English for Information Technology is designed to: Provide students with vocabulary related to different major topics in the field of Computing Information Technology, introduce students to some basic knowledge in several areas of Computing and Information Technology, provide students with opportunities to practice and develop their language skills in general as well as Information Technology contexts,... This curriculum include 10 lesson, part 1 from lesson 1 to lesson 6.
Thai Nguyen University Faculty of Information Technology English for Information Technology Thai Nguyen, 2012 Acknowledgement We are grateful to the authors, publishers and others who have given the useful materials to help us complete this book Our special thanks go to M.A Vu Duc Thai and colleagues at the Faculty of Information Technology – Thai Nguyen University for their helpful suggestion and friendly encouragement For better preparation and design of English language materials, suggestions from colleagues and those concerned will be highly appreciated Course description English for Information Technology is a topic-based course To prepare students for their future job, the course is designed to introduce students to a full range of IT texts and to give students opportunities to practice their language skills in different IT contexts The materials used in this book are arranged from general to more specialist content so that they can be understood by students easily Objective English for Information Technology is designed to: Provide students with vocabulary related to different major topics in the field of Computing Information Technology Introduce students to some basic knowledge in several areas of Computing and Information Technology Provide students with opportunities to practice and develop their language skills in general as well as Information Technology contexts Develop students’ language skills in the context of computing and information technology with emphasis on reading, listening, speaking, and writing “It is user-friendly to both teachers and students and its clear layout, using both photos and graphics, will make it a very popular choice for those wishing to acquire what are now regarded by many to be mandatory skills for employees in almost every part of the workforce” – Tesol Newsletter Table of Contents Pages Acknowledgment Course description Table of contents Introduction Lesson 1: Computer applications Lesson 2: Configuration 12 Lesson 3: Inside the system 17 Lesson 4: keyboard and mouse 24 Lesson 5: Floppy disk and Hard drives 30 Review 34 Lesson 6: Spreadsheets and databases 39 Lesson 7: Graphics and multimedia 44 Lesson 8: Faces of the Internet 51 Lesson 9: Programming 58 Lesson 10: Future trends .63 Review 68 Further reading 71 Glossary 83 Reference Introduction A How much you know about the computer and computer related words? You can test your computer knowledge by putting these words and terms into the appropriate categories Do not worry if you cannot this well now Laptop Minicomputer Laser printer Hard disk drive Motherboard Monitor Speaker Bridge Memory chips Joystick LAN Expansion card Scanner Software engineer/ designer Hardware engineer Tracker ball Keyboard Software Barcode reader Processor Cache memory Printer Fixed hard disk Clients Mainframe Hub Ring System analyst peripherals Computer salesperson Floppy disk Star Network support person register Mouse Notebook Types of computers: Input devices: Output devices: Storage devices: Internet: Other components of a computer: Job: B Make a list of other Information Technology (IT) words you know in English Then compare lists with a partner LESSON 1: COMPUTER APPLICATIONS I Warm-up Put these letters in the correct order to make a noun phrase that has meaning Nioniftoarm yetgoconhl Then, use one of the letters in a word “Nioniftoarm” to make other words Each letter is used only one time II Reading A Match the places in column A with the computer uses in column B A B University a Look after patient records and medicines Library b Look after the customers’ money Bank c Scan the price of the goods Supermarket d Catalogue the books and record the books Hospital that readers borrow e Keep mark and records of the students B Computers have many applications in a great variety of fields Look at these photographs of different situations and match them with texts to below a c d Computers can help students perform mathematical operations and solve difficult questions They can be used to 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 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 Task 1: Match these captions with the pictures Using an automatic cash dispenser In education, computers can make all the difference Organizing a race demands the use of computer technology Controlling the plane Task 2: When you read texts like these, you not always need to understand every word However, there are words which you can guess from the context Look at these words Are they nouns (n), verbs (v), or adjectives (adj)? workstation… data…… perform… automatic… monitor… financial… store…… connected… word processor 10 large… Task 3: Now find the words in texts to 4, and match them with the meanings below a information g self-acting, mechanical b execute (do) h screen c connected with money i powerful computer usually d keep (safe) connected to a network e massive f linked j program used for text manipulation 1 III Speaking Look at text again and discuss these questions How are/were computers used in your school? What other areas of study would benefit from the introduction of computers? Example: In my school, computers are used to speed up the process of looking for references in the library IV Language work: The passive Look at the active and passive sentences below and answer the questions Active sentences We sell computers (simple present) S V They S O invented 'The Analytical Engine' (simple past) V O Passive sentences Computers are sold (simple present) S V ‘The Analytical Engine' was invented in 1830 (simple past) S V Find the objects of the active sentences Are they: (1) before the verb; (2) after the verb? Find the same words in the passive sentences? Are they: (1) before the verb; (2) after the verb? The object of the active sentences becomes the subject of a passive sentence True or false? Look at the first word of the verb in the passive sentences Is it a form of: (1) be; (2) do; (3) have Look at the second word of the verb in the passive sentences: Is it in: (1) the infinitive; (2) the past simple; (3) the past participle? Passive verbs consists of a form of be plus a past participle True or false? Read all the sentences Does somebody appear in the active or the passive sentences? Do we know who somebody is? We can use the passive to talk about actions when we don’t know who performed them True or false? * Form: Active sentences: S V O Passive sentences: S to be + V in past participle (VII) (by N/Pr) * Use: Passives are very common in technical writing where we are more interested in facts, processes, and events than in people We form the passive by using the appropriate tenses of the verb 'to be' followed by the past participle of the verb we are using Facts and processes When we write or talk about facts or processes that occur regularly, we use the present passive Examples: Active We sell computers (simple present) Babbage invented 'The Analytical Engine' (simple past) Passive Computers are sold (simple present) ‘The Analytical Engine' was invented in 1830 (simple past) Events When we write or talk about past events, we use the past passive Let us look at some examples Examples: COBOL was first introduced in 1959 Microsoft was founded on the basis of the development of MS/DOS The organization was created to promote the use of computers in education Exercise 1: Fill in the gaps in the following sentences using the appropriate form of the verb in brackets The part of the processor which controls data transfers between the various input and output devices…… (call) the control unit The address bus ……….(use) to send address details between the memory and the address register The first digital computer 1………… (build) by the University of Pennsylvania in 1946 An operating system ………….(store) on disk Instructions written in a high-level language ……………….(transform) into machine code Last year, more software companies ………………(launch) than ever before When a document arrives in the mail room, the envelope ……………(open) by a machine Once the index………… (store), a temporary key number……………(generate) and ………….(write) on the document Microsoft……… (found) by Bill Gates 10 C language………… (develop) in the 1970s Exercise 2: Read the text below, which describes the insurance company's procedure for dealing with PC-users' problems Fill in the gaps using the correct form of the verb in brackets All calls (1)……… (register) by the Help Desk staff Each call (2)……… (evaluate) and then (3)………… (allocate) to the relevant support group If a visit (4)…………… (require), the user 10 III Reading A Work with a partner Discuss these questions How is the mouse connected to the computer? What does the mouse pointer look like on the screen? What are the functions of the mouse buttons? What are the advantages of a computer mouse over a keyboard? B Read the following text Input devices Input involves entering data into the system for processing The data is taken from the environment and changed into a suitable form to be processed There are many types of input devices used for different purposes The two most common input devices are the keyboard and the mouse THE KEYBOARD A computer keyboard looks similar to a typewriter, with a number of extra keys for special purposes Data is entered when one or more keys are pressed to represent a character or special function If a key representing a character is pressed, the character appears where the blinking rectangle, or cursor, is on the screen The cursor indicates the user's current position on the screen The keyboard is the main device that you use to communicate with your computer Some of the special keys include: Enter or Return: - used to inform the computer to act on an instruction (command) or to move the cursor to a new line - allows you to stop the execution of a command - used in combination with other keys to perform special tasks - used in a similar way to the control key (not found on all keyboards) THE MOUSE A mouse is a pointing device that can be used to point the cursor at the desired position on the screen It enables the user to move the cursor to different parts of the screen very quickly A 29 button on the mouse allows the user to select a character or command from the screen display Other common input devices include the light pen, joystick, scanner, touch screen and trackball Task 1: Write down whether the following statements are true or false The mouse does not allow the user to move the cursor quickly Input devices take data from the computer system The cursor indicates the user's current position on the screen Data can be entered into the computer using a keyboard The mouse is part of the computer's software Computers not have any intelligence The software follows instructions contained in a computer's hardware which command it to perform a particular task The Escape key allows you to stop the execution of a command The Enter or Return key is used in combination with another key to perform a special task 10 The Backspace key deletes the character immediately to the left of the cursor Task 2: Here are some basic mouse actions Match the terms in the box with the explanations below a click b double-click c drag Position the pointer on something, then rapidly press and release the mouse button twice (You this to load a program, open a document, or select text or graphics) Position the pointer on something, hold down the mouse button, and move the mouse to the desired position, then release the button (You this to move an image to a new location on the screen) Position the pointer on something, then press, and release the mouse button (You this to place the insertion point, to choose an option, or to close a window) IV Language work: Describing function We can describe the function of an item in a number of ways Study these examples Using the Present simple ROM holds instructions which are needed to start up the computer Used to-infinitive, Used/or + '-ing' form ROM is used to hold instructions which are needed to start up the computer ROM is used for holding instructions which are needed to start up the computer 30 Emphasizing the function The function of ROM is to hold instructions which are needed to start up the computer Exercise: Now, match each item in Column A with its function in Column B Then describe its function in other ways A B RAM a controls the cursor processor b inputs data through keys like a typewriter mouse c displays the output from a computer on a screen clock d reads DVD-ROMs floppy drive e reads and writes to removable magnetic disks monitor f holds instructions which are needed to start up the computer keyboard g holds data read or written to it by the processor DVD-ROM drive h provides extremely fast access to sections of a program and its data cache i controls the timing of signals in the computer 10 ROM j controls all the operations in a computer V Writing With the help of this table and the listening, write a brief description of a keyboard The first paragraph is done for you Section Location Main keyboard Centre Function keys Top Editing keys Right Numeric keypad Far right Main keys Each letter, digits – Punctuation, common symbols F1 – F12 Cursor keys Insert, delete Digits – Mathematical operations Main function Input all kinds of data Not fixed, Can program them Control cursor Input numerical data Most keyboards have four sections The main keyboard has keys for each letter and the digits – It also has keys for punctuation and other common symbols It is used for inputting all kinds of data 31 VI Speaking Work in pairs Write down the list of terms (1-10) in language work on a piece of paper Without referring to your book, take turns to ask and answer questions about their functions VII Word - play Find the hidden words in this square Some appear vertically, some horizontally, and some diagonally They may be upside-down or back to front Use the clues below to help you The number of letters in each word and the first letter of the word appear in brackets after the clue The first one has been done for you C T A A R I T P L R L P N T P I D A E E I U E A E E B L X T P R T D L A F M I E B R E E S N O T P M O E T G R I D O T P A E C V K L M P Y L R N D S T Y L U S A D E L V E I Y S T T T P U R R E T N I E a computer that is small enough to hold in the hand (7, P) an electronic pen (6, S) to erase or omit (6, D) one type of portable computer which operates with an electronic pen (9, C) the information that the computer processes (4, D) a network of lines crossing at right angles (4, G) a signal to a processor to suspend temporarily the current sequence of instructions.(9,I) a pattern used as a guide for creating letters or characters (8, T) an individual dot on a computer screen (5, P) 32 LESSON 5: STORAGE DEVICES I Warm up A Look at the picture and give the names of the following storage devices a CD-RW b Smart media c Removable hard disk d USB e Micro Drive f Smart card g PC card h memory stick i Storage tape k DVD-R l Floppy disk m Zip disk II Reading A Try to answer these questions What you know about the storage devices? What is the main function of a hard disk? Which unit is used to measure hard disk capacity? Can you think of one advantage that hard disks have over floppies? 33 B Read the text again and make a list of the technical aspects that you should consider when buying a hard disk When buying a hard disk important CAD, sound and animation programs For advantages over floppy disks: they spin at a most users, GB on the hard disk is enough Hard disks have higher speed, so you can store, and retrieve information much faster than with floppies They can also hold vast amounts of information, from 500 MB up to several gigabytes Apart from this, both types of disks work in the same way To directly access the necessary information, the read/write heads of rigid disks seek the Now let's turn our attention to speed required tracks and sectors, and then transfer Access times vary from ms to 20 ms the information to the main memory of the 'Access time' -or seek time - is the time it computer or to another form of storage, all takes your read/write heads to find any of which is done in a few milliseconds (ms) particular record You have to distinguish clearly between seek time (e.g 20 ms) and 'data transfer rate' (the average speed required to transmit data from a disk system to the RAM, e.g at 20 megabits per second) Remember that the transfer rate also depends Bearing in mind that you always on the power of your computer need disk storage, it is good sense to ask When buying a hard disk you should yourself some vital questions: What size consider the kinds of drive mechanisms and capacity I need? What speed can I use? products available There are 'internal' and What kind of storage device is the most 'external' drives which are both fixed hard suitable for my requirements? If you only drives, i.e rigid disks sealed into the drive use word- processing programs, you will unit, either within or attached to the need less storage capacity than if you use computer A third type of hard drive, known as 'removable', allows information to be 34 recorded on 'cartridges', which can be drives have become a reality However, removed and stored off-line for security magnetic hard disks are still preferred for purposes personal data storage, whereas optical discs Popular removable hard disks are used for recording large amounts of include Jaz and Zip drives A Jaz cartridge information such as a dictionary or can store up to GB of data, whereas a Zip encyclopedia drive can store up to 250 MB of data Finally, a few words about 'optical' technology: CD-ROMS and CD-Recordable Task 1: Now read these sentences and decide if they are true (T) or false (F) Hard disks use rigid rotating disks 'Seek time' refers to the average time required for the recording heads to move and access data If you use multimedia applications, you need the same storage capacity as required for word processors 'Access time' and 'data transfer rate' mean the same Optical disks are magnetic Each Jaz cartridge can hold up to 1,000 MB of data CD-ROM disks are used for storage of massive amounts of information Task 2: Complete the advertisement for the Mega Mind hard disk with the words in the box Megabytes protection drive compatible secure highest write time multimedia Mega Mind XT Today's personal computers are very powerful, but to handle large applications like databases, (1) …… DTP(desktop publishing) and CAD, you need to have more than 200 (2)… in your hard disk That's where Mega Mind XT comes in: a reliable hard (3) with gigabytes of capacity; ms average seek (4)………… and 13 mbits/sec average data transfer rate; and a drive unit with a five-year warranty You also receive software utilities that let you easily manage and (5) … your data Our software provides formatting, partitions, disk optimization, and password (6) …… Mega Mind XT is (7)…… with IBM PCs as well as Macintosh computers As with every Mega Mind product - hard disk or optical, GB to GB -the XT gives you the (8)…… 35 performance So call us today on (0181)796 0402 Or (9)… to Mega Mind, PO Box 673, London, N22 XB III Listening: Hard disk drive Task 1: Study this diagram of a hard disk drive Match these labels to the diagram 1 drive motor sealed case disks read/write heads head motor gap between disks Task 2: Listen to Part of this description of a hard disk drive to check your answers Task 3: Study this diagram Answer these questions What sort of things can damage a hard disk? How big is the gap between the read/write heads and the disk? How can we protect a disk drive from damage? Now listen to the description to check your answers IV Speaking How can I prevent users from connecting to a USB storage device? To prevent users from connecting to USB storage devices, use one or more of the following procedures If a USB storage device is already installed on the computer If a USB storage device is already installed on the computer, you can change the registry to make sure that the device does not work when the user connects to the computer To have us fix this problem for you, go to the “Fix it for me” section If you would rather fix this problem yourself, go to the “Let me fix it myself” section 36 Fix it for me To fix this problem automatically, click the Fix this problem link Then, click Run in the File Download dialog box, and follow the steps in this wizard Note: if you are not on the computer that has the problem, save the Fix it solution to a flash drive or a CD and then run it on the computer that has the problem Let me fix it myself If a USB storage device is already installed on the computer, set the Start value in the following registry key to 4: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\UsbStor When you this, the USB storage device does not work when the user connects the device to the computer To set the Start value, follow these steps: (Rearrange the steps in the correct order) Click Start, and then click Run Locate and then click the following registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\UsbStor Exit Registry Editor In the Value data box, type 4, click Hexadecimal (if it is not already selected), and then click OK .In the Open box, type regedit, and then click OK In the details pane, double-click Start V Vocabulary game The phrase hard disk consists of the adjective hard and the noun disk Make other phrases or, words by combining hard and disk with these words Give the meaning of each phrase or word in your own language (Use your dictionary if necessary) time labor copy capacity sell drive hard / disk drugs currency compact internal optical magnetic worker directory ware 37 Review I Beneath each sentence you will see four words or phrases, marked (A), (B), (C), and (D) Choose the one word or phrase that best completes the sentence You can use your PC .with computer games A to relax B relax C be relax D relaxing Information in the form of data and program is seen as A peripheral B hardware C processor D software C permanently D permanency You can store data and program A permanent B permanence The program and data passing through the central processor must into the main memory A load B be loaded C to be loaded D loading holds instructions which are needed to start up the computer A RAM B ROM C processor D cache To access the necessary information, the read/write heads seek the required tracks and sectors A direct B direction C indirect D directly The electronic and mechanical parts that make up a computer system are called A peripheral B hardware C processor D software Information in is permanent and cannot be deleted A RAM B secondary storage C ROM D main memory displays the output from a computer on a screen A monitor B scanner C printer D pointer 10 A standard computer system includes main parts; the CPU, the and main memory A input device B output device C storage device D peripheral C inputting D being inputted C control unit D CPU 11 A keyboard is used for data A input B inputing 12 performs mathematical calculations A ALU B the register 13 These are used to start up the computer, or to read the information from the keyboard A instruct B instruction C instructive D instructions 14 is known as “firmware” 38 A RAM B secondary storage C ROM D main memory 15 Each tiny dot on the screen of a computer a picture element A is called B are called C call D is calling 16 controls all the operations in a computer A RAM B ROM C processor D cache 17 We can protect a disk drive from damage in a A box B hard disk C cartridge D sealed case 18 controls the timing of signals in the computer A system tray B clock C mouse D volume 19 are the physical units attached to the computer A peripherals B hardware C processors D software 20 She that she could not attend classes next week A said her processor B told her processor C is telling her processor D all of them 21 There are many …………………institutes that teach computer programming A education B educational C educated D educationally 22 It is possible that by the year 2000, a well-…………… person will have to have a good knowledge of computer science A education B educational C educated D educationally 23 There are many fields of …………… today that use computers as teaching tools A education B educational C educated D educationally 24 Because of their …………………… microcomputers are becoming more popular than minicomputers A flexible B flexibility C flexibly D flexing 25 Microcomputers have a more ……………… set of instructions than Microcomputers A flexible B flexibility C flexibly D flexing II Using the suggested words to rewrite the following sentences without changing the meaning My monitor picture is too narrow to see My monitor picture The processor looks for data in the main memory first Data We use a joystick to play computer games A joystick 39 This computer hangs or freezes because of the memory problem This computer Notebook is too expensive for her to buy Notebook III Put the verbs in brackets into the correct tense Bill (work) for the company for the last twenty – five years He (graduate) in business studies and (take) a job in London He (train) as a systems analyst while he (work) in London Now he (look after) all the system used by the Technical Services Division At the moment, he (develop) a system for handling repairs When something (go) wrong in a pub, a service engineer (send) to fix it Details of every repair (download) to the company’s mainframe each night No changes can (make) until the system (test) Bill thinks that communications (get) faster and faster in the future 10 He thinks that a paper-free office (not happen) IV Choose the one option - a, b, c or d - that best completes the passage The World Wide Web is ……….(1)……… million of sites ………(2)…… by anybody from multimedia corporations to ………(3)………… people like you and me On the web you can read online newspapers or magazines; you can watch videos, …………(4)……… music or buy anything …….(5)………… a CD to a holiday You can go into a ……… (6)……… and ……… (7) to other people all over the world or ………….(8)……… a newsgroup for more serious debate If you are really ambitious you might even like to try creating your own ……… (9)…… Then you can ……….(10)……… your holiday pictures to the whole world a make up b made up of c made from d made of a taken b discovered c invented d created a usual b normal c ordinary d typical a download b listen c watch d unload a like b on c from d with a talk room b CD-ROM c chat room d speaking a talk b speak c say d converse 40 a attend b take c access d join a chat room b web page c pictures d internet 10 a see b send c indicate d show V Read the texts and the following exercises In the history of technology, computers and calculators were innovative developments They are essentially different from all other machines because they have a memory This memory stores instructions and information In a calculator, the instructions are the various functions of arithmetic, which are permanently remembered by the machine and cannot be altered or added to The information consists of the numbers keyed in An electronic pocket calculator can perform almost instant arithmetic A calculator requires an input unit to feed in numbers, a processing unit to make the calculation, a memory unit, and an output unit to display the result The calculator is powered by a small battery or by a panel of solar cells Inside is a microchip that contains the memory and processing units and also controls the input unit, which is the keyboard, and the output unit, which is the display 13 The input unit has keys for numbers and operations Beneath the keys is a printed circuit board containing a set of contacts for each key Pressing a key closes the contacts and sends a signal along a pair of lines in the circuit board to the processing unit, in which the binary code for that key is stored in the memory The processing unit also sends the code to the display Each key is connected by a different pair of lines to the processing unit, which repeatedly checks the lines to find out when a pair is linked by a key 20 The memory unit stores the arithmetic instructions for the processing unit and holds the temporary results that occur during calculation Storage cells in the memory unit hold the binary codes for the keys that have been pressed The number codes, together with the operation code for the plus key, are held in temporary cells until the processing unit requires them 25 When the equal key is pressed, it sends a signal to the processing unit This takes the operation code – for example, addition, and the two numbers being held in the memory unit and performs the operation on the two numbers A full adder does the addition, and the result goes to the decoder in the calculator’s microchip This code is then sent to the crystal display unit, which shows the result, or output, of the calculation 41 Choose the best answer What is the main purpose of the passage? A To summarize the history of technology B To discuss innovative developments in technology C To explain how a calculator works D To compare computers and calculators with other machines The word “innovative” in line could best be replaced by? A revolutionary B complicated C important D recent What can be inferred about machines that are not calculators or computers? A They are older than computers B They cannot store information in a memory C They have simple memory and processing units D They are less expensive than computers In what part of the calculator are the processing and memory units? A the battery B the solar cells C the output unit D the microchip The word “contacts” in line 14 is closest in meaning to A locations B connections C commands D codes According to the passage, one function of the memory unit is A to send codes to the display unit B to control the keyboard C to store temporary results during calculation D to alter basic arithmetic instructions The word “ This” in line 26 refers to 42 A the equal key B the plus key C the memory unit D the processing unit Which of the following could NOT be said about calculators? A Calculators require a lot of instructions to operate quickly B Calculators and computers are similar C The calculator’s thinking takes place in the processing and memory units D Pressing a key activates a calculator Translate the passage into Vietnamese 43 ... This may contain a formula which performs a mathematical operation It could also contain a label or data The former describes the information on the worksheet The latter is the information itself... students easily Objective English for Information Technology is designed to: Provide students with vocabulary related to different major topics in the field of Computing Information Technology Introduce... This software causes damage to the data, the information or the hardware of the computer Exercise 2: Add to the statements (1- 10) using the extra information (a-j) Then use relative clause to