Everyday uses of computers

Everyday uses of computers

Текст 1

Most machines are designed to do one job. Computers are different: they are general purpose machines. By changing the program instructions, computers can be used to process information in very different ways. For example, a word processor program allows the computer to process text, a spreadsheet program enables the computer to perform calculations, a database program is used for searching and sorting records, and a browser program is used for looking at pages on the Internet (the Internet is the connection of computers from different parts of the world). Computers are therefore used in almost every type of work and are found almost everywhere. Computer equipment is known as hardware and programs and data are called software.

A variety of devices can be attached to a computer. Input devices are used to enter data into the computer for processing. An input device called a magnetic ink character reader (MICR) is used to read characters printed using magnetic ink. Magnetic ink characters are commonly found on bank cheques.

An optical input device called a barcode reader uses the reflection of a light beam to read a sequence of printed parallel bars called a barcode. The bars are of different thickness, and each sequence of bars represents a different number according to a standard code. Barcode labels are used to code items. Each item can be identified by a computer, using a barcode reader to scan the labels. Barcodes are used in industry, shops, and supermarkets for stock control and to allow a computer to look up the price of items being purchased.

Words

word processor – текстовый процессор текстовый редактор с расширенными возможностями форматирования редактируемых документов, предназначенных для печати

spreadsheet – электронная таблица, приложение, использующее для обработки данных метафору таблицы, ячейки которой можно связать между собой формулами; вычисления в таблице производятся автоматически по мере ввода данных в ячейки.

database – база данных

browser program – браузер, программа просмотра, навигатор

software – программное обеспечение, программные средства, программы

MICR ( Magnetic Ink Character Recognition) – распознавание символов, написанных магнитными чернилами (красителем)

barcode reader – считыватель штрих-кода

Текст 2

Computer, machine that performs tasks, such as calculations or electronic communication, under the control of a set of instructions called a program. Programs usually reside within the computer and are retrieved and processed by the computer’s electronics. The program results are stored or routed to output devices, such as video display monitors or printers. Computers perform a wide variety of activities reliably, accurately, and quickly.

People use computers in many ways. In business, computers track inventories with bar codes and scanners, check the credit status of customers, and transfer funds electronically. In homes, tiny computers embedded in the electronic circuitry of most appliances control the indoor temperature, operate home security systems, tell the time, and turn videocassette recorders (VCRs) on and off. Computers in automobiles regulate the flow of fuel, thereby increasing gas mileage. Computers also entertain, creating digitized sound on stereo systems or computer-animated features from a digitally encoded laser disc. Computer programs, or applications, exist to aid every level of education, from programs that teach simple addition or sentence construction to programs that teach advanced calculus. Educators use computers to track grades and communicate with students; with computer-controlled projection units, they can add graphics, sound, and animation to their communications. Computers are used extensively in scientific research to solve mathematical problems, investigate complicated data, or model systems that are too costly or impractical to build, such as testing the air flow around the next generation of aircraft. The military employs computers in sophisticated communications to encode and unscramble messages, and to keep track of personnel and supplies

Since their arrival on the market twenty years ago, desktop computer systems have been adopted by many businesses, schools, and homes. Computers facilitate both the research and compiling aspects of projects, and in response to this success many teachers now incorporate the machines into the learning process. A primary advantage of computers is the amount of information they offer via networking to a wide range of databases.

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 real­time information on the state of the race. Computer databases are also used in the drug-detecting tests for competitors.

Computers 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 dispensers which, by the use of a personal coded card, dispense money to clients.

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.

Words

to reside – постоянно находиться; постоянно храниться

to retrieve – доставать, вынимать

embedded – встроенный, встраиваемый

to transfer funds – переводить денежные средства

to regulate the flow of fuel – регулировать расход топлива

gas mileage – пробег автомобиля (в милях) на единицу расхода топлива

to track grades – контролировать успеваемость

to keep track of – отслеживать

to facilitate – облегчать; содействовать; способствовать; помогать

Дата добавления: 2015-11-04