How do I connect to the Internet

Once you've set up your computer, you may want to purchase home Internet access so you can send and receive email, browse the Web, stream videos, and more. You may even want to set up a home wireless network, commonly known as Wi-Fi, so you can connect multiple devices to the Internet at the same time.

The type of Internet service you choose will largely depend on which Internet service providers (ISPs) serve your area, along with the types of service they offer.

You can do some research to find out what ISPs are available in your area. If you're having trouble getting started, you are recommended talking to friends, family members, and neighbors about the ISPs they use. This will usually give you a good idea of the types of Internet service available in your area.

You'll also want to consider the cost of the service, including installation charges and monthly fees. Generally speaking, the faster the connection, the more expensive it will be per month.

Once you have your computer, you really don't need much additional hardware to connect to the Internet. The primary piece of hardware you need is a modem.

The type of Internet access you choose will determine the type of modem you need. Dial-up access uses a telephone modem, DSL service uses a DSL modem, cable access uses a cable modem, and satellite service uses a satellite adapter. Your ISP may give you a modem—often for a fee—when you sign a contract, which helps ensure that you have the right type of modem. However, if you would prefer to shop for a better or less expensive modem, you can choose to buy one separately.

A router is a hardware device that allows you to connect several computers and other devices to a single Internet connection, which is known as a home network. Many routers are wireless, which allows you to create a home wireless network, commonly known as a Wi-Fi network.

You don't necessarily need to buy a router to connect to the Internet. It's possible to connect your computer directly to your modem using an Ethernet cable. Also, many modems include a built-in router, so you have the option of creating a Wi-Fi network without buying extra hardware

Text 4

What is Wi-Fi

If you've been in an airport, coffee shop, library or hotel recently, chances are you've been right in the middle of a wireless network. Many people also use wireless networking, also called

Wi-Fi or 802.11 networking, to connect their computers at home, and some cities are trying to use the technology to provide free or low-cost Internet access to residents. In the near future, wireless networking may become so widespread that you can access the Internet just about anywhere at any time, without using wires.

Wi-Fi has a lot of advantages. Wireless networks are easy to set up and inexpensive. They're also unobtrusive — unless you're on the lookout for a place to use your laptop, you may not even notice when you're in a hotspot. Let’s look at the technology that allows information to travel over the air.

A wireless network uses radio waves, just like cell phones, televisions and radios do. In fact, communication across a wireless network is a lot like two-way radio communication. Here s what happens:

A computer's wireless adapter translates data into a radio signal and transmits it using an antenna. A wireless router receives the signal and decodes it. The router sends the information to the Internet using a physical, wired Ethernet connection.

The process also works in reverse, with the router receiving information from the Internet, translating it into a radio signal _and sending it to the computer's wireless adapter.

The radios used for Wi-Fi communication are very similar to the radios used for walkie-talkies, cell phones and other devices. They can transmit and receive radio waves, and they can convert Is and 0s into radio waves and convert the radio waves back into Is and 0s. But Wi-Fi radios have a few notable differences from other radios:

They transmit at frequencies of 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz. This frequency is considerably higher than the frequencies used for cell phones, walkie-talkies and televisions. The higher frequency allows the signal to carry more data.

They use 802.11 networking standards, which come in several flavors. 802 11n is the newest standard that is widely available. This standard significantly improves speed and range.

Text 5

Printers

The next difficult decision to make will be the printer that will work best for you. Printers are used to create a tangible product to look at away from a monitor. For consumer use there are two kinds to choose from: the inkjet and the laser printer.

The inkjet printer uses a liquid ink that's sprayed through a print head onto a piece of paper. How? Simply put, the printer interprets the signal from the computer and converts it to instructions that go through the print head. Inkjet printers are typically inexpensive to purchase, although the replacement ink can be costly and add up.

Laser printers use heat technology and specialized powder called toner or another medium that's heat-sealed onto a piece of paper. Laser printers are somewhat expensive, though they've come down in cost as the technology has increased.

Both types are often available as mono-color (or black-only printer), full-color or an all-in-one printer. An all-in-one printer typically has a printer, a copier and a scanner. Some still have a fax feature as well.

You should ask yourself how much you'll be printing and how often. If you don't print too much, the inkjet printer may be for you. One disadvantage, though, to not printing often with an inkjet printer is that the print head can actually plug up, dry out and then not work. If you print frequently or in large quantities, you may find yourself purchasing ink quite often. Inkjet and laser are the two types of printers sold in stores

Text 6

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 10 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 12MB 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 (erased and 0 - programmed). New devices have a multi-level 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 works like a hard drive. For example, in a camera, NOR flash contains the camera's internal software, while NAND flash is used to store the image.

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 MP3s 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 a stamp, and capacity can range from 8MB 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 flash memory into one device. This allows computers to boot, or start, more quickly, and also reduces power consumption.

 

Bibliography

www.computerhope.com

www.gcflearnfree.org/computerbasics/

http://communication howstaffworks.com

Santiago Remacha Esteras “Infotech. English for computer users” Cambridge University Press, 2012

Sabrina Sopranzi “Flash on English for mechanics, electronics and technical assistance” EsP series, ELI S.r.i, 2012

Родовель, В.А Английский язык. Основы компьютерной грамотности//В.А. Родовель уч. пособие. Изд. 11. – Ростов на Дону: Феникс, 2011

Беседина, Н.А., Английский для инженеров компьютерных сетей/Н.А. Беседина, В.Ю. Белоусов. Проф. Курс/English for network students. Professional course уч. пособие. – СПб.: Лань, 2013

 

 

Contents

Unit 1	What is a computer? …………………………………………	4
	Exercises ………….................................................................	5
Unit 2	Different types of computers………………………………….	6
	Exercises …………………………………………….................	7
Unit 3	Inside a computer……………………………………………	9
	Exercises ……………………………………………………………..	10
Unit 4	Basic parts of computer………………………………………..	12
	Exercises ……………………………………………………..	13
Unit 5	What is an operating system…………………………………..	15
	Exercises ………………………………………………………	16
Unit 6	The Internet…………………………………………………….	17
	Exercises……………………………………………………….	19
Appendix	Texts for reading and rendering……………………………….	20
Text 1	YouTube………………………..……………………………...	20
Text 2	What is a mobile device?................................................	21
Text 3	How do I connect to the Internet?…………………………….	22
Text 4	What is Wi-Fi?................………………………………………	23
Text 5	Printers……………………………….………………………	24
Text 6	Memory in a flash..................………………………………..	24
Bibliography	…………………………………………………………………	26

 

 

 

Кафедра иностранных языков

 

Get to know computers

 

 

Практикум

по английскому языку

 

Надежда Александровна Алексеевич

Светлана Николаевна Борисова

Отпечатано с оригинал-макета. Формат 60х90. 1/16

Печ. л. 1.75 Тираж   экз.

Санкт-Петербургский государственный технологический институт

(Технический университет)

Издательство СПБГТИ (ТУ) тел. [phone]