Computer hardware can be divided into four categories:

1) input hardware

2) processing hardware

3) storage hardware

4) output hardware.

Input hardware

The purpose of the input hardware is to collect data and convert it into a form suitable for computer processing. The most common input device is a keyboard. It looks very much like a typewriter. The mouse is a hand held device connected to the computer by small cable. As the mouse is rolled across the mouse pad, the cursor moves across the screen. When the cursor reaches the desired location, the user usually pushes a button on the mouse once or twice to signal a menu selection or a command to the computer.

The light pen uses a light sensitive photoelectric cell to signal screen position to the computer. Another type of input hardware is optic-electronic scanner that is used to input graphics as well as typeset characters. Microphone and video camera can be also used to input data into the computer. Electronic cameras are becoming very popular among the consumers for their relatively low price and convenience.

Processing hardware

The purpose of processing hardware is retrieve, interpret and direct the execution of software instructions provided to the computer. The most common components of processing hardware are the Central Processing Unit and main memory-

The Central Processing Unit (CPU) is the brain of the computer. It reads and interprets software instructions and coordinates the processing activities that must take place. The design of the CPU affects the processing power and the speed of the computer, as well as the amount of main memory it can use effectively. With a well-designed CPU in your computer, you can perform highly sophisticated tasks in a very short time.

Memory is the system of component of the computer in which information is stored. There are two types of computer memory: RAM and ROM.

RAM (random access memory) is the volatile computer memory, used for creating loading, and running programs and for manipulating and temporarily storing data;

ROM (read only memory) is nonvolatile, non-modifiable computer memory, used to hold programmed instructions to the system.

The more memory you have in your computer, the more operations you can perform.

Storage hardware

The purpose of storage hardware is to store computer instructions and data in a form that is relatively permanent and retrieve when needed for processing. Storage hardware serves the same basic functions as do office filing systems except that it stores data as electromagnetic signals. The most common ways of storing data are Hard disk, floppy disk and CD-ROM.

Hard disk is a rigid disk coated with magnetic material, for storing programs and relatively large amounts of data.

Floppy disk (diskette) — thin, usually flexible plastic disk coated with magnetic material, for storing computer data and programs. There are two formats for floppy disks: 5.25" and 3.5". 5.25" is not used in modern computer systems because of it relatively large size, flexibility and small capacity. 3.5" disks are formatted 1.4 megabytes and are widely used.

CD-ROM (compact disc read only memory) is a compact disc on which a large amount of digitized read-only data can be stored. CD-ROMs are very popular now because of the growing speed which CD-ROM drives can provide nowadays.

Output hardware

The purpose of output hardware is to provide the user with the means to view information produced by the computer system. Information is output in either hardcopy or softcopy form. Hardcopy output can be held in your hand, such as paper with text (word or numbers) or graphics printed on it. Softcopy output is displayed on a monitor.

Monitor is a component with a display screen for viewing computer data, television programs, etc.

Printer is a computer output device that produces a paper copy of data or graphics.

Modem is an example of communication hardware — an electronic device that makes possible the transmission of data to or from computer via telephone or other communication lines.

Hardware comes in many configurations, depending on what the computer system is designed to do. Hardware can fill several floors of a large office building or can fit on your lap.

General understanding:

1. What is the Webster's dictionary definition of the hardware?

2. What groups of hardware could be defined?

3. What is input hardware? What are the examples of input hardware?

4. What is mouse designed for? What is a light pen?

5. What is processing hardware? What are the basic types of memory used in a PC?

6. Can a PC-user change the ROM? Who records the information in ROM?

7. What is storage hardware? What is CD-ROM used for? Can a user record his data on a CD? What kind of storage hardware can contain more information: CD-ROM, RAM or ROM?

8. What is modem used for? Can PC-user communicate with other people without a modem?

Task 6. Which of the listed below statements are true/false. Specify your answer using the text.

1) Computer is an electronic device therefore hardware is a system of electronic devices.

2) The purpose of the input hardware is to collect data and convert it into a form suitable for computer processing.

3) Scanner is used to input graphics only.

4) The purpose of processing hardware is to retrieve, interpret and direct the execution of software instructions provided to the computer.

5) CPU reads and interprets software and prints the results on paper.

6) User is unable to change the contents of ROM.

7) 5.25" floppy disks are used more of ten because they are flexible and have more capacity than 3.5" disks.

5) Printer is a processing hardware because its purpose is to show the information produced by the system.

6) Modem is an electronic device that makes possible the transmission of data from one computer to another via telephone or other communication lines.

7) The purpose of storage hardware is to store computer instructions and data in a form that is relatively permanent and retrieve them when needed for processing.

Task 7. Give definitions to the following using the vocabulary

1) CPU

2) ROM

3) Floppy-disk

4) CD-ROM

5) Printer

6) Modem

7) Motherboard

8) Hard disk

9) Keyboard

10) Sound-card

Task 8. Which of the following is Hardware:

1) program

2) mouse

3) CPU

4) printer

5) modem

6) command

7) port

8) cursor or the pointer

9) keyboard

10) character

Task 9. Match the following:

1. процессор

2. клавиатура

3. мышь

4. дискета

5. «винчестер»

6. модем

7. экран

8. ПЗУ

9. ОЗУ

a) nonvolatile, non-modifiable computer memory, used to hold programmed instructions to the system.

b) the part of a television or computer on which a picture is formed or information is displayed.

c) rigid disk coated with magnetic material, for storing computer programs and relatively large amounts of data.

d) an electronic device that makes possible the transmission of data to or from computer via telephone or other communication lines.

e) a set of keys, usually arranged in tiers, for operating a typewriter, typesetting machine, computer terminal, or the like.

f) volatile computer memory, used for creating, loading, and running programs and for manipulating and temporarily storing data; main memory.

g) central processing unit: the key component of a computer system, containing the circuitry necessary to interpret and execute program instructions.

h) a palm-sized device equipped with one or more buttons, used to point at and select items on a computer display screen and for controlling the cursor by means of analogous movement on a nearby surface.

i) a thin, usually flexible plastic disk coated with magnetic material, for storing computer data and program.

Task 10. Match these pictures of input devices with their names.

joystick- a cursor control input device with an upright arm. It is commonly used for controlling fast moving objects in computer games.

trackerball- a cursor control input device that has a ball on top that is moved by the user’s finger.

barcode reader- an optical input device that uses the reflection of a light beam to read barcode labels.

scanner- an optical input device that uses the reflection of light to copy text or graphics into a computer.

graphics tablet- graphical input device that tracks the movement of a stylus across a flat surface.

touchscreen- an input device in the form of a monitor screen that responds when touched by the user.

digital camera- an input device for taking pictures that has an electronic lens and uses electronics for storing the images rather than chemical film.

microphone- an input device used for sound .

Task 11. Each text describes one of these devices: trackerball, joystick, lightpen, scanner. Identify the devices each text describes.

INPUT DEVICES

1. A is another input device you can connect to a computer system. The is able to move in eight directions. s are mostly used in computer games to control the way a picture on the screen moves. Sometimes two s are connected to a computer so two people can play the game at the same time.

2. A works in exactly the same way as a mouse, except that the ball is on top. The user rolls the ball around with her hand to operate it. If you use a , you don’t need any extra space on your desk to move it around (like you do with a mouse). __________ s are often used on small portable computers and on some video game machines.

3. A ___________ can be used to draw pictures directly on to a computer screen or to read the patter on a barcode. A _________ that can read barcode detects the difference between the light reflected from a black barcode line and its lighter background.

4. Using a _________ , you can input printed drawings, photographs, or text directly into a computer. A _________ works like a photocopier- a light is shone on the material and the ________ detects the reflected light. You can use a __________ with optical character recognition (OCR) software to input the scanned text into a word processing package.

Task 12. Match each device (1-7) with its use (a-g)

Device Use

1 joystick a draw pictures on to a computer screen

2 lightpen b copy documents

3 scanner c input sound

4 digital camera d input text

5 mouse e select from a menu

6 keyboard f move the cursor rapidly

7 microphone g produce photos without films

Task 13. Read and translate the text.

OUTPUT DEVICES. PRINTERS.

There are many different types of printer. These include inkjet, mono laser and dye sublimation printer. Basically, you get what you pay for. The more you pay, the better the computer.

Inkjet printers are the cheapest, but the print quality is not good as the other two types of printer. They are expensive to run compared to mono laser printers, but are able to print in colour. Inkjets are the noisiest of the three types of printer.

Mono laser printers are more expensive than inkjet printers but give you a better quality of black and white output. They cannot print in colour, but are the fastest type of printer and cost the least to run.

Dye sublimation printers are the most expensive type of printer, but their print quality is extremely high. They are quiet in operation, but are relatively slow and very expensive to run.

GRAMMAR: Structure of Phrases.

Structure of phrases:

Invalid password (прил.+сущ.)

Input file (сущ.+сущ.)

Combination of keys (сущ.+of +сущ.)

Note: подчеркнуто главное, определяемое слово

Тask 14. Read and translate the following phrases, find the main word:

PROBLEM-SOLVING

Questions for group discussion:

1) Without what parts computer is unable to work?

2) What is the most expensive part of the hardware?

3) What other hardware devices do you know? What are they for? Do you know how to use them?

UNIT 5. STORAGE DEVICES

Word-building

Prefixes un-, il-, in-, non-, dis-, mis-

Префиксы un-, il-, in-, non-, dis-, mis- имеют отрицательное значение и указывают на отсуствие какого-либо свойства.

unusable-негодный, неиспользуемый

illegal- недопустимый

insufficient-недостаточный

non-volatile-энергонезависимый

disconnect- рассоединять

mismatch-не соответствовать

Но: internal-промежуточный, international-международный,

intermediate-промежуточный

Task 1 Translate into Russian:

unknown, uncommon, unlimited, unsuitable

inaccessible, invalid, incompatible, incorrect

illegal, illegible

disconnect,dissimilar, disable

mismatch, miscount, mistake

non-removable, non-stop, non-volatile

Task 2. Translate into English;

Международный, неправильный, соответствовать, неспособный, энергозависимый, неподходящий, необычный, неперемещаемый, похожий, соединять, без остановки, недействительный, ограниченный, несовместимый, доступный, неправильный подсчет, известный.

Task 3. Read and translate the text.

HARD DISK DRIVE

The hard disk drive inside your PC is like a filing cabinet. Instead of paper, it stores everything electronically. it can hold all the software that runs on your system and all your personal files. It’s a pretty important part of your computer.

A hard disk drive normally contains several disks. They’re stacked on top of each other. There are five in the diagram. The drive motor spins the disks very quickly. It runs all the time your PC is in use.

There’s a gap, a space, between each disk. We need the gaps so the read/write heads can move across the disk and reach all parts quickly. The head motor controls the read/write disks.

The space between the head and the disk surface is tiny. Even smoke of a cigarette can cause a crash. A crash is what happens when the head touches the surface of a disk. To keep out dust and smoke, the drive is inside a sealed case.

Task 4. Read and memorize the following words:

1. to need [ni:d] – нуждаться , требоваться

2. temporary[´tempƏrƏrı]- временный

3. permanent [´pƏ:mƏnƏnt] - постоянный

4. to lose (lost, lost) [lu:z, (lɔst, lɔst)] - терять

5. content(s) [´kɔntƏnt(s)] - содержание, содержимое

6. volatile [´vɔlƏtaıl] – энергозависмый, непостоянный, временный

7. non-volatile - энергонезависимый

8. firmware[´fƏ:mwεƏ] - программно-аппаратные средства; встроенные программы, микропрограммы

9. capacitor [kƏ´pæsıtƏ] - конденсатор

10. to require [re´kwaıƏ] – требовать

11. to refresh – обновлять отображаемую информацию, регенерировать, восстанавливать

12. non-contiguous- несвязанный, сопутствующий

13. to eliminate - устранять

14. storage –запоминание, память

Task 5. Read and translate the text.

MEMORY

Cache memory. A high-speed buffer storage that is smaller than the main storage. The cache memory is a place that temporarily stores instructions and data.

Volatile memory. Memory that loses its content when the power is shut off. Any changes made to files must be saved to disk before the power is turned off or they will be lost.

Non-volatile memory or nonvolatile memory. Memory that does not lose its content when the power is turned off.

Random access memory. The kind of memory used for holding programs and data being executed is called random access memory or RAM. RAM differs from read-only memory (ROM) in that it can be both read and written. It is called volatile storage because the contents of RAM are lost when the power turned off. RAM is also sometimes called read-write memory or RWM.

Read-only memory. Memory that can be read but not changed. Read-only memory is non-volatile storage; it holds its contents even when the power is turned off. Data is placed in ROM only once, and stays there permanently. ROM chips are used for storage of the important software of the computer, called firmware.

Dynamic random access memory. (DRAM). A type of computer memory that is stored in capacitors on a chip and requires a refresh signal to be sent to it periodically.

Static random access memory. (SRAM). A kind of random access memory that requires a constant supply of power in order to hold its content, but does not require refresh circuitry as dynamic random access memory (DRAM) does. Static RAM is usually faster than dynamic RAM, but takes up more space and uses more power. It is used for the parts of a computer that require highest speed, such as cache memory.

Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory. (SDRAM). High-speed DRAM that adds a separate clock signal to the control signals. SDRAM can transfer bursts of non-contiguous data at 100 MBytes/sec, and has an access time of 8-12 nanoseconds. It comes in 64-bit modules: long 168-pin DIMMs.

Fast page mode memory (FPM DRAM). A kind of DRAM memory. Fast page mode improved upon the original page mode memory by eliminating the column address setup time during the page cycle.

Abbreviation:

1. ROM (Read Only Memory) – постоянное запоминающее устройство

2. RAM (Random Access Memory) – устройство с произвольным доступом; оперативная память

3. SRAM (Static Random Access Memory) – статическое RAM

4. DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) – динамическое RAM

5. FPM DRAM (Fast Page Mode DRAM) – динамическая память с быстрым страничным доступом

6. SDRAM (SyncHronous DRAM) – синхронная динамическая память

7. PB SRAM (Pipelined [´paıplaınd] Burst SRAM) – статическая памятьс блочным конвейерным доступом

Task 6. Give the English definitions of the following concepts:

RAM, ROM, DRAM, SRAM, SDRAM, FPM DRAM

Task 7. Read the text and complete the sections of the table.

STORAGE DEVICES

Medium Advantages Disadvantages

Floppy disk _____________ _________________

Fixed hard disk ______________ ________________

Removable hard disk ______________ _________________

CD-ROM disk ______________ _________________

Magneto-optical disk ______________ _________________

Magnetic tape ______________ _________________

A Most computers use floppy disks. Floppies conform to a standard and you can use them to carry data from one place to another. They are also very cheap, but they are slow and have a limited capacity.

B Almost all desktop computers have hard disks. They are fast and can store much greater amounts of data than floppies, but they are fixed inside the computer and you cannot use them to transfer data.

C You can move data from place to place using removable hard disks. They are almost as fast as fixed hard disks and also have high capacities, but they are relatively expensive. They do not all conform to one standard and they are not very common.

D CD-ROM disks are very common and conform to a standard. They are removable and can hold about 640 MB. They are also cheap to make. However, they are usually read-only. You cannot change the information on them. They are also slow compared to hard disks.

E Magneto-optical disks are like CD-ROMs, but you can write data on to them. They are removable, have large capacities, and last for a long time, but they are expensive and do not all conform to one standard. For this reason they are not very common.

F Magnetic tape is a cheap medium. You can use it to store very large amount of data, but it does not allow random access. Every time you read or write a piece of data, you start at the beginning of the tape. Tape drives are slow. Therefore, it is only suitable for doing backups.

GRAMMAR: Present Simple (Indefinite) Tense

Структура специальных вопросов

Вопрос к подлежащему: What moves the cursor?

Task 7. Make these sentences negative. Put the questions to them.

1. This key moves the cursor down.

2. This key moves the cursor to the right.

3. This key inserts a character.

4. This key copies the screen display.

5. This key moves the screen up.

Task 8. Open the brackets and put the verb in the correct tense form.

1. He (to play) tennis very well. 2. We (to speak) English at our English lessons. 3. My father (to tell) us about his travel. 4. I (to speak) English well. 5. Our teacher (to ask) us many questions. 6. These foreign students (to speak) Russian. 7.He (to live) in hostel 8.I (to go) to the University by bus. 9.My sister (to help) me do my homework. 10.They (to listen) to the radio in the morning.

Task 9. Make up questions.

1. He lives in Moscow. ( where?) 2.I study at school? (where?) 3. He has 20 English books. (how many?) 4.They get up at 7 o`clock in the morning. (when)? 5.Pete does his homework every day. (who?) 6.They play tennis very well. (how?) 7.We have 2 lectures today. (what?) 8.Ann speaks English well. (who?) 9.She goes to school every day. (where?) 10.Lessons begin at 8 o’clock. (when)

PROBLEM-SOLVING

1. Compare ROM and RAM.

2. Tell about storage devices, their advantages and disadvantages

SUPPLEMENTARY READING

DVD Technology Overview.

Abstract: DVD is an optical storage technology with far greater capacity than compact discs. With conventional CD-ROM products well established in the entertainment and computer marketplaces, DVD surely has a strong impact.

Introduction: DVD is an optical disc technology that still resembles CD-ROM technology closely enough to be backward compatible with current audio and data CDs:

 Both are the same size: 1.2 mm thick and 120 mm in diameter

 Both store information as pits arranged along concentric, circular tracks embedded in a reflective material, which is bonded to a clear disc. A laser reflects differently from pits and from "land" (space without a pit). The player spins the disc, focuses a laser on a track, and "reads" reflections of pits and land as zeros and ones.

DVD improves on CD technology in significant ways, including:

 The laser has a shorter wavelength—A shorter wavelength results in a smaller “dot” when a laser beam hits something. This smaller dot lets the optical pickup detect smaller pits, which means manufacturers can put more pits on each track and thus more tracks on each disc. A single-sided, single-layer DVD can hold 4.7 GB—about seven times the 650 MB that can be put on the conventional CD that TechNet currently ships on.

 The disc can have two layers—A dual-layer DVD is really two discs bonded together: the one closest to the laser has a partially transmissive surface; the one furthest from the layer has a fully-reflective surface. The player's laser can focus on either surface, just as your eyes can focus on a window's surface or on the objects beyond. A single-sided, double-layer DVD can hold 8.5 GB.

 The disc can have two sides—A double-sided, double-layered DVD can hold 17 GB.

 The disc spins faster—This gives DVD players higher throughput.

In addition to hardware advances, the DVD specifications include audio and video compression standards. DVD stores video compressed using the Moving Picture Expert Group's MPEG-2 standard.

Glossary:

CD-ROM (disk) abbreviation for compact, disk read-only memory. A read-only storage device (a disk)| that is read using laser light.

DVD abbreviation for digital versatile disk. An optical disk storage device that can hold a large amount of video data

UNIT 6. BUSES AND INTERFACES

Word-building

Prefix re-

Префикс re- имеет значение возобновления или повторения действия.

to try – сделать попытку to retry

to insert – вставить to re-insert

Task 1. Make the words with re- and translate into Russian: