The luggage was lost in the past, do you know where it is now?)

3. Talking about general experiences (ever, never)

It usually refers to an event happening at some moment in your life.

Has she ever tried Chilean wine before? (in her life)

I've never eaten monkey brains before. (in my life)

4. Events that recently occurred (just)

Do you want to go to a restaurant with me?

No, thanks. I've just eaten lunch. (I recently ate lunch.)

5. Events that have occurred up to now (yet)

Are Carlos and Rodrigo here? No, they haven't arrived yet. (they're still not here now)

6. Events that occurred before you expected (already)

I've already graduated from University. (I expected to graduate at a later date.)

7. Events that began in the past and haven't changed (for, since)

Mike has worked at Woodward for 3 years.

(Mike started working at Woodward 3 years ago and he still works there now.)

Julie has worked at Woodward since September of last year.

(Julie began working at Woodward in September of last year, and that hasn't changed - she still works here now.)

PAST PERFECT TENSE

I/You/ He/She/It/We/You/They had Past Participle

Use

1. We use the Past Perfect to make it clear that an action was completed before another action in the past.

The door bell rang at last. I had been in the room since breakfast.

(The bell rang at noon. I came in the morning - before that.)

When I arrived there Sarah had already left. (I arrived after lunch. Sara went before lunch.)

I was so hungry! I had not eaten anything since the morning. (It was late at night.)

2. It is used to refer to an activity that was completed before a point of time in the past.

In 2005 I had lived in the same place for ten years. Had you ever travelled by plane before your holiday in Spain?

Past Perfect vs Past Simple

1. The Past Simple is used for actions that happened some time ago. The Past Perfect is used for actions that happened before a point of time in the past.

Jim returned at 4 o'clock. He had called Jane on the way back home and now she appeared at the door.

In this story the sentences are in a reversed order, because in reality, first Jim called Jane and then he returned. If we want to keep this sentence order, we must use the past perfect to make it clear that Jim called Jane first.

2. If the sentence order is the same as the order of the events, we can use the Past tense.

Jim called Jane on the way back home. He returned at 4 o'clock and now she appeared at the door.

This difference is important. In some situations these two tenses have a completely different meaning.

I arrived at the garage. They told me to pay in cash. But I only had my credit card. I couldn't pay.

I arrived at the garage. They had told me to pay in cash. I paid and left immediately.

FUTURE PERFECT TENSE

I/You/He/She/It/We/They will have worked

I/You/He/She/It/We/They won’t (will not) have solved

Will I/you/he/she/it/we/they have worked?

Use

We use the Future Perfect Simple for events that will be completed before or at a certain time. It is often used with a time expression beginning with by: by then, by that time, by midnight, by the end of the year.

The time can also be given by other time expressions (on Sunday, before 31 June) or other activities expressed in different Future tenses.

I will have sent the project by Friday.

On 11 August this year we will have been married for five years.

We'll have reached the top before noon.

How long will she have worked here by the end of this year?

In all these examples, at a given time the Future Perfect actions will be in the past.

COMPARATIVES AND SUPERLATIVES

We use Comparatives and Superlatives to compare two or more nouns.

The formation of the comparative and superlative depends on the number of syllables in the adjective:

One-syllable Adjectives

To form the comparative, we add -er to the end of the adjective.

To form the superlative, we add -est to the end of the adjective.

UNIT 7

COMPUTER ESSENTIALS

Exercise 1. In pairs, discuss these questions.

Exercise 2. Remember the following words and word combinations.

Accept приймати

Process обробляти

Store зберігати

Output результат

Hardware технічне забезпечення

Software програмне забезпечення

Main memory основна пам'ять

Random access memory оперативна пам'ять

Read only memory постійний запам’ятовуючий пристрій

Peripherals периферійне обладнання

Input devices пристрої введення даних

Output devices пристрої виведення даних

Storage devices пристрої зберігання інформації

External devices зовнішні пристрої

Port порт