Texts for additional reading.

Electronic brain.

Computers are well-known to represent a relatively new branch of science, the first of them having appeared less than fifty years ago. Although still new, these machines are already bringing about a real revolution in science, technology, statistics and automatic control.

The reason for this lies in the fact that a mathematical formula can be found for almost all scientific and technical problems. They can be solved without a computer but it would require millions of arithmetical operations. No wonder that many problems of exceptional importance remained unsolved for a long time, the volume of the calculations required being above human possibilities.

A high speed electronic computer can carry out several thousand arithmetical operations in one second. A calculation, which would have taken several years of intense human work in the past, is now done in a few minutes or hours.

A number of various complicated problems have already been solved with the help of computers. The principle of this wonderful machine lies in counting electric impulses. Numbers are represented as a sequence of such impulses, and a radio-technical scheme counts them carrying out addition, subtraction, multiplication and divisional, higher mathematical calculation being reduced to these four operations.

If we introduce into the scheme first one number and then another, the result will yield the sum of these two numbers. Subtraction is reduced to the addition of negative numbers. Multiplication is done by repeated additions the necessary number of times, a division — by repeated subtraction.

Electronic machines work according to a programme, prepared in advance, which determines the sequence of operations. They have a very efficient electronic "memory" which stores the initial date, the intermediate numbers and final results as well as the working commands given to the machine.

The electronic machine can also be used for controlling automatic production. Signals given by measuring instruments and controlling devices are introduced into the machine which sends the necessary commands to the control panel according to the programme.

This machine can also be used to make translations from one language into another by converting words into figures and vice versa A simplified picture of what takes place will be given below.

All the instruments invented up to now have served to save man's labour. But it is electronic computers the importance of which cannot be underestimated that come to the help of the human brain, thus opening boundless possibilities.

 

Words:

to represent - представлять

less than - менее, чем

a new branch of science - новая отрасль науки

to bring out - вызвать

to be solved - решаться

to require - требовать

no wonder- не удивительно

to carry out - осуществлять

in advance - заранее

vice versa — наоборот

to underestimate - недооценивать

I. Agree or disagree:

1. Computers are known to represent a new branch of science.

2. These machines are a real revolution in sport.

3. A high speed electronic computer can carry out two operations in one second.

4. The principle of this machine lies in counting electric impulses.

5. They have a very efficient electronic "memory".

6. The electronic machine can be used for controlling automatic production.

7.This machine can also be used to translate from one language into another.

8.Electronic computer do not come to the help of the human brain.

II. Use these sentences to retell the text.

III. Do you think that computer is a man's friend. Can you prove it? Talk.

 

Computers.

There are two types of computers, the analogue and the digital. Analogue computer is a device for measuring such physical quantities as lengths and voltages and exhibiting the measurements as a numerical value. However, the analogue computer is limited to special of problems and when most people say "computer" today; they mean the digital computer, which is a marvel of precision.

The modern electronic digital computer can count with incredible speed using only two numbers — the one⁵ and zero (mathematicians call this the binary system). Computer can store millions of such information bits.

But information by itself is useless. The computer must be told what to do with it — to add, subtract, multiply, or divide the coded pulses stored in its memory. Memory is the place in your computer where information is actively used. Parts of that memory contain instructions, prepared by a human brain that provides the computer with the road which it must follow in order to solve a problem. These instructions are called the program.

What makes the computer different from an adding machine is that the computer can modify its instructions. If a problem cannot be solved by following one route, the computer can search its memory for another set of instructions until a solution is found. And it does all this at superhuman speeds.

What makes a compu ter different from an adding machine?

1) It can count with incredible speed.

2) It can modify its instructions.

3) It can store hundreds of millions of information bits.

 

Computers.

We live in the age of great development in science and engineering. The invention of electronic computers has freed man's brain from the work of measurement and computation. A computer is a device solving problems automatically. The first electronic computers went into operation in 1945. Electronic computers work very quickly, they can carry out several thousands of arithmetic operations in one second. We may divide them into two groups: machines that can measure and those that can count. The latter can add, subtract, multiply and divide. They can combine many problems and solve them in any order. Electronic machines can be used for controlling production.

 

The Internet.

The Internet is a brand-new way of exploring the world. This symbol of the 20-th century is becoming more and more popular among the people of different ages and social standing. Through the Internet people get all kind of information. The Internet as a means of communication is very convenient: a person can get a lot of information without leaving his apartment. The Internet breaks the traditional frontiers. Through it a person, who lives in Moscow, gets information which is stored in the libraries of Oxford, Cambridge or Washington.

The Internet is the global communication system. With its help a person can find friends, who share his interests and tastes in any part of the world. Such programmes as ICQ (I Seek You) and AOL (America Online) Messenger, specifically designed for communication, make it easy and thrilling. Through the Internet it is not only possible to receive messages from a friend in the United States, but see a picture of him and hear his voice. The only problem is that people in different countries speak different languages and in order to explore the mil depth of the Internet one should know the universal language of international communications, English.

 

Computers

When Charles Babbage, a professor of mathematics at Cambridge University, invented the first calculating machine in 1812 he could hardly have imagined the situation we found ourselves in today. Nearly everything we do in the modern world is helped, or even controlled, by computers, the complicated descendants of his simple machine.

Computers are being used more and extensively in the world today, because they are more efficient than human being. They have much better memories and can store huge amounts of information, and they can do calculations in a fraction of the time taken by a human mathematician. No man can do 500.000sums in one second, but a computer can. In fact, computers can do many things faster and better than people. They can pay wages, reserve seats on trains, control machines in factories and even play chess, write poetry, or compose music.

New microcomputer

An entirely new microcomputer has been developed by the Institute of Management Problems. It is equipped with an arithmetical logical device. This microcomputer can perform various logical functions. In other words, it possesses a solving field for various commands. It is comparatively easy to change commands or add new ones. The PC-300 is very small in size and weight (25 kg), is resistant to temperature fluctuations, does not require special ventilation, is reliable and easy to operate. It can be used in computer control complexes as an information, processing unit, and also as a built-in computer in various analyzing and display devices. It receives data, calculates the optimum conditions and supplies signals for the control of technological processes. The field of application of the new computer is vast. It can analyze various substances in oil, gas, chemical and food industries. It can also be used for processing information about conditions in the environment, controls.