Unit 3 Parts of a computer

Tuning-in
 Task 1 Work in pairs. Study this diagram of the inside of a computer. Can you label
these components? Compare your answers with other students in your class.

1 hard disk drive 5 processor

2 motherboard 6 speaker
3 memory chips 7 expansion cards
4 power supply 8 floppy drive

Listening: Buying a computer 2

 Task 2 Use the Glossary on page 164 to find out what these terms mean.

1 byte 2 Gb 3 Kb 4 Mb 5 MHz

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 Task 3 Listen to this conversation about buying a computer and complete the units in the
table below.

Capacity/speed Capacity/speed
Component measured in Component measured in
Processor _____________ cache memory _____________
RAM _____________ hard disk _____________
Video memory _____________

Reading: The motherboard

 Task 4 Study this diagram of a PC motherboard. Match the components to their
descriptions. If you need help, use the Glossary on page 164.

Expansion slots Cache memory

1. These are memory chips. The more you have, the more work you can do at a time.
Empty slots mean you can add more memory.
2. This is the 'brain' of the computer.
3. It's part of the memory store. It has extremely fast access. It's faster than normal
RAM. It can speed up the computer.
4. These let you add features such as sound or a modem to your computer.
5. This kind of memory contains all the instructions your computer needs to activate
itself when you switch on. Unlike RAM, its contents are retained when you switch off.

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 Task 5 Study these instructions for replacing the motherboard in a PC. Match the
instructions to each picture. The pictures are in the correct order.

a Add the processor.

b Fit the new motherboard.
c Remove the old
motherboard.
d Put it back together.
e Add the memory.
Don't touch the contacts.

Language work: Time-order transition signals

When you write about an event, you need time order words or transition
signals to tell about it. You write first this happened, next that happened, and
then something else happened.
A transition signal is a word or phrase that shows how one idea is related
to another idea. When you see the word finally, you know that the last idea is
coming. The phrase for example is also a transition signal. It shows that the
next sentence is going to be an example of the idea before it. In a text, time-
order words or phrases can be called time-order transition signals.
When writing instructions, you can divide your instructions into a series of
steps, and list the steps in order by numbering them (1, 2, 3, etc.) or you may
want to use transition signals for time order to make the order of the steps clear.
Time-order transition signals include:
First, …….. In the morning,……….
First of all, ….. In the afternoon,………
Second,……... In the evening,………..
Third, …… At night, …………….
Next,……..
After that, …. Before the earthquake, …..
Then ……. During the earthquake, …
Finally, ….. After the earthquake,…….
Note: Transition signals are usually placed at the beginning of a sentence.
They are followed by a comma. “Then” is not followed by a comma.
Time-order words or phrases are sometimes called sequence words or
phrases.

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