Text 1. HARDWARE

The functions of the hardware composing a computer can be divided broadly into the following five categories:

· Input

· Storage

· Operation

· Control

· Output

The following are the units that implement the above-mentioned functions:

· Input unit: This unit inputs the data and programs for computer processing. It is equivalent to the human eyes and ears.

· Storage unit: This unit stores the input data and programs. It is equivalent to the memory section of the human brain.

· Arithmetic unit: This unit conducts calculation and decision on the stored data according to the instructions of the program. It is equivalent to the thinking section of the human brain.

· Control unit: This unit controls the input unit, storage unit, arithmetic unit and the output unit. It is equivalent to the human central nervous system.

· Output unit: This unit outputs the results of computer processing in a format that can be understood by humans. It is equivalent to the human hands and mouth.

These five units are called the "computer five main units". 

Since the control unit and the arithmetic unit are handled as one unit, they are called the processor (processing unit) or central processing unit (CPU). The general term "peripheral devices" is used to refer to the input unit, the output unit and the auxiliary storage devices that are outside the processor and exchange data with the main storage unit. Likewise, the storage units are divided into main storage unit and auxiliary storage device, depending on their functions.

 RAM (Random Access Memory)

A RAM is semiconductor memory in which data writing and reading is possible. When the computer is turned off, the stored data is lost. This property is called volatility. Since most main storage units are composed of RAMs, the processor can be made to read and write information from the main storage unit at random by specifying the address.

RAMs are classified into DRAMs and SRAMs.

 DRAM (Dynamic RAM)

A DRAM represents bits, and stores information depending on whether the part called capacitor is being charged (status "1") or is not being charged (status "0").

Since the circuits are simple and small, RAMs of large capacity can be created at low cost. However, since the charge stored in the capacitor is lost after a lapse of time, the memory needs to be rewritten (recharged) at regular intervals. This operation is called refreshing. Once, DRAMs were used in the main storage unit, but currently they are also used in storage units, etc., contained in the input/output units of printers and other devices.

‚ SDRAM (Synchronous DRAM)

Due to the progress of IC technology, and the consequent substantial improvement of the performance of processors, the operating speed of the DRAMs that composed the storage unit could not keep up with the operating speed of the processors. For that reason, an external clock signal that indicates the processor operation timing is now set in the DRAM and through synchronization with this signal, complicated address specifications are reduced and simplified, enabling the development of DRAMs that operate at high speeds. These types of DRAMs are called synchronous DRAMs (SDRAM).

ƒ SRAM (Static RAM)

SRAMs are created with a circuit called the flip-flop. The flip-flop settles the output according to the previous input and the current input, and can preserve the status "1" and "0" inside the circuit. Since data is not lost unless the computer is turned off, memory refreshing is not necessary. However, since SRAM circuits are complicated, the memory capacity is smaller than that of DRAMs and the cost is higher. However, since its processing speed is high, it is used in devices such as the registers contained in main storage units and processors.

(2)     ROM (Read Only Memory)

The ROM is semiconductor memory for read use only. Since programs and data are stored in the ROM from the beginning, the stored information is not lost even if the computer is turned off. This property is called nonvolatility.

ROMs are classified into mask ROMs and user programmable ROMs.

 Mask ROM

Since programs and data are already written in the Mask ROM before it is shipped by the manufacturer, the user cannot add any programs or data. Mask ROMs are used in the memories of game cassettes and IPL (Initial Program Loader), a program used to start the computer, etc.

‚ User programmable ROM

The user programmable ROM is a type of ROM, but since at the time it is shipped by the manufacturer it has nothing stored in it, the user can write data into it once. The following types of user programmable ROM exist.

·   PROM (Programmable ROM): Once data has been written, it cannot be erased.

·   EPROM (Erasable PROM): It can be erased with ultraviolet light and rewritten.

·   EEPROM (Electrically Erasable PROM): It can be erased through the application of electrical voltage and rewritten.

EEPROM is used in a storage medium called flash memory, which is used in the registration of image data of digital cameras, etc. Likewise, it is also used in the storage section of IC cards, etc.

Test 8. (Book 3.Unit 9)

I. Listen to a conversation between two employees at Harper Company and complete the conversation.

Employee 1: None of my programs have online access.

Employee 2:  What about 1)_______    _________?

Employee 1: The browser opens, but I can’t access any websites. Most importantly, I can’t use the e-mail client.

Employee 2:  That’s a big problem.

Employee 1: I know, I think I have a 2)  _______.

Employee 2:  Are you sure? The company’s new antivirus 3) ______ is pretty powerful.

Employee 1: I know, and which has got a 4)  _______.

Employee 2: Oh, the firewall. How high are your settings?

Employee 1: 5) as    _________    as  6)  _________.

Employee 2: 7) ________   your problem. You need to lower the level if you want your programs to work.

II. Mark the following statements as true (T) or false (F).

1.      The antivirus software is causing the employee’s problems.

2.      The browser can not access any online information

3.      The employee’s firewall settings are too strict.

Test 7. (Book1.Unit 5)

1.      Listen and complete the conversation. /6 points/

IT professional:Hi. Can I help you find something?

Customer: Oh, please. I need a 1)……….

IT professional: Well, there are a few types. What kind of 2)……do you have?

Customer: I don’t have one yet. But it is for the computers in my home.

IT professional : Do you want a LAN or a WAN? Some routers don’t 3)………both types.

Customer: What is the difference?

IT professional: A WAN connects computers wirelessly. A LAN 4)……….5)……….with CAT5 cables.

Customer:My computers are 6) ………….I need a WAN.

2.Listen to a IT professional talking with a customer about setting up a network. Choose the correct answers. /4 points/

1. What does the woman want to buy?

a. a LAN         b. a WAN        c. a router        c. a CAT5 cable

2. Why does the woman choose a wireless network?

a. She doesn’t have CAT5 cables

b. Her computers are not close to each other.

c. She doesn’t like her present network.

d. Her router doesn’t support a LAN. 

 Test 6

Tip Strip

Question 3: You will hear the information about the main road and its number before the information you need to answer

Question 3. Notice that the preposition in is written before the gap.

Question 10: The woman introduces this topic, but you need to listen to the man's reply for the exact word you need.

Complete the sentences first.

You will hear a woman phoning the Local Council  about an abandoned ………...

First you have some time to look at questions 1 to 6 on page …………..

You will see that there is an example which has been done for you. On this occasion only, the conversation relating to this will be played first.

The ………… is Mrs. Shefford. So “Mrs. Shefford” has been written in the space.

Now we shall begin. You should answer the questions as you listen because you will not hear the recording a second time. Listen carefully and  answer questions       1 to 6.

Questions 1-10

Complete the form below.

Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.

Report on abandoned vehicle

Example                                                                                Answer                                                

Name of caller                                                 Mrs.Shefford

Address                                                           41,1…………….             

Barrowdale

                                                                        WH4 5JP

Telephone                                                        2 ………………..near mean road (A69)

Vehicle location                                              in 3 ……………..

Type of vehicle                                               4 ………………..

Make                                                               Catala

Model                                                              5 ……………......      

Present colour of vehicle                                 6 ………………..

Vehicle number                                               S322GEC

General condition                                           poor - one 7……………, cracked windscreen

Length of time at site                                      8 ………………..

Land belongs to                                              9 ………………..

Last owner                                                      no information available

Other notes                                                     vehicle does not belong to a 10 ………. resident

Test 5

Complete the sentences first.

You will hear a conversation between a senior 1)…….and a woman interested in working at the library.

First you have some time to look at 2)……… 1 to 7 on page 109 and 110.

You will see that there is an example which has been done for you. On this occasion only, the conversation relating to this will be played first.

The woman is interested in 3)……. work. So “C” has been circled in the example.

Now we shall begin. You should answer the questions as you listen because you will not hear the recording a second time. Listen carefully and  answer questions  1 to 7.

Questions 1-7. Choose the correct letter A, B or C

Example

The woman says she is interested in

A         part time

B         a permanent job

C         unpaid work

1.The librarian says that training always includes

A          computer skills

B         basic medical skills

C         interpersonal skills

2.All library service volunteers have to

A          record their arrival and departure

B          stay within ‘staff only sections’

C          wear a uniform

3.The woman would be entitled to a contribution towards the cost of

A          transport by minibus

B         parking at the library

C          public transport

4.One recent library project involved

A         labeling historical objects

B         protecting historical photographs

C         cataloguing historical documents

5.At present , the library is looking for people to

A               record books into CD

B                tell stories children

C              read books to the blind

6.The woman says she is interested in project involving

A               taking library books to people in hospital

B               delivering library books to people at home

C               driving the disabled to the library

7.The woman agrees to work for

A               two hours per week

B              four hours per week

C               six hours per weeks

Questions 8-10. Choose THREE letters A-G. Which THREE of the following must be provided by all volunteers

A         civil conviction check

B         signed copy of commitment

C         certificates of indicate qualifications

D         emergency contact information

E         date of birth

F          signature of parent or guardian

G         referees

Text 4.

Jacinta: Hi, Lewis-It’s Jacinta here.

Lewis: Oh, hi, Jacinta. I was just going to call you. I was thinking we ought to do something about accommodation for our trip to Queenstown.

-          Yeah, actually that’s just why I rang you. I’ve been looking on the Internet-there was one place that looked OK called Travellers’ Lodge, but when I checked availability for January when we’re planning to go I found it was fully booked.

-          Right-well, we’d better do something now I suppose.

-          I’ve actually got a list up here on the computer-there’s one place called Bingley’s that looks possible. It’s 19.75 dollars a night-that’s US dollars, they quote all the prices in US dollars.

-          So that’s about 26 or 27 New Zealand dollars. That’s OK. That’ll be in a dormitory, isn’t it?

-          Yeah-they say 8-bed dorms. And the hostel’s right in the town centre and they’ve got a café….they have theme nights every weekend, whatever that means…

-          Oh, you know, like certain sorts of food and music…and people might wear special clothes like that Egyptian evening we went to last year.

-          Oh, OK. What else…they’ve got a sundeck area, and then all the usual things-Internet access and so on.

-          Sounds good. Was there anything else?

-          Yea, a couple more places. There’s one called Chalet Lodge which is just 18.00 US dollars-that’s for a bed in a 12-bed dorm. They do single and family rooms as well. It looks as if it’s a bit out of town…says it’s got an alpine setting…a “quiet” alpine setting. What do you think?

-          Mmm, not sure…

-          Oh, but actually it’s not far out at all…it says 10 minutes’ walk from town, so…Oh, and it says it’s “children friendly”.

-          Mmm, I’m not so sure about that. What about the third place?

-          Aah. That’s called Globetrotters-let’s see,  they do private rooms, or 5-bed dorms for 18.50-it’s in the centre, just by the lake…and that includes breakfast.

-          Didn’t the other two?

-          I don’t think so. They didn’t mention it, so probably not. Oh, and it says something about a free skydive….wow.

-          Don’t know if I’m all that keen on jumping out of aeroplanes…

-          Oh, actually what it says is you can win a chance to do a skydive-they give one away every day to one of the guests.

-          Well, if I win it, you can do it…Anyway, do they have room?

-          Yeah, I checked the availability. Shall I go ahead and book there then?

-          Fine.

……..

Jacinta: I was looking at what there is to do, too…there are lots of sites offering deals for adventure sports-ah, I suppose we have to do a bungee jump.

Lewis: why?

-          Well, it’s Queenstown where they more or less started it as a sport.

-          You can….if they really want to jump off the side of a bridge with an elastic rope tied round your ankles. I’ll watch.

-          OK. So what do you want to do?

-          As far as adventure sports go? I was talking to someone who went white-water rafting there-he said it was really awesome. They drive you up the Shotover River and then you come down on a rubber raft through the white-water rapids, where the river’s really narrow and fast, and end up going through a tunnel nearly 200 metres long. I think, it’s quite expensive, though.

-          Oh, I’m on for that if you are.

-          Cool.

-          The other thing you can do is jet-boat ride…that sounded a lot of noise though. It’s basically just whizzing round on the river on a very fast boat, isn’t it?

-          My friend did that as well-he said it was a bit touristy but worth it, I’ll give it a go. You go right up the river canyon. He said the drivers were very skilful. But I don’t mind going on my own.

-          But there’s lots to do as well as the whole commercial adventure bit…we ought to do some trekking. The scenery round there’s amazing, I don’t want to miss that. The place to start’s Glenorchy, apparently-about 40 minutes’ drive, that’s where lots of the wilderness trails begin.

-          OK, I’ll pack my walking boots. I’d better start getting in training…I haven’t done anything except sit at my desk for months. Now, is there anything else we need to decide?

Text 5

Woman: Erm..I’m interested in doing some work for the library-are you the person to speak to?

Librarian: Yes, Right. Well, erm, what sort of work are you interested in?

-          I’ve just come to live here in Australia…I don’t want full-time job until my children have settled down, but I really need to get out of the house a bit, and I heard you need voluntary workers for various projects…?

-          Right

-          …but I don’t know if I have the right skills.

-          Well, we do provide training.

-          Oh

-          We always include an orientation to the library, together with emergency procedures, that’s fire regulations, emergency exits, first aid so you can cope with accidents or sudden illness, things like that which are necessary for anyone who’s working with the public. Then we give specialists training for particular projects-like using our database system.

-          I do have quite good computer skills, in fact.

-          Umm, great.

-          Is there any sort of dress requirement?

-          Well, all staff have to wear a name badge-so they can be identified if they go outside “the staff only” areas. But apart from that there aren’t many regulations-we ask you to sign in and sign out for insurance purposes, but that’s all. How about transport-do you live locally?

-          Not too far away. I’m at Porpoise Beach. My husband needs the car during the day but it’s only about twenty minutes on the bus.

-          In fact, we can reimburse part of your travel expenses in that case.

-          Oh. Would that be the same if I came by car?

-          No, because parking is such a problem here. One thing we are looking for though is someone who can drive a minibus.

-          No problem. So, do the projects involve going outside the library?

-          Some, yes. But not all. We’ve just finished one which involved working with photographs taken of the area 50 or 100 years ago-it basically involved what we call encapsulation…

-          Putting them in some sort of covers to keep them safe?

-          Exactly. It’s time-consuming work, and we were very grateful to have help with it. Then, sometime next year  we’re hoping to begin working on an initiative involving the sorting and labeling of objects relating to local history. We’ll be needing help with the cataloguing.

-          I’d definitely be interested. How about at present?

-          Well, we have a small team who work to support those who are unable to read.

-          Working with the blind?

-          Yes, or other groups who have reading difficulties. We provide volunteers with  equipment so that they can take books home with them and read them aloud onto CDs. We’re gradually building up a collection that can be lent to those who need them.

-          Mmm. I can see it would be useful, but I’d really like to do some sort of work where I can get the chance to meet people. How about reading stories to  children?

-          Mmm That’s done by our regular staff. But we have another project-it’s a very long established scheme which involves helping .those who are unable to have direct access to the library.

-          Oh, I noticed someone with a trolley of books when I was at the hospital last week. That sort of thing?

-          That would have been one of ours, yes. It’s one of our most popular services-lots of people who wouldn’t dream of going to the library normally, when they’re at home, borrow a book when the trolley comes round the ward.

-          I can imagine, Yes, I’d definitely be interested in that. Right, so, how do I enroll?

-          Well, we do ask all volunteers to commit themselves to a regular period each week.

-          I could probably do five or six hours…

-          Oh…be careful not to take on too much-but we do need someone for a couple of afternoons from 2 to 4…so four hours altogether.

-          That sounds fine.

…….

Librarian: Right, so here’s the application form…it asks the usual questions, name and address and telephone number. You also need to fill in details of who we should get in touch with in case of any accident or problem like that, we do need to have that filled in, and there’s a space for date of birth, but that’s only if  you’re over 75 so, we won’t worry about that.

Woman: No. Oh, it asks for the qualifications-do I need to provide certificates?

-          -They’re not necessary. We’ll need the names of two referees-not relatives or family members, obviously. What else…signature of parent or guardian-that won’t be necessary as I assume you’re over 18?

-          Yes. What’s this? It says “civil conviction check”

-          That’s a document we have to provide by law for those working on projects involving children, so we won’t need it in your case. But you will need to sign this separate document-that’s a copy of commitment; it’s basically an agreement to work according to the library guidelines. So, if you’d like to fill this all in-you can do it here, or take it home, whichever you prefer.

-          I’ll take it home if that’s OK. Right, well thank you for your time.