1) What is the computer? 2) What are the main types of computers? 3) What type of computers is the most suitable for home use? 4) What are the reasons of buying home computers? 5) What is a program? 6) What is data? 7) How is information in the form of programs and data called? 8) What is hardware? 9) What is the most important item of hardware? 10) What does the Central Processing Unit contain? 11) What are the functions of processor and main memory? 12) What devices are called peripherals? 13) What are the functions of input device, output devices, storage device? 14) Do you like playing computer games? 15) What are your favorite video-games (shoot them all, walk-through, role-playing games, or intellectual games)? 16) How often do you work with the computer? 17) Does knowledge of English help to operate the computer better? 18) Who can be called a computer wizard? Do you attribute his/her success to hard work or talent? 19) Are you baffled by computer language?
TEXT B
Read and translate the following text using a dictionary.
FEED IN ENGLISH, PRINT OUT IN FRENCH
Once upon a time, according to a much told story, a computer was set a task of translating “traffic jam” into French and back into English. The machine buzzed, clicked, blinked its lights and eventually came up with “car-flavored marmalade”.
Machine translation has come a long way since then. Computer translation systems are now widely used for various purposes. But although the efficiency of machine translation is rapidly improving, there is no question of human translators being made redundant. On the contrary, people and machines work together in harmony.
Today’s computers are of little value in translating literary works, where subtlety is vital; or the spoken language, which tends to be ungrammatical; or important texts, where absolute accuracy is essential. But for routine technical reports, working papers, and the like, which take up so much of the translation workload of the international organizations, computers are likely to play an increasing role. The method of operation will probably be for the machines to make a rough version, which the translator will then edit, correcting obvious errors, and where necessary referring back to the original.
If machines can translate languages, could they teach languages? Yes, say enthusiasts, although they doubt that the teacher could ever be totally replaced by a machine in the classroom. Good old teachers know best!
Ex.23. Answer the following questions and give the reason why you answer in this way, using words and word combinations given in the box.
What would you prefer (what would you rather do):
1) Communicate with a person or a computer? 2) Learn a foreign language with the help of a computer or a teacher? 3) Have a diagnosis stated by a computer or a doctor? 4) Have your marriage arranged by your friend or by a computer? 5) Play chess (games) with a person or a computer?
Heartless unfeeling soulless indifferent inhuman liable to error/ subject to error to provide an enormous variety of choice to reduce the element of risk it depends
TEXT C
Read and translate the following text using a dictionary.
VIRUSES AND VACCINES
The terms viruses and vaccines have entered the jargon of the computer industry to describe some of the bad things that can happen to computer systems and programs. Unpleasant occurrences like the March 6, 1991, attack of the Michelangelo virus will be with us for years to come. In fact, you need to check your IBM or IBM-compatible personal computer for the presence of Michelangelo before March 6 every year – or risk losing all the data on your hard disk when you turn on your machine that day. And Macintosh users need to do the same for another intruder, the Jerusalem virus, before each Friday the 13th, or risk a similar fate for their data.
A virus as its name suggests, is contagious. It is a set of illicit instructions that infects other programs and may spread rapidly. The Michelangelo virus went worldwide within a year. Some types of viruses include the worm, a program that spreads by replicating itself; the bomb, the program intended to sabotage a computer; and the Trojan horse, a program that covertly places illegal, destructive instructions in the middle of a legitimate program.
Although viruses can be destructive, some are quite benign; one simply displays a peace message on the screen on a given data. Others may merely be a nuisance, like the Ping-pong virus that bounces a “Ping-pong ball” around your screen while you are working. But a few could result in disaster for your disk, as in the case of Michelangelo.
There have been occasions when commercial software was released with a virus, but these situations are rare. Viruses tend to show up most often on free software acquired from friends. So before any diskette can be used with a computer system, it should be scanned for infection.
A virus may be dealt with by means of a vaccine, or antivirus, program that stops the spread of the virus and often eradicates it. The drawback of the antivirus program is that once you buy this type of software, you must continuously pay the price for upgrades as new viruses are discovered.