What is a computer?
(Matéria publicada na revista Speak Up edição 228 - maio/2006. by John Rigg)
Nowadays, in most modern societies, almost everybody has an idea about what a computer is. We depend on computers in every aspect of our lives whether we know how to use one or not. But does everyone really know how a computer works inside?
A computer is an electronic machine which processes data and provides the results of the processing as information. There are three basic steps in the computing process. The first one is input, which consists of feeding data into the computer's memory. Then comes the processing: the program is run and teh computer processes the data by performing a set of instructions. the third and final stepis the output furnished by the computer, which allowa the user to see the results either in printed form or on the screen.
The world of computer has created a specific language of its own. English words such as software and hardware are used worldwideand have been borrowed by many different languages. Software is information in the form of data and programs, and hardware to the electronic and mechanical parts tha make up a computer system.
Despite the constant presence of computers in most modern societies, it is a great mistake to believe that everybody in the world is computer-literate, i.e., is familiar with computers and knows how to use them properly. In some contemporary societies, many people still have no idea about existence of computers, and even in the so-called developed countries, there are lots of people who do not know or do not care about what a computer is.
Agora Faça o que se pede:
1. Circule as palavras cognatas encontradas no texto.
2. Escolha 5 dessas palavras e tente dar significado a elas .
Computers - computadores
Existence - existencia
Familiar - familiares
Societies - societies
Programs - programas
Information - informação
3. Qual o assunto do texto? Compare suas respostas com um colega.
O que é um computador
4. Escreva na primeira coluna os numeros correspondentes às palavras definidas na segunda.
a)___8_____ computer 1. Data fed into the computer's memory.
b)___3_____ input 2. Information
c)___1_____ processing 3. Machine that processes data.
d)___7_____output 4. Electronic and mechanical parts of a computer.
e)___5_____screen 5. Device that shows the results of the processing.
f)____4____ software 6. The results shown on the screen or in printed form.
g)____ 6____hardware 7. Programs.
h)____2____data 8. Series of action that a computer performs to arrive at a
result.
5. O texto afirma que existem três etapas básicas no processo de computação, que são respectivamente as etapas de ENTRADA, PROCESSAMENTO e SAIDA de dados.
a. entrada - saída - apresentação
b. entrada - saída - tradução
ü c. entrada - processamento – saída
d. processamento - saída - apresentação
e. instruções - processamento - saída.
6. Em protuguês, defina o que é hardware e software de acordo com o que está escrito nas linha 12 e 13 do texto.