Table Of ContentБЕЛОРУССКИЙ ГОСУДАРСТВЕННЫЙ УНИВЕРСИТЕТ
Кафедра английского языка естественных факультетов
Improve your reading skills
Совершенствуем навыки чтения
Учебно-методическое пособие для самостоятельной
работы студентов и магистрантов.
МИНСК
2009
УДК 811.111(075.8)
ББК 81.2Англ-923
С56
С о с т а в и т е л и:
О. Т. Аврейцевич, Д. А. Пастухова
Утверждено
на заседании кафедры английского языка
естественных факультетов
29 мая 2008, протокол № 10
Р е ц е н з е н т ы:
доцент кафедры английского языка и речевой коммуникации
кандидат филологических наук Е. В. Коршук;
зав. кафедрой второго иностранного языка (английский) МГЛУ
кандидат филологических наук, доцент П. А. Эльман
Совершенствуем навыки чтения = Improve your reading skills:
С56 практикум по англ. яз. для студентов фак. прикладной математики и
информатики БГУ / cост. : О. Т. Аврейцевич, Д. А. Пастухова. –
Минск : БГУ, 2009. – 76 с.
ISBN 978-985-518-232-1.
В практикум включены аутентичные тексты на английском языке с систе-
мой оригинальных языковых и речевых упражнений, направленных на разви-
тие навыков чтения и понимания материала в рамках тематики информацион-
ных технологий.
Предназначено для студентов факультета прикладной математики и ин-
форматики БГУ.
УДК 811.111(075.8)
ББК 81.2Англ-923
ISBN 978-985-518-232-1 © БГУ, 2009
ПРЕДИСЛОВИЕ
Практическое пособие предназначено для студентов факультета
прикладной математики и информатики БГУ, специализирующихся в
области современных информационных технологий, и направлено на
развитие и закрепление навыков чтения и пересказа текстов по специ-
альности.
В практикуме содержатся оригинальные тематические учебные тек-
сты на английском языке, заимствованные из английских технических
журналов и Интернета, сопровождаемые комплексом упражнений, а
также глоссарием, отражающим наиболее часто употребляемые компью-
терные термины.
Подбор текстов произведен в соответствии с программой обучения
английскому языку на факультете. Методической основой пособия явля-
ется система лексико-грамматических упражнений, направленных на ус-
воение содержания текста и вырабатывающих у студентов навыки чте-
ния, понимания, обсуждения, реферирования и перевода специальной
литературы.
Авторы выражают признательность студентам факультета приклад-
ной математики и информатики БГУ за участие в составлении практиче-
ского пособия, а также сотрудникам Управления редакционно-издатель-
ской работы БГУ за помощь при подготовке рукописи к печати.
SUPER COMPUTER
Supercomputers introduced in the 1960s were designed primarily by
Seymour Cray at Control Data Corporation (CDC), and led the market into the
1970s until Cray left to form his own company, Cray Research. He then took
over the supercomputer market with his new designs, holding the top spot in
supercomputing for five years (1985–1990). Cray, himself, never used the
word "supercomputer," a little-remembered fact is that he only recognized the
word "computer." In the 1980s a large number of smaller competitors entered
the market, in a parallel to the creation of the minicomputer market a decade
earlier, but many of these disappeared in the mid-1990s "supercomputer
market crash". Today, supercomputers are typically one-of-a-kind custom
designs produced by "traditional" companies such as IBM and HP, who had
purchased many of the 1980s companies to gain their experience, although
Cray Inc. still specializes in building supercomputers.
The term supercomputer itself is rather fluid, and today's supercomputer
tends to become tomorrow's normal computer. CDC's early machines were
simply very fast scalar processors, some ten times the speed of the fastest
machines offered by other companies. In the 1970s most supercomputers were
dedicated to running a vector processor, and many of the newer players
developed their own such processors at a lower price to enter the market. The
early and mid-1980s saw machines with a modest number of vector processors
working in parallel become the standard. In the later 1980s and 1990s,
attention turned from vector processors to massive parallel processing systems
with thousands of "ordinary" CPUs, some being off the shelf units and others
being custom designs. (This is commonly and humorously referred to as the
attack of the killer micros in the industry.) Today, parallel designs are based
on "off the shelf" server-class microprocessors, such as the PowerPC, Itanium,
or x86-64, and most modern supercomputers are now highly-tuned computer
clusters using commodity processors combined with custom interconnects.
Supercomputers are used for highly calculation-intensive tasks such as
problems involving quantum mechanical physics, weather forecasting, climate
research (including research into global warming), molecular modeling
(computing the structures and properties of chemical compounds, biological
macromolecules, polymers, and crystals), physical simulations (such as
simulation of airplanes in wind tunnels, simulation of the detonation of
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nuclear weapons, and research into nuclear fusion), cryptanalysis, and the like.
Major universities, military agencies and scientific research laboratories are
heavy users. A particular class of problems, known as Grand Challenge
problems, arc problems whose full solution requires semi-infinite computing
resources. Relevant here is the distinction between capability computing and
capacity computing, as defined by Graham. Capability computing is typically
thought of as using the maximum computing power to solve a large problem
in the shortest amount of lime. Often a capability system is able to solve a
problem of a size or complexity that no other computer can. Capacity
computing in contrast is typically thought of as using efficient cost-effective
computing power to solve somewhat large problems or many small problems
or to prepare for a run on a capability system.
Supercomputers using custom CPUs traditionally gained their speed over
conventional computers through the use of innovative designs that allow them
to perform many tasks in parallel. They tend to be specialized for certain types
of computation, usually numerical calculations, and perform poorly at more
general computing tasks. Their memory hierarchy is very carefully designed to
ensure the processor is kept fed with data and instructions at all times. Their
I/O systems tend to be designed to support high bandwidth, with latency less
of an issue, because supercomputers are not used for transaction processing.
I. Decide whether the following statements are true or false.
1) Supercomputers introduced in the 1960s were designed primarily at
Computer Data Corporation (CDC).
2) Today, supercomputers are typically one-of-a-kind custom designs
produced by "traditional" companies such as IBM and HP.
3) The term supercomputer itself is rather fluid, and today's normal
computer tends to become tomorrow's supercomputer.
4) Most modern supercomputers are now highly-tuned computer clusters
using commodity processors combined with custom interconnects.
5) In the 1970s most supercomputers were dedicated to running a vector
processor.
6) Today, parallel designs are based on "off the shelf server-class
microprocessors.
7) Supercomputers are used for highly calculation-intensive tasks.
8) Capability computing is typically thought of as using the minimum
computing power to solve a large problem in the shortest amount of time.
9) The use of innovative designs allows supercomputers to perform many
tasks in parallel.
10) Supercomputers are used for transaction processing.
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II. Give your answers to the following questions.
1) Where was the first super computer designed?
2) How did Seymour Cray call his super computers?
3) What are the two main companies that produce SC nowadays?
4) Why is the term super computer itself is rather fluid?
5) What kind of super computer modern processors do you know?
6) What are super computers used for today?
7) Is capability system is able to solve a problem of a size or complexity that
no other computer can?
8) What is the principle of Capacity computing?
9) Is it possible for super computers to perform many tasks in parallel?
10) How can you describe their memory hierarchy?
PERSONAL COMPUTER
A personal computer (PC) is a computer whose original sales price, size,
and capabilities make it useful for individuals. A personal computer may be a
home computer, or may be found in an office, often connected to a local area
network. The distinguishing characteristic is that the computer is used only (or
mostly) by one person at a time, in a very interactive fashion, with no
significant delay between an operator action and response by the computer.
This is opposite to the batch processing or time-sharing models which allowed
large expensive systems to be used by many people, usually at the same time.
The capabilities of a personal computer have changed greatly since the
introduction of electronic computers. By the early 1970's, people in academic
or research institutions had the opportunity for single-person use of a
computer system in interactive mode for extended durations, although these
systems would still have been too expensive to be owned by a single
individual. The introduction of the microprocessor, a single chip with all the
circuitry that formerly occupied large cabinets, lead to the proliferation of
personal computers after about 1975. Early personal computers generally
called microcomputers, sold often in kit form and in limited volumes and were
of interest mostly to hobbyists and technicians. By the late 1970's, mass-
market pre-assembled computers allowed a wider range of people to use
computers, focusing more on software applications and less on development
of the processor hardware. Throughout the 1970's and 1980's, home computers
were developed for household use, offering some personal productivity,
programming and games, while somewhat larger and more expensive systems
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(although still low-cost compared with minicomputers and mainframes) were
aimed for office and small business use.
Eventually the market segments lost any technical distinction; business
computers acquired color graphics capacity and sound, and home computers
and game systems used the same processors and operating systems as office-
bound computers. Even local area networking, originally a way to allow
business computers to share expensive mass storage and peripherals, became a
standard feature of a home computer.
Today a personal computer may be a desktop computer, a laptop computer,
or a tablet computer. The most common operating systems are Microsoft:
Windows, Mac OS and Linux and while the most common microprocessors
are the x86 and PowerPC CPU's. Software applications for personal
computers include word processing, spreadsheets, games, and a myriad of
personal productivity and special-purpose software. Modern personal
computers often have high-speed or dial-up connections to the Internet,
allowing access to the World Wide Web and a wide range of other resources.
While early personal computer owners usually had to write their own
programs to do anything useful with the machines, today's users have access
to a wide range of commercial and free software which is easily installed.
Personal computers are normally operated by one user at a time to perform
such general purpose tasks as word processing, Internet browsing, Internet
faxing, e-mail and other digital messaging, multimedia playback, computer
game play, computer programming, etc. The user of a modern personal
computer may have significant knowledge of the operating environment and
application programs, but is not necessarily interested in programming nor
even able to write programs for the computer. Therefore, most software
written primarily for personal computers tends to be designed with simplicity
of use, or "user-friendliness" in mind. However, the software industry
continuously provides a wide range of new products for use in personal
computers, targeted at both the expert and the non-expert user.
I. Decide whether the following statements are true or false.
1) A personal computer may be a home computer, or may be found in an
office.
2) The capabilities of a personal computer have never changed.
3) Early personal computers were of interest mostly to hobbyists and
technicians.
4) Today a personal computer may be a desktop computer, a laptop
computer, or a tablet computer.
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5) Eventually the market segments lost any technical distinction; business
computers acquired color graphics capacity and sound.
6) Software applications for personal computers include operating systems.
7) Early personal computer owners had access to a wide range of
commercial and free software which is easily installed.
8) The user of a modern personal computer is necessarily interested in
programming and able to write programs.
9) Most software written primarily for personal computers tends to be
designed with simplicity of use.
10) The software industry provides a wide range of new products for use in
personal computers targeted only at the non-expert user.
II. Give your answers to the following questions.
1) What kind of computers is usually called PC?
2) What are the distinguishing characteristics of a personal computer?
3) How many people can use PC at same time?
4) Who were interested in the early versions of personal computers?
5) Is the capabilities of a personal computer have changed greatly since the
introduction of electronic computers?
6) What are the differences between office computers and home PCs?
7) What types of modern PCs do you know?
8) What are the most common operating systems for PCs?
9) Is it necessary for a modern user to have significant knowledge of the
operating environment?
10) How is the modern software looks like?
LAPTOP
A laptop computer, or simply laptop (also notebook computer or
notebook), is a small mobile computer, which usually weighs 2–18 pounds
(around 1 to 8 kilograms), depending on size, materials, and other factors.
Laptops usually run on a single main battery or from an external AC/DC
adapter which can charge the battery while also supplying power to the
computer itself. Many computers also have a 3 volt cell to run the clock and
other processes in the event of a power failure. As Personal computers, laptops
are capable of the same tasks as a desktop computer, although they are
typically less powerful for the same price. They contain components that are
similar to their desktop counterparts and perform the same functions, but are
miniaturized and optimized for mobile use and efficient power consumption.
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Laptops usually have liquid crystal displays and most of them use different
memory modules for their random access memory (RAM), for instance, SO-
DIMM in lieu of the larger DIMMs. In addition to a built-in keyboard, they
may utilize a touchpad (also known as a trackpad) or a pointing stick for input,
though an external keyboard or mouse can usually be attached.
The first commercially available portable computer was the Osborne 1 in
1981, which used the CP/M operating system. Although it was large and
heavy compared to today's laptops, with a tiny CRT monitor, it had a near-
revolutionary impact on business, as professionals were able to take their
computer and data with them for the first time. This and other "luggables"
were inspired by what was probably the first portable computer, the Xerox
NoteTaker, again developed at Xerox PARC, in 1976; however, only ten
prototypes were built. The Osborne was about the size of a portable sewing
machine, and importantly could be carried on a commercial aircraft. However,
it was not possible to run the Osborne on batteries: it had to be plugged into
mains.
Most modern laptops feature 12 inch (30 cm) or larger active matrix
displays with resolutions of 1024x768 pixels and above, and have a PC Card
(formerly PCMCIA) or ExprcssCard expansion bay for expansion cards.
Internal hard disks are physically smaller – 2.5 inch (60 mm) – compared to
the standard desktop 3.5 inch (90 mm) drive, and usually have lower
performance and power consumption. Video and sound chips are usually
integrated. This tends to limit the use of laptops for gaming and entertainment,
two fields which have constantly escalating hardware demands. However,
higher end laptops can come with dedicated graphics processors, such as the
Dell Inspiron E1505 and E1705, which can be bought with an ATI Mobility
Radeon X1300 or similar. These mobile graphics processors tend to have less
performance than their desktop counterparts, but this is because they have
been optimized for lower power usage.
A study by State University of New York researchers says heat generated
from laptops can significantly elevate the temperature of the scrotum,
potentially putting sperm count at risk. The small study, which included little
more than two dozen men ages 13 to 35, found that the sitting position
required to balance a laptop can raise scrotum temperature by as much as
2.1 °C (3.8 °F). Heat from the laptop itself can raise the temperature by
another 0.7 °C (1.4 °F), bringing the potential total increase to 2.8 °C (5.0 °F).
However, further research is needed to determine whether this directly affects
sterility in men. A common practical solution to this problem is to place the
laptop on a table or desk.
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I. Decide whether the following statements are true or false.
1) A laptop computer is a small mobile computer, which usually weighs 18–
20 pounds.
2) Laptops usually run on a single main battery or from an external AC/DC
adapter.
3) As Personal computers, laptops are not capable of Ihe same tasks аз a
desktop computer.
4) Laptops usually have liquid crystal displays and most of them use
different memory modules for their random access memory.
5) The first commercially available portable computer was the Osborne.
6) It was possible to run the Osborne on batteries.
7) Video and sound chips are usually integrated in laptop.
8) Most modern laptops have a PC Card.
9) Laptops are limited for gaming and entertainment use.
10) A study by State University of New York researchers says heat generated
from laptops can significantly elevate the temperature of the scrotum.
II. Give the answers to the following questions.
1) How can you describe a laptop computer?
2) Are laptops usually have liquid crystal displays?
3) What kinds of tasks laptops are able to process?
4) What is the alternative input method in laptop?
5) When was the first commercially available portable computer introduced?
6) Is it was a small and compact computer compared to today's laptops?
7) What was the use of Osborne laptop?
8) How are the modern laptops looks like?
9) What tends to limit the use of laptops for gaming and entertainment?
10) How did the laptop can put your sperm count at risk?
COMPUTER LANGUAGES
The term computer language includes a wide variety of languages used to
communicate with computers. It is broader than the more commonly-used
term programming language. Programming languages are a subset of
computer languages. For example, HTML is a markup language and a
computer language, but it is not traditionally considered a programming
language. Machine code is a computer language. It can technically be used for
programming, and has been (e.g. the original bootstrapper for Altair BASIC),
though most would not consider it a programming language.
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