Modern computers have a myriad of applications in fields ranging from the arts to the sciences and from personal finance to enhanced communications. The use of supercomputers has been well established in research and government.
Computers make all modern communications possible. They operate telephone switching systems, coordinate satellite launches and operations, help generate special effects for movies, and control the equipment in television and radio broadcasts. Local area networks link the computers in separate departments of businesses or universities, and the Internet links computers all over the world. Journalists and writers use word processors to write articles and books, which they then submit electronically to publishers. The data may later be sent directly to computer-controlled typesetters.
Scientists and researchers use computers in many ways to collect, store, manipulate, and analyze data. Running simulations is one of the most important applications. Data representing a real-life system is entered into the computer, and the computer manipulates the data in order to show how the natural system is likely to behave under a variety of conditions. In this way scientists can test new theories and designs or can examine a problem that does not lend itself to direct experimentation. Computer-aided design (CAD) programs enable engineers and architects to design three-dimensional models on a computer screen. Chemists may use computer simulations to design and test molecular models of new drugs. Some simulation programs can generate models of weather conditions to help meteorologists make predictions. Flight simulators are valuable training tools for pilots.
Computers have opened a new era in manufacturing and consumer-product development. In factories, computer-assisted manufacturing (CAM) programs help people plan complex production schedules, keep track of inventories and accounts, run automated assembly lines, and control robots. Dedicated computers are routinely used in thousands of products ranging from calculators to airplanes.
Government agencies are the largest users of mainframes and supercomputers. Computers are essential for compiling census data, handling tax records, maintaining criminal records, and other administrative tasks. Governments also use supercomputers for weather research, interpreting satellite data, weapons development, and cryptography.
Computers have proved to be valuable educational tools. Computer-assisted instruction (CAI) uses computerized lessons that range from simple drills and practice sessions to complex interactive tutorials. These programs have become essential teaching tools in medical schools and military training centers, where the topics are complex and the cost of human teachers is extremely high. Educational aids, such as encyclopedias and other reference works, are available to PC users—either on compact or digital video discs or through the Internet.
Video games are one of the most popular PC applications. The constantly improving graphics and sound capabilities of PCs have made them popular tools for artists and musicians. PCs can display millions of colors, produce images far clearer than those of a television set, and connect to various musical instruments and synthesizers.
Painting and drawing programs enable artists to create realistic images and animated displays much more easily than they could with more traditional tools. “Morphing” programs allow photographers and filmmakers to transform photographic images into any size and shape they can imagine. Supercomputers can insert lifelike animated images into frames of a film so seamlessly that moviegoers cannot distinguish real actors from computer-generated images. Musicians can use computers to create multiple-voice compositions and to play back music with hundreds of variations. Speech processors allow a computer to simulate talking and singing. The art and entertainment industries have become such important users of computers that they are replacing the military as the driving force of the advancement of computer technology.
2. Найдите в тексте английские эквиваленты.
| усовершенствованная связь | ||
| телефонная система коммутации | ||
| запуски спутников | ||
| текстовый процессор | ||
| представлять на рассмотрение | ||
| наборная машина | ||
| моделирование на ЭВМ | ||
| не поддаваться | ||
| автоматизированное проектирование | ||
| трехмерная модель | ||
| моделирующая программа | ||
| автоматизация производства | ||
| вести учет и бухучет | ||
| конвейер | ||
| специализированная ЭВМ | ||
| универсальная ЭВМ | ||
| данные переписи населения | ||
| база данных по налогам | ||
| машинное обучение | ||
| интерактивные консультации | ||
| мультипликация | ||
| морфинг /трансформация/ |
3. Заполните таблицу и расскажите о применении компьютеров, опираясь на данные в таблице.
| communications | |
| journalists and writers | |
| scientists and researchers | |
| engineers and architects | |
| chemists | |
| meteorologists | |
| pilots | |
| production | |
| government agencies | |
| education | |
| entertainment industries | |
| artists and musicians | |
| photographers and filmmakers |
4. Расскажите о том, как вы используете компьютер.