Read the text and supply it with a suitable title.

 

Any U.S. school child knows that the first country to develop a computer was the U.S. But few people know that the second country was the Soviet Union in 1950.

And still fewer people know that the first step was actually made in the Soviet Russia in 1918 (a year after the socialist revolution) when M. Bonch-Bruevich developed an electronic relay circuit with two stable states later known in the West as a trigger.

Academician Nikita Moiseyev visited western computer centres in the late 50s and found that the Soviets were at a similar level of development in both methods and computers themselves. Soviet advances slowed down, however, due to mistakes in approaches towards developing the computer industry and shortage of funds which were needed for the iron steel construction and transport industries. A vast housing program was in progress, and the Eastern regions were being developed on a large scale.

Consequently, while the USSR was well-equipped to deal with the world energy crises of the 1970s, computer technology lagged.

At the turn of the 80s, however, the U.S.S.R. scored new successes in this field. The Soviet electronics industry became one of the world's biggest producers of electronic components. 30000 kinds of.components were exported to more than 30 countries, electronic components marked «made in the U.S.S.R.» were used in France, Britain, Italy and Spain. General Motors used to buy 150–180 million resistors.

 

Exercise 1. Answer the question.

How did the electronic industry develop in the post-Soviet period?

Look for extra information of your own.

 

TEXT VII

Reading and extracting information

EVOLUTION IN SIZE

 

Computers come in all sizes. Large ones are called mainframes. The mainframes have been around the longest, and there are a lot of them, especially in larger organizations.

The most powerful computers, however, are called supercomputers. The supercomputers are so powerful that they are found in only a few of the larger business organizations. Supercomputers most often are used for scientific calculations.

The recent trend has not been to larger computers, but to smaller ones. In the 1970s, this trend got its start with minicomputers, or minis. These computers were smaller than the mainframes but, in many cases, outperformed the larger units.

The minis were received so well that computer manufacturers produced even smaller units – called microcomputers or micros. Most of the microcomputer's main circuitry is in the form of a small silicon chip, smaller than your fingernail. The chip is called a microprocessor.

You also hear terms like small business computer and personal computer. A small business computer is a mini or micro that is usually found in smaller firms, and provides the computational support.

 

Exercise 1. Answer the questions.

1. What were the four basic sizes of computers?

2. Where were they applied?

3. What do you know about mainframes?

 

Exercise 2. Give definitions to the terms:

mainframe, supercomputer, minicomputer, microcomputer, microprocessor, small business computer.

Almost all of them are now obsolete. Why does computer-related terminology get out-of-date so quickly?

 

Exercise 3. Topics for discussion.

What do you think about necessity of using computers? Can you do without your personal computer today?

 

TEXT VIII

 

Discussions and essays

The English writer Arthur Clarke, being a pessimist, predicted the destruction of our world as a result of intelligent machines' activity independent of human will. He said: «The first invention of a super intelligent machine will be the last invention mankind will be allowed to make».

Comment on the quotation. What do you think? Do you hold that pessimistic view of technological progress? Give your reasons.

 

Written translation

 

Fancy that!

Some facts from the history of the computer industry.

But for the cancellation of a research grant, the computer could have been invented in the early nineteenth century. Charles Babbage's «grantsmanship» was not equal to his mathematical genius, and his funding from the English government ran out in 1833. Despite the support of Lady Ada Byron, daughter of the famous poet, Babbage never completed his model.

No one was quite sure what the device created by Charles Babbage was good for. When asked to renew the funding, British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli observed that the only conceivable use for it was to add up all of the money that had been squandered on the project.

The story goes that Atanasoff drew the inspiration for his invention of the first electronic computer from the desire to have a bourbon and soda in a southern Illinois bar. Iowa was a «dry» state back then, and he had to drive almost 200 miles for his drink, which gave him plenty of time to think about inventing the computer.

It was only materials shortage that prevented ENIAC from being finished in time to make contribution to World War II. But ENIAC contributed to the cold war by helping to complete calculations for the first hydrogen bomb.

By the mid-1950s, IBM threatened to dominate the entire computer industry with its fast-selling Model 650. In 1956, to resolve an antitrust suit filed by the U.S. Justice Department, the company signed a consent decree that required it to keep computer manufacturing and computer services (the processing of computer applications for its customers) in separate subsidiaries. The 1956 consent decree barely slowed IBM down.

In the late 1970s the Justice Department launched another antitrust case, with the goal of breaking up IBM into several companies – each with a full line of hardware, software, and computer services. Ironically, the suit was concluded in 1982, the same year that a similar action against AT&T resulted in the dismemberment of the telecommunications giant. In the IBM case, however, it was decided to keep the company intact.

 

Now compare your translation with that done by a computer (Prompt '99).

 

Воображение это!

Некоторые факты от истории промышленности компьютеров

Но для отмены предоставления исследования, компьютер мог быть изобретен в раннем девятнадцатом столетии. «Grantsmanship» Чарльза Баббедж не был равен его математическому гению, и его финансирование (консолидирование) от Английского правительства закончилось в 1833. Несмотря на поддержку Леди Ады Байрона дочь известного поэта, Babbage никогда не закончила его модель.

Никто не был весьма уверен, для чего устройство, созданное Чарльзом Баббедж было хорошо. Когда спрашивается, чтобы возобновить финансирование (консолидирование), Британский Премьер-министр Бенджамин Дисраели наблюдал(соблюдал), то единственное мыслимое использование для этого должно было сложить все деньги, которые тратили на проекте.

История идет, что Atanasoff тянул(рисовал) вдохновение для его изобретения первой электронно-вычислительной машины от желания иметь bourbon и соду в южном бруске(баре) Штата Иллинойс. Штат Айова был «сухое» государство (состояние) назад тогда, и он был должен вести(везти) почти 200 миль для его спиртного напитка, который дал ему множество времени, чтобы думать относительно изобретения компьютера.

То было только нехватка материалов, которая предотвратила ENIAC от окончания вовремя, чтобы делать вклад во Вторую Мировую Войну. Но ENIAC вносил вклад в холодную войну, помогая, чтобы закончить вычисления для первой водородной бомбы.

К середине 1950-ых, IBM угрожал доминировать над полной промышленностью компьютеров все быстро продающей Моделью 650. В 1956, чтобы решить антимонопольный иск (костюм), регистрируемый Американским министерством юстиции, компания подписала согласие, устанавливают декретом, что требовал, чтобы это держало производство компьютера и услуги компьютера (обработка заявлений (применений) компьютера для его клиентов) в отдельных филиалах. 1956 декрет согласия только замедлил IBM.

В конце 1970-ых Министерство юстиции начало (запустило) другой антимонопольный случай, с целью прекращения IBM в несколько компаний – каждый с полной линией аппаратных средств ЭВМ, программного обеспечения, и услуг компьютера. Как ни странно, иск (костюм) был заключен в 1982, тот же самый год, что подобное действие против AT&T закончилось расчленением гиганта телесвязи. В IBM случае, однако, было решено держать компанию неповрежденное.

 

Exercise 1. Topic for discussion.

Share your ideas on the human and machine translation.

Chapter II

TEXT I