Text A. Input and output units (i/o units)

1. The part of the computer that takes in information is called the input unit. The input unit or device provides the means of communication between the computer and the people who are interested in its operation.

2. To be accepted by the machine, information for a digital computer has to be in the form of digits 0, 1, 2, 3, 4,... 9 or characters A, B, C, D,.... These characters are regularly expressed for the computer's purposes as six or seven l's and 0's. The l's and 0's may be expressed for the computer: as punched holes (1) and blanks (0) in a card or a paper tape; as presence (1) and absence (0) of electrical pulse; or as polarized spots on a magnetic surface; for example, south-north is 1 and north-south is 0, or vice versa, etc.

3. So, the input unit makes possible communication from the other data-handing equipment and human being to the computer. It is the functional part of the computer that accepts the data to be operated on and programsfor operating. It may consist of a keyboard operated tape punch, a paper tape reader, a card reader, a card reader, and an electric typewriter.

4. The part of a computer that puts out information is called the output unit. The computer can easily put out information in a form acceptable to human beings. For example, the computer may give impulses to an electric typewriter, so that the keys are energized in i the proper sequence to type out a message in ordinary typed 'characters which human beings can read, etc.

5. The output of a computer is known to vary according to the capacity of the auxiliary equipment receiving the information. A computer can record on a magnetic tape at the rate of 1,000,000 characters per second. It can also control: a paper tape punch which will punch a paper tape at the rate of 100 characters per second; or a card punch which will punch per second about 300 standard punch cards of 80columns; or a high-speed line-printer which will punch 20 lines per second, each of 80 to 120 characters. Input and output devices are usually called peripherals.

6. All this peripheral equipment is slow as compared with the computer. Consequently, for efficient use of the computer's tremendous calculating speed, devices called buffers may be used. A buffer is known to be a storage device which is able to take in information at a very high speed from the computer and release the information at the proper speed for the peripheral equipment.

7. A human being is known to write by hand at the rate of about 30 words per minute, or to type at the rate of about 60 words per minute, or to talk at the rate of 200 or 250 words per minute. The ratio between a computer speed of about 40,000 words per second, and the top output speed of a human being of about 4 words per second, gives a factor of advantage to the computer of about 10,000 to 1 at the beginning of the 60's. Nowadays this ratio is much more.

 

Notes

1. the input unit makes possible communication from the other data-handing equipment and human being - блок ввода позволяет установить связь от другого оборудования по управлению данными и человеком

2. of a keyboard operated tape punch - ленточного перфоратора, работающего от клавишного пульта

Exercises

IV. Find the equivalents:

1. the input of a computer	1. наличие и отсутствие
2. an auxiliary equipment	2. перфорированные отверстия
3. at the rate of	3. устройство вывода
4. a high-speed line-printer	4. высокоскоростное построчно-печатающее устройство
5. for efficient use	5. коэффициент преимущества
6. a storage device	6. со скоростью
7. a factor of advantage	7. для эффективного использования
8. the output unit	8. вспомогательное оборудование
9. punched holes	9. устройство ввода компьютера
10. presence and absence	10. запоминающее устройство

 

V. Insert prepositions where necessary:

1. A computer can record... magnetic tape... the rate... 1,000,000 characters... second. 2. As compared... the computer the auxiliary or peripheral equipment is rather slow. 3. A human being can write... hand... the rate... 30 words... minute. 4. the capacity... the peripheral equipment receiving information the output... a computer varies very much. 5. A factor... advantage... the computer compared... a human being is... 10,000... 1

 

VI. Complete the following sentences:

1. The peripheral equipment is slow as compared with.... 2. Devices called buffers may be used for efficient use of the computer's.... 3. A human being is known to type at the rate.... 4. The ratio between a computer speed and the output speed of a human being gives a factor of... ю a computer. 5. The input unit accepts the data... and programs for....

 

VII. Memorize the following definitions:

1. Input unit is a section of the computer which accepts information from outside the computer. 2. Output is device or devices which put out information of the computer. 3. Buffers are storage devices accepting information at a very high speed from the computer and releasing information at the proper speed for the peripheral equipment.

 

VIII. Answer the following questions:

1. What is the general purpose of the input unit? 2. How may the l's and 0's be expressed for the computer? 3. What is the general purpose of the output unit? 4. What does the peripheral equipment consist of? 5. What is the general purpose of a buffer? 6. What is the ratio between a computer's speed and the top output speed of a human being? 7. What do you usually call input and output devices?

IX. Form adverbs from adjectives by adding the suffix '-ly':

easy; reasonable; usual; special; physical; functional; subsequent; consequent

 

X. Form nouns from verbs by adding the suffixes '-er\ '-or':

to work; to invent; to compose; to calculate; to operate; to act; to react; to receive; to transmit; to select; to use; to combine

 

XI. Arrange (a) synonyms and (b) antonyms in pairs and translate them:

a) speed; peripheral; to control; to write; auxiliary; to do; to receive; rate; to record; to get; to make; to handle; device; unit; instruction; part; to accept; command; section; information; data; to take in

b) to add; presence; hole; input; north; to multiply; to divide; binary; south; output; blank; absence; to subtract

XII. Translate the following sentences paying attention to the Infinitive:

1. The assistant came to instruct students how to handle instructions. 2. The assistant came to be instructed by the professor. 3. The main purpose of the computers is to solve complex problems. 4. To perform reasonable operations a computer must have a way of accepting data. 5. To add and to subtract means to perform mathematical operations. 6. P.L. Chebyshev, a Russian scientist, was the first to construct an arithmometer. 7. The input unit to be described here is a new device. 8. Punched holes in a card or a paper tape are used to represent l's and O's. 9. To carry out the instruction, the computer must accept the data in the form of punched holes and blanks. 10. In order to program in a good way, the programmer needs detailed data about the program and the way it is to be done.

 

XIII. State the functions of the Infinitive and translate the sentences:

a) 1. To do the program the programmer must have a good understanding of the problem for the computer. 2. To do the program for a computer is the main duty of a programmer. 3. The programmer must do a program to give accurate instructions - to the computer. 4. Electric typewriters are very slow and are used only by operators to communicate with a computer. 5. To make possible communication from a human being and a computer is the main purpose of the input unit.

b) 1. The experiments to be carried out will be very important.2. M.V. Lomonosov was the first to receive the higher education among peasants in Russia. 3. Information to be computed is stored usually in registers - units of hardware. 4. The machine to operate with the keys is named an ordinary adding machine. 5. A sequence of reasonable operations to be performed will be done by computer "M-220". 6. The programmer to do the program for a computer must have a good knowledge of mathematics.

 

XIV. Translate the sentences paying attention to the Subjective Infinitive. Construction:

1. The input and output units are known to be the parts of a computer. 2. The human being seems not to be able to add or to multiply without using auxiliary devices such as pencil and paper. 3. Historically, linear programming proved to be especially effective in analyzing industrial processes. 4. This type of the output unit is said to use a punched paper tape. 5. Devices for accepting information are said to have been described in some magazines. 6. Automated Management Systems are known to have appeared quite recently. 7. Our programmers are known to be studying the theory of programming. 8. In ancient (древний) times the sun was thought to be revolving round the Earth. 9. Y.A. Gagarin is known to be the first cosmonaut who made an orbital flight around the Earth. 10. The French mathematician Pascal is known to construct the first mechanical computer.

 

XV. Translate the following sentences with the emphatic construction it is (was)... that (who, which, when)...:

1. It is electrical engineering that deals with (иметь дело с) all kinds of electrical instruments and devices. 2. It was the invention of the computer that revolutionized the thinking process. 3. It was in 1944 when the first automatic computer appeared and began to operate. 4. It is an input unit that accepts information from outside the computer. 5. It was B. Pascal who invented the first mechanical computer. 6. It is our country which launched the first man into the outer space. 7. It is in industrial technology and scientific development that electronic devices contributed greatly. 8. It was Norbert Wiener who was considered to be the father of cybernetics.

 

XVI. Find the equivalents to the following Russian sentence:

Именно П.Л. Чебышев в России в 1882 году изобрел первый арифмометр, выполняющий автоматически умножение и деление.

1. It was in 1882 when P.L. Chebyshev invented the first arithmometer performing automatically multiplication and division. 2. It was in.Russia where P.L. Chebyshev invented the first arithmometer performing automatically multiplication and division. 3. It was P.L. Chebyshev who invented in Russia in 1882 the first arithmometer performing automatically multiplication and division. 4. It was the first arithmometer performing automatically multiplication and division that was invented in Russia by P.L. Chebyshev.

 

XVII. Read Text В and translate it without a dictionary. Express its contents in Russian:

 

TEXT B. TERMS

 

The special terms of any subject are the keys to understanding it. The special terms of the field of computers are accordingly the keys to understand this field.

Among (среди) the many special terms in any field of knowledge there are two kinds: those that are essential (существенный), that convey (передавать) the key ideas of the subject to a person interested in understanding it; and those that are helpful but not essential. An example of the first kind of terms in the computer field is "binary notation" (двоичное исчисление); it would be very hard to understand much¹ in the field of computers without knowing the meaning of "binary notation". An example of the second kind is "minimum latency programming"; for many purposes it is not necessary to know exactly (точно) what this term means.

 

Notes

1. it would be very hard to understand much - было бы очень трудно понять многое

2. minimum latency programming - минимальное скрытое программирование