Vocabulary - Meanings From Context

Use the context to help you determine the

meaning of each highlighted word.
 
As the summer sun sent scattered rays
through the maple and oak leaves overhead,
the young deer stood frozen, making it
almost impossible for the hikers to see her.

1. In the above passage, the word “frozen”

means _______.

a. very cold
b. visible
c. not moving
d. not melted

Christmas is a time when Dad reverts to his

childhood. I really think he looks forward to
Santa’s visit more than any other member of
the family. Mom says that he’ll always be a
child during this season.

2. What does “reverts” mean in the above

passage?

a. stands up straight
b. peeks at presents
c. drinks too much egg nog
d. goes back to being what he was

Fortunately, the explosion diverted the

asteroid from a course that would have sent
it hurdling into our planet.

3. To divert is to _______.
a. change the direction of
b. look for really high waves
c. jump into a dry river
d. look through a telescope

A wonderful 98 year old woman is working

day and night to knit scarves to send as gifts
for the troops. What a selfless person she is!

4. A selfless woman _______.

a. is selfish
b. has no name
c. likes to wear scarves
d. cares more about others than herself
Carson’s older sister, Madison, is a very
good student. She isn’t satisfied to just get
by in school. She’s involved in extra
activities including band and the Good
Citizens Club.

5. Which statement is not supported by the

paragraph. (It may or may not be factual.)

a. Music is part of Madison’s school

experience.
b. Madison is a straight A student.
c. Carson is younger than Madison.
d. Madison is a member of at least one club.

6. What is the main idea of the first

paragraph?

a. Madison was born before Carson.

b. Madison likes music.
c. Madison is a very good student.
d. Madison is cruel and unusual.

7. In the early 1600s, a dangerous trip

across the Atlantic Ocean was a daunting
idea. The Europeans, who would someday
be known as the Pilgrims, must have been a
very determined and brave group of
settlers.

A daunting task is one that would _______

someone.

a. tickle
b. amuse
c. lose or misplace
d. frighten or intimidate
9. The original Pilgrims called themselves
the “Saints” and referred to others who
joined with them for the voyage as the
“Strangers.”

In this context, “original” means _______.

a. one of a kind
b. first
c. humorous
c. musical

10. The Saints and Strangers argued about

how they would live in the New World.
After much discussion, they came together
and signed the Mayflower Compact.
The Compact was _______.

a. a container for makeup

b. a small item
c. a machine used for mashing corn
d. an agreement

11. When the Pilgrims landed in what is

now Massachusetts, they were fearful that
the Native Americans would attack them.
However, the people that they
encountered, the Wampanoag Indians,
were a peaceful and generous tribe.

To encounter, is to _______.

a. meet
b. note how many
c. fight
d. exchange text messages

Almost every day after school, Madison and

Carson have fun at the local winter sports
facility. Carson glides down the
mountainside without ever losing his
balance. Madison has a different style. She
often soars into the air, lands in various
twisted positions, and waits for her
snowboard to join her on the ground.

12. From this paragraph, we can conclude

that _______

a. Carson prefers skiing to snowboarding.

b. Madison and Carson do not live in
Florida.
c. Madison is as graceful as a swan.
d. It never snows in Vermont.

13. The selection informs us that _______

a. Madison doesn’t like winter sports

because she always falls.
b. Carson owns a plane.
c. Madison loves tennis.
d. Both Carson and Madison enjoy their
time on the snowy slopes.
Nasreddin Goes Shopping
One day Nasreddin went to town
to buy new clothes. First he tried
on a pair of trousers. He didn't like
the trousers, so he gave them back
to the shopkeeper. Then he tried a robe
which had the same price as the trousers.
Nasreddin was pleased with the robe, and he
left the shop. Before he climbed on his
donkey to ride home, the shopkeeper and the
shop-assistant ran out.

"You didn't pay for the robe!" said the

shopkeeper.

"But I gave you the trousers in exchange for

the robe, didn't I?" replied Nasreddin.
"Yes, but you didn't pay for the trousers,
either!" said the shopkeeper.

"But I didn't buy the trousers," replied

Nasreddin. "I am not so stupid as to pay for
something which I never bought."

1 How did Nasreddin get to the shop?

2 What did Nasreddin do first in the

shop?
3 What did Nasreddin try on next?

4 Which item did Nasreddin like best?

5 How many people were working in the
shop?
6 Why was the shopkeeper angry when
Nasreddin left?

7 What did Nasreddin actually pay for?

Scattered
Maple
Overhead
Reverts
looks forward
diverted
hurdling = melompati
scarves = syal
troops = pasukan
selfless = tidak mementingkan diri sendiri
daunting = takut
settlers = penghuni tetap
tickle = perasaan gatal
amuse = menarik perhatian
glides = gerakan yang luwes

Different Types of Software

Here are some common types of software. Click on More » to see more information about each
type of software.

Type Operating systems

Example Microsoft Windows. Linux. Macintosh OS X.
s

Purpose Control your computer.

Type Word processors

Example Word. Corel WordPerfect. AbiWord.

s

Purpose Write essays, novels, reports, or other types of text.

Type Spreadsheets

Example Excel. Lotus 1-2-3. VisiCalc.

s

Purpose Track budgets or investments, or make other calculations.

Type Presentation software

Example PowerPoint.
s

Purpose Create slideshows for meetings.

Type Database management systems

Example Access. Oracle. Sybase. 4th Dimension.

s

Purpose Organize and filter lists of data, such as addresses or inventories.

Type Photo editors

Example Photoshop. Fireworks. PhotoPaint. Gimp.

s

Purpose Change digital photos and other images.

Type Games

Example The Sims. PacMan. Minesweeper.

s

Purpose Have fun playing or experiencing challenges.

Type Desktop publishing

Example PageMaker. InDesign. QuarkXPress.

 s

Purpose Make a magazine, a poster, or an advertisement.

Type Computer-aided design (CAD) software

Example AutoCAD. SolidWorks. MicroStation.

s

Purpose Create blueprints or designs.

Type Web browsers

Example Internet Explorer. Netscape. Mozilla Firefox. Opera. Safari.

s

Purpose View pages on the World Wide Web.

Type E-mail clients

Example Outlook. Eudora. Entourage.

s

Purpose Send letters and files to other people.

And these categories are just the beginning.

Programmers have also created software to do the following tasks:

 Organize employee schedules

 Encode messages to protect bank transactions and other private information

 Change speech into type

 Format screenplays

 Determine how to get the most lumber from a log

 Count down seconds, like an egg timer

 Create music CDs

 Block unwanted advertisements on the World Wide Web or in e-mail

 Keep track of airplane traffic

 Design Web sites

  Edit sound recordings

 Help create more software

You have probably thought of examples not mentioned yet.

The same computer could be used for thousands of different tasks, depending on what software it
runs.

1. Type the best answer in the text box.

Microsoft Windows is an system.

  

2. A software program that performs calculations on rows and columns of numbers is called a
__________.

word processor
CAD software
spreadsheet  
database management system

3. A feature to check your spelling would be most useful in a __________.

word processor
CAD software
 spreadsheet
database management system

4. Type the best answer in the text box.

A grocery store could keep track of what its customers bought in a .

  

5. A photographer could remove a car from a digital photograph with __________.

presentation software
photo-editing software
CAD software
a database management system

6. You could design a bridge with __________.

presentation software
photo-editing software
CAD software
a database management system

7. Which software program would probably NOT help you make a magazine __________.

presentation software
photo-editing software
word processing software
desktop publishing software

8. Type the best answer in the text box.

CAD stands for computer-aided .

  

9. Mozilla, Opera, and Safari are all names of __________.

 e-mail clients
photo-editing software
word processing software
Web browsers

10. A database is __________.

a list of addresses
a set of folders and files
a list of information about a group of things, broken down into categories
software to draw blueprints

11. Which of the following is the best example of a database?

the programming language C++

a list of temperatures; for example 10 degrees, 20 degrees, -5 degrees
a list of people, including their names and addresses
the text of a book

12. The software you need to organise a database is called __________.

database monitoring software

database management software
database argument software
database monument software

13. Type the best answer in the text box.

To read your e-mail you need software called an e-mail .

  

14. If you are going to give a presentation at a meeting, you might want to bring the software
called __________.
 Excel
Oracle
QuarkXPress
PowerPoint

15. Some types of software are like computer-based replacements for older ways of getting
things done. Match the older tool in the left column with its software alternative in the right
column.

Tool Software Alternative

1. Overhead projectors 1. Spreadsheets

2. Forms and filing 2. Database management software

cabinets
3. CAD software
3. Typewriter
4. Word processors
4. Ledger
5. Photo editor
5. Drafting tools
6. Presentation software
6. Darkroom
7. Sound-editing software
chemicals
8. E-mail
7. Recording studio

8. Envelopes and
stamps

16. Match the task with the type of software you would need.

To Do This Task You Need This Type of Software

1. Write a story 1. Presentation software

2. Plan a budget 2. E-mail software

3. Prepare a slideshow 3. Database management system

4. Design an engine 4. Desktop publishing software

5. Organize your record collection 5. Web browser

6. Send a picture to a friend 6. Spreadsheet

7. Change a colour photo to black and white 7. Photo editor

8. Run any software application 8. Operating system

9. Make a newsletter 9. Word processor

10. Visit a Web site 10. CAD software

Topic: Computer Types

English for Computer Hardware ( Computer Types )

In this unit you will learn about different types of computers and what makes them unique.

Computers were not always things you could carry around with you, or even have in your
bedroom. Sixty years ago, computers ( such as ENIAC ) were as big as entire apartments. They
were difficult to use and not very powerful by today's standards. They also cost a lot of money to
build and operate. So computers were only used by large organizations such as governments,
international corporations, and universities.

Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, computers captured the public's imagination in literature,
films, and TV. More and more companies wanted computers, even if they didn't always have a
good reason to own one. As a result, computers gradually became smaller, cheaper, and more
practical to own. This was thanks in part to companies like IBM, which mass-produced
computers for the first time and promoted them to medium and large businesses to do things like
payroll, accounting, and other number-crunching tasks.

In the 1970s and 1980s a new type of computer started to gain in popularity. It was called the PC
or personal computer. For the first time in history, computers were now for everyone. The PC
started a revolution which affects nearly everything we do today. The ways we work, play,
communicate, and access information have all been radically reshaped due to the invention and
evolution of the PC.

PCs are everywhere you look today. At home, at the office, and everywhere in between. Many
people still mistakenly believe the term PC is synonymous with a desktop computer running
Windows. This is not really true. Really, any computer you use by yourself for general purposes
could be called a PC. You probably already own at least one of these types of PCs:
- laptop
- desktop computer
- PDA or personal digital assistant
- workstation

Besides PCs, there are other types of computers you probably see at work or school. These
include:

- file servers
- print servers
- web servers

But not all types of computers are so obvious as the ones above. There are still other kinds of
computers that fit inside of other devices and control them. These computers are known as
embedded systems.

Embedded systems can be found in traffic lights, TV sets, refrigerators, coffee machines and
many more devices. Embedded systems are typically controlled by inexpensive, specialized
processors which can only handle very specific tasks.

Types of computers go in and out of fashion as times changes. Older kinds of computers which
were very popular in the 20th century ( 1900's ) are now referred to as legacy systems. These
include:

- mainframes
- minicomputers
- IBM clones

New types of computers are always coming out and replacing or augmenting existing computer
types. Examples of new types of computers emerging would be netbooks, tablet PCs, and even
wearable computers.

As you complete this unit, you will learn to differentiate between different computer types. Keep
in mind that the lines between computer types are constantly being blurred. This phenomenon is
known as convergence.

Discussion Questions:

What is meant by the term 'convergence'? Can you give a few examples?

Why do you think companies moved away from mainframes and minicomputers and more
towards laptops, desktop computers, and workstations?

Write a short essay discussing the following sentence. "Today's supercomputer is tomorrow's
legacy system."