Computer Hardware
Dialogue
摘要：对话训练
Dialogue 1
A:I thought computers were supposed to make your life more convenient.
But it seems
like I spend half my time waiting for it to do something.
Why is it so
slow?
How much RAM do
you have?
A:I think I have 8 Megs.
B:That's your problem.
If you want
Windows 95 to run smoothly, you need at least 16.
Dilogue 2
A:I have 16 Megs now. and most things work better ,but my Internet
connection is still really slow.
Is there
anything that I can do?
B: Let's see, Your modem is only a 14.4.
If you want your
Internet connection to speed up, you'll have to get a faster modem
This is a mouse
,With the mouse we can move the cursor very quickly.
Look at the
screen ,See the little line that blinks?
That's the
cursor.
You can begin to
type there.
B: But I don't want to type there.
A: Then move the cursor.
Watch, I'll hold
the mouse in my hand.
Now I'll move it
across the table.
See the cursor
move?
Dialogue 3
A: I can't seem to get my mouse to work properly.
First it moves
and then ,all of a sudden, it jerks all the way across the screen.
What can I do?
B:Here ,let me see.
Open the mouse
and takes out the ball.
Do you see these
contacts here?
A:Yes, They look pretty dirty.
B: That's right.
Let me clean
those for you ,and you'll be back to normal in no time.
Dialogue 4
A: My friends sent me this new audio--player program, but I can't get
it to load properly.
B: The instruction says that this player requires a 32 bit sound card.
A: A 32-bit sound card?
Mine is only
16-bit.
B:That's your problem right there.
If you want this
new software to work , you'll have to upgrade your hardware too.
Professional Terms
passages
摘要：文章训练
Vocabularies
category n.
divide vt.
storage n.
typical a.
Passages
Now we'll
discuss the basics about the hardware devices that convert data into
information in a typical computer based system.
Computer hardware
refers to the parts of a computer that you can see and touch.
It can be
divided into four categories.
1. input
hardware
2.storage
hardware
3.processing
hardware ,and finally output hardware
Input Hardware
The purpose of
input hardware is to collect data and convert it into a form suitable for
computer processing.
Notes
The most common
imput device is the keyboard.
It looks very
much like a typewriter keyboard with rows of keys arranged in the typical
typewriter layout.
as well as a
number of additional keys used to enter special computer-related codes.
Notes
摘要：文章训练
Notes
It looks very
much like a typewriter keyboard with rows of keys arranged in the typical
typewriter layout,
as well as a
number of additional keys used to enter special computer-related codes.
Although it
isn't the only type of input device available ,the computer keyboard is the one
most generaly used by the business community.
The purpose of
storage hardware is to provide a means of storing computer instructions and data
in a form that is relatively permanent, or nonvolatile
That is ,the
data is not lost when the power is turned off .
and easy to
retrieve when needed for processing.
Storage hardware
serves the same basic functions as do office filing systems.
Except that it
stores data as electromagnetic signals or laser-etched spots.
commonly on disk
or tape ,rather than on paper.
Vocabularies
activity n.
coordinate v.
effectively v.
internal a.
primary n.
sophisticated a.
Passages
processing
Hardware
The purpose of
processing hardware is to retrieve, interpret and direct
the execution of software instructions provided to the computer.
The most common
components of processing hardwareare the central processing unit and main
memory.
The central
processing unit( CPU) is the brain of the computer.
It reads and
interprets software instructions and coordinates the processing activities that
must take place.
The design of
the CPU affects the processing power and the speed of
the computer.
as well as the
amount of main memory it can use effectively
With a
well-designed CPU in your computer ,you can perform highly sophisticated tasks
in a very short time.
Main memory
(also called internal memory ,primary storage ,or just plain memory)can be thought
of as an electronic desktop;the more desk
surface you have in front of the computer.
The more
software instructions in it.
The amount of
memory available determines whether you can run simple or sophisticated
software.
a computer with
a large memory is more capable of holding the thousands of instructions that
are contained in the more sophisticated software programs.
A large memory
also allows you to work with and manipulate great amounts of data and
information at one time.
Quite simply,
the more main memory you have in your computer ,the more you can accomplish.
Professional Terms
passages
摘要：文章训练
Vocabularies
display n.
graphics n.
hardcopy n.
television-like
vt.
view vt.
Passages
Output software
The purpose of
output hardware is to provide the user with teh means to view information
produced by the computer system.
Information is
output in either hardcopy or softcopy form.
Hardcopy output
can be held in your hand-examples are paper with text or graphics printed on
it.
Softcopy output
is displayed on a display , a television-like screen on which you can read text
and graphics.
