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Unit 1

Text Study: The Structure of a Computer.

Additional Text: The Bus.

Grammar: The Present Perfect Tense.

Text Study

I. Pre-reading Exercises

1. Repeat the words in chorus:

Central Processing Unit (CPU), circuit, multiplication, addition, to identify, to execute, to fetch, to load, route.

2. While reading the text you will come across a number of international words. Try to guess what Ukrainian words they remind of you:

Data, calculation, electronic, arithmetic, program, instruction, peripheral, printer.

3. Pay attention to some grammatical points:

1) All the other components work together by transferring data over the bus. 2) Sometimes, the CPU will arrange for data be taken from an input device, transfer through the controller, move over the bus and get loaded directly into the CPU. 3) Data being output follows the same route in reverse – moving from the CPU, over the bus, through a controller and out to a device. 4) In other cases, the CPU may get a device controller to move data directly into, or out of, main memory. 5) Instructions and data are stored in main memory.

II. Reading

Read the text and be ready to find in the text the answers to the following questions:

·         What is the structure of a computer?

·         What is the function of the CPU?

The Structure of a Computer

A computer contains several major subsystems such as the Central Processing Unit (CPU), memory, and peripheral device controllers. These components all plug into a "Bus". The bus is essentially a communications highway; all the other components work together by transferring data over the bus.

The active part of the computer, the part that does calculations and controls all the other parts is the "Central Processing Unit" (CPU). The Central Processing Unit (CPU) contains electronic clocks that control the timing of all operations; electronic circuits that carry out arithmetic operations like addition and multiplication; circuits that identify and execute the instructions that make up a program; and circuits that fetch the data from memory. Instructions and data are stored in main memory. The CPU fetches them as needed.

Peripheral device controllers look after input devices, like keyboards and mice, output devices, like printers and graphics displays, and storage devices like disks. The CPU and peripheral controllers work together to transfer information between the computer and its users. Sometimes, the CPU will arrange for data be taken from an input device, transfer through the controller, move over the bus and get loaded directly into the CPU.

Data being output follows the same route in reverse – moving from the CPU, over the bus, through a controller and out to a device. In other cases, the CPU may get a device controller to move data directly into, or out of, main memory.

Vocabulary Notes

subsystemпідсистемна частина системи, компонент системи.

a device [dI'vais] – прилад, механізм; апарат, машина

to plug – затискати, закупорювати, включать в сіть, вставлять вилку в розетку.

the bus – шина

highway ['haIweI] – головна лінія зв’язку, основний шлях,  магістраль

to transfer ['trxnsfq(:)] – переносити, переміщати

to contain – включати в себе.

circuit – 1) цикл, сукупність операцій; комплекс вправ 2) електр. схема, коло.

to identify [aI'dentifaI] – 1) встановлювати тотожність, вирізняти 2) розпізнавати; встановлювати особистість 3) співпадати.

to execute ['eksIkju:t] – виконувати, реалізовувати.

to store [stL] – 1) зберігати 2) вміщувати, акумулювати.

to fetch витягати, видобувати (дані), доставляти, приносити.

input /output device – пристрої вводу/виводу

to arrange [q'reIndZ] – 1) приводити в порядок, розміщати 2) класифікувати, систематизувати 3) організовувати, підготовлювати.

to move  1) рухатись, пересуватися 2) переїжджати, переселятися.

a route [rHt] комп.  траса, дорога; маршрут; тракт ( передачі інформації

Comprehension

1. Tell what sentences are true and what are false.

1) A computer contains two major subsystems. 2) The main active part of a computer is CPU. 3) Instructions and data are stored in CPU. 4) Peripheral device controllers look after input devices, output devices and storage devices like disks. 5) The CPU and peripheral controllers work together to transfer information between the computer and its users.

2. Choose the right answer:

1) A computer contains several major subsystems such as:

a) the CPU and peripheral device controllers;

b) the Central Processing Unit, memory and peripheral device controllers;

c) the Central Processing Unit and memory.

2) All the components of computer work together by transferring data over … 

a) the CPU;

b) the bus;

c) the memory.

3)   fetches instructions and data from the main memory as needed.

a) the CPU;

b) the peripheral controllers;

c) the subsystems.

4) Peripheral device controllers look after input devices … .

a) like printers and graphics displays;

b) like keyboards and mice;

c) like disks.

5) To transfer information between the computer and its users we need

a) the CPU and peripheral controllers;

b) the CPU;

c) peripheral controllers.

3.Complete the sentences:

1) A computer contains several major subsystems such as … . 2) The bus is … . 3) Central Processing Unit is … . 4) The Central Processing Unit (CPU) contains … . 5) Instructions and data are stored (where?) … . 6) Peripheral device controllers look after (what?) … . 7) The CPU and peripheral controllers work together to transfer information between … . 

4. Answer the questions:

1) What subsystems does a computer contain? 2) What is the bus? 3) What part does calculations and controls all the other parts? 4) What does the CPU contain? 5) Where are instructions and data stored? 6) What do controllers look after? 7) why do the CPU and peripheral controllers work together? 8) What will the CPU sometimes arrange for? 9) What route does data being output follow?

5. Find as quickly as possible and read out the sentences containing the following important information:

  • the function of the bus
  • the CPU and its components
  • peripheral device controllers

*6. Try to tell the gist of the text.

Word Study

1. Give Ukrainian equivalents of the following.

        Major subsystems, the Central Processing Unit (CPU), memory, peripheral device controllers, communications highway, to do calculations, to transfer data, to contain electronic clock, electronic circuits, to carry out arithmetic operations, to identify and execute the instructions, to fetch the data from memory, to look after input devices, output devices, storage devices, to transfer information between the computer and its users, move over the bus, follows the same route in reverse.

2. Give English equivalents of the following.

        Головні підсистеми, центральний процесор, пам’ять, периферійні пристрої управління, супермагістраль зв’язку, виконувати обчислення, переносити дані, включати в себе електронний годинник, електронні схеми, виконувати арифметичні операції, виявляти і виконувати операції, витягувати дані з пам’яті, наглядати за пристроями вводу, пристрої виводу, пристрої пам’яті, обмінюватись інформацією між комп’ютером і користувачем, переміщатись над шиною, слідувати таким же маршрутом навпаки.

3.  Match the words in A with their synonyms in B:

A                                 B

device                         way

transfer                                   mechanism

contain                                    conserve

circuit                          organize

execute                                   transmit

store                            include

arrange                                    area

route                                       make

4. Fill in the gaps with the words from Vocabulary Notes in the appropriate form.

input /  to fetch / electronic circuits /  the CPU /  control / to transfer

1) The part that does calculations and controls all the other parts is …. 2) Electronic clocks … the timing of all operations. 3) … carry out arithmetic operations like addition and multiplication. 4) There are  circuits that … the data from memory. 5) … devices are keyboards and mice. 6) The CPU and peripheral controllers work together … information between the computer and its users.

5. Translate sentences into English using words and word combinations from the Vocabulary Notes.

1. Комп’ютер складається з багатьох підсистем. 2. Центральний процесор допомагає виконувати обчислення і контролювати всі частини комп’ютера. 3.Центральний процесор вміщує електронну схему, яка виконує операції додавання і множення. 4. Крім центрального процесора комп’ютер складається з додаткових пристроїв управління. 5. Вони відповідають за пристрої вводу,  виводу та запам’ятовування. 6. Центральний процесор і додаткові пристрої управління працюють разом для забезпечення взаємодії між комп’ютером і користувачем.

Grammar in Use

The Present Perfect Tense

1. Put the Infinitive in brackets in the Present Perfect Tense.

1) Recently the computer (to be) the greatest technological invention of the twentieth century. 2) A computer already (to solve) many problems electronically. 3) Many electronics students already (to go on) to work as engineers. 4) Today’s computers (to be) technologically far superior  to those used a few years ago. 5) Lately an electronic pen (to be) an example of an input device. 6) Scientists (to produce) many mechanical calculating machines since Pascal, the French mathematician, made his in 1642, but the 1940s when the first electronic computer was made. 7) The history of the multi-billion dollar PC industry (to be) one of mistakes. 8) Most people already (to choose) an online service because of the price or the number of available files.

2. Put these sentences into interrogative and negative form.

1) The history of the multi-billion dollar PC industry has been one of mistakes. 2) Xerox Corporation has already funded the initial research on personal computers in their Palo Alto laboratory in California. 3) However, the company has failed to capitalize on this work 4) Digital Research have continued to develop their operating system, DR/DOS. 5) However, without an endorsement from IBM, it has become a minor player in the market. 6) Analog transmission has been in use for many years as the basis of telephone technology and is very effective for this purpose. 6) The computer has changed the production of copy in the newspaper industry.

3. Replace the infinitive in brackets by the Present Perfect or the Past Indefinite..

1) Babbage (to be) born in 1791. 2) He (to work) out plans for several calculating machines which he (to call) ‘engines’. 2) But he never (to finish) any of them. 3) Recently, however, the Science Museum in London (to finish) building an engine based on one of Babbage’s designs. 4) It (to take) for six years to complete and more than four thousand parts have been specially made. 5) Whether it (to work) or not, the machine (to be) on show at a special exhibition in the Science Museum to remind people of Babbage’s work. 6) Computers certainly (to revolutionize) police work by providing access to millions of items of information with the least possible delay and speeding up the process of apprehending suspicious-looking characters. 7) Today the Unix operating system (to spread) beyond the university and laboratory to find a home in global corporations and small Internet serves. 8) The first computers (to take) up most of the building and (not to have) much more computing power than the first PCs.

Additional Text

(for individual work)

Read and translate the text.

Bus

A computer's bus can be viewed as consisting of about one hundred parallel wires. Some of these wires carry timing signals, others will have control signals, another group will have a bit pattern code that identifies the component (CPU, memory, peripheral controller) that is to deal with the data, and other wires carry signals encoding the data. Signals are sent over the bus by setting voltages on the different wires (the voltages are small, like 0-volts and 1-volt). When a voltage is applied to a wire the effect propagates along that wire at close to the speed of light; since the bus is only a few inches long, the signals are detectable essentially instantaneously by all attached components. Transmission of information is controlled by clocks that put timing signals on some of the wires. Information signals are encoded on to the bus, held for a few clock ticks to give all components a chance to recognize and if appropriate take action, then the signals are cleared. The clock that controls the bus may be "ticking" at more than one hundred million ticks per second The "plugs" that attach components to the bus incorporate quite sophisticated circuits. These circuits interpret the patterns of 0/1 voltages set on the control and address lines – thus memory can recognize a signal as "saying" something like "store the data at address xxx", while a disk control unit can recognize a message like "get ready to write to disk block identified by these data bits". In addition, these circuits deal with "bus arbitration". Sometimes, two or more components may want to put signals on the bus at exactly the same time – the bus arbitration circuitry resolves such conflicts giving one component precedence (the other component waits a few hundred millionths of a second and then gets the next chance to send its data).

1. Divide the text into the logical parts and give a title to each one.

2. Put questions to the text.

3. Discuss it with your groupmates.