Unit 1 COMPUTER APPLICATIONS

Exercise 1. Computers have many applications in great variety of fields.

Read the text below and fill in the table which follows.

Computers
A computer is an electronic device. It makes calculations and processes
information. Complicated problems can be solved very quickly. Millions of
pieces of information can be processed in seconds.
Nowadays, computers are used for many different purposes.
In education, computers can help students perform mathematical
operations and solve difficult questions. They can be used to access the
Internet, teach courses such as computer-aided design, language learning,
programming, mathematics, etc. PCs (personal computers) are also used for
administrative purposes: for example, schools use databases and word
processors to keep records of students, teachers and materials.
Race organizers and journalists rely on computers to provide them with
the current positions of riders and teams in both the particular stages of the
race and in the overall competition. Workstations in the race buses provide
the timing system and give up-to-the-minute timing information to TV stations.
In the press room several PCs give real time information on the state of the
race. Computer databases are also used in the drug-detecting tests for
competitors.
Businesses use their computers not only to bill their customers and to
keep track of their inventories, but also to send information to customers and
to communicate with other businesses.
In supermarkets, computers read the prices of food.
Computers also store information about the amount of money held by
each client and enable staff to access large databases and to carry out
financial transactions at high speed. They also control the automatic cash

4
dispensers which, by the use of a personal coded card, dispense money to
clients.
In transportation, airplanes, ships, and even spacecraft are guided by
computers. Airline pilots use computers to help them control the plane. For
example, monitors display data about fuel consumption and weather
conditions.
In airport control towers, computers are used to manage radar systems
and regulate air traffic.
On the ground, airlines are connected to travel agencies by computer.
Travel agents use computers to find out about the availability of flights, prices,
times, stopovers and many other details.
In industry, many complicated machines are controlled by computers.
Machines that produce chemicals, steel, and hundreds of other products are
connected to computers.
In science, complicated problems and scientific data almost are almost
always analysed by computers. Even earthquakes and hurricanes can be
predicted by computers.
In home, people are buying computers to help them manage their
households more efficiently. People can shop, make travel arrangements,
and pay their bills using computers right in their own homes.

Field Application

5
Exercise 2. Think and answer.
1 How are/were computers used in your university?
2 What other areas of study would benefit from the introduction of
computers?
3 What do you use the computer for?

Exercise 3. When you read the text like the one above, you don't always
need to understand every word. But there are words which you can guess
from the context. Look at these words. Are they nouns (n), verbs (v) or
adjectives (adj)?
1 workstation..... 2 data..... 3 perform..... 4 automatic.....
5 monitor..... 6 financial..... 7 store..... 8 connected.....
9 word processor..... 10 large.....

Exercise 4. Now find the words in the text above and match them with the
meanings below.
a) information f) linked
b) execute (do) g) self-acting, mechanical
c) connected with money h) screen
d) keep (save) i) powerful computer usually
connected to a network
e) massive j) program used for text manipulation

Exercise 5. Speaking
Think and tell the class how these people use computers at work.

electrical engineer secretary librarian

composer teacher singer shop-assistant

6
Exercise 6. Reading
Look at the table you filled in in Exercise 1. Add as many fields and uses of
the computer, or computer applications, as you can think of.

Now read the text below and write down any applications that are not in your
list.

What can computers do?

Computers and microchips have become part of our everyday lives: we
visit shops and offices which have been designed with the help of computers,
we read magazines which have been produced on computer, we pay bills
prepared by computers. Just picking up a telephone and dialling a number
involves the use of a sophisticated computer system, as does making a flight
reservation or bank transaction.
We encounter daily many computers that spring to life the instant they're
switched on (e.g. calculators, the car's electronic ignition, the timer in the
microwave, or the programmer inside the TV set), all of which use chip
technology.
What makes your computer such a miraculous device? Each time you
turn it, on, it is a tabula rasa that, with appropriate hardware and software, is
capable of doing anything you ask. It is a calculating machine that speeds up
financial calculations. It is an electronic, filing cabinet which manages large
collections of data such as customers' lists, accounts, or inventories? It is a
magical typewriter that allows you to type and print any kind of document —
letters, memos or legal documents. It is a personal communicator that
enables you to interact with other computers and with people around the
world. If you like gadgets and electronic entertainment, you can even use
your PC to relax with computer games.

7
Exercise 7. Other computer applications
 In small groups, choose one of the areas in the diagram below and discuss
what computers can do in this area.

Useful words
Formula 1: racing car, car body, design, mechanical parts, electronic
components, engine speed

Entertainment: game, music, animated image, multimedia, encyclopaedia

Factories: machinery, robot, production line, computer-aided manufacturing

software

Hospitals: patients, medical personnel, database program, records, scanner,

diagnose, disease, robot, surgery

Useful constructions
Computers are used to ...
A PC can also be used for...
Computers can help / make / control / store / keep / provide / manage / give /
perform / measure / test / provide access to...
 Now write a short paragraph summarising your discussion. Then ask one
person from your group to give a summary of the group's ideas to the rest
of the class.

8
Examples
In business, computers are used for financial planning, accounting and
specific calculations.
In the office, computers are used to write letters and e-mails, and keep
records of clients, suppliers and employees.

UNIT 2 COMPUTER ESSENTIALS

Exercise 1. Look at the picture and label the elements of this

computer system. Then read the text What is a computer? and check your
answers.

What is a computer?

9
 Computers are electronic machines which can accept data in a certain
form, process the data and give the results of the processing in a specified

10
 format as information.
Three basic steps are involved in the process. First, data is fed into the
computer's memory. Then, when the program is run, the computer performs a
set of instructions and processes the data. Finally, we can see the results (the
output) on the screen or in printed form (see the diagram below the text).
Information in the form of data and programs is known as software, and
the electronic and mechanical parts that make up a computer system are
called hardware. A standard computer system consists of three main
sections: the central processing unit (CPU), the main memory and the
peripherals.
Perhaps the most influential component is the central processing unit.
Its function is to execute program instructions and coordinate the activities of
all the other units. In a way, it is the ‘brain’ of the computer. The main
memory holds the instructions and data which are currently being processed
by the CPU. The peripherals are the physical units attached to the computer.
They include storage devices and input/output devices.
Storage devices (floppy, hard or optical disks) provide a permanent
storage of both data and programs. Disk drives are used to handle one or
more floppy disks. Input devices enable data to go into the computer's
memory. The most common input devices are the mouse and the keyboard.
Output devices enable us to extract the finished product from the system.
For example, the computer shows the output on the monitor or prints the
results onto paper by means of a printer.
On the rear panel of the computer there are several ports into which we
can plug a wide range of peripherals – modems, fax machines, optical drives
and scanners.
These are the main physical units of a computer system, generally
known as the configuration.

11
Exercise 2. Use the information in the text and the diagram to help you
match the terms in the box with the appropriate explanation or definition
below.

a software b peripheral devices c monitor

d floppy disk e hardware f input
g port h output i central processing unit

1 The brain of the computer.

2 Physical parts that make up a computer system.
3 Programs which can be used on a particular computer system.
4 The information which is presented to the computer.
5 Results produced by a computer.
6 Hardware equipment attached to the CPU.
7 Visual display unit.
8 Small device used to store information. Same as 'diskette'.
9 Any socket or channel in a computer system into which an input/output
device may be connected.

12
Exercise 3. Read these slogans or quotations, and say what computer
element they refer to.

1 a 'Point and click here for power.'

b 'Obeys every impulse as if it were an extension of your hand.'

2 a 'Displays your ideas with perfect brilliance.'

b 'See the difference - sharp images and a fantastic range of colours.'

3 a 'I love this drive. It's quiet and fast.'

b 'With this it's easy to back up your data before it's too late.'

4 a 'Power and speed on the inside.'

b 'Let your computer's brain do the work.'

5 a '... a big impact on the production of text and graphics.'

b 'Your choice: a laser powerhouse.'

Exercise 4. Answer these questions.

1 Have you got a computer at home, school or work? What kind is it?
2 How often do you use it? What do you use it for?
3 What are the main components and features (the configuration) of your
computer system?

13
 UNIT 3 INSIDE THE SYSTEM
Exercise 1. Read the advertisement and translate the technical
specifications into your own language.

Ulysses XT
 Pentium 4 microprocessor at 2GHz(2,000MHz)
 265 megabytes of RAM, upgradable to 1.5 GB
 80 GB hard disk
 Comes with Microsoft Windows

Exercise 2. Try to answer these questions.

1 What is the main function of a microprocessor?
2 What unit of frequency is used to measure processor speed?
3 What does 'RAM' stand for?

Exercise 3. Read the text below and then sentences after the text. Decide
if the sentences are true (T) or false (F), and rewrite the false ones to make
them true.

What’s inside a PC system?

The nerve centre of a PC is the central processing unit or CPU. This unit
is built into a single microprocessor chip – an integrated circuit – which
executes program instructions and supervises the computer's overall
operation. The unit consists of three main parts:
i. the control unit, which examines the instructions in the user's
program, interprets each instruction and causes the circuits and the
rest of the components – disk drives, monitor, etc. – to be activated to
execute the functions specified;

14
 ii. the arithmetic logic unit (ALU), which performs mathematical
calculations (+, -, etc.) and logical operations (and, or, etc.);
iii. the registers, which are high-speed units of memory used to store and
control information. One of these registers is the program counter (PC)
which keeps track of; the next instruction to be performed in the main
memory. Another is the instruction register (IR) which holds the
instruction that is currently being executed. (see picture below)
One area where microprocessors differ is in the amount of data – the
number of bits – they can work with at a time. There are 16, 32 and 64-bit
processors. The computer's internal architecture is evolving so quickly that
the new 64-bit processors are able to address 4 billion times more information
than a 32-bit system.
The programs and data which pass through the central processor must
be loaded into the main memory (also called the internal memory) in order
to be processed. Thus, when the user runs an application, the
microprocessor looks for it on secondary storage devices (disks) and
transfers a copy of the application into the RAM area. RAM (random access
memory) is temporary, i.e. its information is lost when the computer is turned
off. However, the ROM section (read only memory) is permanent and
contains instructions needed by the processor.
Most of today's computers have internal expansion slots that allow
users to install adapters or expansion boards. Popular adapters include high-
resolution graphics boards, memory expansion boards, and internal modems.
The power and performance of a computer is so partly determined by
the speed of its microprocessor. A clock provides pulses at fixed intervals to
measure and synchronize circuits and units. The dock speed is measured in
MHz (megahertz) or GHz (gigahertz) and refers to the frequency at which
pulses are emitted. For example, a CPU running at 1,600 MHz (1,600 million
cycles per second) will enable the computer to handle the most demanding
applications.

15
Central processing unit (CPU) Organisation of a simple computer
The CPU is built into a single
microprocessor chip

Microprocessor chip A RAM chip

Popular chips:
 Intel’s Pentium (as shown) The RAM capacity can sometimes be
 AMD’s Atblon expanded by adding extra chips. These are
 Apple and IBM’s PowerPC usually contained in small circuit boards
 Sun’s UltraSPARC called single in-line memory modules
(SIMMs). Modern Pentuim processors also
accept dual in-line memory modules
(DIMMs), which allow for a wider data path.

True of false?
1 The CPU directs and coordinates the activities taking place within the
computer system.
2 The arithmetic logic unit performs calculations on the data.
3 32-bit processors can handle more information than 64-bit processors.
4 A chip is an electronic device composed of silicon elements containing a
set of integrated circuits.
5 RAM, ROM and secondary storage are the components of the main
memory.

16
6 Information cannot be processed by the microprocessor if it is not loaded
into the main memory.
7 'Permanent' storage of information is provided by RAM (random access
memory).
8 The speed of the microprocessor is measured in gigahertz or megahertz.
One GHz is equivalent to one thousand MHz. One MHz is equivalent to
one million cycles per second.

Exercise 4. Read the text from Exercise 3 again. Define what the words in
bold print refer to?
1 ... which executes program instructions and supervises ...
2 ... the instruction that is currently being executed,
3 ... the amount of data - the number of bits – they can work with at a time,
4 ... the microprocessor looks for it on ...
5 ... its information is lost when the computer is turned off.
6 ... expansion slots that allow users to install adapters or expansion
boards.

Exercise 5. Use the information in the reading passage and the diagram
to help you match the terms below with the appropriate explanation or
definition.

A processor consists of many different electronic circuits and devices for

performing control functions, arithmetic and logic operations, and data
transfers. Data may be transferred from backing storage to the internal
memory or from the internal memory to the arithmetic unit by means of
conductive channels known as buses. The part of the processor which
controls data transfers between the various input and output devices is called
the control unit.

17
1 microprocessor chip a used to send address details between the
memory and the address register
2 registers b consists of an arithmetic-logic unit, one or more
working registers to store data being
processed, and accumulators for storing the
results of calculations
3 accumulators c a group of signal lines used to transmit data
in parallel from one element of a computer to
another
4 control bus d groups of bistable devices used to store
information in a computer system for high-
speed access
5 address bus e an electronic circuit, usually a quartz crystal,
that generates electronic pulses at fixed time
intervals to control the timing of all operations
in the processor
6 data bus f used for storing part of the operating system and
application software known as 'firmware'; can

18
 only be read; cannot be written to or altered
in any way
7 clock g used to store numeric data during processing
8 RAM h a group of signal lines 'dedicated to the passing of
control signals
9 ROM i used for the temporary storage of application
programs and data; can be written to and
read from

Exercise 6. Read this passage about the structure of the processor and fill
in the gaps using the words from the box.

adaptor boards registers microprocessor

clock conductive buses
system board accumulators input or output devices

Structure of the processor

The processor consists of a 1_____ , which is a circuit board on which are
mounted 2_____ chips, memory chips, and other components linked together
by 3_____ lines or channels in the form of control, address, and data 4_____.
In addition, a processor has 5_____, which are electronic circuits providing
specialized functions such as graphics, or which connect a system board to
6_____.The system board also consists of electronic devices, such as an
electronic 7_____ for controlling the speed of operation; 8_____, which store
numeric data during the course of processing; and various 9_____, including
sequence control register, address register, and function register.

Exercise 7. Vocabulary quiz.

In groups of three, write answers to these questions. The winners are the
group that answers the most questions correctly in four minutes.

19
1 What are the main parts of the CPU?
2 What is RAM?
3 What memory section is permanent and contains instructions needed by
the CPU?
4 What information is lost when the computer is switched off?
5 What is the typical unit used to measure RAM memory and storage
memory?
6 What is the meaning of the acronym SIMM?
7 What is a megahertz?
8 What is the ALU? What does it do?
9 What is the abbreviation for 'binary digit'?
10 How can we store data and programs permanently?

Exercise 8. Your ideal computer system.

A Make notes about the features of the computer that you would like to
have.
CPU: ............... Speed: ............... Optical disk drives: ...............
Minimum/maximum RAM: ............... Monitor: ...............
Hard disk: ............... Software: ...............

B Now describe it to your partner.

Useful expressions
It has got... The hard disk can hold...
It's very fast. It runs at... As for the Internet...
The standard RAM memory... and it is expandable
I need a SuperVGA monitor because ...

UNIT 4 BITS AND BITES

Exercise 1. With a partner, try to answer these questions.

20
1 How many digits does a binary system use? What is a 'bit'?
2 What is the difference between binary notation and the decimal
system? Give some examples.
3 What is a collection of eight bits called?
4 One kilobyte (IK) equals 1,024 bytes.
Can you work out the value of these units? (kilo-: one thousand)
1 megabyte =___ bytes/1,024 kilobytes (mega-: one million)
1 gigabyte = ___bytes/1,024 megabytes (giga-: one thousand million)
5 What does the acronym 'ASC II' stand for? What is the purpose of this
code?

Now read the text to check your answers or to find the correct answer.

Units of memory
Bits – basic units of memory
Information is processed and stored in computers as electrical signals. A
computer contains thousands of electronic circuits connected by switches that
can only be in one of two possible states: ON (the current is flowing through
the wire) or OFF (the current is not flowing through the wire). To represent
these two conditions we use binary notation in which 1 means ON and 0
means OFF. This is the only way a computer can 'understand' anything.
Everything about computers is based upon this binary process. Each 1 or 0 is
called a binary digit or bit.

Bytes and characters

1s and Os are grouped into eight-digit codes -that typically represent
characters (letters, numbers and symbols). Eight bits together are called a
byte. Thus, each character in a keyboard has its own arrangement of eight
bits. For example, 01000001 for the letter A, 01000010 for B and 01000011
for C.

The ASCII code

21
The majority of computers use a standard system for the binary representa-

22
tion of characters. This is the American Standard Code for Information
Interchange, known popularly as 'ASC II' (pronounced 'ask-key'). There are
256 different ways of combining 0, and 1 bits in a byte. So they can give us
256 different signals. However, the ASC II code only uses 128 bytes to
represent characters. The rest of the bytes are used for other purposes.

The first 32 codes are reserved for characters such as the Return key, Tab,
Escape, etc. Each letter of the alphabet, and many symbols (such as
punctuation marks), as well as the ten numbers, have ASCII representations.
What makes this system powerful is that these codes are standard.

Kilobytes, megabytes and gigabytes

In order to avoid astronomical figures and sums in the calculation of bytes, we
use units such as kilobytes, megabytes and gigabytes. One kilobyte is 1,024
bytes (210) and it is represented as KB, or more informally as K. One
megabyte is equivalent to 1,024 KB, and one gigabyte is 1,024 MB.

We use these units (KB, MB, GB) to describe the RAM memory, the storage
capacity of disks and the size of any application or document.

Exercise 2. Look at the illustrations and the captions below.

Then fill in the blanks with the correct unit of memory.

1 One _____ 2 One _____ 3 One _____ 4 One _____

represents one represents 1,024 represents represents
character. characters (about a 1,000,000 1,000,000,000
small page of text). characters (about characters (about
the text of this book). 1,000 books in a
library).
Exercise 3. Word building.

23
A The table gives some prefixes commonly used in computer science.
Knowing the meaning of these prefixes will help you understand new words.

Prefix Meaning Examples

deci- ten decimal, decimalize, decibel
hexadeci- sixteen hexadecimal
kilo- one thousand (1,000) kilocycle, kilogram(me), kilowatt
(1,024 in binary: 210)
mega- large ;one million megahertz, megalith, megaton
giga- very large; one gigantic, gigabyte, gigahertz
thousand million
mini- small minibus, minimum, minimize
micro- very small microfilm, microphone, microwave
bi- two bidirectional, bidimensional, binary
tri- three tripartite, tricycle, trilingual
multi- many multi-racial, multi-user, multitasking
mono- one monologue, monosyllable,
monolingual

B Explain these expressions, taking into account the prefixes and root word.
Example: the binary system
The binary system is a notation which uses two digits, 0 and 1.
1 a minicomputer 6 a bidimensional chessboard
2 a microcomputer 7 a tricycle
3 the decimal system 8 a monochrome computer
4 the hexadecimal system 9 a CPU with 256 MB of RAM
5 a multi-user configuration 10 a document of 3 kilobytes

Exercise 4. Bits for pictures.

A Read the questions and text and study the diagrams.
Did you know that...
1 bits can also be used to code pictures?

24
2 the information displayed on the computer screen corresponds, dot by
dot, with bits held in the main memory?
3 on colour systems, if you have 8 bits per primary colour, the palette of
your computer can obtain 16.7 million colours?

Each tiny dot on the screen of a computer is called a picture element or pixel.
Images and text are formed by combining a large number of pixels.

In a bit-mapped display, the dots displayed on the screen correspond, pixel

by pixel, with bits in the main memory of the computer. The bits are held in an
area of the memory called the 'refresh buffer' and are stored in groups, that
represent the horizontal and vertical position of the pixels on the screen and
whether the pixels are on or off.

On monochrome systems, one bit in this 'map' represents one pixel on the
screen and can be either 'on' or 'off' (black or white).

Refresh buffer (memory} Display

On colour systems, each pixel is a certain combination of the three primary

colours: red, green and blue. The total number of colours which can be
shown on the screen is called the colour palette. The size of this palette
depends on the graphics adaptor, a separate video card that converts the bits
into visual signals. A graphics adaptor with 1 bit per primary colour can
generate up to 8, or 2 3, colours, as you can see from the table. A graphics
adaptor with 8 bits per primary colour can generate 16.7 million or (2 3)8 colours.

25
Colour Red Green Blue
black 0 0 0
blue 0 0 1
green 0 1 1
cyan 0 1 1
red 1 0 0
magenta 1 0 1
yellow 1 1 0
white 1 1 1
One bit per primary colour

B Using the information in the passage and the illustrations, match the
terms in the box with the appropriate explanation or definition.

a pixel b bit c bit-mapped display

d primary colours e palette

1 The menu of colours available on a graphics system; its size depends on

the hardware.
2 Red, green and blue (RGB) in computers.
3 The smallest element of a display surface.
4 A display on the screen which corresponds, pixel by pixel, with bits stored
in memory cells.
5 The acronym for 'binary digit'; one of the digits (0 and 1) used in binary
notation.

C Translate the last paragraph (starting from 'On colour systems, ...') into
Ukrainian.
Do you understand the calculations made to obtain a palette of 16.7 million
colours? (If you don't, ask a partner to explain them to you.)
Exercise 5. Buying a computer

Name eight different items you can buy in a computer shop.

26
Work with a partner. One of you wants to buy a computer, the other is the
sales assistant. Ask and answer questions, using the information and
instructions below to help you.

Products Processor Minimum/ Hard Disk drives Monitor Price

available Speed Maximum RAM disk
Explora 700 Mips R4700 128 MB 20GB Optional Super VGA £799
Net PC 900MHz expandable to 3.5" drive compatible
512
Toshiba Pentium 4 256 MB 40GB 3.5" drive colour LCD £2.309
portable 1.5 Ghz expandable DVD/
to 512 CD-RW

IBM Pentium 4 256 MB 70GB DVD XGA £2.149

1.8 GHz expandable to CD-RW
512
Polywell AMD Athlon 512 Mb 80GB 3.5" drive SuperVGA £2.700
1.6 GHz expandable DVD/ CD-
to 2GB RW
Dell Pentium 4 256 MB 60GB DVD/ XGA £2.710
2 GHz expandable CD-RW
to 1 GB

Shop assistant Customer

Greet the customer and offer help.
Ask to see some computers.
Show the customer some models.
Ask for details: processor, RAM, etc.
Describe the speed in megahertz and the main memory.
Ask about the hard disk.
Give explanations (GB storage capacity, etc.).
Ask about the monitor and other features.
Give the required information.
Ask the price.
Give the price and explain different ways of paying.
Decide to buy one/to think about it.
Thank the shop assistant and leave the shop

27
Exercise 6. Read the description of the four people and the four
computers below. With a partner choose the most suitable computer for each
person. Give reasons for your choices.

1 Daniel is a history student. He needs a computer to write essays,

assignments and letters. He likes surfing the web.
2 Sarah is the manager of art advertising company. She needs a powerful
system which will work with optical disks and multimedia applications,
integrating text and pictures with animation and voice annotations.
Digitized images and sound occupy a lot of disk space.
3 Andy is a CAD engineer. His job involves computer-aided design,
simulations and three-dimensional modelling. These applications require
a lot of memory and a large drive.
4 Tanya is a sales representative. She needs a lightweight machine with
which she can process orders and communicate with head office white
she is on the road.

Sun workstation Compaq Presario PC

 900 MHz UltraSPARC processor  500 MHz Pentium III processor
 Multiprocessor machine (expandable to two  128 MB of RAM expandable to 384 MB
CPUs)  19GB Quantum Bigfoot hard disk
 8-GB RAM capacity  Built-in Zip drive
 72-GB internal hard drive  DVD-ROM drive
 DVD-ROM  JBC speakers, Dolby Digital Surround
 Supports several graphics formats Sound
 Lets you attach any peripherals and link  Integrated digital modem
up to any network  Windows
 Allows you to handle your toughest  £700
technical, scientific, and business-critical
applications
 Requires Solaris Operating system
 £5,049

28
Compaq Evo Notebook N200 Compaq Presario PC
 Intel's 700 MHz Low Voltage Mobile  PowerPC processor at 933 MHz
Pentium III processor  256 MB of RAM expandable to 1.5 GB
 192 MB RAM  2 MB of in-line cache on the processor
 20 GB hard drive card
 Optional 1.44 MB diskette drive  Graphics card with 64 MB of SDRAM
 CD-RW, DVD-ROM  80 GB hard disk
 10.4" colour TFT display, with 1024 x  DVD-R and CD-RW Superdrive
768 pixel resolution (16 million colours)  Comes with Apple monitor, sound board,
 Integrated keyboard, touch pad as built-in microphone, and stereo speakers
pointing device  Mac OS with QuickTime (an extension
 Integrated mini-PCI modem that lets you play video and animation on
 Lithium-ion battery, with enough battery the computer), digital video editing and
life for a workday DVD authoring software
 Weight: 2.5 pounds  £4,149
 Dimensions: 25.15 x 19.8 x 2.11 cm
 Windows comes pre-installed
 £1,190

Exercise 7. Vocabulary tree

Designing vocabulary trees or networks can help you build up your own
mental 'maps' of vocabulary areas. Look at the list of terms in the box and put
each one in an appropriate place on the vocabulary tree below. The first one
has been done for you.
processor kilobyte expandable memory
megahertz SIMMs hard disk
RAM computer brain byte
DVD clock speed keyboard
mouse gigahertz CD-ROM
megabyte floppy disk registers

29
Exercise 8. Writing.
A friend has written to you asking you to recommend a computer that suits
his/her needs. Write a letter in reply, describing its technical features and
saying why you recommend it.

UNIT 5 MAGNETIC DRIVES

Exercise 1. Types of drives
Look at the illustrations and find out:
1 the size of a floppy disk
2 the storage capacity of a high density diskette
3 the name of a hard drive on a PC platform
4 the storage capacity of a SyQuest cartridge
5 the system that can hold 10 GB tapes
6 a type of drive used by digital cameras and music players.

30
3.5-inch diskette Hard disk
A high-density (HD) floppy disk can Most PCs have one hard drive, called
store 1.44MB of information. A floppy drive C. It's used to keep software
drive uses 3.5-inch disks and it's and files organized in a convenient
called drive A. way. A hard disk can hold several
gigabytes of data.

Removable hard drive Tape drive

Popular drives are the Zip and Jaz A tape drive stores data on tape
systems from Iomega. cartridges. It's used for backup
A Syquest cartridge can hold 1.5 GB. purposes.
A Digital Audio Tape drive can
hold up to 10 GB of data.

Pocket-sized drive Microdrive

Ultra portable drives are used with A Microdrive is the smallest hard
mobile computers. They hold 40 MB drive for digital cameras, laptops, and
disks. The Peerless system can hold audio players. It comes in 340 MB
20 GB disks, which allows you to and 1 GB capacities. It uses a PC
store thousands of MP3s and video Card adapter.
games.

31
Exercise 2. Protect your data
A Match the instructions to the pictures.
1 Protect your floppies against high temperatures.
2 Check for viruses before opening files you receive from the Web or via
e-mail.
3 Keep back-ups (spare copies) of your data.
4 Magnetic fields can damage the information stored on disks. Don't leave
them near the telephone.
5 Keep disks away from water and humidity.
6 When handling CDs or DVDs, hold the disks around the edge.

B In pairs, tell each other what you must or mustn't do to protect your
data.
Example: You mustn't stack disks on top of each other.

1 disks in a protective case

2 into the disk drive very carefully
3 near magnets; they can damage the information stored on them •
4 update your anti-virus program regularly since new viruses are created
everyday
5 passwords and security devices to protect confidential information

32
Exercise 3. Reading.
A Read the text and match the terms on the left with the explanations on
the right.
1 backing store a a catalogue of where each piece of data is
stored and how to find it
2 floppies b recording heads
3 disk drive c secondary memory
4 formatting d diskettes
5 directory e initializing; setting tracks and sectors on
magnetic disks
6 read / write heads f a device which spins disks and contains a
read/write head

B Look at the illustration. Identify some tracks and

sectors.

Technical details
Floppy disks are so called because they consist of flexible, plastic
material which has a magnetizable surface.
The surface of a disk is divided into concentric circles or 'tracks', which
are then divided into 'sectors'. When you insert a blank disk into a disk drive,
it must be 'initialized', or formatted, before information can be recorded onto
it. This means that magnetic areas are created for each track and sector,
along with a catalogue or 'directory' which will record the specific location of
files.
When you save a file, the operating system moves the read/write heads
of the disk drive towards empty sectors, records the data and writes an entry
for the directory. Later on, when you open that file, the OS looks for its entry
in the directory, moves the read/write heads to the correct sectors, and reads
the file into the RAM area.

33
 Hard disks work in the same way as floppies. But they have important
advantages: they can hold much more data and spin at higher speed, so you
can store and retrieve information much faster than with floppies. The speed
at which a hard drive finds data is called 'access time' – or seek time. The
average access time is measured in milliseconds (ms). Most hard drives have
an access time of 8 to 14 ms.
You have to distinguish between access time 30 (e.g. 9 ms) and 'data
transfer rate' (the average speed required to transmit data from a disk system
to the RAM, e.g. at 10 megabits per second). Remember that the transfer rate
depends also on the power of your PC.
If you only use word-processing programs, you will need less storage
capacity than if you use CAD, sound and animation programs. If you need an
extra hard drive, you should consider the type of mechanism. There are
'internal' and 'external' drives which are both rigid disks sealed into the drive
unit, either within or attached to the computer.
Another type of hard drive, known as 'removable', allows you to record
data on 'cartridges', which can be removed and stored off-line for security
purposes. Some systems allow you to back up your entire PC on one disk.
Laptops use pocket-sized drives. Digital cameras and music players use
microdrives be with special cards.

A floppy disk drive spins at 360 revolutions per minute. A hard disk drive spins at 7,200
rpm and stores data on a stack of metal rotating disks, called platters.

C Now read these sentences and decide if they are true (T) or false (F).

34
1 Hard drives are faster than floppy drives.
2 'Access time' refers to the average time required for the recording heads
to move and access data.
3 'Access time' and 'data transfer rate' mean the same.
4 Hard disks use rigid rotating disks.
5 A hard drive is about 20 times faster than a floppy disk drive.
6 If you use multimedia applications you need the same storage capacity as
required for word processors.
7 Removable cartridges are not transportable.

Exercise 4. World building

Look at the groups of words and decide what class each word belongs to:
noun, verb, adjective or adverb. Complete the sentences.

magnet magnetic magnetically

magnetism magnetize magnetized

1 _____ is the science of magnetic phenomena and properties.

2 Floppy and hard disks are considered as ______ storage devices.
3 Data is recorded on a disk in the form of _____ spots called bits.

record recorder recording recorded

4 All disks must be initialized before information can be _____ onto them.
5 The ______ heads follow the tracks and magnetize the coating along
each track.
6 A disk drive works very much like a tape _____ that can both play and
record.

35
fragment fragmentation defragmenter

7 After you create, delete and modify a lot of files, the hard disk becomes
_____, with bits and pieces spread all over the disk.
8 _____ slows down the speed at which data is accessed because the disk
drive has to work harder to find the parts of a file stored in many different
locations.
9 To reorganize your hard disk, you can use a disk optimizer or _____: this
will reorder your files into contiguous clusters.

In a fragmented disk, a file is stored in In a defragmented disk a file is stored in

non-contiguous sectors neighbouring sectors

Unit 6 OPTICAL BREAKTHROUGH

Exercise 1. Answer these questions.
1 What does 'CD-ROM' stand for?
2 What kind of technology is used by CD-ROM disks and drives?
3 How do you say these expressions in your language?
compact disk CD-ROM disk drive
laser technology erasable optical disk

Exercise 2. Read the sentences below, and

define those which contain a technical mistake.
1 A CD-ROM disk is very different from a
compact music disk

36
2 You need a hard disk drive to read CD-ROM disks
3 The data on a CD-ROM is read with a laser beam.
4 A typical CD-ROM disk can hold 100 MB.
5 The data on a CD-ROM can be changed or 'written' to.
6 A CD-ROM is a good way of storing large amounts of information
(images, sounds, applications, etc.).
7 CD-ROM drives cannot play audio CDs.

Exercise 3. Reading.
A What are the advantages and disadvantages of optical disks? Read the
text to check your answer.

Optical disks and drives

Optical disks can store information at much higher densities than
magnetic disks. Thus, they are ideal for multimedia applications where
images, animation and sound occupy a lot of disk space. Besides, they are
not affected by magnetic fields. This means that they are secure and stable,
e.g. they can be transported through airport metal detectors without
damaging the data.
However, optical drives are slower than hard drives. While there are
hard drives with an average access time of 8 ms, most CD-ROM drives have
an access time of 150 to 200ms.

There are various types of optical drives:

• CD-ROM systems offer everything, from shareware programs to dictionaries

and encyclopaedias, from multimedia databases to 3-D games. A lot of
institutions have discovered that CD-ROM is the most economical way of
sharing information. In fact, one CD-ROM disk-(650 MB) can replace 300,000
pages of "text (about 500 floppies), which represents a lot of savings in
distributing materials and corporate databases. In addition, CD-ROM drives
can play music CDs while you work. Yet CD-ROM technology has one

37
disadvantage: you cannot write anything onto a CD-ROM disk. You can only
'read' it, like a book.

• CD-Recorders come in two different forms: CD-R and CD-RW. CD-R

machines record on CD-R (write-once) disks, allowing you to create and
duplicate CDs. They are used to back up hard disks or to distribute and
archive information. In fact, these systems are the WORM (write once, read
many) disks. CD-RW (rewritable) disks can be erased and re-used, just as
you would do with a hard disk.

• Another type of optical storage drives is called DVD (digital versatile disk). A
DVD-ROM can hold 17 GB, about 25 times an ordinary CD-ROM. For this
reason, it can store a large amount of multimedia software and complete
Hollywood movies in different languages. They can also play music CDs and
CD-ROMs. However, DVD-ROMs are 'read-only' devices. To avoid, this
limitation, companies also produce DVD-R and DVD rewritable disks.
• Magneto-optical (MO) drives use both a laser and an electromagnet to
record information. Consequently, MO disks are rewritable, i.e. they can be
written to, erased, and then written again. They usually come in two formats:
(i) 5.25" cartridges can hold more than 5.2GB; (ii) 3.5" floptical disks have a
capacity of 230 MB to 1.3 GB. They are ideal for back-up and portable mass
storage.

B Read the text again and summarise in the table the most relevant information.
Technical specifications Use
CD-ROM
CD-Recorder
DVD
Magneto-optical

38
Exercise 4. Speaking.
Which of the products in the box below would be most suitable for these
purposes? Discuss the pros and cons with a partner.

1 To store data and programs at home.

2 To hold large amounts of information in a big company.
3 To store an illustrated encyclopaedia for children.
4 To hold historical records in the National Library.
5 To store high-quality audio and video, and hold several movies in different
languages.

Useful expressions
For personal use, I would recommend ... because ...
I agree/disagree with you. CD-ROMs…
In a big company, it would be a good idea to ...
Besides, ...
However, ... is good for an encyclopaedia because ...
Well, that depends on ...

Products available
Hard disk drive
Superfast 8 ms hard drive. Capacity ranges from 6 to 80 GB.

39
Iomega's removable drives
The Zip series uses 100 MB and 250 MB disks. In the near future it could
replace the floppy disk as the portable storage medium.
The Jaz series can hold 2 GB cartridges. Ideal to back up hard disks.

CD-ROM drive
Each CD disk holds 650 MB.

CD-Recordable drive
Makes it possible to write data to CDs as well as read it.

Magneto-optical (MO) disk systems

Erasable optical-magnetic 5.25" cartridges with 5.2 GB of storage capacity.
Can be erased and written on like a hard disk.
Rewritable 3.5" floptical disks with a storage capacity of 1.3 GB.

DAT Data tape drive

Digital audio tape drives to store computer data. Used for back-up purposes.
Slow access. Huge amounts of information (about 10 GB).

Digital Video Disk-ROM drive

Each DVD-ROM disk has a capacity of up to 17 GB, and can hold various
full-screen movies. The drive can also read your CD-ROMs.

Unit 7 INPUT / OUTPUT DEVICES

Input devices are the pieces of hardware which allow us to enter information
into the computer. The most common are the keyboard and the mouse. We
can also interact with a computer by using one of these: a lightpen, a
scanner, a trackball, a graphics tablet, a joystick or a voice recording device.

40
Exercise 1. Match the pictures (1-8) with the names of the devices (a-f),
and the definitions (A-F)
1 a. lightpen e. graphics tablet
b. scanner f. joystick
c. trackball g. mouse
d. voice recording device h. keyboard
2

A. a device that uses light-sensing equipment to scan

paper or another medium, translating the pattern of
3 light and dark (or color) into a digital signal that can
be manipulated by either optical character
recognition software or graphics software.
4
B. a device used to record sound information by a
computer
C. a device, linked to a computer terminal by an
5 electrical wire, which is moved by hand over a flat
surface thereby causing the cursor to move
correspondingly on screen
6 D. the manually operated range of keys or levers in a
computer
E. a pen-shaped photoelectric device that can
communicate directly with a computer, entering or
altering data on a visual display unit
7
F. a peripheral input device which digitizes the
movements of a pen over the sensitive pad (tablet),
so that a traced pattern will appear on the screen
G. Popular pointing device, used mostly for playing
8 computer games
H. a spherical ball mounted in a small boxlike device,
that can be rotated with the palm of the hand
causing the cursor to move across the screen

Exercise 2. About the keyboard.

A Look at the picture of a PC-compatible keyboard and identify these
groups of keys.

1. Alphanumeric keys: arranged in the same order as a typewriter.

41
2. Function keys: used by various programs to instruct the PC to perform
specific tasks, such as Save, Copy; Cut, Paste, Help, etc.
3. Numeric keypad: set of numeric or editing keys. The Num Lock key is
used to switch from numbers to editing functions.
4. Editing keys: cursor and other keys usually used within word processors
to page up and down in a long document or to edit text (using Insert or
Delete keys).
5. Special keys: used to issue commands or to produce alternative
characters in key combinations, for example, the Alt key.

B Match these descriptions with the names of keys on the right. Then find
them on the keyboard.

1. A long key at the bottom of the keyboard. Each time it

arrow keys
is pressed, it produces a blank space.
2. It moves the cursor to the beginning of a new line. It is
return
also used to confirm commands.
3. It stops a program without losing the information from
the main memory. Sometimes its use depends on the caps lock
applications.

42
4. It works in combination with other keys to produce
shift
special characters or specific actions.
5. It removes the character on the left of the cursor or any
tab
selected text.
6. It produces UPPER-CASE characters (or the upper-
escape
case character of the key)
7. It produces upper-case letters, but it doesn’t affect
space bar
numbers
8. It moves the cursor horizontally to the right for a fixed
backspace
number of spaces (in tabulations and data fields).
9. They are to move the cursor, as an alternative to the
alt
mouse.

Exercise 3. Mouse actions.

Read the passage about a computer mouse. Fill in the gaps with verbs from
the box.

click double-click drag grab

select move control

A mouse allows you to 1_____ the cursor and move around the screen
very quickly. Making the same movements with the arrow keys on the
keyboard would take much longer. As you 2_____ the mouse on your desk,
the pointer on the screen moves the same direction. The pointer usually looks
like an I-bar, an arrow or a pointing hand, depending on what you are doing.
A mouse has one or more buttons to communicate with the computer.
For example, if you want to place the insertion point or choose a menu option,
you just 3_____ (press and release) on the mouse button, and the option is
chosen.
The mouse is used to 4_____ text and items on the screen. You can
highlight text to be deleted, or you can select an item from a check-box or
questionnaire.

43
 The mouse is widely used in graphics and designs. When you want to
move an image, you position the pointer on the object you want to move,
press the mouse button, and 5_____ the image to a new location on the
screen. Similarly, the mouse is used to change the shape of a graphic object.
For example, if you want to convert a square into a rectangle, you 6_____
one corner of the square and stretch it into rectangle.
The mouse is also used to start a program or open a document^ you
put the pointer on the file name and 7_____ on the name – that is, you rapidly
press and release mouse button twice.

UNIT 8 CAPTURE YOUR FAVOURITE IMAGE

Exercise 1. The eyes of your computer.
You can capture your favourite pictures using three different input devices: a
scanner, a digital camera, or a camcorder.

Use the information below to answer these questions.

1. Which device is used to input text and graphic images from a printed
page?
2. How does a colour scanner work?
3. Do digital cameras use film? How do they store photographs?
4. Which device would you use to take digital video?
5. What kind of software is used to manipulate video clips on the computer?
6. What do you think are the benefits of using scanners and cameras at
home and in business?

44
What does a scanner do?
A scanner 'sees' images and converts the printed
text or pictures into electronic codes that can be
understood by the computer.
With a flatbed scanner, the paper with the image
is placed face down on a glass screen similar to a
photocopier. Beneath the glass are the lighting and
measurement devices. Once the scanner is activated,
it reads the image as a series of dots and then
generates the digitized image that is sent to the computer and stored as a file.
A colour scanner operates by using three rotating lamps, each of which
has a different coloured filter: red, green and blue. The resulting three
separate images are combined into one by appropriate software.

What does a digital camera do?

A digital camera takes photos electronically
and converts them into digital data (binary codes
made up of 1s and Os). It doesn't use the film
found in a normal camera; instead it has a
special light-sensitive silicon chip. Photographs are stored in the camera's
memory before being sent to the computer. Some cameras can be also
connected to a printer or a TVset/ to make viewing images easier.

What does a camcorder do?

A camcorder, or digital video camera,
records moving pictures and converts them into
digital data that can be stored and edited by a
computer with special video editing software.

45
 Digital video cameras are used by home users to create their own
movies, or by professionals in computer art and video conferencing.
They are also used to send live video images via the Internet. Then they
are called Web cameras or webcams.

Exercise 2. Advertisement: A digital camera

Some words have been left out of this persuasive advertisement. Read it and
complete it with words from the box.

vivid easy-to-use faster fashionable wide shots

If you want great pictures from an 1_____ digital camera, you want the
Kodak DC215. Now you can capture life's memories in style with this sleek
and 2_____ digital camera.
The camera's 2X (29 mm-58 mm) optical zoom lens lets you get close
up and personal without sacrificing image detail or quality while the 3_____
angle lens design helps you capture more in each shot.
With one million (1152 x 864) pixels, you'll have enough detail to
generate crisp, 4_____ realistic photos up to 5" x7". The 1.8" colour LCD lets
you preview and review your pictures so you get only the 5_____ you want,
and lets you delete those you don't.
With the included USB COMPACTFLASH Card Reader, you can
download pictures up to ten times 6_____ than with serial connections for
faster image sharing.

UNIT 9 VIEWING THE OUTPUT

Exercise 1. After the information has been processed by the CPU, we
can see the results on the screen. This is also called a monitor or visual
display unit (VDU).

46
Describe the monitor of your computer to another student. Use these
questions to help you.
 Is it a monochrome or a colour monitor?
 What size is the screen?
 Does it have a cathode ray tube or a flat
LCD screen?
 How can you change the picture using the
controls?
 Does it produce a high quality image?

Exercise 2. Reading.
A Read the text and try to guess the meaning of any new words in the box
below. Refer to the Glossary if necessary.

dot pixel display resolution cathode ray tube

electron beam scan (verb) hertz refresh rate
flicker bit-mapped visualize

The monitor
The characters and pictures that we see on the screen are made up of dots,
also called picture elements (pixels). The total number of pixels in which the
display is divided both horizontally and vertically is known as the resolution. If
the number of pixels is very large, we obtain a high resolution display and
therefore a sharp image. If the number of pixels is small, a low resolution is
produced.

Low resolution display High resolution display

47
 Typical resolutions are 640 X 480 or 1,024 x 768 pixels. The diagrams
on page 35 show how pixel density affects the image: a larger number of
pixels gives a much clearer image.
The cathode ray tube of the monitor is very similar to that of a TV set.
Inside the tube there is an electron beam which scans the screen and turns
on or off the pixels that make up the image. The beam begins in the top left
corner, and scans the screen from left to right in a continuous sequence,
similar to the movement of our eyes when we read, but much faster. This
sequence is repeated 50, 70 or 85 times per second, depending on the
system. If the rate of this repetition is low, we can perceive a flickering,
unsteady screen, which can cause eye fatigue. However, a fast-moving 75,
Hz 'refresh rate' eliminates this annoying flicker.
What we see on the screen is created and stored in an area of RAM, so
that there is a memory cell allocated to each pixel. This type of display is
called bit-mapped. On monochrome monitors, bits 0 are visualized as white
dots, and bits 1 as black dots.
On colour displays, there are three electron guns at the back of the
monitor's tube. Each gun shoots out a beam of electrons for each of the
primary colours: red, green and blue. These electrons strike the inside of the
screen which is coated with substances called phosphors that glow when
struck by electrons.
Three different phosphor materials are used -one each for red, green
and blue. To create different colours, the intensity of each of the three
electron beams is varied.
The monitor is controlled by a separate circuit board, known as the
display adaptor, which plugs into the motherboard of the computer. Different
boards drive different types of displays. For example, the VGA (video
graphics array) card has become a standard for colour monitors.

48
 Now flat-screen monitors are fashionable. They are inherently flat, and
therefore require less space. In addition, they give crisp, clear images and
eliminate screen flicker.
Portable computers use a flat liquid-crystal display (LCD) instead of a
picture tube. An LCD uses a grid of crystals and polarizing filters to show the
image. The crystals block the light in different amounts to generate the dots in
the image.

Each dot on the screen is a pixel

B Read the text again and answer these questions.

1 According to the writer, what is the importance of 'pixel resolution'?
2. Which unit of frequency is used to measure the refresh rate of a monitor?
3. In the writer's opinion, why can a low refresh rate produce eye fatigue?
4. What substance is hit by electrons in a monitor?
5. What is the standard display system for many PCs?
6. What does 'LCD' stand for? What type of computers use LCD displays?

Exercise 3. Writing.
A Tables often include abbreviations and technical words that are not easy
to understand. Look at this table and the explanation of Monitor A's
specifications.

49
 Type Size Pixel Visual Refresh Tilt-and- Other
res display rate swivel features
Monitor A Flat-panel 18.1" 1024 x 16.7 million 75 Hz energy
Compaq LCD 768 colours flicker- saver
TFT 8020 free mode
Monitor B CRT 19" 1280 x 16.7 million 85 Hz anti-glare
Paintview monitor 1024 colours flicker- filter
free

The specifications of Superview (Monitor A) may be explained like this:

1 This is a flat-panel Liquid Crystal

Display.
2 The screen size is 18.1 inches (diagonal
viewable image size).
3 You get a resolution of 1024 by 768
pixels.
4 It offers support for 16.7 million saturated
colours.
5 This digital display has a 75 hertz refresh
rate. It never flickers (the images are
bright, sharp, and distortion-free).
6 You can change the orientation of the display, adjusting your viewing
angle back and forth.
7 It has a built-in power feature that saves a lot of energy consumption.

B Use the example above to help you describe Monitor B.

Exercise 4. Computer ergonomics.

Imagine that you are a specialist in computer ergonomics. Work out the rules
about health and safety in a computer classroom. Complete the sentences
below. Then decide where they should go in the pictures below. Write the
number of each in the correct place.

50
1 You should get a good chair, one that ........................................................
2 Position the keyboard .................................................................................
3 Position the monitor..................eye level, or just ........................................
4 A tilt-and-swivel display lets you .................................................................
5 You should stay an arm's length away from …............................................
6 If you work in a room with a lot of computers, sit ........................................

Think of some other rules that can help computer users protect their health.
Share your ideas with your classmates.

Exercise 5. Language work: instructions and advice.

Look at the HELP box and then rewrite the sentences below about what you
should do to protect your eyes. Use modal auxiliary verbs in your sentences.

HELP box
Instructions and advice

51
Imperatives
Position your keyboard at the same height as your elbows.
Don't use a monitor that is fuzzy or distorts the image.

Should/ought to
You should position your keyboard at the same height as your elbows. = You
ought to ...
You shouldn't use a monitor that is fuzzy or distorts the image. = You ought
not (oughtn't)
to use...

1 Do not stare at the screen for long periods of time.

2 Avoid placing the monitor so that it reflects a source of bright light, such
as a window.
3 Keep the screen clean to prevent distorting shadows.
4 If you work in an office with a large number of computers, don't sit too
close to the sides or backs of the monitors.
5 Buy a protective filter that cuts down the ELF (extremely low frequency)
emissions.

UNIT 10 CHOOSING A PRINTER

Exercise 1. Reading.

A How many kinds of printers can you think of? Make a list.
B Read the text below and label these types of printers.

52
The resolution depends on The quality (resolution) of the images
the number of pins (9,24 or 48) ranges from 300 to 1,200 dots per
inch (dpi)
1.............................. 2..............................

Provides high quality Provides the highest Provides high quality for
output - a resolution resolution - more than linework (like lines and
of 600/2,400 (dpi) 3,000 dpi curves)
3.............................. 4.............................. 5..............................

Types of printers
Printing is the final stage in creating a document. That is, the purpose of
the printers joined to your computing equipment. Since the results, you can
obtain with different types of printers will vary substantially, here is a guide to
help you decide which one is most suitable for your needs.
To begin with, it must be taken into account that printers vary in cost,
speed, print quality and other factors such as noise or compatibility. In fact,
printing technology is evolving so quickly that there is always a printer for
every application or personal requirement.

53
 Dot-matrix printers use pins to print the dots required to shape a
character. They print text and graphics and nowadays some of them can print
up to 500 characters per second (cps); however, they produce relatively low
resolution output - 72 or 144 dots per inch. This level of quality, while suitable
for preliminary drafts, is not recommended for reports or books that have a
wide audience. They are slower than laser printers but much cheaper.
One common type of non-impact printer is an ink-jet printer. It operates
by projecting small ink droplets onto gaper to form, the required image. This
type of printer is quite fast, silent and not so expensive as a laser printer.
Nevertheless, you can expect high quality results because there are some
ink-jet printers on the market with a resolution of 720 dpi. Bubble-jet printers
work the same way.
Laser printers produce output at great speed and with a very high
resolution of 600/2,400 dpi. They scan the image with a laser beam and
transfer it to paper with a special ink powder. They are constantly being
improved. In terms of speed and image quality they are preferred by experts
for different reasons: they have a wider range of scalable fonts, they can
emulate different language systems, they can produce graphics, and they
have many other advantages. It goes without saying that they are still
expensive for home users.
We must not forget to mention thermal printers. They use heat, a
special kind of paper and electrosensitive methods. They are silent and
considered to be inexpensive. However, some colour models that emulate HP
(Hewlett Packard) plotters cost too much to be included in the same category.
Imagesetters can be regarded as an attractive alternative. They
produce very high-resolution output (up to 3,540 dpi) on paper or microfilm. In
addition, they are extremely fast. They are used in desktop publishing.
Although they produce the highest quality output, they have one important
drawback: they are too expensive for homes or small offices.

54
 Finally, plotters are a special kind of printer. Plotters use ink and fine
pens held in a carriage to draw very detailed designs on paper. They are
used for construction plans, engineering drawings and other technical
illustrations.

C Read the text again and complete this table with the most relevant
information. Then compare your notes with a partner.

Type of printer Technical specifications and other features

Dot-matrix ..........................................................................
Ink-jet ..........................................................................
Laser ..........................................................................
Thermal ..........................................................................
Imagesetter ..........................................................................
Plotter ..........................................................................
.

Exercise 2. Scan reading: Quiz

Read the advertisements for printers below, and then, with your partner,
answer these questions. See who in your group/class can finish first.

1 How many laser printers are advertised here?

2 Is there a printer that operates by spraying ink droplets onto paper?
3 Which laser printer offers the highest resolution, or output quality?
4 Which printer is the most expensive?
5 Which one would you recommend to a friend who does not have much
money?
6 Which one has more internal fonts?
7 A printer language is software that tells printers how to print a document.
Can you find two types of laser printer languages?

55
8 What connectivity features are offered by the Turbo Laser Writer QR?
9 A very common feature in advertisements is the use of abbreviations.
Find the abbreviations for these expressions: dots per inch, characters
per second, pages per minute, small computer system interface and
liquid-crystal display.

Stunning Plug & Play colour

printer. Brilliant photo quality
(up to 720 dpi) and fast-drying
ink. Produces 8 pages per
minute in plain text and 4 ppm
in colour. 150 page paper tray.
Fast, friendly service.

Exercise 2. Describing your ideal printer.

Describe to your partner the characteristics of the printer you would like to
use. Give reasons.

56
 Unit 11 OPERATING SYSTEMS
Exercise 1. Look at the diagram below. What is the function of the
operating system?

Exercise 2. Read the text below and complete it with the phrases in the
box.

applications software software

operating software system software

Information provided by programs and data is known as (1) _____.

Programs are sets of instructions that make the computer execute operations
and tasks. There are two main types of software:
The (2) _____ refers to all the programs which control the basic
functions of а computer. They include operating systems, system utilities
(е.g. an anti-virus program, а back-up utility) and language translators
(е.g. а compiler — the software that translates instructions into machine
code).
The (3) _____ refers to all those applications — such as word
processors and spreadsheets — which are used for specific purposes.
Applications are usually stored on disks loaded into the RAM memory when
activated by the user.

57
 The (4) _____ is the most important type of system software. It is usually
supplied by the manufacturers and comprises а set of programs and files that
control the hardware and software resources of а computer system. It
controls all the elements that the user sees, and it communicates directly with
the computer. In most configurations, the OS is automatically loaded into the
RAM section when the computer is started up.

Exercise 3. Read the text below and find:

1 the text-based operating system used in older PCs

2 the most secure and reliable version of the Windows family
3 the OS designed for handheld computers
4 the function of the Finder in Macintosh computers
5 the meaning of 'multi — tasking'
6 the OS written in С language and used on minicomputers and
workstations
7 the OS that is freely redistributable under the GNU general public licence
8 the OS originally developed to run on SPARC workstations.

Operating systems
MS-DOS This operating system was developed by Microsoft in 1981 for all
IBM PC compatibles. Today it's only used in old PCs. In this text-
based OS, you communicate with the computer by typing
commands that exist within its library. For example, some basic
DOS commands include: DIR (shows а list of all the files in а
directory), COPY (makes а duplicate of а file), DEL (deletes files).
Most home PCs use Windows. Неге are the most recent versions:
 With Windows 98, Internet access becomes part of the user
interface. Its active desktop lets you find information easily with
the same view of content on your PC, network or the Web. The
system includes Outlook Express for е-mail, NetMeeting
conferencing software, а chat program and а Web-page editor.
It offers advancements such as USB and multimedia

58
 extensions.
 Windows 2000 is built upon the Windows NT architecture and
designed for business uses.
 Windows Millennium is designed for home use. It includes
new system safeguards and support for DVD, music players
and mobile computers.
 Windows ХР is an update to all Windows versions, with а new
visual design. It's more secure and reliable. It offers support for
the latest technologies.
Pocket PC This OS is developed for handheld computers (or palmtops) that
(Microsoft) use а stylus or а small keyboard for input.
Mac OS The Mac OS combines the elegance of Macintosh and the power
of UNIX.
Large parts of the Mac OS are inside the System file and the
Finder, kept in the System folder. The content of the System file is
loaded automatically at start-up, and contains information which
modifies the routines of the OS in the ROM chips. The Finder
displays the Macintosh's desktop and enables the user to work
with disks, programs and files.
With the new Mac OS, you can create CDs and record DVDs. It
also offers Internet capabilities, support for Java, and AirPort
technology for wireless connections.
OS/2 Warp This is the РС world's most technically sophisticated operating
(IBM) system. It provides true multi-tasking, allowing а program to be
divided into 'threads', many of which can run at the same time.
Thus, not only numerous programs can run simultaneously, but
one program can perform numerous tasks at the same time.
The IВМ OS/2 Warp includes easy access to networks via
modem, support for Java applications, and voice recognition
technology.
UNIX This OS, designed by Bell Laboratories for minicomputers and
workstations, has been widely adopted by many corporate
installations. From the very first, it was designed to be а multi-
tasking system. It is written in С language.
It has become an operating environment for software development,
available for any type of machine, from IBM PCs to Macs to Cray
supercomputers. Unix is the most commonly used system for

59
 advanced CAD programs.
Linux Protected under the GNU general public licence, Linux is the open
(Linus source, cooperatively-developed POSIX-based, multi — tasking
Torvalds) operating system. Linux is used as а high value, fully-functional
UNIX workstation for applications ranging from Internet Servers to
reliable work group computing. Linux is available for Intel, Alpha
and Sun SPARC platforms.
Solaris This is а Unix-based operating system developed by Sun
Microsystems. Originally designed to run on SPARC workstations,
today Solaris also runs on many Pentium servers. It supports multi-
processing — many CPUs and processes on а single system. It
includes Java technology, which allows Web pages to display
animation, play music and interact with information.

Exercise 4. Language work

А Here are some common nouns in computing. Divide them into
countable and uncountable nouns.
1. window 4. program 7. system
2. robotics 5. hacker 8. software
3. hardware 6. hacking 9. workstation

В These sentences contain typical errors. Correct them.

1 We are having а terrible weather.
2 Can you give me an advice?
3 We need some informations.
4 The news were very depressing.
5 I like the furnitures.
6 Much people usе the Web today.

С Complete this text with а, an, the (or nothing at all) as necessary.
At school we have (1)_____ computer in every classroom. We use (2)_____
computer do (3)_____ projects and to study (4)_____ music and languages.

60
The teachers use PCs to print articles, songs, or activities for use in class.
This year, they are preparing (5)_____ exchange with а college in Norfolk.
We all use it tо get (6)_____ information from (7)_____ Internet.
At home I use my computer to send and receive (8)_____ е-mail and to play
(9)_____ computer games. I have (10)_____ ink-jet printer.

Exercise 5. Complete the paragraph below with the words from the box in
the appropriate form.

computer user utility program

desk panel virus application

System Utilities are small 1_____ which improve a system’s performance and
help 2_____ take advantage of the computer’s capabilities. They are often
3_____ accessories that can be called up while you are working in another
4_____. They can also be INITs, i.e. system extensions which are activated
when you turn on the 5_____, control devices which you adjust in the control
6_____, or even stand-alone programs that run when you need them. 7_____
are available for back-up, file search, 8_____ protection, disaster recovery,
and so on.

Exercise 6. These people are looking for solutions to their software

needs. Read about what they want.

1. Alice Trent. Alice produces a newsletter for local business. She wants to
make it look more professional.
2. Jun Tahakashi. Jun wants to make an Internet home page for his new
company. He has never done this before and doesn’t know how to begin,
but he can’t afford to pay someone to do it for him.
3. Michelle Lee. Michelle wants to download and print information pages
and manuals available as PDF (Portable Document Format) files from the
Web. She has unlimited Internet access but very little budget to buy
software. She needs a solution immediately.

61
Now read about the benefits of the different kinds of software. What software
do you think the people should buy? They may need more than one package.
Why? Discuss your ideas with a partner.

Useful Language
He/She needs/wants _____ (features) because _____ (reason).
With this software, he/she can/will be able to _____ (benefits).

Explore
 in groups:
What software do you use in your university/home? Why do you use it? What
can you do with this software?
 with a partner:
Choose one kind of software and list its features and benefits. Then tell the
class.

62
 Unit 12 THE GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACE
Exercise 1. The picture below illustrates a user interface based on graphics.
Read the definitions in the HELP box and then find the following interface
elements in the picture:

1 window 7 disk icons

2 scroll bars 8 folders
3 menu bar 9 program icons
4 pull-down menu 10 document icons
5 pointer 11 printer icon
6 toolbar buttons 12 dock icons

HELP box
 window: а viewing area less than or equal to the screen size. By using
different windows you can work on several documents or applications
simultaneously

63
 pull-down menu: а menu that the user 'pulls down' from а name in the
menu bar at the top of the screen by selecting the name with the mouse
 the pointer: an arrow, controlled by the mouse, that allows you to move
around the screen
 toolbar buttons: found at the top of а window, they take you to the Ноте
folder and others
 icons: graphic images (or intuitive symbols) used to represent an object
or task
 folders: containers for documents and applications
 dock: set of icons at the bottom of the screen that give you instant
access to the things you use most

Exercise 2. Read the article below and decide which of the expressions in
the box best describe а graphical user interface (GUI).

user-friendly slow attractive

text-based complex graphics-based

GUIs
The term user interface refers to the standard procedures the user
follows to interact with а particular computer. А few years ago, the way in
which users had access to а computer system was quite complex. They had
to memorize and type а lot of commands just to see the content of а disk, to
copy files or to respond to а single prompt. In fact, only experts used
computers, so there was no need for а user-friendly interface. Now, however,
computers are used by all kinds of people and as а result there is а growing
emphasis on the user interface.
А good user interface is important because when you buy а program
you want to use it easily. Moreover, а graphical user interface saves а lot of
time: you don't need to memorize commands in order to execute an
application; you only have to point and click so that its content appears on the
screen.
Macintosh computers — with а user interface based on graphics and
intuitive tools — were designed with а single dear aim: to facilitate interaction
with the computer. This interface is called WIMP: Window, Icon, Menu (or

64
Mouse) and Pointer and software products for the Macintosh have been
designed to take full advantage of its features using this interface. In addition,
the ROM chips of а Macintosh contain libraries that provide program
developers with routines for generating windows, dialogue boxes, icons and
рор-up menus. This ensures the creation of applications with а high level of
consistency.
Today, the most innovative GUIs are the Macintosh, Microsoft Windows
and IBM ОS/2 Warp. These three platforms include similar features: а
desktop with icons, windows and folders, а printer selector, а file finder, а
control panel and various desk accessories. Double-clicking а folder opens а
window which contains programs, documents or further nested folders. At any
time within а folder, you can launch the desired program or document by
double-clicking the icon, or you can drag it to another location.
The three platforms differ in other areas such as device installation,
network connectivity or compatibility with application programs.
These interfaces have been so successful because they are extremely
easy to use. It is well known that computers running under an attractive
interface stimulate users to be more creative and produce high quality results,
which has а major impact on the general public.

Exercise 3. Look at the text again and guess the meaning of these words in
your own language.
user interface platform tools
commands desktop file finder
program developer nested folders

Exercise 4. Look at the text again and find answers to these questions.

1 What does the abbreviation 'GUI' stand for?

2 What is the contribution of Macintosh computers to the development of
graphic environments?
3 What does the acronym 'WIMP' mean?

65
4 What computing environments based on graphics are mentioned in the
text?
5 How do you run а program on а computer with а graphical interface?
6 Can you give two reasons for the importance of user-friendly interfaces?

Exercise 5. Summarize the text in Exercise 2 in 70-75 words. You may

like to follow these steps.

1 Read through the whole text again and think of а suitable title for it.
2 Make sure you understand all the main points. Go through the text and
underline the relevant information in each paragraph.
3 Make notes about the main points:
• omit repetitions and unnecessary phrases
• leave out details, such as examples.
Е.g. notes on the first paragraph: In the past only experts used
computers. But now, emphasis is on user friendly interfaces.
4 Make sentences from the notes and connect the sentences by using
linking words (and, but, also, because, that’s why, in fact, therefore, etc.).
Write your first draft.
5 Improve your first draft by reducing sentences (see HELP box below).
6 Check grammar, spelling and punctuation. Write final version of your
summary.

HELP box
Ways of reducing sentences:
 Transform а relative clause into an -ing participle clause
е.g. Icons are graphic images that represent tasks ...
= Icons are graphic images representing tasks.
 Take out relative pronouns where possible
е.g. The software (that) we bought last year ...
 Omit qualifying words (adjectives or modifying adverbs)
е.g. (quite) complex/(vеry) similar
 Take out that in reported speech
е.g. It is well known (that) computers ...
I think (that) there’s something wrong with this program.

66
 Cut out unnecessary phrases
е.g. Macintosh computers were designed with а clear aim: to facilitate the
user’s interaction with the computer.
= Macintosh machines were designed to facilitate the user’s interaction
with the computer.

UNIT 13 A WALK THROUGH WORD PROCESSING

Exercise 1. Before you read, try to answer these questions.
1 What is a word processor?
2 What makes word processors superior to traditional typewriter?
3 Make a list of the most important features offered by word processors?
Now read the text below and write down any word processing capabilities that
you didn’t list in question 3.

A screen from Microsoft word for the Macintosh. Word for Windows works the same way.
WordPerfect, Lotus Word Pro and Nisus Writer also have multiple typefaces, windows,
pull-down menus and other graphical tools.

67
 Word-processing facilities
Writing letters, memos or reports are the ways most people use
computers. They manipulate words and text on а screen — primarily to print
at some later time and store for safe keeping. Computers alleviate much of
the tedium associated with typing, proofing and manipulating words. Because
computers can store and recall information so readily, documents need not
be retyped from scratch just to make corrections or changes. The real
strength of word processing lies in this ability to store, retrieve and change
information. Typing is still necessary (at least, for now) to put the information
into the computer initially, but once in, the need to retype only applies to new
information.
Word processing is more than just typing, however. Features such as
Search and Replace allow users to find а particular phrase or word no matter
where it is in а body of text. This becomes more useful as the amount of text
grows.
Word processors usually include different ways to view the text. Some
include а view that displays the text with editor's marks that show hidden
characters or commands (spaces, returns, paragraph endings, applied styles,
etc.). Many word processors include the ability to show exactly how the text
will appear on paper when printed. This is called WYSIWYG (What You See
Is What You Get, pronounced 'wizzy-wig'). WYSIWYG shows bold, italic,
underline and other type style characteristics on the screen so that the user
can clearly see what he or she is typing. Another feature is the correct display
of different typefaces and format characteristics (margins, indents, super-
and sub-scripted characters, etc.). This allows the user to plan the document
more accurately and reduces the frustration of printing something that doesn't
look right. Many word processors now have so many features that they
approach the capabilities of layout applications for desktop publishing. They
can import graphics, format multiple columns of text, run text around
graphics, etс.

68
 Two important features offered by word processors are automatic
hyphenation and mail merging. Automatic hyphenation is the splitting of а
word between two lines so that the text will fit better on the page. The word
processor constantly monitors words typed and when it reaches the end of а
line, if а word is too long to fit, it checks that word in а hyphenation dictionary.
This dictionary contains а list of words with the preferred places tо split it. If
one of these cases fits part of the word at the end of the line, the word
processor splits the word, adds а hyphen at the end and places the rest on
the next line. This happens extremely fast and gives text а more polished and
professional look.
Mail merge applications are largely responsible for the explosion of
'personalized' mail. Form letters with designated spaces for names and
addresses are stored as documents with links tо lists of names and
addresses of potential buyers or clients. By designating what information
goes into which blank space, а computer can process а huge amount of
correspondence substituting the 'personal' information into а form letter. The
final document appears to be typed specifically to the person addressed.
Many word processors can also generate tables of numbers or figures,
sophisticated indexes and comprehensive tables of contents.

Exercise 2. Look at the words in the box and complete the following
sentences with them. Use the information in the text if necessary.

type style WYSIWYG format indent

font menu justification mail merging

1. _____ stands for 'What you see is what you get'. It means that your
printout will precisely match what you see on the screen.
2. _____ refers to the process by which the space between the words in а
line is divided evenly to make the text flush with both left and right
margins.

69
3. You can change font by selecting the font name and point size from the ___.
4. _____ refers to а distinguishing visual characteristic of а typeface; 'italic',
for example is а _____ that may be used with а number of typefaces.
5. The _____ menu of а word processor allows you to set margins, page
numbers, spaces between columns and paragraph justifications.
6. _____ enables you to combine two files, one containing names and
addresses and the other containing а standard letter.
7. An _____ is the distance between the beginning of а line and the left
margin, or the end of а line and the right margin. Indented text is usually
narrower than text without _____.

Exercise 3. Match the words and expressions on the left with their
explanations on the right.
1 retrieve а) text printed in the top margin
2 typefaces b) recover information from а computer system
3 header с) letter, number or symbol that appears below the
baseline of the row of type; commonly used
in maths formulas
4 footer d) text printed in the bottom margin
5 subscripted character е) division of words into syllables by а short
dash or hyphen
6 hyphenation f) styles for а set of characters; sometimes
called 'fonts'

Exercise 4. Two friends are talking about how to move text by using the ‘Cut
and Paste’ technique. Read the conversation and complete it with words from
the box.

Finally command First Edit

now mistake Next insertion

70
A: Do you know how I can move this paragraph? I want to put it at the end
of this page.
B: Er ... I think so. 1_____ you use the mouse to select
the text that you want to move ... and then you
choose the Cut 2_____ from the Edit menu ...
A: Like this?
B: Yes. The selected text disappears and goes onto the
Clipboard. And 3_____ you find where you want the
text to appear and you click to position the 4_____
menu in this place.
А: Mm ... is that OK?
B: Yes, if that's where you want it. 5_____ choose Paste
from the 6_____ menu, or hold down Command and press V. 7_____
check that the text has appeared in the right place.
A: What do I do if I make а 8_____?
B: You can choose Undo from the Edit menu which will reverse your last
editing command.
A: Brilliant! Thanks а lot.
B: That' s ОК.

Exercise 5. Moving text in a process of cutting and pasting, as if you were

using scissors and glue. The picture below represents this process. Write a
short description of it.

How to
edit text
How to
edit text
How to
edit text

71
Exercise 6. Writing tools
A Three major features that word processor offer are spell checkers, online
thesauruses and grammar checkers. Read the descriptions of these features
and match them with the windows or dialogue boxes.

1. Spell checkers can be

used tо compare words in the
program's dictionary to those
used in the user's document.
The spell checker points out
any words it cannot match,
notifies the user and allows them to make any changes; it sometimes even
suggests possible correct spellings.
Like а conventional thesaurus, this database of words contains
definitions and suggestions of words with similar and opposite meanings. А
word may be spelled correctly but still be wrong (too instead of two, for
instance). This is а good first step at proofing а document because it can find
many common errors, but users will still need to proofread documents to
ensure complete accuracy.

2. Many word processors

include an online thesaurus
with which users can look up
different words to use in similar
instances. Their power comes
not from knowing every grammatical rule, but from questioning the writer
about certain parts of the text. Some even include information about
pronunciation and histories of evolving meaning.

72
3. Grammar checkers
are applications that attempt
tо check more than just
spelling. They count words
in sentences to flag possible
run-on sentences. They look for words that show possible conflicts between
verbs and subjects and they offer advice about corrections. Grammar
checkers are а step beyond spell checkers, but they are still not а substitute
for а human editor. However, this does not mean that all of the words in the
document are spelled correctly. This gives the writer another chance tо think
about what he or she has written; the computer can alert writers to problems
that wouldn't be obvious tо them otherwise.
(Texts adapted from Understanding Computers by N. Shedroff et al. Sybex, 1993)

B. Read through the descriptions again. There are three sentences which
have been printed in the wrong position. Decide which are the intruding
sentences and where they should go.

Exercise 7. Speaking

Work in pairs. Read the table below which summarizes the most relevant
features of two word-processing programs. The characteristics of each
program are marked with а tick. Student А has Printext and Student В has
Publisher. Explain to your partner why your program is better.
Example
A: With Printext I can ...
B: Yes, but you can't ...
A: However, it is possible to ... whereas with Publisher you can't ...
B: Yes, but don't forget that with Publisher you can ... Moreover, ...
A: ОК. I understand what you mean, but what about ...?

73
Characteristics Student А Student В
Printext Publisher
1 Instantaneous WYSIWYG and editing
2 Variety of font types, styles and size
3 Editing facilities: Сору, Cut, Paste, Undo,
Select All
4 Centring and indenting paragraphs. Special
column formats. Hyphenation and justification
of text with optimum line-breaking
5 Spell checker, grammar checker and
thesaurus
6 Can find and replace words even in unopened
files
7 Automatic numbering of chapters and sections.
Automatic generation of indexes and tables of
contents. Cross-reference facilities
8 Allows you to generate maths formulas, and
diagrams
9 Graphics tools: You can have the text wrap
around the graphic or flow through it. You can
scale and rotate graphics
10 Import and export facilities. You can transfer
files tо other IBM PCs and Macintosh
applications
11 You can record voice annotations to insert
comments intо а document
12 Includes Internet connection tools and allows
уоu to create HTML pages for the Web

74
 UNIT 14 SPREADSHEETS

Exercise 1. Look at the spreadsheet and try to answer the questions.

1. What is a spreadsheet? What is it used for?

2. In a spreadsheet, there are “columns”, “rows” and “cells”. Give an
example of each from the sample spreadsheet.
3. What type of information can be keyed into a cell?
4. What will happen if you change the value of a cell?

A B C D E
1 2001 2002
2 Sales $890 $982
3 Stocks/Shares 487 760
4 Interest 182 324
5 Total revenue 1559 2066
6
7 Payroll 894 904
8 Publicity 399 451
9 Services 438 372
10 Total Expenses 1731 1727
11
12 Total -172 339
13
14
.This sample spreadsheet shows the income and expenses of a company. Amounts
are given in $ millions.

Now work with a partner. Decide whether these statements are true or false.
1. A spreadsheet program displays information in the form of a table, with a
lot of columns and rows.
2. In a spreadsheet you can only enter numbers and formulas.
3. In a spreadsheet you cannot change the width of the columns.
4. Spreadsheet programs can produce visual representations in the form of
pie charts.

75
5. Spreadsheets cannot be used as databases.
6. The value of the cell C12 (in the spreadsheet above) is the result of
applying the formula ‘C5 - C10’.
7. The cell B5 (in the spreadsheet above) is the result of adding the values
in cells B2 and B3.
8. If you type the value ‘800’ in C3 (in the spreadsheet above), the values in
cells C5 and C12 will be recalculated.

Discuss your answers with the rest of the class.

Exercise 2. Match the terms in the box with the explanations below.

а formula b cell c sales d payroll

е share(s) f revenue g interest h expenses

1. А sum of money that is charged or paid as а percentage of а larger sum

of money which has been borrowed or invested, е.g. High~rates./7 per
cent ~ on а loan.
2. The intersection of а column and а row in а spreadsheet, е.g. the ~ В2.
3. The quantity sold, е.g. The ~ of РCs rose by 10 per cent last year.
4. The income ~ or money ~ received by а company or organization, е.g.
The annual ~ of this multinational company is…
5. А ~ in а company is one of the equal parts into which the capital of the
company is divided, entitling the holder of the ~ to а proportion of the
benefits, е.g. 110 ~ s are now worth #11.
6. Financial costs; amounts of money spent, е.g. Travelling ~.
7. А function or operation that produces а new value as the result of adding,
subtracting, multiplying or dividing existing values, е.g. If we enter the ~
В5 ~ В10, the program calculates...
8. 1 А list of people to be paid and the amount due to each. 2 Wages or
salaries paid to employees, е.g. Не was on the company’s ~.

76
Exercise 3. Look on the graph below. What type of image is this: a pie
chart, a bar chart, an area graph or a line graph? With the help of a partner,
check that it is an exact visual representation of the spreadsheet in Ex. 1.

 Can you calculate the net profits of this firm during the period 2001-02?
 What is the advantage, if any, of displaying information as a graph, rather
than as a spreadsheet?

Exercise 4. Spreadsheet programs are also used to make out invoices.

Look at the invoice below and fill in the blanks with the right words from the
box.
Quantity Description Price VAT (Value Added Tax)
Reference TOTAL Address Company

77
 UNIT 15 DATABASES
Exercise 1. Companies often use databases to store information about
customers, suppliers and their own personnel. Study the illustrations and then
try to answer these questions.
1. What is а database?
2. Which tasks can be performed by using а database? Make а list of
possible applications.
What do the terms mean in your language: file, record, field?

Record from an Employee file in a database. This record holds ten fields (the illustration is
one)

A database file stores information in fields grouped on records

78
Exercise 2. Reading.
A Here is part of an article about databases. First, read all the way through
and underline the basic features of а database.

Basic features of database programs

With а database you can store, organize and retrieve а large collection
of related information on computer. If you like, it is the electronic equivalent of
an indexed filing cabinet. Let us look at some features and applications.
 Information is entered on а database via fields. Each field holds а
separate piece of information, and the fields are collected together into
records. For example, а record about an employee might consist of
several fields which give their name, address, telephone number, age,
salary and length of employment with the company. Records are
grouped together into files which hold large amounts of information.
Files can easily be updated: you can always change fields, add new
records or delete old ones. With the right database software, you are
able to keep track of stock, sales, market trends, orders, invoices and
many more details that can make your company successful.

 Another feature of database programs is that you can automatically

look up and find records containing particular information. You can
also search on more than one field at а time. For example, if а
managing director wanted tо know all the customers that spend more
than $7,000 per month, the program would search on the name field
and the money field simultaneously.

А computer database is much faster to consult and update than а card

index system. It occupies а lot less space, and records can be automatically
sorted into numerical or alphabetical order using any field.
The best packages also include networking facilities, which add а new
dimension of productivity to businesses. For example, managers of different

79
departments can have direct access to а common database, which
represents an enormous advantage. Thanks tо security devices, you can
share part of your files on а network and control who sees the information.
Most aspects of the program can be protected by user-defined passwords.
For example, if you wanted to share an employee's personal details, but not
their commission, you could protect the commission field.
In short, а database manager helps you control the data you have at
home, in the library or in your business.

B Now make а list of the words you don't understand. Can you guess their
meaning? Compare your ideas with other students.

C Using the information in the text, complete these statements.

1 А database is used tо _____.
2 Information is entered on а database via _____.
3 Each field holds _____.
4 'Updating' а file means _____.
5 The advantages of а database program over а manual filing system are ___.
6 Access to а common database can be protected by using _____.

Exercise 3. Puzzle

Complete the sentences by using а term from the list. Then write the words in
the crossword to find the hidden message.

database field layout merging record

sorted updated

1 In order to personalize а standard letter you can use “mail _____” (а

technique which consists of combining а database with а document made
with а word processor).

80
2 Records can be automatically _____ into any order.
3 You can decide how many fields you want to have on а _____.
4 Files can easily be _____ by adding new information or deleting the old
one.
5 А _____ program can be used to store, organize and retrieve information
of any kind.
6 The _____ of the records can be designed by the user.
7 Each piece of information is given in а separate _____.

Exercise 4. Plurals.

А Look at the HELP box and then write the plural of these words:
1. slot 5 fax
2 key 6 mouse
3 directory 7 floppy
4 businessman 8 virus

В Look at the text in Exercise 2 again and find 5 plurals pronounced /iz/.

81
 HELP box
Plurals •
 In most cases, the plural in English is written with an 's':
record – records
– The plural is written with 'es' after 's', 'sh', 'х' or 'ch':
address – addresses; bох – boxes
– With nouns which end in а consonant + 'у', the 'у' becomes 'i' and 'es'
is added: technology – technologies
– But if the 'у' follows а vowel, only 's' is added: day – days
 Special plural forms
man – men
child – children
analysis – analyses
formula – formulae/formulas
 Pronunciation of the 's'.
– /s/ after one of the sounds /р/, /t/, /k/, /f/ or //: chips, amounts
– /iz/ after one of the sounds /s/, /z/,/∫/, /t∫/ or /dʒ/: processes, cartridges
– /z/ in most other cases: drives, customers, files

Exercise 5. Look at the illustration of mail merging and identify the three
types of documents involved in this example of mail merging.

A B C D E F
1 Title First name Last name Street City Postcode
2 Mr Fred Jones 15 The Calls Leeds LS2 6JU
3 Mrs Diana Read 18 Union Street Glasgow G1 3TA
4 Ms Carol Taylor 75 Windmill Str. London W1P 1H
5 Mr Jack Gordon 7 Piccadily Str. York YO1 1PN

The data document contains the fields and the information that is different in each version
of the letter.

82
83
84
 Exercise 6. Writing

Imagine that you are Barry Stephens, the sales manager of Sunrise
Computers.
Write а standard letter to your clients about ‘New software products on the
market’ and offer them а free demonstration disk.
Consult the help box.

85
 Help box
BUSINESS LETTER
The conventions and the components of basic business letters

Writer’s
address

Date

Reference

Recipient’s
address

Salutation

Main

body

of
letter

Subscription
Signature
Designation

UNIT 16 FACES OF THE INTERNET

Exercise 1. Try to answer these questions.
1. What is the Internet?
2. What can you do on the Internet?
Make a list of possible applications.
3. How has the Internet changed the way people study/work/live?

86
4. Do you think the Internet will have an important influence on your daily life
in future?

A program like Microsoft Internet Explorer allows you to search view and manage
information over the Web.

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/

87
Exercise 2. Maybe we can find it on the Internet.

Words Meanings
online using an Internet service
browse go from place to place and look around
web browser a service that helps you travel on the Internet
search engine a service that helps you look for something specific on
the Internet
World Wide Web a part of the Internet where you find most of what you are
looking for
web site a location or destination on the Internet
web page one screen, or “page”, of information on a web site
URL an Internet address for finding a web site; for example,
the URL for the Dominie Press web site is
www.dominie.com
www. an abbreviation for World Wide Web; appears at the
beginning of most Internet addresses
.com an abbreviation at the end of an Internet address,
indicates that the web site is a commercial site; that is, it
was put on the Internet by a company
password a word or string of letters that only you know
log on begin using an Internet service (type your password and
so on)
go to select an item on the screen; for example, “Go to Search
on the toolbar.”

Exercise 3. Reading.

А Which Internet utility (1 to 7) would you use to do each of these tasks (а

to g)? Read the text to check your answers.

1. е-mail а send а message tо another person via the

Internet
2. Web browser b transfer files from the Internet to your hard
disk

88
3. Newsreader с have а live conversation (usually typed) on
the Internet
4 IRC/chat program d connect tо а remote computer by entering
certain instructions and run programs on it
5 FTP software е take part in public discussion areas, called
newsgroups
6 Videoconferencing f fetch and view Web pages on the Internet
7 Telnet g participate in live conversations, using text,
audio and video

Internet software
Getting connected
The language used for data transfer on the Internet is known as ТССР
(transmission control ргоtосоl/Internet protocol). This is like the Internet
operating system.
The first program you need is а РРР (point to point protocol) driver. This
piece of software allows the ТСР/IР system tо work with your modem; it dials
up your Internet service provider (ISP), transmits your password and log-in
name and allows Internet programs tо operate.

Е-mail
Е-mail is your personal connection tо the Internet. It allows you to
exchange messages with people all over the world. It can include text,
pictures, and even audio and animation.
When you set up an account with an ISP, you are given а unique
address and anyone can send you e-mail. The mail you receive is stored on
the server of your ISP until you next connect and download it to your hard
disk.

Web browsers
The Web is а hypertext-based system where you can find news, pic-

89
tures, games, online shopping, virtual museums, electronic magazines — any
topic you can imagine.
You navigate through the Web using а program called а 'browser', which
allows you to search and print Web pages. You can also click on keywords or
buttons that take you to other destinations on the net. This is possible
because browsers understand hypertext markup language (НТМЕ), а set of
commands that indicate how а Web page is formatted and displayed.

IRC, audio and video chatting

IRC — Internet relay chat — is а system for real-time (usually typed)
conversation. It's easy tо use. To start а chat session you run an IRC
program, which connects you to an IRC server — а computer dedicated to
IRC. Then you join а channel, which connects you to а single chat area. Next
you type а message and the other participants can see it.
Internet telephone and video chatting are based on IRC protocols.
Videoconferencing 4 programs enable users to talk to and see each other,
and collaborate. They are used in intranets — company networks that use
Internet software but make their Web site accessible only to employees and
authorized users.

FTP and Telnet

With FTP software you can сору programs, games, images and sounds from
the hard disk of а remote computer to your hard disk. Today this utility is built
into Web browsers.
А Telnet program is used to log directly into remote computer systems. This
enables you tо run programs kept on them and edit files directly.

Newsgroups
Newsgroups are the public discussion areas which make up а system called
'Usenet'. The contents of the newsgroups are contributed by people who
send articles (messages) or respond to articles. They are classified into

90
categories: comp (computers), misc (miscellaneous), news (news), rec
(recreation), soc (society), sci (science), talk and alt (alternative).

B Read the text again and choose the right answer.

1 An Internet service provider (ISP) is
а) а program that connects you to the Internet.
b) а company that gives you access to the Internet.
2 HTML is
а) the software which allows you to fetch and see Web pages.
b) the codes used to create hypertext documents for the Web.
3 An IRC channel is
а) an IRC discussion area.
b) а computer system dedicated to IRC.
4 Usenet is
а) big system of public discussion groups.
b) а newsgroup.
5 An intranet is
а) like а small version of the Internet inside а company.
b) а commercial online service.

Exercise 3. Speaking.
A Ask your partner these questions.

1 What web site do you visit to chat with friends?

2 Which chat channels are you interested in?
3 Do you talk with strangers during web chats?
4 Do you use your real name or а nickname?
5 How long do you usually spend at the terminal?

91
B Imagine you are taking part in an IRC session with а friend. Complete
the dialogue. Then act out the conversation.

mIRC for Windows is a typical Internet relay chat program.

You can get it at http://www.mirc.co.uk/

Exercise 4. А typical web page

A The picture below illustrates а typical web page. Look at the HELP box
and then find the following features in the picture:
1 URL address
2. Basic functions of the toolbar:
а) go to the home page
b) retrace your steps
с) go forward one page
d) interrupt the current transfer
е) update а page
f) find words within а page
g) load and display the page's images
3 Clickable image link
4 Clickable hypertext link

92
 HELP bох
 URL: uniform resource locator, the address of а file on the Internet. А
URL looks like this: http://www.netscape.corn/
— 'http://' means hypertext transfer protocol and tells the program to
look for а web page
— 'www' means World Wide Web
— 'netscape.com' is the domain name and tells people that it is а
commercial enterprise
 navigation buttons: buttons on the toolbar which allow you to go back or
forward to other web pages. You can also return to your start-up page or
stop the transfer when the circuits are busy
 links: shortcuts (underlined text or images) that, when clicked, take you to
other web pages
 security on the Web: just а few websites are secure. When the page is
not encrypted, the security lock is open

A sample screen from Netscape Communicator, a leading program for work on the Internet.
http://www.netscape.com/

93
B Have you ever surfed the Web? What are your favourite web sites?
Tell your partner about it.

C Look at these tasks and choose the most suitable Web site from the
cyberlist.
1 Read about environmental problems http://www.yahoo.com/
2 Get news reports http://www.greenpeace.org/
3 Find out about specific hardware and software http://www.ibm.com/
4 Make flight reservations http:/www.gofly.com/
5 Read about films and Hollywood awards http://www.
telegraph.co.uk/
6 Search for web addresses http://www.oscars.org/

Exercise 5. Writing.
А Study the format of the Internet address. Then read the header of the
e-mail below and identify the sender, the recipient and the line that describes
the content. Is there an attached file? How do you say 'attachment' in your
language?

В Write а reply to the e-mail message.

94
A sample screen from Eudora, a popular e-mail program. Qualcomm’s Eudora is available
at http://www.eudora.com/

UNIT 17 PROGRAMMING AND LANGUAGES

Exercise 1. Can you identify these programming languages?
a b

95
c

Exercise 2. Reading
A Before reading the text, try to fill in the gaps in these sentences.
1. А _______ is a program written in one of the high-level languages.
2. A program written in one of the high-level languages must be interpreted
into _______ before the computer will read and process it.
3. А program designed to perform а specific task is called an _______.
4. The _______ or _______ is the program produced when the original
program has been converted into machine code.
5. A _______ is а program that converts а high-level language into machine
code.
6. The systems program which fetches required systems routines and links
them to the object module is known as the _______.
7. The _______ is the program directly executable by the computer.

B Now read the text to check your answers.

Programs and programming languages

Computers can deal with different kinds of problems if they are given
the right instructions for what to do. Instructions are first written in one of the
high-level languages, е.g. FORTRAN, COBOL, ALGOL, PL/I, PASCAL,
BASIC, or С, depending on the type of problem to be solved. А program
written in one of these languages is often called а source program, and it
cannot be directly processed by the computer until it has been compiled,

96
which means interpreted into machine code. Usually а single instruction
written in а high-level language, when transformed into machine code, results
in several instructions. Неге is а brief description of some of the many high-
level languages:

FORTRAN acronym for FORmula TRANslation. This language is used for

solving scientific and mathematical problems. It consists of algebraic formulae
and English phrases. It was first introduced in the United States in 1954.

COBOL acronym for COmmon Business-Oriented Language. This language

is used for commercial purposes. COBOL, which is written using English
statements, deals with problems that do not involve а lot of mathematical
calculations. It was first introduced in 1959.

ALGOL acronym for ALGOrithmic Language. Originally called IAL, which

means International Algebraic Language. It is used for mathematical and
scientific purposes. ALGOL was first introduced in Europe in 1960.

PL/I Programming Language I. Developed in 1964 to combine features of

COBOL and ALGOL. Consequently, it is used for data processing as well as
scientific applications.

BASIC acronym for Beginner’s All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code.

Developed in 1965 at Dartmouth College in the United States for use by
students who require а simple language to begin programming.

С developed in the 1970s to support the UNIX operating system. С is а highly

portable general-purpose language.

Other such languages are АРL (developed in 1962), PASCAL (named after
Blaise Pascal and developed in 1971), and LISP and PROLOG, both of
which are used for work in artificial intelligence. LOGO is а development of

97
LISP which has been used to develop computer-based training (СВТ)
packages.
When а program written in one of these high-level languages is
designed to do а specific type of work such as calculate а company's payroll
or calculate the stress factor on а roof, it is called an applications program.
Institutions either purchase these programs as packages or commission their
own programmers to write them to meet the specifications of the users.
The program produced after the source program has been converted
into machine code is referred to as an object program or object module. This
is done by а computer program called the compiler, which is unique for each
computer. Consequently, а computer needs its own compiler for the various
high-level languages if it is expected to accept programs written in those
languages. For example, in order that an IВМ RS/6000 may process а
program in FORTRAN, it needs to have а compiler that would understand
that particular model and the FORTRAN language as well.
The compiler is а systems program which may be written in any
language, but the computer's operating system is а true systems program
which controls the central processing unit (CPU), the input, the output, and
the secondary memory devices. Another systems program is the linkage
editor, which fetches required systems routines and links them to the object
module (the source program in machine code). The resulting program is then
called the load module, which is the program directly executable by the
computer. Although systems programs are part of the software, they are
usually provided by the manufacturer of the machine.
Unlike systems programs. software packages are sold by various
vendors and not necessarily by the computer manufacturer. They are а set of
programs designed to perform certain applications which conform to the
particular specifications of the user. Payroll [list of employees and the amount
of money to be paid to each of them] is an example of such а package which
allows the user to input data — hours worked, pay rates, special deductions,

98
names of employees — and get salary calculations as output. These
packages are coded in machine language (0s and 1s) on magnetic tapes or
disks which can be purchased, leased, or rented by users who choose the
package that most closely corresponds to their needs.

Exercise 3. These are answers to questions about the text. Write the
questions.

1. No, it is quite wordy so it is used for commercial purposes.

2. To support the UNIX operating system.
3. An applications program.
4. It is done by the compiler.
5. It fetches required systems routines and links them to the object module.
6. No, they are also sold by other vendors.

Exercise 4. Summarize the information on different high-level computer

languages by completing the table below.

Language Developed Function Characteristic

FORTRAN

1959

Mathematical and
scientific purposes
Combines features of
COBOL and ALGOL
BASIC

To support Unix operating

system
1962

99
Exercise 5. Choose the correct word to complete each sentence. You
may have to change some words slightly.

1 instruction, instruct, instructed, instructor

a. Our maths _______ explained to us the principles of binary arithmetic .
b. We were _______ to document our programs very carefully.
c. Both _______ and data have to be changed to machine code before the
computer can operate on them.

2 compilation, compiler, compile, compiled

a. Our university computer does not have a РАSСАL _______.
b. Usually, а programmer _______ his program before he puts in the data.
c. А source program cannot be directly processed by the computer until it
has been _______.

3 result, results, resulting

a. The linkage editor links systems routines to the object module. The
_______ program, referred to as the load module, is directly executable by
the computer.
b. The _______ of these mathematical operations were obtained from the
university mainframe and not from my micro.

4 specification, specify, specific, specified, specifically

a. Our company bought three packages with very _______ applications:
рауroll, accounts receivable, and accounts payable.
b. An applications program is designed to do а _______ type of work, such
as calculating the stress factor оf а roof.
c. Did the analyst give the new programmer the _______ necessary to start
on the project?

100
Exercise 6. Reading.
A Read the program and the text below, then complete the sentences
which follow.
/* CALCULATE AVERAGES */
main( )
{
float а,b,с,d, average;

printf("Enter three numbers:");

scanf ("%f %f, %f ,&a, &b, &c);
d=a+b+c;
average = d/3. 0;
printf(“The average is %f”, average);
}

Comment Lines
А С source program consists of statements and comment lines. Comment
lines are enclosed by the characters /* (at the start of thе comment) and */ (at
the end of the comment).

The Function main{ }

Every С program must have a function called main which must аррeаr only
once in a program. The parentheses following the word main must bе
present, but there must be no parentheses included. The main part of the
program is enclosed within braces { }, and consists declaration statements,
assignment statements, and other С functions. In the above program there
are six statements within the braces: а declaration statement (the first
statement of the main program starting with the word float), two assignment
statements (the fourth and fifth statements starting with the variable names d
and average), and three function statements, two to print information on the
screen and one to scan the keyboard for input.
As С is а free form language, the semicolon (;) at the end of each line is
а must. It acts as а statement terminator, telling the compiler where an
instruction ends. Free form means that statements can be identified and

101
blank lines inserted in the source file to improve readability, and statements
can span several lines. However, each statement must be terminated with а
semicolon. If you forget to include the semicolon, the compiler will produce an
error, indicating the next line as the source of the error. This can cause some
confusion, as the statement objected to can be correct, yet as а syntax error
is produced.

Variables and the Declaration Statement

А variable is а quantity that is referred to by name, such as а, b, с, d, and
average in the above program. А variable can take on many values during
program execution, but you must make sure that they are given an initial
value, as С does not do so automatically. However, before variables can be
used in а program, they must be declared in а type declaration statement.

1. The Function _______ must appear only once in а program.

2. /* CALCULATE AVERAGES */ is а _______ line.
3. The statement float а,b,c,d,average; is а _______ statement.
4. The program below contains _______ function statements.
5. The assignment statements are on lines _______ and _______.
6. The main part of the program is enclosed within _______.
7. Each line of any С program must end with а _______, which acts as а
statement _______.
8. If you forget to include the correct punctuation, the _______ will produce
a _______ error.
9. А quantity referred to by name is known as а _______.
10. А _______ _______ statement must be used to declare variables.

B Find words in the text which mean:

1. brackets 4. recognised
2. not fixed 5. completed
3. systematically check 6. starting

102
Exercise 7. The table below shows С's relational operators. Fill the
gaps in the table.
С symbol Meaning
== equal tо
<
equal to or less than
>
>=
!=

Exercise 8. Using the completed table from Exercise 7, write sentences

to illustrate the following:
1. a! = b 4. a >= b
2. a > b 5. a < b
3. a <= b 6. a = = b

Exercise 9. Read the statements below. Which do you agree with more?
Why?
'Learning а programming language is like learning any natural language. The
only difference is that you are communicating with а machine instead of
another person.'

'I get annoyed when I hear people comparing programming languages with
natural languages. They have almost nothing in common.'

Exercise 10. Word-play

Solve the anagrams in the right-hand column and match them with the words
in the left-hand column to complete the phrases.

103
The first one is done for you.

1. high-level a. mestnttae
2. machine b. thirmacite
3. systems c. peat
4. object d. taporeo
5. linkage e. omelud
6. magnetic f. egguanal language
7. binary g. trodite
8. declaration h. deco
9. comment i. enil
10. relational j. nituroe

UNIT 18 COMPUTER NETWORKS

Exercise 1. Try to answer these questions.

1 What is а LAN?
2 What is а WAN?
3 What is а distributed system?

Exercise 2. Reading.

A Before reading the text, match these words and phrases with their
definitions.
1 protocol а. analyze the syntax of а string of input symbols
2 bulletin board b. a teleconferencing system allowing users to
read messages left by other users
3 user interface с. agreement governing the procedures used to
exchange information between co-operating
computers

104
4 make а query d. means of communication between а human user
and а computer system
5 parse е. taking place at exactly the same time as
something else
6 synchronous f. request а search

B Read quickly through the text below, then match each paragraph with
the appropriate summary.
a. Network uses, past and present
b. How distributed systems work
c. Networks and the future
d. What networks are and how they operate
e. The growth of networks, past and present

Computer networks
(1) Computer networks link computers by communication lines and software
protocols, allowing data to be exchanged rapidly and reliably. Traditionally,
networks have been split between wide area networks (WANs) and local area
networks (LANs). А WAN is а network connected over long-distance
telephone lines, and а LAN is а localized network usually in one building or а
group of buildings close together. The distinction, however, is becoming
blurred. It is now possible to connect up LANs remotely over telephone links
so that they look as though they are а single LAM.

(2) Originally, networks were used to provide terminal access to another

computer and to transfer files between computers. Today, networks carry е-
mail, provide access to public databases and bulletin boards, and are
beginning to be used for distributed systems. Networks also allow users in
one locality to share expensive resources, such as printers and disk-systems.

105
(3) Distributed computer systems are built using networked computers that
со-operate to perform tasks. In this environment each part of the networked
system does what it is best at. The high-quality bit-mapped graphics screen
of а personal computer or workstation provides а good user interface. The
mainframe, on the other hand, can handle large numbers of queries and
return the results to the users. In а distribute environment, а user might use
his PC to make а query against а central database. The PC passes the
query, written in а special language (е.g. Structured Query Language —
SQL), to the mainframe, which then parses the query, returning to the user
only the data requested. The user might then use his PC to draw graphs
based on the data. By passing back to the user's PC only the specific
information requested, network traffic is reduced. If the whole file were
transmitted, the PC would then have to perform the query itself, reducing the
efficiency of both network and PC.

(4) In the 1980s, at least 100,000 LANs were set up in laboratories and
offices around the world. During the early part of this decade, synchronous
orbit satellites lowered the price of long-distance telephone calls, enabling
computer data and television signals to be distributed more cheaply around
the world. Since then, fibre-optic cable has been installed on а large scale,
enabling vast amounts of data to be transmitted at а very high speed using
light signals.

(5) The impact of fibre optics will be considerably to reduce the price of
network access. Global communication and computer networks will become
more and more а part of professional and personal lives as the price of
microcomputers and network access drops. At the same time, distributed
computer networks should improve our work environments and technical
abilities.

C Read this summary of the text and fill in the gaps using the list of words below.

106
distinction fibre-optic protocols synchronous
distributed systems LANs queries workstations
environments parses screen handling

Computer networks link computers locally or by external communication lines

and software 1_______, allowing data to be exchanged rapidly and reliably.
The 2_______ between local area and wide area networks is, however,
becoming unclear. Networks are being used to perform increasingly diverse
tasks, such as carrying e-mail, providing access to public databases, and for
3_______. Networks also allow users in one locality to share resources.
Distributed systems use networked computers. PCs or 4_______
provide the user 5_______. Mainframes process 6_______and return the
results to the users. А user at his PC might make а query against а central
database. The PC passes the query, written in а special language, to the
mainframe, which then 7_______ the query, returning to the user only the
data requested. This allows both the network and the individual PC to operate
efficiently.
In the1980s, at least 100,000 8_______ were set up world-wide. As
9_______ orbit satellites have lowered the price of long-distance telephone
calls, data can be transmitted more cheaply. In addition, 10_______ cable
has been installed on a large scale, enabling vast amounts of data to be
transmitted at a very high speed using light signal. This will considerably
reduce the price of network access, making global networks more and more а
part of our professional and personal lives. Networks should also improve our
work 11_______ and technical abilities.

107
Exercise 3. Look back in the text from Exercise 2 and find words that
have a similar meaning to:
1. unclear 4. cost
2. place 5. world-wide
3. carry out

Now look back in the text and find words that have an opposite meaning to:
1. disparate 4. tiny
2. conflict v 5. increase
3. preventing

Exercise 4. Reading

A Read the following texts. Match each text with the correct illustration.

Network configurations
a b

c d

108
1 Star
In the star configuration, the central computer performs all processing and
control functions. All access devices are linked directly to the central
computer. The star configuration has two major limitations. First of all, the
remote devices are unable to communicate directly. Instead, they must
communicate via the central computer only. Secondly, the star network is
very susceptible to failure, either in the central computer or the transmission
links.

2 Switched
The central switch, which could be а telephone exchange, is used to connect
different devices on the network directly. Once the link is established, the two
devices communicate as though they were directly linked without interference
from any other device. At the end of the session, the connection is closed,
freeing capacity for other users and allowing access to other devices. Multiple
switches can be used to create alternative transmission routes.

3 Ring
Each device is attached to а network shaped as а continuous loop. Data
proceeds in only one direction and at а constant speed round the loop.
Devices may send information only when they are in control of the 'token'.
The token is а package of data which indicates which device has control. The
receiving device picks up the token, then clears it for another's use once it
has received the message. Only one device may send data at any given
moment, and each device must be working for the network to function.

4 Bus/Ethernet
А bus network consists of one piece of cable terminated at each end to which
all devices are connected. In а bus-based network, each device is able to
broadcast a message when it has detected silence for a fixed period of time.
All devices receive the broadcast and determine from the content of the
message whether it was intended for them. The only problem occurs when

109
two devices try to send at the same time. When а sending device detects
another's transmission, it aborts its own.

B These are answers to questions about the texts. Write the questions.
1. To connect different devices on the network directly.
2. No, it goes in only one direction round the loop.
3. No, only one device may send data at any given moment.
4. From the content of the massage.
5. It cancels its own transmission

C Which of the network configurations does this flowchart refer to?

Exercise 5. The columns below describe characteristics of the bus and

ring configurations. Which column refers to which configuration? How did you
decide?
a b
varied time response calculable time response
easy expansion difficult reconfiguration
fault-tolerant fault-intolerant

110
simple more complex
Exercise 6. Speaking.

Work in pairs. А and В, using the information in the advertisement opposite.

Prepare the role-play in advance and try not to refer to the advertisement
during the activity.

Student А: You are а customer interested in the Netplan Eazy Kit. Before
deciding whether to buy it ask questions to find out:
1. what you need in order to use the Netplan Eazy Kit.
2. the total number of PCs you can run on it.
3. the cost of adding additional PCs.
4. how difficult it is to install.
5. what software it runs.
6. the other features offered.

Student В: You represent the makers of the Netplan Eazy Kit. Make notes
about the features of the product. Answer any questions and try to encourage
the customer to buy it.

Netplan Eazy Kit

from as little as £215
This is not the only way to share software.
If your idea of sharing software is looking over а colleague's shoulder, then Netplan may
have the ideal solution. To benefit from а network you only need two PCs.
The Netplan Eazy Kit costs just £215 and gives you all the hardware, software, and
cabling you need to link two PCs, And for £100 per PC you can extend the network to up
to six users. With Netplan Eazy even the smallest business can save time, money, and
effort.

111
Extra efficiency It's so Eazy
The Netplan Eazy Kit allows PCs to share If you can use а screwdriver, you can install
the same data and software without having Netplan Eazy yourself. That's all it takes.
to copy and transfer disks. So whether And once installed, it runs on all popular
you're dealing with customer enquiries or software.
updating accounts, you can do it from the We also offer our customers unlimited
same machine. You can even send access to our Freephone Helpline as part of
messages from one PC to another by e-mail. the package. So why wait? Contact your
Netplan Eazy will also save you money on nearest Netplan dealer today. Details are on
expensive resources like printers. the back cover of this magazine.

UNIT 19 COMPUTER VIRUSES

Exercise 1. Try to answer these questions.
1. What is а computer virus?
2. How does а virus work?

Exercise 2. Reading
A Before reading the text, match the words and definitions listed below.
1. а detonator а. а protective device
2. an infector b. to remove all traces of something
3. to boot c. а device used to set off an explosion or other
destructive process
4. to trigger d. to discover or recognize that something is present
5. to erase е. to set а process in motion
6. pirated f. something which transmits а disease or virus
7. а shield g. stolen, obtained without the owner's consent
8. to detect h. to load the operating system into memory

B Now read the text to check your answers to task A.

How computer viruses work

А computer virus — an unwanted program that has entered your system
without you knowing about it — has two parts, which I’ll саll the infector and
the detonator. They have two very different jobs. One of the features of а

112
computer virus that separates it from other kinds of computer program is that
it replicates itself, so that it can spread (via floppies transported from
computer to computer, or networks) to other computers.
After the infector has copied the virus elsewhere, the detonator
performs the virus's main work. Generally, that work is either damaging data
on your disks, altering what you see on your computer display, or doing
something else that interferes with the normal use of your computer.
Here is an example of а simple virus, the Lehigh virus. The infector portion of
Lehigh replicates by attaching а copy of itself to COMMAND.СОМ (an
important part of DOS), enlarging it by about 1000 bytes.
So let's say you put а floppy containing COMMAND.COM into an
infected PC at your office— that is, а PC that is running the Lehigh program.
The infector portion of Lehigh looks over DOS's shoulder, monitoring all
floppy accesses. The first time you tell the infected PC to access your floppy
drive, the Lehigh infector notices the copy of COMMAND.СОМ on the floppy
and adds а copy of itself to that file.
Then you take the floppy home to your PC and boot from the floppy. (In
this case, you've got to boot from the floppy in order for the virus to take
effect, since you may have many copies of COMMAND.COM on your hard
and floppy disks, but DOS only uses the COMMAND.COM on the boot drive.)
Now the virus has silently and instantly been installed in your PC's
memory. Every time you access а hard disk subdirectory or а floppy disk
containing COMMAND.COM, the virus sees that file and infects it, in the hope
that this particular COMMAND.COM will be used on а boot disk on some
computer someday.
Meanwhile, Lehigh keeps а count of infections. Once it has infected four
copies of COMMAND.СОМ, the detonator is triggered. The detonator in
Lehigh is а simple one. It erases а vital part of your hard disk, making the files
on that part of the disk no longer accessible. You grumble and set about

113
rebuilding your work, unaware that Lehigh is waiting to infect other
unsuspecting computers if you boot from one of those four infected floppies.
Don’t worry too much about viruses. You may never see one. There are
just а few ways to become infected that you should be aware of. The sources
seem is to be service people, pirated games, putting floppies in publicly
available PCs without write-protect tabs, commercial software (rarely), and
software distributed over computer bulletin board systems (also quite rarely,
despite media misinformation).
Many viruses have spread through pirated — illegally copied or broken
— games. This is easy to avoid. Pay for your games, fair and square
[honestly].
If you use а shared PC or а PC that has public access, such as one in а
college PC lab or a library, be very careful about putting floppies into that
РС's drives without а write-protect tab. Carry а virus-checking program and
scan the PC before letting it write data onto floppies.
Despite the low incidence of actual viruses, it can't hurt [it’s probably a
good idea] to run а virus checking program now and then. There are actually
two kinds of antivirus programs: virus shields, which detect viruses as they
are infecting your PC, and virus scanners, which detect viruses once they've
infected you.
Viruses are something to worry about, but not а lot. А little common
sense and the occasional virus scan will keep you virus-free.
Remember these four points:
 Viruses can't infect а data or text file.
 Before running an antivirus program, be sure to cold-boot from а write-
protected floppy.
 Don't boot from floppies except reliable DOS disks or your original
production disks.
 Stay away from pirated software.

114
C Decide whether the following statements are true (Т) or false (F) in
relation to the information in the text. If you feel а statement is false, change it
to make if true.

1. Viruses cannot be spread through а computer network, only via floppies,

transported from computer to computer.
2. The virus will spread as soon as you put the infected floppy in your PC.
3. The infector works by interfering in some way with the normal use of your
computer.
4. The detonator in Lehigh works by altering what you see on your screen.
5. Most viruses spread through pirated games.
6. You should run an antivirus program every time you use your computer.
7. There are not very many viruses in circulation.
8. Virus shields are more effective than virus scanners.

D These are answers to questions about the text. Write the questions.

1. Two, one that infects and one that does the damage.
2. By interfering in some way with the normal use of the computer.
3. After it has infected four copies of COMMAND.COM.
4. Every time you access а hard disk subdirectory or а floppy disk
containing COMMAND. COM.
5. Yes, by using your common sense and by occasionally scanning for
them.

Exercise 3. Look back in the text and find words or phrases with a similar
meaning to:
1. reproduces 4. immediately
2. infect 5. complain
3. changing

115
Now find words or phrases with an opposite meaning to:
1. reducing 4. ignorant
2. removed 5. frequently
3. records

116
Exercise 4. Read the advertisement.

A Below the advertisement there is the flowchart which represents the

steps in the process by which AllSafe removes viruses from PCs. Using the
information in the advertisement, match each step with the corresponding
letter in the flowchart.

117
1. Virus signature database is updated.
2. Is virus known?
3. AllSafe scans other disks or systems in order to prevent
further infection immediately.
4. AllSafe searches for indications that viruses are
attempting to copy themselves.
5. AllSafe identifies and isolates the virus.
6. AllSafe eliminates the known virus.
7. AllSafe analyses the virus and learns its signature
straight away.

B Find words or phrases in the text which mean:

1. wickedness, badness, danger
2. hides (while waiting to attack)
3. causing а lot of damage
4. people who interfere without authorization
5. terrify, make very afraid
6. combines
7. identified, recognized
8. frightening
9. choices
10. attackers

Exercise 5. Do you know that…

Computer viruses are often called ‘bugs’. This term has a very amusing origin: It
came from the world’s first computer – the Mark 1 – a room-size maze of
electromechanical circuits built in 1944 in a lab at Harvard University. The
computer developed a glitch one day, and no one was able to locate the cause.
After hours of searching, a lab assistant finally spotted the problem. It seemed a
moth had landed on one of the computer’s circuit boards and shorted it out.
From that moment on, computer glitches were referred to as bugs.

118
 UNIT 20 COMPUTERS IN THE OFFICE
Exercise 1. Reading.
A Before reading the text, try to decide which of the following definitions
best describes а management information system:

a. а system for supplying information to management

b. а system for managing information
c. а system which supplies information about management

B Decide whether these statements are true or false, then read the
passage to check your answers.

1. All businesses are interested in more or less the same information,

regardless of the nature of their operations.
2. The managing director of а company needs а lot more detailed
information about the day-to-day operations than his executives do.
3. Functional management require up-to-the-minute information so that they
can take action to control events as they happen.
4. Information systems are usually computerized.
5. Transaction processing systems are usually the first systems to be
installed.

Information systems
The objective of information systems is to provide information to all levels of
management at the most relevant time, at an acceptable level of accuracy,
and at an economical cost.
Individual businesses require information according tо the nature of
their operations. А car manufacturer is particularly interested in the extent of
competition from overseas manufacturers in the home market and
competition from other home-based manufacturers. А tour operator is

119
concerned about purchasing power and its effect on holiday bookings and the
political situation prevailing in the various countries.
As a general guide, the detail contained in reports containing
information varies according to the position of the recipient in the hierarchical
management structure. The chairman and managing director of а company
require details of operations which are broad in scope and which concentrate
on key factors pinpointing economic and financial trends. Functional
management require information relating to the departments they are
responsible for in sufficient detail tо enable them to apply whatever measures
are required to bring situations into line with requirements. They require
information relating to events as they occur so that appropriate action can be
taken to control them.
Information systems are often computerized because of the need to
respond quickly and flexibly to queries. At the bottom level in the information
hierarchy are the transaction processing systems, which capture and process
internal information, such as sales, production, and stock data. These
produce the working documents of the business, such as invoices and
statements. Typically, these are the first systems which а company will install.
Above the transaction-level systems are the decision support systems. These
take external information— market trends and other external financial data —
and processed internal information, such as sales trends. to produce strategic
plans, forecasts, and budgets. Often such systems are put together with РС
spreadsheets and other unconnected tools. Management information
systems lie at the top of the hierarchy of information needs. The MIS takes
the plans and information from the transaction-level systems to monitor the
performance of the business as а whole. This provides feedback to aid
strategic planning, forecasting, and/or budgeting, which in turn affects what
happens at the transactional level.

C Draw а diagram to show how information is processed by information

systems, as described in the last paragraph. Your diagram should show the

120
hierarchy of systems and should include examples of the kind information
involved at each stage in the process. Use arrows (→) to indicate the flow of
information.

Exercise 2. The electronic office.

In this passage about the use of computers in business you must fill each
blank with one word. Choose each word from the following list.
You must use each word once only.

accurate graphics records retrieve

publishing networking memory back-up
on-line display peripherals printer
transactions drive supplies components

Using Computers
Computers are being used more and more in business because they are fast,
efficient and 1_______.

Here are some ways in which computers are used:

Insurance companies use them to store and 2_______ details of clients’
policies.

Production departments in companies use them to ensure they have

adequate 3_______ of raw materials and 4_______.
Banks use them for processing details of accounts and 5_______.
Personnel departments use them to keep 6_______ of a company’s
employees.

For the most part, the computers, software, and 7_______ that are needed
depend on individual needs. For instance, if you’re an architect you may want
a system with good 8_______ capability. If a lot of records are to be kept,
then you’ll want ample 9_______, perhaps even a CD-ROM 10_______ for
permanent storage of massive amounts of data. Regular disks can then be

121
used for 11_______ copies. For desktop 12_______, you may want a monitor
with a full-page 13_______ and a high-quality laser 14_______. If quality
printing is not so important, then a cheaper ink-jet or even cheaper dot-matrix
printer may be more suitable.

If you’re in a business where you need to do a lot of 15_______, then maybe

you should consider a modem, so you can communicate with other
computers 16_______.

Exercise 3. Read the following text and answer the questions which
follow.
Information Technology (IT)
The microchip revolution is having a huge impact on modern business. While
the advent of completely automated (robotized) production systems is
producing legions of unemployed workers, people at work are most likely to
come into contact with microelectronics through the medium of ‘information
technology’.
Information technology (IT) covers a wide range of operations based on
a combination of computing and telecommunications techniques. It includes
the compilation of information in the form of data banks and the material,
which may be textual, numeric, pictorial or even vocal can be processed and
stored until retrieval is required.
In the past, information management involved massive dependence on
paper, but today tiny electronic pulses are stored on floppy disks. Although
modern discs have an incredible capacity, newer and even more compact
devices are being developed.
The earliest forms of computers were so-called mainframe computers,
programmed electronic machines capable of processing almost limitless
amounts of routine data and making complex calculations repetitively,
speedily and accurately.

122
 Microelectronics involves the design, application and production of very
small electronic devices containing many miniaturized components.
Microcomputers are obviously much smaller in size than the mainframe
computers. They are also cheaper and more flexible in operation. A
substantial range of software programs are on offer to perform many of the
key office functions such as accounting, stock control and word processing.
The other branch of information technology is telecommunications,
which covers the transmission of information by electronic cables (telephone
and telegraph or radio waves. Fibre optics (very fine strands of glass)
transmitting high speed pulses of light are replacing the old-fashioned,
conventional copper cables and allow many thousands more telephone calls
to be made. Using microwave transmissions, static space satellites are also
revolutionizing international communication.
Perhaps the example of the new concepts with which we are most
familiar in the infra-red system which we use to operate our television sets by
remote control.

1. What benefits as an individual do you expect from the increasing use of

computers in our society?
2. What do you see as the major problem arising from the increasing use of
computers? For example, do you think they depersonalize work? What
dangers do you see with respect to possible computer frauds? Do you
see any military implications?
3. Do you think the microchip revolution has created unemployment? If so,
what do you see as an answer to the problem? Shorter working weeks?
Work sharing? Earlier retirement?
4. How do you think satellite communications can be useful to:
a. multinational corporations
b. companies providing information on world events for newspapers
and television news and entertainment
c. educational establishments?

123
Exercise 4. The following sentences relate to various aspects of IT. There
are words missing from each statement. Choose the appropriate word for
each sentence.
1. The future development of word-wide integrated networks for funds
transmission _______ difficult questions of security both for the network
itself and the customer using it.
a. raise b. raises c. raised
2. The _______ in digital technology are providing a boost for the
reprographics industry, enabling companies to produce higher quality
business forms and documents rapidly on desktop publishing systems.
a. advances b. research c. researches
3. The processor, memory and electronic controls for the periphery equipment
for a microcomputer are _______ put together on a printed circuit board.
a. seldom b. usually c. always
4. The trend in software is towards integrated systems where a number of
different products from a software _______ are designed to work in a
single system.
a. purchaser b. user c. manufacturer
5. When data needs to be saved for an _______ period of time it is stored
on magnetic tapes or magnetic disks.
a. extend b. short c. long
6. Sorting is the _______ of data into a pre-determined sequence to assist
further processing, and the most common sorting sequences are
numerical and alphabetical.
a. collection b. arrangement c. disposal
7. A local area network (LAN) is a system of interconnecting
microcomputers over a small geographical area, _______ within a few
hundred metres.
a. typically b. occasionally c. specifically

124
8. Wide area networks (WANs) operate on a wide geographical scale and,
since they send data over telecommunications links, they need modems
which _______ digital form data into wave form.
a. modify b. convert c. define
9. A timesharing system is a multi-user/multi-access system in which many
users have _______ access to the computer for their own data
processing requirements.
a. immediate b. continuous c. simultaneous
10. A real time system is one in which data is received and processed and
results are transmitted _______ enough for the data to be capable of
influencing the sources of data (for example, air traffic control, airline
bookings and process control).
a. accurately b. rapidly c. slowly

Exercise 5. Link each statement (1-) with a purpose (a-j).

1. Application programs are designed for general use

2. Custom programs are written for the user
3. A program library is often kept in backing store
4. A word processor justifies each line of text
5. A high resolution monitor is used
6. A graphics terminal includes a lightpen
7. A computer is often leased rather than bought
8. The functions of programmers are
9. The keyboard of a computer is used
10. Dual-density characters are introduced

125
a. to produce detailed graphics.
b. to provide easy access to a range of programs.
c. so user can ‘draw’ on the screen.
d. to prepare, test and document computer programs.
e. so they can be used in many different situations.
f. as an economy measure.
g. to distinguish diverse values or features.
h. to suit a particular situation.
i. to input data.
j. to form a straight edge.

Exercise 6. Match the words from the box with their definitions.

byte chip flowcharts cursor off-line

spreadsheet algorithm on-line bugs digital
floppy track user screen access

1. Very light, flexible, plastic diskettes usually used with microcomputers.

2. The channels of a magnetic tape on which information is recorded.
3. Another word for program errors.
4. A sequence of steps or instructions used to solve a problem, as in a
program.
5. This is the individual operating the computer.
6. When the computer system operates independently of the central
processing unit.
7. A group of eighty binary digits considered as a single unit. In other words,
eight bits make one of these.
8. This type of computer works by counting, and data is represented by
combinations of discrete electronic pulses.
9. This is the display unit on which the data and/or graphics appear.
10. To retrieve information which is on tape or disk.

126
11. A piece of silicon on which several layers of an integrated circuit have
been etched.
12. An arrow or similar marker to show where the next character will go if you
enter data.
13. These are diagrams used to sort out the procedural steps in a program
and as an aid to program construction.
14. When the computer system is connected to the central processing unit.
15. A package used extensively in financial planning, budgeting, forecasting
and other financial modelling.

Exercise 7. Predicting the future.

Read the following text and decide whether you agree with the given
predictions or not. Give reasons.

The future? We’re virtually there!

1949
A computer was as big as a room.

1999
There were 100 million Internet users. A $1,000 computer could do 450
calculations a second.

2019
A $1,000 computer will be able to do a million million calculations a second.
People will still have to use books and paper for some things, but most books
will have been scanned into computers. You will be able to use translating
telephones (where you speak in English and your Japanese friend hears you
in Japanese). Lots of everyday things will have changed. However, people
will still be living in normal houses. Sophisticated forms of art and music may
be created by computers.

127
2029
A $1,000 computer will be as powerful as the human brain. Books will have
almost completely disappeared. Teachers and schools will also have
vanished but you will be able to learn everything you need from computers.
Robots (machines which look and behave like people) will be doing all the
housework. However, they won't be able to have a conversation with you!
You won't be able to drive your car yourself – a robot will do this for you.
Computers will be able to understand human language and respond to it.
People will usually be able to live to over 100.

2039
A $1,000 computer will be able to do the work of approximately 1,000 human
brains. People will no longer have to make robots because smart robots will
be able to make themselves. Everyone will have lots of free time and be able
to do whatever they want. However, many people will prefer talking to and
working with robots to being with other humans. Robots will be more
intelligent than humans.

Now give your own predictions about computers in the future. Will computers
be able to “think” creatively like human beings?

128
Contents
Unit 1 COMPUTER APPLICATIONS 4
UNIT 2 COMPUTER ESSENTIALS 9
UNIT 3 INSIDE THE SYSTEM 13
UNIT 4 BITS AND BITES 19
UNIT 5 MAGNETIC DRIVERS 28
Unit 6 OPTICAL BREAKTHROUGH 34
Unit 7 INPUT / OUTPUT DEVICES 38
UNIT 8 CAPTURE YOUR FAVOURITE IMAGE 42
UNIT 9 VIEWING THE OUTPUT 44
UNIT 10 CHOOSING A PRINTER 50
Unit 11 OPERATING SYSTEMS 55
Unit 12 THE GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACE 61
UNIT 13 A WALK THROUGH WORD PROCESSING 65
UNIT 14 SPREADSHEETS 73
UNIT 15 DATABASES 76
UNIT 16 FACES OF THE INTERNET 84
UNIT 17 PROGRAMMING AND LANGUAGES 92
UNIT 18 COMPUTER NETWORKS 101
UNIT 19 COMPUTER VIRUSES 109
UNIT 20 COMPUTERS IN THE OFFICE 115

129