Unit 1. History of computers

Focus: Computers:History of computers.

Grammar focus: Gerund its forms and functions.

Skills focus: Developing skills of reading.

Before reading:

Discuss the questions in groups.

– What do you know about the history of computers?

– Where are computers used?

Use the site www.computerhistory.org/timeline and define the date of the event from the table

 

Category	Companies	Components	Computers
Event	Yahoo is founded	The Pentium microprocessor is released	The Complex Num-ber Calculator
Year	1)----------	2)----------------	3)---------------------
Category	Softwear & languages	Graphics & Games	Networking
Event	First computer game	SuperPaint- the first digital computer drawing system	The first e-mail is sent
Year	4)----------	5)---------------	6)--------------

 

Reading

1. Read the text A «The use of computers» Part I

 

Vocabulary

oversimplification              – сверхупрощение

the complicated descendants – сложные (более совершенные) потомки

engineering design,            – проектирование,

recordkeeping and management                организация работ и управление

up-to-the minute                – на данный момент

implication                         – вывод, использование

heredity                              – наследственность

finger-print information     – информация, полученная

                                                      по отпечаткам пальцев

to deal with the knowledge – разобраться (здесь: с огромным

explosion                                       объёмом информации)

mental drudgery                 – утомительная умственная работа

process control                   – управление производственным

                                                      процессом

it looks like                        – похоже

more often than not           – чаще всего

aren't aware of the health hazard   – не догадываться об угрозе

complaining of                   – жалуясь, сетуя на

bewitching flickering         – завораживающее мерцание

quiescent                            – вялый

growing anxiety                 – нарастающая тревога

 

Computers have been described as machines that think. This is an oversimplification. Computers are machines that are capable of very rapid and accurate calculations, but they do need instruction from human beings. Nearly everything we do in the modern world is helped and controlled by computers, the complicated descendants of Babbage's simple machine. Computers are being used more efficient than human beings. 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. Great advances have been made recently in the techniques of programming computers to act in remarkably intelligent ways.

The application of computers relieved us of much detailed routine mental effort. Machines are thus freeing the human mind, in the same way as muscles were freed over 100 years ago.

In fact, computers can do many things we do, but faster and better. No man alive can do hundreds of thousands sums even hundreds of millions sums on one second but an advanced computer can do calculations in an astonishingly short time.

They can pay wages, reserve seats on planes, control machines in factories, work out tomorrow's weather and do a lot of other things. Let's look now at some of the ways in which computers concern people in their lives and work. Computers spread into industry, commerce, the government service. Automatic computing opened the way to new and more effective methods of engineering design, recordkeeping and management.The computer may even make possible entirely new ways of conducting a business. The major airlines maintain up-to-the-minute records in a central computer of all seats sold thus permitting the maximum sale for each flight without risk of overselling.

Scientific research, in many fields, is now dependent on computers, either for working out the implications of a theory for handling the very large amounts of data obtained from certain experiments.

Astronomers have been able to test theories about the structure of stars by following their consequences on a computer.

Physicists have been able to sort out the tracks made by millions of high-energy particles and so to obtain statistics and to pick out the rare cases that added to our basic knowledge.

Medical scientists with the help of computers, deduced the structure of large molecules and so have begun to understand the mechanism by which heredity is transmitted. In police, for example, work speed is often essential, so computers are ideal for helping catch criminals. Police inspectors are now able to find out details of car ownership and driving licences. There are systems for storing finger-print information and even information about people's appearance. Computers serve the arts as well as the sciences. They are a great help to scholars in any subject. It's now possible for a scholar to find a book or article he needs very quickly, which, when millions of new books are published each year, is quite an advantage. So computers can help us to deal with the knowledge explosion in many ways.

Thus, not only a great deal of human mental drudgery is avoided, but more difficult calculations or forms of process control can be undertaken with the help of computers. And of course this is a positive side and great advantage.

2. Match the beginning and the end of the sentences bellow.

1. Great advances have been made in the techniques –

2. The application of computers relieved us –

3. In fact, computers can do many of the things we do –

4. Automatic computing opened the way to new effective methods –

5. Astronomers have been able to test theories about the structure of stars –

6. More difficult calculations or forms of process control –

a) – can be undertaken with the knowledge explosion in many ways.

b) – of engineering design, recordkeeping and management.

c) – of much detailed routine mental effort.

d) – of programming computers to act in remarkably intelligent ways.

e) – but faster and better.

f)  – by following their consequences on a computer.

 

3. Match the words with the definitions

1. – to oversimplify a) – to say that you are not satisfied

2. – an employment b) – a possible future effect of a plan, event,action

3. – heredity           c) – the use of something for a particular purpose

4. – to complain     d) – to explain something in a simple way

5. – implication of e) – the genetic process