Midterm exam

I. Reading
Computer Hardware Components

Due to convergence, the traditional categories we divide computing into are blurring. But for
practical reasons, IT professionals can still divide hardware into two main classes:
components and peripherals.
Components are primarily core internal devices of a computer which help define what type a
computer is, what it is capable of doing, and how well it is capable of doing it. Nothing
affects the overall quality of a computer more than its components.
Normally the more expensive a component is, the better it performs. This is a general
guideline however and not a steadfast rule. Sometimes you can spend a lot more money on a
component with only slightly better performance than one costing half as much. Other times
a very expensive component might be based on a completely new technology that is not
ready for mass production. In these cases, one is often better off buying a more mainstream
part.
Being an early adopter is not always the most practical move when speccing components for
a new system. Often you can find very powerful hardware at the medium price ranges. There
is normally a relatively large sweet-spot in the market.

How can you know if a component is good or bad? You want to be an IT professional, right?
IT professionals need good computers without performance bottlenecks. So do some
research. Read articles about components on a website. Where do you find them? Just Google
it!

One of my favorite places for objective customer reviews of components is Tom's Hardware
Guide. Another place for objective information is on well-known websites such as
Amazon.com or NewEgg.com. On sites like these, customers will often write both positive
and negative reviews shortly after receiving their products. This can help you decide what to
buy!
Imagine you want to build your own computer. It's not that difficult or expensive really. I
personally think it's kind of fun, How would you start? If you are experienced, you would
start by choosing the components first! Components must be compatible with each other in
order to function correctly. For example not all processors are compatible with all
motherboards. Research is necessary to solve your dependencies.

If you can't afford the exact parts you want to get all at the same time, you can use old parts
or buy cheaper parts at first if you have to. Why? Because certain components can be
upgraded to attain increased performance. For example, a video card (or graphics card) can
be upgraded to improve the graphics for a CAD/CAM application or 3D gaming experience.

At the heart of the computer lies several key components sitting on the motherboard
including the microprocessor, the chipset, RAM and a ROM firmware instruction set called
the BIOS. These core components are connected by several "buses" made to carry
information around the system and eventually out to display devices and other peripherals.

The CPU is another name for the 'brain' of the computer and normally includes the
microprocessor and RAM. This is what does all the calculations. One or more coprocessors
may or may not be needed depending on what the computer is used for. In the 20th century,
coprocessors were often used for mathematics such as floating point operations. Today
however coprocessors are mostly used for 3D graphics (GPUs), sound generation, and
physics applications.

As you probably learned in an earlier chapter, RAM is the memory which allows your
computer to hold the operating system and all running programs while your computer is in
use. On the contrary, ROM is a kind of permanent memory which is still in tact even when
the computer is off. The BIOS is a good example of an application using ROM. The BIOS
controls very low-level access to the hardware.
Busses and ports are general terms for connectivity components with connect the different
parts of the PC together. These include the serial port, parallel port, PCI and PCIe busses, and
the Universal Serial Bus (USB) controller. These devices allow communication between
different parts of the system. Also network interface cards are now standard on most
motherboards, although USB and PCI versions of the devices are also available.

Your optical drives and hard disk drives are also components in your computer. To allow data
interchange between your CPU and drives, SATA, ATA, and SCSI controllers are still widely
used.
The core multimedia components include the sound card and graphics card. They make
computing more fun and useful for creative professionals such as designers, gamers, and
musicians. Multimedia is definitely a place where high-quality components really matter.

Feeding all these components with a steady supply of energy is another component called the
power supply. This is an often overlooked piece of hardware but obviously very important! A
low quality power supply can cause havoc in a computer system. On the other hand a bigger
than necessary power supply can increase system heat, waste power, and make a lot of noise.
Choose wisely!
At the most exterior of the computer we see the computer case. This is meant to look good,
protect the components, and provide an easy interface to plug in peripherals. If you are
buying or building your own computer, make sure it has a good case.
Apple is well-known for high quality PC and laptop cases, although most major companies
have fair to medium quality PC cases. Beware of computers with cheap looking plastic cases.
If a computer manufacturer uses a cheap case, it's very likely they are also using other cheap
components inside as well. Cheap components equal a slow computer which will break after
moderate use. If you intend to use a computer for several hours every day, it makes sense to
buy the very best one which fits your needs and budget.

I hope this reading inspires you to learn more about the components in your computer. Just
remember that putting computers back together is harder than taking them apart!

(http://www.english4it.com)
1.1 Find the answers to these questions in the text. (2 points)

1. What are computer components?

3. What is the role of the motherboard?

5. What is the role of the case?

7. What is the role of ROM?

a. The CPU
b. RAM

c. ROM
d. USB

e. SCSI
Section B

i. Random Access Memory

iii. Small Computer System Interface

v. Universal Serial Bus

1. Components decide the overall quality of a computer

2. "the more expensive a component is, the better it performs". This statement is
always correct.

3. It is always good to use a bigger than necessary power supply.

5. We have to buy high quality graphic card in order to play game smoothly.

2. Writing

2.1 Complete the text below using the words in parentheses or adding preposition (2 points)
a. Early computers were often quite expensive and customers often (pay)
thousands of dollars for machines which actually (do) very little.
b. The CPU is a large chip the computer.
c. Data always flows the CPU the address bus.
d. The CPU can be divided three parts.
e. A smart card can also send data to a reader via an antenna (coil) inside the
card.
f. Smart cards prevent unauthorised users (access) systems and permit
authorised users (have) access to a wide range of facilities.
g. The Help facility enables users (get) advice on most problems.
h. Adding more memory lets your computer (work) faster.
i. A gateway is an interface (enable) dissimilar networks tocommunicate.
j. A bridge is a hardware and software combination (use) to connect the same
type of networks.

2.2 Linking two separate sentences to from a single sentence (2 points)

b. I don't know much about the games. The games are played by children nowadays.

c. The technology is here today. It is needed to set up a home network.

d. There is a line receiver in the living room. It delivers home entertainment audio to
speakers.
e. She created the site using a program called Netscape Composer. It is contained in Netscape
Communicator.

3. Speaking (2 points) (Write down)