From the History of Computers

1.A computer is known to be a device that has the ability to accept, store, and process enormous quantities of data in an extremely short time.

2.Much has been written about the early history of computing.

3.Mention should be made that Charles Babbage now recognized as the father of computing was working on the first of his mechanical calculating machines in the early 1820s long before the first electrical telegraph message was transmitted.

4.The modern history of digital computers began in 1939 with the work done by Howard Aiken.

5.Early computers performed many useful functions.

6.The second development was the construction of the machine in 1946 that was the forerunner of the first generation of electronic digital computers.

7.In 1947 electronic computers were so large and consumed so much electrical power that they produced more heat than processed information.

8.They were employed mainly for scientific and experimental work.

9.Then in 1950 there appeared "stored-programme" machines holding programming instructions in the main memory of the computer.

10.They could store and process more information, and did it faster.

11.Today it is possible to obtain a computer with great processing capability.

12.Now they process thousands of calculations per second.

13.There are two main classes of computing equipment: analogue and digital.

14.They work on different principles and yield different results.

15.The computer has become an integral part of the organization of all types of business.

II. Найдите соответствия между словами в правой и левой колонках:

III. Переведите глаголы и дайте их 2 и 3 формы:

To become, to write, to know, to begin, to flow, to hold, to give

IV. Выберите правильный вариант:

1. Charles Babbage is _________ as the father of computing.

a)constructed

b)consumed

c)processed

d)recognized

2. In 1946 the ________ of an electric digital computers was constructed.

a)ability

b)forerunner

c)consumer

d)developer

3. First computers produced ___________heat__________ processed information.

e)as …as

f)the …the

g)so … so

h)more … than

4. Computers work _______different principles.

a)in

b)with

c)on

d)by

V. Выберите правильный вариант перевода следующих предложений:

1. The work done by H. Aiken began the modern history of digital computers.

a)Началом истории цифровых компьютеров является работа Г. Эйкена

b)Работа, выполненная Г. Эйкеном, начала современную историю цифровых компьютеров

c)Аналоговые компьютеры начались с работы, сделанной Г. Эйкеном

2. Early computers performed many useful functions.

a)Многие функции первых компьютеров были полезными

b)Вначале компьютеры выполняли полезные действия

c)Первые компьютеры выполняли много полезных действий

3. Today computers store and process more information, and did it faster.

a)В наше время компьютеры накапливают и обрабатывают больше информации, и делают это быстрее

b)Сегодняшние компьютеры быстро обрабатывают много информации

c)Всё больше информации хранят и обрабатывается современными компьютерами

VI. Найдите в тексте и переведите предложения:

a)в страдательном залоге

b)со сказуемым в Present Perfect Passive

c)со сложным подлежащим.

VII. Прочитайте предложения № 3, 4, 9, 11. Найдите причастие I, II в этих предложениях.

VIII. Найдите предложения, в которых есть прилагательные и наречия в сравнительной степени, и переведите их на русский язык.

IX. Прочитайте предложение № 3 и переведите словосочетание «Mention should be made…».