Unit 1 The Fundamentals of Computers

Part 1 Reading and Translating

Section A Cloud Computing

Cloud computing refers to an environment of servers that house and provide ac ess to resources users access via the Internet. Home and business users choose cloud computing for a variety of reasons:

●Accessibility: Data and/or applications are available worldwide from any computer or device with an Internet connection.

●Cost savings: The expense of software and high-end hardware, such as fast processors and high-capacity memory and storage devices, shifts away from the user.

●Space savings: Floor space required for severs, storages devices，and other hardware shifts away from the user.

●Scalabi1ity: Provides the flexibility to increase or decrease computing requirements as needed.

Cloud computing consists of a front end and a back end, connected to each other through a network. The front end includes the hardware and software with which a user interacts to access the cloud. For example, a user might access a resource on the cloud through a browser on a laptop. The back end consists of the servers and storage devices that manage and store the resources accessed by users.

Cloud computing allows companies to outsource, or contract to third-party providers, elements of their information technology infrastructure. They pay only for the computing power, storage, bandwidth, and access to applications that they actually use. As a result, companies need not make large investments in equipment, or the staff to support it.

Consumers and organizations rely on cloud computing services to manage IT infrastructure (Infrastructure as a Service), provide applications (Software as a Service), access online data (Data as a Service), and create applications using Web-based development platforms (Platform as a Service).

Infrastructure as a Service

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) uses software to emulate hardware capabilities, enabling companies to scale, or adjust up or down, storage, processing power, or bandwidth as needed. For example, retailers may need to increase these capabilities to accommodate additional traffic to their Websites during busy holiday shopping seasons. When the season ends, retailers easily can reduce these settings.

Two special cases of IaaS are Storage as a Service and Desktop as a Service:

●Storage as a Service: Cloud storage providers offer file management services such as storing files online, system backup, and archiving earlier versions of files. Cloud storage is especially useful to tablet and smartphone users, because it enables them to access their files on all of their devices.

●Desktop as a Service: Some companies specify the applications, security settings, and computing resources available to employees on their desktop computers. These images, or configurations, provide a common desktop work environment available to employees across an entire organization. Because the desktop and its applications appear to be installed on the user’s own computer, Desktop as a Service also is known as a virtual desktop.

Software as a Service

Software as a Service (SaaS) describes a computing environment where an Internet server hosts and deploys applications. Editing documents or photos, sending E-mail messages, and managing finances are common consumer tasks of SaaS applications. A pioneering provider of SaaS applications for companies is Salesforce, which offers customer relationship management (CRM) software (Figure 1-1). Salesforce users subscribe to modules to handle tasks such as sales and marketing campaigns and customer services.

Data as a Service

Government agencies, companies, and social media sites make data available for developers to incorporate in applications or to use when making business decisions and plans. Data as a Service (DaaS) allows users and applications to access a company's data. Mashups are applications that incorporate data from multiple providers into a new application. Displaying homes or crime statistics on a map are examples of mashups that require data from real estate, police records, and mapping providers.

Platform as a Service

Application developers need to maintain computers running specific hardware, operating systems, development tools, databases, and other software. Platform as a Service (PaaS) allows developers to create, test, and run their solutions on a cloud platform without having to purchase or configure the underlying hardware and software.

There are different types of cloud services available:

●Public cloud—accessible by any subscriber

●Private cloud—established for a specific group or organization, limiting access to that group

●Community cloud—shared among two or more organizations with similar needs

●Hybrid cloud—some combination of the above cloud types

Words

house [haus] v. 把……储藏在房内

high-end ['hai'end] adj. 高端的

scalabi1ity [ˌskeilə'biliti] n. 可伸缩性

contract [kən'trækt] v. 签合同

infrastructure ['infrəˌstrʌkt∫ə] n. 基础设施，基础建设

emulate ['emjuleit] v. 仿效，模仿

accommodate [ə'kɔmədeit] v. 使适应，容纳

backup ['bækˌʌp] n. <计>备份文件

archive ['ɑːkaiv] v. 存档

specify ['spesifai] v. 详述，指定

image ['imiʤ] n. 生动的描绘，概念，意向

host [həust] v. （作为主人）接待，当主人

pioneering [ˌpaiə'niəriŋ] adj. 首创的，先驱的，开创性的

campaign [kæm'pein] n. 运动

underlying [ˌʌndə'laiiŋ] adj. 基础的

hybrid ['haibrid] adj. 混合的，杂种的

Phrases

shift away from 远离

front end 前端

back end 后端

computing power （使用）计算（机的）能力

Software as a Service 软件即服务

scale up 按比例增加[提高]，按某种比例增加

scale down 按比例缩减[小]，按比例减少[降低]

incorporate in 使成为……的一部分

real estate 房地产，物业不动产

Exercises

I. Read the following statements carefully, and decide whether they are true (T) or false (F) according to the text.

___1. Home and business users do not choose cloud computing due to its high expense.

___2. Cloud computing consists of a high end and a low end, connected to each other through a terminal.

___3. IaaS means Information as a Service.

___4. Salesforce is one of the pioneering providers of SaaS applications.

___5. Storage as a Service allows developers to create, test, and run their softwares on a cloud platform.

Ⅱ. Choose the best answer to each of the following questions according to the text.

1. Which of the following descriptions is wrong?

A. Software as a Service (SaaS) describes a computing environment where an Internet server hosts and deploys applications

B. Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) uses software to emulate hardware capabilities, enabling companies to scale, or adjust up or down, storage, processing power, or bandwidth as needed

C. Platform as a Service (PaaS) allows developers to create, test, and run their solutions on a cloud platform without having to purchase or configure the underlying hardware and software

D. Date as a Service (DaaS) allows users and applications to access a company’s data

2. Which of the following is wrong about choosing cloud computing for home and business users?

A. High expense

B. Space savings

C. Scalability

D. Cost savings

3. Which of the following do the companies who use cloud computing only pay?

A. Bandwidth

B. Computing power

C. Storage

D. All of the above

Ⅲ. Match each numbered item with the most closely related lettered item. Write your answers in the spaces provided.

A. processing

B. Uniform Resource Locator(URL)

C. tablet computer

D. computer

E. website

___1. A collection of related Web pages usually belonging to an organisation or individual.

___2. An Internet address, usually beginning with http://, that uniquely identifies a Web page.

___3. A programmable, electronic device that accepts data input, performs processing operations on that data, and outputs and stores the results.

___4. A portable computer about the size of a notebook that is designed to be used with a digital pen.

___5. Performing operations on data that has been input into a computer to convert that input to output.

Ⅳ. Fill in the blanks with the words or phrases chosen from the box. Change the forms if necessary.

Is data stored in the cloud free from prying eyes?

At an ever increasing rate, companies and individuals store websites and data in the cloud. For example, those who utilize Web-based E-mail store their 1 and received E-mail messages in the E-mail provider’s cloud environment. Those who use corporate or private E-mail servers do not store their communications in the cloud. Important legal rulings highlight the differences between the two approaches for storing E-mail messages. Law 2 agencies consider E-mail 3 in the cloud to belong to the company that owns the cloud service, often an Internet access provider.

E-mail stored on a private E-mail server, however, is the property of the company or individual who 4 the server. When the law enforcement 5 need to read someone’s E-mail on a private E-mail server, they must obtain a warrant that outlines exactly the information being 6 . In the cloud, however, law enforcement officials simply may need to request the information from the company that owns the cloud service. The user might not be 7 of the search until up to 90 days later; further, the search may occur without limitations and may include 8 monitoring of an individual’s E-mail. While the government takes a liberal approach to 9 one’s E-mail in the cloud, individuals who 10 read others’E-mail messages may be subject to felony computer crimes.

Ⅴ. Translate the following passage into Chinese.

Cloud Computing

As the demand for computing resources increases, companies may find that using outside computing resources is more economical than building new computing capacity internally. Cloud computing is a new technologies that provide flexible and massive online computing power. Cloud computing is an Internet service that provides computing needs to computer users. For example, an employee working during the day in California could use computing power in a Paris network system located in an office that is closed for the evening. When the company uses the computing resources, they pay a fee based on the amount of computing time and other resources that they consume, much in the way that consumers pay utility companies, such as the electric company, based on how much electricity they use. Cloud computing allows a company to diversify its network and server infrastructure. Some cloud computing services automatically add more network and server capacity to a company’s website as demand for services of the website increases. The network and server capacity may be duplicated around the world so that, for example, an outage of a single server does not affect the company’s operations.

Section B Tomorrow Never Knows

There is no denying the importance of the future, but the future isn’t always easy to see. In 1877, when Thomas Edison invented the phonograph, he thought of it as an office dictating machine and lost interest in it; recorded music did not become popular until 21 years later. A 1900 Mercedes-Benz study estimated that worldwide demand for cars would not exceed 1 million, primarily because of the limited number of available chauffeurs. When the Wright brothers offered their invention to the U.S. government and the British Royal Navy, they were told airplanes had no future in the military. In 1977 Ken Olson, the founder of Digital Equipment Company, said,“There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home.”

History is full of stories of people who couldn’t imagine the impact of new technology. Technological advances are hard to foresee, and it is even harder to predict the impact that technology will have on society. Who could have predicted in 1950 the profound effects, both positive and negative, television would have on our world?

Computer scientist Alan Kay has said,“The best way to predict the future is to invent it.”Kay’s visionary research at XEROX more than four decades ago defined many of the essential qualities of today’s PCs. Of course, we can’t all invent world-changing tools. But Kay says there are other ways to predict the future (Figure 1-2). For example, we can look in the research labs today to see the commercial products of the next few years. Of course, many researchers work behind carefully guarded doors, and research often takes surprising turns.

A third way is to look at products from the past and see what made them succeed. According to Kay,“There are certain things about human beings that if you remove, they wouldn’t be human any more. For instance, we have to communicate with others or we’re not humans. So every time someone has come up with a communications amplifier, it has succeeded the previous technology. The pen, the printing press, the telephone, the television, the PC, the smart phone, and the Internet are all successful communication amplifiers. What’s next?”

Kay says we can also predict the future by recognizing the four phases of any technology or media business: hardware, software, service, and way of life.

●Hardware. Inventors and engineers start the process by developing new hardware. But whether it's a television set, a PC, or a global communication network, the hardware is of little use without software.

●Software. The next step is software development. Television programs, sound recordings, video games, databases, and Web pages are examples of software that give value to hardware products.

●Service. Innovative hardware and clever software aren’t likely to take hold unless they serve human needs. Computer and Internet companies that focus on serving their customers are generally the most successful.

●Way of life. The final phase happens when the technology becomes so entrenched that people don’t think about it anymore; they notice only if it isn’t there. We seldom think of pencils as technological tools. They’re part of our way of life, so much so that we’d have trouble getting along without them. Similarly, the electric motor, which was once a major technological breakthrough, is now all but invisible; we use dozens of motors every day without thinking about them. For most of us, computers and the Internet have become a way of life, too.

Kay’s four phases of predicting the future don’t provide a foolproof crystal ball, but they can serve as a framework for thinking about tomorrow’s technology.

Words

phonograph ['fəunəgrɑːf] n. [美]留声机

primarily [prai'merəli] adv. 首先，首要地，主要地

chauffeur ['∫əufə(r)] n. 受雇于人的汽车司机

navy ['neivi] n. 海军，船队

profound [prə'faund] adj. 意义深进的

visionary ['viʒənri] adj. 有进见的，预言性的

turn [təːn] n. （路线或斱向的）改变，机会

amplifier ['æmplifaiə(r)] n. 详述者，放大器

succeed [sək'siːd] v. 继承

entrench [en'trent∫] v. 牢固地确立……

invisible [in'vizəbl] adj. 不引人注目的

foolproof ['fuːlˌpruːf] adj. （斱法、计划、系统等设计得）万无一失的，肯定成功的

Phrases

come up with 提出，想出

printing press 印刷机

take hold 影响，站稳

so much so that 到这样的程度以致……甚或，甚至

get along 相处，进展，前进

all but 几乎，差不多

crystal ball 预言未来的方法，（占卜用的）水晶球

serve as 充当，担任

Exercises

I. Read the following statements carefully, and decide whether they are true (T) or false (F) according to the text.

___1. It is not so difficult to predict the impact that technology will have on society.

___2. Normally the hardware is used based on software.

___3. Technological advances are easy to foresee.

___4. Some software can add value to hardware products.

___5. Recorded music became popular after it was invented at the beginning.

Ⅱ. Choose the best answer to each of the following questions according to the text.

1. How many phases of any technology or media business are recognized by us for predicting the future?

A. One

B. Two

C. Three

D. Four

2. Which phase of any technology or media business recognized by us for predicting the future is included?

A. Way of life

B. Service

C. Software

D. All of the above

3. Which of the following is not appropriate for predicting the future?

A. There is only one way to predict the future

B. There are many ways to predict the future

C. Way of life is one of the phases of any technology or media business recognized by us for predicting the future

D. Four phases of predicting the future can serve as a framework for thinking about tomorrow’s technology

Ⅲ. Match each numbered item with the most closely related lettered item. Write your answers in the spaces provided.

A. hardware

B. Internet

C. software

D. storage

E. supercomputer

___1. The operation of saving data, programs, or output for future use.

___2. The fastest, most expensive, and most powerful type of computer.

___3. The instructions, also called computer programs, that are used to tell a computer what it should do.

___4. The largest and most well-known computer network, linking millions of computers all over the world.

___5. The physical parts of a computer system, such as the keyboard, monitor, printer, and so forth.

Ⅳ. Fill in the blanks with the words or phrases chosen from the box. Change the forms if necessary.

Do Text Messages Affect Writing Skills?

When you send text messages, the goal is to communicate the most amount of information 1 the fewest words and characters. This type of rapid-fire communications places a higher priority on brevity and speed than spelling, capitalization, and punctuation. Educators wonder about the 2 that text messages might have on the 3 habits and grammar skills of today’s students. Their use of text acronyms such as LOL (laugh out loud) and text abbreviations that include numbers, such as gr8 (for great) or 2 (for to, too, or two), is working its way into their formal writing. While adults also use text acronyms and abbreviations, the concern is that teens and young adults use them so often before 4 formal writing skills. The result could be students who are less able to use formal language when 5 .

Research indicates that the more text messages students send, the more 6 it is that they may have difficulty with formal writing. On the positive side, by reducing a message to as few words as possible, students learn to present the most important content first, without rambling or exaggeration. The downside is this can 7 to short, choppy sentences that do not connect with each other and a lack of supporting details, which are 8 in formal writing. Other positives are that students are writing more than ever, and that this type of writing can be considered a form of journaling, or recording of thoughts, activities, and opinions. Some educators argue that 9 than worrying about the writing style that students use in their text messages, they should focus on helping students distinguish between formal and informal communications, and what is 10 in each.

Ⅴ. Translate the following passage into Chinese.

The Origins of Turing Machines

Alan Turing developed the concept of a Turing machine in the 1930s, well before technology was capable of providing the machines we know today. In fact, Turing’s vision was that of a human performing computations with pencil and paper. Turing’s goal was to provide a model by which the limits of“computational processes”could be studied. This was shortly after the publication in 1931 of Gödel’s famous paper exposing the limitations of computational systems, and a major research effort was being directed toward understanding these limitations. In the same year that Turing presented his model (1936), Emil Post presented another model (now known as Post production systems) that has been shown to have the same capabilities as Turing’s. As a testimony to the insights of these early researchers, their models of computational systems (such as Turing machines and Post production systems) still serve as valuable tools in computer science research.