Text B. THE EVOLUTION OF COMPUTERS

 

Computers have evolved through several generations. Each new generation is based on technological innovations and new methods of processing data. The first generation (1951-1958) began with the development of the earliest large mainframe computers. These room-sized computers, such as the UNIVAC 1 (designed by the Eckert, Mauchley, and John von Neumann team), were based on electromechanical devices and vacuum-tube technology and generally used punched tape or punched cards as the primary input and output media.

Computers of the first generation were used initially for computational purposes, mainly by governmental agencies such as the U.S. census bureau, but they soon found a broader use in basic business transactions related to customer billing, internal accounting, inventory tracking, and payroll calculations. Since computers could be used to replace many of the employees who were maintaining these records, it was easier to justify their cost. BY the late 1950s, many of America's larger companies were considering the purchase of a computer.

Computers based on the transistor, which was invented in the late 1950s, mark the beginning of the second generation of computers (1959-1964). Transistors brought about the development of smaller, faster, and more efficient computers. And transistors were not the only improvements of this period. Magnetic core memories began to appear and computers became more modular in design. In addition, programming languages, the sets of special instructional statements that were used to program these computers, became easier to use and this brought more people into contact with computers. As a result, a new occupation, computer programmers, came into being and they began to design new computer programs for use in business and education, known as applications.

The third generation of computers (1965-1970) used integrated circuits which opened the door for the creation of even smaller and faster computers. These smaller computers were known as minicomputers and were the first to incorporate operating systems which automated many of the computer's operational tasks, tasks that had been formerly handled by humans. The International Business Machines (IBM) Corporation introduced the new “families” of computers, the IBM 360 and 370. Business-oriented programs were written for these computers that could be used on any of the computers in the family.

The fourth generation of computers is characterized by large-scale integration of computer circuitry and small microprocessors. Microcomputers (also called personal computers or PCs) were based on these microprocessors and they put computing power into the hands of individual users. The term large-scale integration (LSI) was used during this period to describe the constant miniaturization of computer circuits. Today the process of constant miniaturization of computer circuits is continuing and is termed Very Large-Scale Integration (VLSI). New high-level programming languages developed and they were designed to be easier to use and more closely related to specific computer tasks.

The fifth computer generation is marked by the evolution of computers that use newer, faster technologies to carry out a broader variety of tasks. Some of the tasks that computers will do in the next generation of computing can be defined as artificial intelligence (AI). Such computers would make decisions based on available evidence rather than on hard-and-fast rules. If computers could be taught the rules that are used in decision making, they might be able to replace the human experts who are currently charged with those decisions. Some versions of these types of expert systems are already in use and new ones are now under development.

 

Task 14. Describe (in writing) how you use computers in your study and in your free time. Give examples of the impact they have on your lives.

 

 

Unit 2

 

Read and learn the basic vocabulary terms.

 

portable (adj) [ ' pLtqbl] переносной; портативный

laptop (n) ['lxptOp] компактный портативный компьютер

handheld (adj) ['hxndheld] ручной, портативный

pen-based (adj) ['penbeIzd] с перьевым вводом

processor (n) ['prousesq] процессор

mainframe (n) ['meInfreIm] универсальная вычислительная машина

plotter (n) ['plOtq] графопостроитель

modem (n) ['moudem] модем

slow up (v) ['slou'Ap] замедлять

cache (n) ['kxS] кэш, быстродействующая буферная память

soundcard (n) ['saundka:d] звуковая плата

coat (v) ['kout] наносить покрытие

vacuum-sealed (adj) запечатанный вакуумным способом

['vxkjuqm'sJld]

format (v) ['fLmxt] задавать формат

track (n) ['trxk] дорожка, канал

rotate (v) [rou'teIt] вращать

speed up (v) ['spJd'Ap] ускоряться

crash (v) ['krxS] приводить к аварии; сломаться

price (v) ['praIs] оценивать

hertz (n) [hWts] герц

versatile (adj) ['vWsqtaIl] многосторонний, гибкий; универсальный

versatility (n) ["vWsq'tIlItI] разносторонность, многогранность

server (n) ['sWvq] сервер; обслуживающее устройство

 

Read and memorize the following word combinations.

an uninterruptable power supply (UPS) непрерываемый источник питания

random access memory (RAM) память с произвольной выборкой

read only memory (ROM) постоянная память, ПЗУ

central processing unit (CPU) центральный процессор, ЦП

an input device устройство ввода

an output device устройство вывода

a storage device запоминающее устройство, ЗУ

a floppy disk гибкий диск

a memory address адрес (ячейки) памяти

an address bus адресная шина

a data bus шина данных

a system unit системный блок

a driver card управляющая плата

a port replicator репликатор портов

a hard disk жесткий диск

a redundant array of блок дисков с избыточностью

inexpensive disks (RAID) информации; массив резервных недорогих дисков

a barcode reader устройство считывания штрихового кода