Ancestor of modern computers turns 60

WHAT IS OCR SOFTWARE?

1. Optical Character Recognition, or OCR, is a technology that enables you to convert Afferent types of documents, such as scanned paper documents, PDF files or images captured by a digital camera into editable and searchable data. In order to extract and repurpose data from scanned documents you need OCR software that would single

out letters on the image, put them first into words and then into sentences, thus enabling you to access and edit the content of the оn211 ml document.

2. The exact mechanisms that allow* humans to recognize objects are yet to be understood, but the three basic principles are already well known by scientists - integrity, purposefulness and adaptability (IPA). These principles constitute the core of ABYY FineReader OCR allowing it to replicate natural or human-like recognition.

3. Let's take a look on how* OCR software recognizes the text. First, the program analyzes the structure of the document image. It divides the page into elements such as blocks of texts, tables, images, etc. The lines are divided into words and then into characters. Once the characters have been singled out, the program compares them with a set of pattern images. It advances numerous hypotheses about what this character is. Basing on these hypotheses the program analyzes different variants of breaking of lines into words and words into characters. After processing huge number of such probabilistic hypotheses the program finally takes the decision, presenting you the recognized text.

4. Images captured by a digital camera differ from scanned documents. They often have defects such as distortion at the edges and dimmed light, making it difficult for most OCR applications to correctly recognize the text. Some OCR software supports adaptive recognition technology specifically designed for processing camera images. Such software offers a range of features to improve the quality of such images, providing you with the ability* to fully use the capabilities of your digital devices.

single out - выделять, отбирать

Определите, является ли утверждение:

All a scanner can do is creating an image or a snapshot of the

document.

Варианты ответов:

Должен быть выбран один правильный вариант ответа

 

NETWORK SECURITY

1. Internet security professionals are, by occupational temperament, a pretty anxious people. But lately they've had more reason than ever to be nervous. Not long ago, a new kind of worm, known as Storm, began to sweep through the Internet. It hasn't received much attention in the mainstream press, but it has given security professionals more than a few* sleepless nights. Storm is far more sophisticated than previous worms, because it uses peer-to-peer technologies and other new techniques to avoid detection.

2. Storm methodically infiltrates computers with inactive code that could be used to damage the whole network of a company, creating opportunities for getting money illegally. And Storm's creators, whoever they are, continue to modify their dangerous product even as it already stands as a dark cloud poised over the Internet.

3. Network security software products on the market today offer only limited defence. They use firewalls, which simply block access to unauthorized users, and software patches, which can be created only after a worm or virus's unique bit pattern is decoded. By the time this difficult process of hand coding is complete, the worm has had hours and hours to spread, mutate, or be modified by its creators. 4. A new kind of answer is needed. Network security researchers are developing software that can rapidly detect a wide variety of intrusions from worms, viruses, and other attacks without the high rate of false alarms that outbreaks many conventional Internet security products. These new programs can detect any anomalous network behavior in seconds and block threats. This new generation of algorithms is based on concepts related to the thermodynamic concept of entropy. Often defined briefly as a measure of the disorder of a system, entropy as a cornerstone of thermodynamic theory goes back more than a century and a half. But as a construct of information theory it is only 60 years old, and its application to data communications began only in the last decade or so.

Определите, является ли утверждение:

The worm, known as Storm, is less sophisticated than the previous

worms.

 

 

USB

1. In the late 1990s, a few computer manufacturers started embedding Universal Serial Bus, or USB, support in their new* systems, but today USB has become a standard connection port for many USB-enabled devices such as keyboards, mice, joysticks, digital cameras, etc. USB is able to support and is supported by a large range of products.

2. USB is supported at the operating system level, and compared to alternative ports such as parallel or serial ports, USB is very user-friendly. When USB first started appealing in the marketplace, it was (and still is) referred to as a plug-and-play port because of its ease of use. Consumers without a lot of technical or hardware knowledge were able to easily connect USB devices to their computer. USB devices can also be used across multiple platforms. USB works on Window*s and Mac, plus can be used with other operating systems, such as Linux, for example, with a reliable degree of success.

3. Before USB, connecting devices to a computer was often a difficult*. Modems and digital cameras were connected via the serial port which was quite slow*, as only one bit is transmitted at a time through a serial port. While printers generally required a parallel printer port, which is able to receive more than one bit at a time — that is, it receives several bits in parallel. Most computers provided two serial ports and a parallel printer port. If you had several devices, unhooking one device and setting up the software and drivers to use another device could often be problematic for the user.

4. The introduction of USB ended many of these headaches. USB offered consumers the option to connect up to 127 devices, either directly or through the use of a USB hub. It was much faster since USB supports data transfer rates of 12 Mbps for disk drives and other high-speed throughput and 1.5 Mbps for devices that need less bandwidth. Additionally, consumers can literally plug almost any USB device into their computer, and Window's will detect it and automatically set-up the hardware settings for the device.

 

Определите, является ли утверждение:

People with little technical knowledge can't attach USB devices to a

system.

Варианты ответов:

Должен быть выбран один правильный вариант ответа

ложным Г~ истинным

в тексте нет информации

 

WIRELESS NETWORK

1. A wireless network serves the same purpose as a wired one — to link a group of computers. Because "wireless" doesn't require costly wiling the main benefit is that it's generally cheaper to set up. By comparison, creating a network by pulling wires throughout the walls and ceilings of an office can be labour-intensive and thus expensive. But even when you have a wired network already in place, a wireless network can be a cost-effective way to expand it. In fact, there's really no such tiling as a purely wireless network, because most links back to a wired network at some point.

2. Wireless networks operate using radio frequency (RF) technology, a frequency within the electromagnetic spectrum associated with radio wave propagation. When an RF current is supplied to an antenna, an

electromagnetic field is created that then is able to propagate through space.

3. The cornerstone of a wireless network is a device known as an access point (AP). The primary job of an AP is to broadcast a wireless signal that computers can detect and "tune" into. Since wireless networks are usually connected to wired ones, an AP also often serves as a link to the resources available on die a wired network, such as an Internet connection, hi order to connect to an access point and join a wireless network, computers must be equipped with wireless network adapters. These are often built right into the computer, but if not, just about any computer or notebook can be made wireless-capable through the use of an add-on adapter plugged into an empty expansion slot, USB port, or in the case of notebooks, a PC Card slot. 4. A common misconception connected with a wireless network is that the term Wi-Fi is short for wireless fidelity, however not since 1999 has the Wi-Fi Alliance officially used the term wireless fidelity. Wi-Fi is simply a brand name and a registered trademark of the Wi-Fi Alliance. The term Wi-Fi is a play on the term Hi-Fi, which is short for high-fidelity, but Wi-Fi is not actually short for wireless fidelity.

propagate - распространение

Определите, является ли утверждение:

It is more expensive to create a wired network than a wireless one.

Варианты ответов:

 

COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY

1. Information system is an integrated set of components for collecting, storing, processing, and communicating information. Business firms, other organizations, and individuals in modem society rely on information systems to manage their operations, compete in the marketplace, supply services, and augment personal lives. For instance, modem corporations rely on computerized information systems to process financial accounts and manage human resources; government relies on information systems to provide basic services to its citizens; and individuals use information systems to study, shop, ban!;, and invest.

2. As major new technologies for recording and processing information have been invented, new* capabilities have appeared. The invention of movable type in the mid-15th century and the creation of the portable typewriter at the end of the 19th century are but two examples. Each of these inventions led to a revolution in the ability to record and process information.

3. The first large-scale mechanized information system was Herman Hollerith's census tabulator. Hollerith's machine represented a major step in automation, as well as an inspiration to develop computerized information systems. One of the first computers used for such information processing was die UNIVAC I, installed in the U.S. Bureau of the Census in 1951 for administrative use. Beginning in the 1970s, personal computers brought some of the advantages of information systems to small businesses and to individuals, and the invention of the World Wide Web in the early 1990s accelerated the creation of an open global computer network. 4. As information systems have enabled more diverse human activities, they have a profound influence over society. These systems have quickened daily activities, affected the structure and mix of organizations, changed the type of products bought, and influenced the nature of work. Information and knowledge have become vital economic resources.

(Encyclopedia Britannic a)

Определите, является ли утверждение:

Computers are widely used in every day life of the modem society.

Варианты ответов:

Должен быть выбран один правильный вариант ответа

 

WHAT IS OCR SOFTWARE?

1. Optical Character Recognition, or OCR, is a technology that enables you to convert Afferent types of documents, such as scanned paper documents, PDF files or images captured by a digital camera into editable and searchable data. In order to extract and repurpose data from scanned documents you need OCR software that would single

out letters on the image, put them first into words and then into sentences, thus enabling you to access and edit the content of the оn211 ml document.

2. The exact mechanisms that allow* humans to recognize objects are yet to be understood, but the three basic principles are already well known by scientists - integrity, purposefulness and adaptability (IPA). These principles constitute the core of ABYY FineReader OCR allowing it to replicate natural or human-like recognition.

3. Let's take a look on how* OCR software recognizes the text. First, the program analyzes the structure of the document image. It divides the page into elements such as blocks of texts, tables, images, etc. The lines are divided into words and then into characters. Once the characters have been singled out, the program compares them with a set of pattern images. It advances numerous hypotheses about what this character is. Basing on these hypotheses the program analyzes different variants of breaking of lines into words and words into characters. After processing huge number of such probabilistic hypotheses the program finally takes the decision, presenting you the recognized text.

4. Images captured by a digital camera differ from scanned documents. They often have defects such as distortion at the edges and dimmed light, making it difficult for most OCR applications to correctly recognize the text. Some OCR software supports adaptive recognition technology specifically designed for processing camera images. Such software offers a range of features to improve the quality of such images, providing you with the ability* to fully use the capabilities of your digital devices.

single out - выделять, отбирать

Определите, является ли утверждение:

All a scanner can do is creating an image or a snapshot of the

document.

Варианты ответов:

Должен быть выбран один правильный вариант ответа

 

ANCESTOR OF MODERN COMPUTERS TURNS 60

1. The Small-Scale Experimental Machine, known as SSEM, or the "Baby", was designed and built at the University of Manchester, and made its first successful run of a program at И am, 21 June 194$. It was the first machine that had all the components now classically regarded as characteristic of the basic computer. "Baby" was the first "stored program computer", meaning it ran programs by loading them into a temporary memory store, or random-access memory (RAM), just as computers do today.

2. "That approach, and the fact the Baby was fully electronic, made it much easier to reprogram than previous computers," says Geoff Tootill, who helped design, build and test Baby. "Reprogramming earlier computers typically required physical changes to be made to a computer. We didn't set out to change the future of computing, only to demonstrate that the new storage system worked," Tootill adds.

3. Baby's RAM was based on cathode ray tubes (CRT) similar to those used in radar screens. A single tube could store 256 bytes of digital information. However, Baby only had a total of 12S bytes of functional memory. The first program Baby ran successfully could find the highest factor of any given number. Initially only tested on small numbers, the machine was soon tackling more difficult calculations. Running the program on the number 21S took about 2.1 million steps and 52 minutes. Reading the results required the decoding of digital output shown on another CRT tube.

4. From this "Baby" a full-sized machine was designed and built, the

Manchester Mark 1, which by April 1949 was generally available for computation in scientific research in the University. With the integration of a high speed magnetic (hum by the Autumn (the ancestor of today's disc) this was the first machine with a fast electronic and magnetic two-level store. It in turn was the basis of the first commercially available computer, the Ferranti Mark 1, the first machine off the production line being delivered in February 1951.

 

Определите, являемся ли утверждение:

Reprogramming the "Baby" required physical changes to be made to it.

Варианты ответов:

Должен быть выбран один правильный вариант ответа

Г7 ложным истинным

в тексте нет информации