1、Part One Computer HardwarePassage A Computer Overview Passage B System Unit Passage C Input and Output Devices Passage D Memory&Storage Devices Reading Material Types of Computers Passage A Computer Overview I think most people will agree that one of the greatest inventions in the 20th century is th
2、e computer.Such a device that changes the way we work,live,entertain and so on.The computer has changednearly every aspect of people lives for the better.In fact Mechanical Calculating(机械计算)aids have been existence for thousands of years.An early example would be an abacus in use in China as much as
3、 five thousand years ago.But the electronic computer has been around for only a half-century.Now let us look some big events or milestone in the development of electronic computer.1.Mechanical Beginnings Some mechanical control and computing devices preceded the development of the modern computer.An
4、 American named Herman Hollerith invented machines using punch cards(穿孔卡片)that were used to tabulate statistics for the 1890 US census.Punched cards(also marked cards,as shown in Figure 1-1)are still in limited use gathering input data for computers.You may recall the debacle in Florida during the 2
5、000 presidential election where improperly-punched voting cards caused problems with the vote counting.1Figure 1-1 Punch card2.The First Digital Electronic Computer:ABC The first digital electronic computer was built by John Vincent Atanasoff and his assistant Clifford Berry at Iowa State(爱荷华州)Unive
6、rsity between 1937-1942.The Atanasoff Berry Computer(ABC)used punched cards for input and output,vacuum(电子管)tube electronics to process data in binary format,and rotating drums of capacitors(电容器)to store data(as shown in Figure 1-2).Figure 1-2 ABC3.The First General-Purpose Electronic Computer:ENIAC
7、 The first general-purpose(通用)digital electronic computer,one that could be programmed to perform a variety of calculational tasks,was the ENIAC(Electronic Numerical Integrator And Calculator,as shown in Figure 1-3).It was designed and built in the fall of 1945 by John Mauchly and J.Presber Eckert.E
8、NIAC was originally built to calculate ballistic(弹道)tables for the US military.2 ENIAC was a monster of a machine,filling a large room and weighing 30 tons.It included 18,000 vacuum tubes and used 200 kilowatts(千瓦)of electrical power.3ENIAC was the first general-purpose computer because it could be
9、programmed(given different sets of instructions to follow).Figure 1-3 ENIAC Later computers were much more flexible because they incorporated the idea of stored programs(程序存储),conceived in 1945 by mathematician John Von Neumann(who worked on the Manhattan Project in Los Alamos).4 In this scheme,both
10、 the data being manipulated(操作)and the program of instructions for the computer are stored in memory.Modern computers use this same method.Most of these early mainframes were purchased(or rented)by government bureaus,the military,research labs(such as Los Alamos National Lab),large corporations,and
11、universities.4.The First GUI(Graphical User Interface)Computers were traditionally very difficult to use,requiring the user to memorize and type in the necessary commands(this is called a Command Line Interface).To make computers more accessible,the Graphical User Interface(GUI)(用户图形界面)was developed
12、.In a GUI,the user interacts(交互)with a graphical(图形的)display on the screen containing icons and windows and controls.Commands are chosen from menus rather than typed in.The GUI was developed at the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center in the 1970,but it was not until the 1980s the emergence of the Apple
13、Macintosh that graphical user interfaces became popular.5.PC(Personal Computer)Figure 1-4 PCIn 1981,IBM introduced the PC(Personal Computer,as shown in Figure 1-4)for use in the home,office and schools.The 1980s saw an expansion in computer use in all three arenas as clones of the IBM PC made PCs ev
14、en more affordable.The number of personal computers in use more than doubled from 2 million in 1981 to 5.5 million in 1982.Ten years later,65 million PCs were being used.Now the PCs have entered into ordinary families.Computers continued their trend toward a smaller size,working their way down from
15、desktop to laptop computers(笔记本电脑)to palmtop(掌上电脑).5Figure 1-4 PC As computers became more widespread in the workplace,new ways to harness their potential developed.As smaller computers became more powerful,they could be linked together,or networked,to share memory space,software,and information.Net
16、worked computers allowed individual computers to form electronic co-ops.More details about computer hardware and software can be found in other parts of this book.Key Words and Expressionsmechanical miknikl a.机械的，力学的，呆板的calculate klkjuleit v.计算，考虑，计划punch pnt card 穿孔卡片general-purpose denrlp:ps a.一般用
17、途的，多用途的mainframe meinfreim n.主机column klm n.柱，圆柱；柱形物，专栏，计算机列vacuum tube vkjum tju:b 真空管；电子管，软管，隧道capacitor kpsit n.电容器graphical grfikl a.图解的(绘图的，生动的)palmtop p:m tp n.掌上型电脑laptop lptp n.膝上型便携式电脑interact intrkt v.相互作用，相互影响manipulate mnipjuleit v.操纵，利用，假造，计算机操作ballistic blistik a.弹道的Notes1 Punched card
18、s(also marked cards)are still in use gathering input data for computers.You may recall the debacle in Florida during the 2000 presidential election where improperly-punched voting cards caused problems with the vote counting.穿孔卡片(标记卡片)仍然用于为计算机收集输入的数据。你可能会回想起2000年在佛罗里达州举行的总统选举的尴尬场面，就是由于穿孔选票卡不正确而引起的选票
19、计算出错。2 ENIAC was originally built to calculate ballistic tables for the US military.ENIAC最初是为美国军队计算弹道表而建。3 ENIAC was a monster of a machine,filling a large room and weighing 30 tons.It included 18,000 vacuum tubes and used 200 kilowatts of electrical power.ENIAC是一个庞大的机器怪物。它占满了一个大房间且重达30吨，包含了18 000个电
20、子管，耗电200千瓦。4 Later computers were much more flexible because they incorporated the idea of stored programs,conceived in 1945 by mathematician John Von Neumann(who worked on the Manhattan Project in Los Alamos).后来的计算机变得更具灵活性了，因为它们开始采用存储程序的思想，该思想是1945年由数学家约翰冯诺依曼提出的(他在洛斯阿拉莫斯的曼哈顿项目部工作)。5 Ten years later
21、,65 million PCs were being used.Now the PCs have entered into ordinary families.Computers continued their trend toward a smaller size,working their way down from desktop to laptop computers to palmtop.10年后，有6500万台个人电脑投入使用。现在个人电脑已经进入了普通家庭。计算机的发展趋于小型化，从台式电脑到笔记本电脑再到掌上电脑。Exercises.Choose the correct ans
22、wer.1.was used to tabulate statistics for the 1890 US census.a.ENIAC b.Punch cards c.ABC d.PC2.At first computer was invented for .a.daily use b.office mercial d.military 3.A personal computer is a .a.microcomputerb.terminal c.Personal Digital Assistantd.mainframe.Write True or False for the followi
23、ng statements according to the passage.1.The idea of stored programs,conceived in 1945 by mathematician John Von Neumann.()2.The Macintosh(often called“the Mac”),introduced in 1984 by Microsoft,was the first widely-sold personal computer with a graphical user interface(GUI).()3.Computers continued t
24、heir trend toward a smaller size,working their way down from desktop to laptop computers to palmtop.()4.The number of personal computers in use more than doubled from 2 million in 1981 to 5.5 million in 1982.().Fill in the blanks with appropriate words or phrases.1.is the first General-Purpose elect
25、ronic Computer.2.is the First Digital Electronic Computer.3.The GUI was developed at the in the 1970.4.In 1981,IBM introduced the PC(Personal Computer)for use in the office,home and .Translate the following sentences from English into Chinese.1.Most of these early mainframes were purchased(or rented
26、)by government bureaus,the military,research labs(such as Los Alamos National Lab),large corporations,and universities.2.As smaller computers became more powerful,they could be linked together,or networked,to share memory space,software,and information.Tips The Macintosh(often called“the Mac”),intro
27、duced in 1984 by Apple Computer,was the first widely-sold personal computer with a graphical user interface(GUI).The Mac was designed to provide users with a natural,intuitively understandable,and,in general,“user-friendly”computer interface.Many of the user interface ideas in the Macintosh derived
28、from experiments at the Xerox Parc laboratory in the early 1970s,including the mouse,the use of icons or small visual images to represent objects or actions,the point-and-click and click-and-drag actions,and a number of window operation ideas.Microsoft was successful in adapting user interface conce
29、pts first made popular by the Mac in its first Windows operating system.Passage B System Unit The term hardware(硬件)refers to the physical components of the computer system(as opposed to the software).Your computer hardware will consist of the devices within the case of the computer itself,and any pe
30、ripheral devices(外部设备)that are connected to the computer(such as the mouse and keyboard).The primary component of the computer is the motherboard(also called the main circuit board(主电路板),main logic board,mainboard,or systemboard).The motherboard(as shown in Figure1-5)is a large printed circuit board
31、 with microchips,connectors,and other components mounted on it,and with copper circuitry(电路系统)traces that connect the components together.1 Figure 1-5 Motherboard1.The Components of a Motherboard A motherboard typically holds the following items:CPU(Central Processing Unit)(where the actual processi
32、ng of data takes place).System clock(系统时钟)circuitry(that keeps all of the digital chips in lockstep).Other controller chips that act as traffic cops directing data flow along the system busses(the circuitry connecting the chips to the CPU)and I/O ports.RAM(the main memory,plus additional slots for a
33、dding more memory).ROM(containing the BIOS).CMOS memory.Expansion slots(扩展槽)(for adding expansion cards such as video cards and sound cards).Additional information about the parts listed above can be found in the other sections of this tutorial.Along with the motherboard,the case of your computer ty
34、pically contains a power supply(to convert the AC line current from the wall outlet to the low-voltage DC current used by the computer)and several storage devices located in the expansion bays of the case(such as:hard drives,floppy drives,and CD drives,and DVD drives).22.Configurations and Specifica
35、tions When you go to purchase a computer(either online or at a compute store)you will have several system configurations to choose from.Each configuration includes a particular set of parts or components(both hardware and software)in a specific arrangement.3 A similar term,architecture,also describe
36、s the layout and interactions of the components of a computer system.Each system configuration will have a specification that lists the details about the components included in that particular system.In the tips you will see a typical computer system specification;look it over carefully.By the time
37、you finish with all the parts of this tutorial,you should be able to explain all of the terminology in this specification.Key Words and Expressionshardware h:dw n.硬件peripheral prifrl devices 外部设备motherboard mb:d n.主板main circuit s:kit board 主电路板,集成板circuitry s:kitri n.电路学；电路系统；电路图expansion slots iks
38、pnn slt 扩展槽configuration knfigjurein n.配置，结构architecture:kitekt n.建筑，结构specification spesifikein n.规格，详述，详细说明书terminology t:minldi n.用辞，术语CPU(Central Processing Unit)n.中央处理器system clock 系统时钟I/O ports 输入/输出端口RAM(Random Access Memory)随机存取存储器ROM(Read Only Memory)只读存储器CMOS n.互补型金属氧化物半导体Notes1 The mother
39、board is a large printed circuit board with microchips,connectors,and other components mounted on it,and with copper circuitry traces that connect the components together.主板是一个包含微芯片和连接器的大印刷电路板，其他组件安装在其上，并用铜线电路把各个组件连接在一起。2 Along with the motherboard,the case of your computer typically contains a powe
40、r supply(to convert the AC line current from the wall outlet to the low-voltage DC current used by the computer)and several storage devices located in the expansion bays of the case(such as:hard drives,floppy drives,and CD drives,and DVD drives).连同主板一起，你的计算机一般包括电源供给(及时将AC线从电源插座转换成能被计算机所用的低电压直流电)和一些位
41、于扩展槽的存储设备(比如硬盘、软驱、CD、DVD)。3 Each configuration includes a particular set of parts or components(both hardware and software)in a specific arrangement.每个配置包括一组特别的部件或组件(硬件和软件)，它们是经过专门安排的。ExercisesI.Choose the correct answer.1.Which component are you unlikely to find as part of a motherboard?_ a.ROM b.C
42、PU c.CMOS memory d.DVD2.You could measure a microprocessors clock speed in .a.Gigabytes b.Avis Hertz c.bits per second d.Gig Hertz 3.CPU stands for .a.Computation Procedure Unit b.Chip Production Utility c.Computer Programmers Union d.Central Processing Unit4.Another name for the main circuit board
43、of a personal computer is .a.RAM boardb.peripheral board c.motherboardd.central processing chipII.Write True or False for the following statements according to the passage.1.The CPU is a large printed circuit board with microchips,connectors,and other components mounted on it,and with copper circuit
44、ry traces that connect the components together.()2.A motherboard typically holds the following items:CPU,ROM,RAM,expansion slots,system clock,CMOS memory.()3.Each configuration includes a particular set of parts or components(both hardware and software)in a specific arrangement.()4.The actual proces
45、sing of data takes place in RAM.()III.Fill in the blanks with appropriate words or phrases.1.The primary component of the computer is the .2.circuitry keeps all of the digital chips in lockstep.3.is used for adding expansion cards such as video cards and sound cards.4.When you go to purchase a compu
46、ter you will have several systems to choose from.TipsTypical Specification for a Desktop Computer System1.Processor:Intel Pentium 4 processor,3 GHz,with 800 MHz front side bus,512 KB Level 2 Cache.2.Microsoft Windows XP Professional.3.Memory:512 MB DDR SDRAM at 400 MHz(expandable to 4 GB).4.Hard dri
47、ve:250 GB Serial ATA,7 ms seek time,7200 RPM,512 KB cache.5.Floppy drive:3.5 1.44 MB.6.Optical drive:12x DVD-ROM/48x CD-RW combo drive.7.Expansion slots:1 AGP and 5 PCI.8.External ports:Six USB 2.0(two on front panel),one Parallel,one Serial,two PS/2,and one IEEE 1394.9.Modem:56K PCI FAX/modem.10.Vi
48、deo card:256 MB RADEON 9800 AGP graphics card.11.Monitor:17 CRT(16 viewable),1024768,0.27 dp.12.Sound card:Sound Blaster Audigy2 card w/Dolby 5.1 stereo.13.Speakers:Bose B775 surround sound speaker system with subwoofer.14.Networking:Ethernet 10/100.15.Keyboard:101-key multi-function keyboard.16.Mou
49、se:Logitech MX 500 optical mouse with scroll wheel.17.Case:Tower case with 6 expansion bays(two for internal-only drives).18.Application Software:Microsoft Office Professional 2003.Passage C Input and Output Devices Before a computer can process your data,you need some method to input the data into
50、the machine.The device you use will depend on what form this data takes(be it text,sound,artwork,etc.).Similarly,after the computer has processed your data,you often need to produce output of the results.This output could be a display on the computer screen,hardcopy on printed pages,or even the audi
