TOPIC 4.

INPUT/OUTPUT DEVICES

I. IT’s specific vocabularies

Vocablary Type Pronunciation Meaning Vietnamese
1 barcode reader Noun /ˈbɑrˌkoʊd/ a hardware Bộ đọc mã
/ˈriː.dər/ peripheral vạch
designed to 'scan'
products into an
inventory
tracking system.
2 click Verb /klɪk/ To press and Nhấp chuột
release the
primary (left-
side) mouse
button
3 double-click Verb /ˈdʌb.l̩/ To depress and Nhấp hai lần
/klɪk/ release the left
mouse button
twice in quick
succession
4 fingerprint reader Noun /ˈfɪŋ.ɡə.prɪnt/ a device which Bộ đọc vân
/ˈriː.dər/ forms a digitised tay
image of a
human finger
print for the
purpose of
biometric
authentication.
5 graphics tablet Noun /ˈɡræf.ɪks/ an input device Bàn vẽ đồ
/ˈtæb.lət/ or mouse họa
alternative using
a sensitive
rectangular
surface and a
stylus
6 input device Noun /ˈɪn.pʊt/ any peripheral Thiết bị vào
/dɪˈvaɪs/ used primarily
to enter data

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 Vocablary Type Pronunciation Meaning Vietnamese
into a computer

7 joystick Noun /ˈdʒɔɪ.stɪk/ an input device Cần điều

with a vertical khiển
rod mounted on
a base used to
control pointing
devices or on-
screen objects;
normally with
one or more
buttons
8 light pen Noun /laɪt/ /pen/ an input device Bút ánh sáng
using a light-
sensitive pen
shaped handle
which can be
used to draw on
the computer
screen
9 microphone Noun /ˈmaɪ.krə.fəʊn/ a hardware Micro
device plugged
into a computer's
sound card
optimized for
voice commands
or other audio
recording
10 mouse Noun /maʊs/ a handheld input Chuột
device used to
move an
onscreen pointer
by means of
sliding on a flat
surface
11 mouse pointer Noun /maʊs/ A special icon Con trỏ
/ˈpɔɪn.tər/ (normally an chuột

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 Vocablary Type Pronunciation Meaning Vietnamese
arrow) which
indicates the
current location
of the mouse on
the desktop
screen.
12 OCR (optical Noun /ˈɒp.tɪ.kəl/ the ability of a Thiết bị nhận
character recognition) /ˈkær.ɪk.tər/ computer to dạng quang
/ˌrek.əɡˈnɪʃ.ən/ determine học chữ viết
standard letters
and numbers
based on fuzzy
logic
13 right-click Verb /raɪt/ /klɪk/ to press the Nhấp chuột
right-side mouse phải
button
14 speech recognition Noun /spiːtʃ/ the ability of a Nhận dạng
/ˌrek.əɡˈnɪʃ.ən/ computer to tiếng nói
convert spoken
words from a
user into usable
data
15 stylus Noun /ˈstaɪ.ləs/ a part of an input Bút châm
device
resembling a pen
used to draw on
the surface of a
graphics tablet
16 touchpad Noun /ˈtʌtʃ.pæd/ an input device Bảng xúc
consisting of a giác
sensitive
rectangular area
in which one
uses a finger to
move a cursor on
a display.
17 touchscreen Noun /ˈtʌtʃ.skriːn/ a display that Màn hình

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 Vocablary Type Pronunciation Meaning Vietnamese
also acts as an cảm ứng
input device by
allowing a user
to navigate a
program by
pressing specific
locations of the
screen.
18 trackball Noun /ˈtræk.bɔːl/ a pointing device Bi xoay
consisting of a
ball on top of a
base that is
rotated to move a
cursor on the
computer screen

II. Reading
2.1 Primary reading

Some Common Computer Input Devices

We use input devices every time we use a computer. Simply speaking, it is these devices
which allow us to enter information. Without them, the computer would not know what we
want it to do.

Some of the things we do with input devices are: move a cursor around the screen, enter
alphanumeric text, draw pictures, and even enter binary data in the form of graphics or
audio wave forms.
Input devices have a history as long as computers themselves. Perhaps the first input
device was the simple electronic switch ( similar to a light switch ) which turned bits on or
off. There were hundreds or even thousands of these switches on larger computers. It used
to take a team of programmers hours or even days to set up a computer to perform a single
calculation.

Switches and jumpers are still used today on computers. For instance the power button on
the computer is a switch which is also an input device telling the computer to power on or
power off. Tiny switches called jumpers are also widely used on motherboards to change
important settings such as processor clock speed or memory speed.

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Most likely in front of you right now are two of the most popular input devices: the
keyboard and the mouse. And instead of a mouse on a laptop computer you normally have
a touchpad.
As computers evolved throughout the late 20th century, computers became more and more
interactive. Input devices came and went. Some lasted and some did not. The light pen and
the joystick are almost unknown today, although they were popular before the mouse and
the gamepad became well-known. Touch screens are already replacing keypads on mobile
phones and may come to replace or augment keyboards and mice on PCs and laptops in the
near future.
Different people prefer different input devices for doing same task. For instance, many
graphic artists prefer to use a stylus and graphics tablet rather than a mouse. It might offer
them a greater deal of artistic freedom, or precision while performing their work.

Sufferers of carpal tunnel syndrome often prefer a trackball or stylus to a mouse.

Handicapped computer users have invented a wide array of input devices designed to
replace the mouse including devices controlled by foot or even eye movement.
Not only PCs and mainframes use input devices. Almost all computers feature some kind
of input device. Special scanners are used in many stores and warehouses called barcode
readers to enter stock and sell items at the cashier. These are input devices as well. Even
microphones can technically be called input devices as a computer can respond to them
and interpret them as incoming data.

Corporations and especially government institutions are already implementing the second
generation of input devices to improve security. These include retina scanners and/or
fingerprint readers to replace or improve accuracy of username and password
authentication. You will be seeing more of this kind of biometric authentication in the
coming years as a general remedy for weak passwords or leaked passwords.
In summary, input devices are how you interact with a computer. The computer responds
to your input and hopefully does what you need it to do. It seems really simple, and that's
the way it was meant to be!
(http://www.english4it.com)
2.1.1 Find the answers to these questions in the text.
a) What is the function of the input devices?
b) Could you state some actions you can do with input devices?
c) Could you state some popular input devices?
d) What are jumpers used for?
e) What can touch screen do?

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 f) Could you name the functionality of
- Track ball
- Barcode reader
g) Could you give some examples about biometric authentication?
h) How can we interact with a computer?
2.1.2 Match the terms in Section A with the statements in Section B.
Section A
a. the power button
b. retina scanners
c. biometric authentication
d. joystick
e. game pad
Section B
i. a type of game controller held in two hands, where the fingers (especially thumbs)
are used to provide input.
ii. a device read the unique patterns on a person's retina blood vessels.
iii. an input device used for telling the computer to power on or power off.
iv. a cursor control device used in computer games and assistive technology.
v. a type of system that relies on the unique biological characteristics of individuals to
verify identity for secure access to electronic systems.
2.1.3 Mark the following statements as True or False:
a. Microphone is an input devices.
b. We can use touch screens instead of keypads.
c. Barcode readers can read fingerprints.
d. Biometric authentication is more secured than username/password authentication.
e. Touchpad has the function as the mouse.
2.2 Further reading

Output devices
Output is data that has been processed into a useful form called information. Four types of
output are text, graphics, audio, and video. Text consists of characters (letters, numbers,
punctuation marks, or any other symbol requiring one byte of computer storage space) that
are used to create words, sentences, and paragraphs. Graphics are digital representations of
nontext information such as drawings, charts, photographs, and animation (a series of still

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images in rapid sequence that gives the illusion of motion). Audio is music, speech, or any
other sound. Video consists of images played back at speeds to provide the appearance of
full motion. An output device is any computer component capable of conveying
information to a user.

A display device is an output device that visually conveys text, graphics, and video
information. Information shown on a display device is called soft copy because the
information exists electronically and is displayed for a temporary period of time. Display
devices include CRT monitors, LCD monitors and displays, gas plasma monitors, and
televisions. A CRT monitor is a monitor that is similar to a standard television set because
it contains a cathode ray tube. A cathode ray tube (CRT) is a large, sealed, glass tube. The
front of the tube is a screen coated with phosphor material that glows as an electron beam
moves back and forth, which produces an image on the screen. LCD monitors and LCD
displays use liquid crystal to present information on the screen. A liquid crystal display
(LCD) has liquid crystals between two sheets of material. When an electric current passes
through the crystals, they twist, causing some light waves to be blocked and allowing
others to pass through, which creates the images.

A printer is an output device that produces text and graphics on a physical medium such as
paper or transparency film. Printed information is called hard copy because the information
exists physically and is a more permanent from of output. Printers can be grouped in two
categories: impact and nonimpact.

Impact printers form characters and graphics by striking a mechanism against an ink
ribbon that physically contacts the paper. A dot-matrix printer is an impact printer that
prints images when tiny wire pins on a print head mechanism strike an inked ribbon. A line
printer is an impact printer that prints an entire line at one time. Two popular types of line
printers are band printers and shuttle-matrix printers.
Nonimpact printers form characters and graphics without actually striking the paper. An
ink-jet printer is a nonimpact printer that sprays drops of ink onto a piece of paper. A laser
printer is a nonimpact printer that creates images using a laser beam and powdered ink,
called toner. A thermal printer is a nonimpact printer that generates images by pushing
electrically heated pins against heat-sensitive paper. Although the print quality of standard
thermal printers generally is low, two special types of thermal printers, thermal wax-
transfer printers and dye-sublimation printers, have a much higher print quality.
An audio output device produces music, speech, or other sounds. Two commonly used
audio output devices are speakers and headsets. Most personal computers have an internal
speaker that outputs low-quality sound. Many users add high-quality stereo speakers or
purchase PCs with larger speakers built into the sides of the monitor. A woofer can be

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added to boost low bass sounds. A headset plugged into a port on the sound card allows
only the user to hear sound from the computer.

A data projector takes the image on a computer screen and projects it onto a large screen so
that an audience of people can see the image. Two smaller, lower priced data projectors are
an LCD projector, which uses liquid crystal display technology, and a digital light
processing (DLP) projector, which uses tiny mirrors. A facsimile (fax) machine transmits
and receives documents over telephone lines. A fax modem is a communication device that
allows you to send (and sometimes receive) electronic documents as faxes. A
multifunction device (MFD) is a single piece of equipment that looks like a copy machine
but provides the functionality of a printer, scanner, copy machine, and sometimes a fax
machine.
(http://uwf.edu/clemley/cgs1570w/notes/Concepts-6.htm)

2.2.1 Find the answers to these questions in the text.

1. Could you name some types of output?

2. What is an output device?

3. What is soft copy?

4. What is hard copy?

5. How does an impact printer work?

6. How does a nonimpact printer work?

7. What is the functionality of a data projector?

2.2.2 Match the terms in Section A with the statements in Section B.

Section A

a. CRT
b. LCD

c. headset
d. thermal printer

e. line printer
Section B
i. a machine that prints output from a computer a line at a time rather than character by
character.
ii. cathode ray tube

iii. a printer in which small heated pins form characters on heat-sensitive paper.

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iv. liquid crystal display
v. a set of headphones, typically with a microphone attached, used especially in telephone
and radio communication.
2.2.3 Mark the following statements as True or False:

1. Information shown on a display device is displayed for a long period of time.

2. A CRT monitor is a standard television set because it contains a cathode ray tube.

3. The print quality of standard thermal printers is not always low.

4. A woofer can be added to make the sound louder.

5. A fax modem allows you to send an email.

III. Grammar and Writing

3.1 Grammar revision - V+ obj + infin | V + obj + to-infin

allow, enable, help, let, permit

New developments in computing are often designed to make something easier. These verbs
are often used to describe such developments:

allow
let

enable

permit

help
Study these examples:

 A GUI lets you point to icons and click a mouse button to execute a task.

 A GUI allows you to use a computer without knowing any operating system
commands.

 The X Window System enables Unix-based computers to have a graphical look and
feel.

 Voice recognition software helps disabled users (to) access computers.

Allow, enable and permit are used with this structure:

verb + object + to-infinitive

Let is used with this structure:

verb + object + infinitive

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Help can be used with either structure.
Let

FORM
[let + person + verb]

USE
This construction means "to allow someone to do something."

Examples:

 John let me drive his new car.

 Will your parents let you go to the party?

 I don't know if my boss will let me take the day off.

Make

FORM
[make + person + verb]

USE
This construction means "to force someone to do something."

Examples:

 My teacher made me apologize for what I had said.

 Did somebody make you wear that ugly hat?

 She made her children do their homework.

Have

FORM
[have + person + verb]

USE
This construction means "to give someone the responsibility to do something."

Examples:

 Dr. Smith had his nurse take the patient's temperature.

 Please have your secretary fax me the information.

 I had the mechanic check the brakes.

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Get
FORM

[get + person + to + verb]

USE

This construction usually means "to convince to do something" or "to trick someone into
doing something."

Examples:

 Susie got her son to take the medicine even though it tasted terrible.

 How can parents get their children to read more?

 The government TV commercials are trying to get people to stop smoking.

Get vs. Have

Sometimes "get someone to do something" is interchangeable with "have someone do

something," but these expressions do not mean exactly the same thing.

Examples:

 I got the mechanic to check my brakes.

 At first the mechanic didn't think it was necessary, but I convinced him to check the
brakes.

 I had the mechanic check my brakes.

 I asked the mechanic to check the brakes.

3.2 Writing

3.2.1 Complete the sentences below using the correct form of the verbs "let," "make,"
"have," and "get,"

1. Sam really wanted a dog, but his parents wouldn't him have a pet.
2. I can't believe she you look at her vacation pictures again last night. We have to look at
those stupid pictures every time we go to her house.
3. I don't know how you convince your children to clean up their rooms. I couldn't my
children to clean up their rooms if my life depended on it.
4. Professor Yu each of her students write an essay describing their future goals in life.

5. Professor Yu her students use a dictionary while they were taking the test.

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6. Debbie's husband hates the opera. But after days of nagging, she finally him to go see
the new production of La Boheme.

7. Sally me take off my shoes before I went into her house. She said she wanted to keep the
carpet clean.

8. Rebecca Smith requested a copy of that expense report, so I the courier take one over to
her last week.

9. Diane thinks television is a waste of time, so she won't her children watch TV.
10. Mr. Levine his secretary call Ms. Jackson and reconfirm their meeting on Thursday.

11. Marcus me drive his new BMW. I couldn't believe how quickly it picked up speed.
12. How did you the doctor to make a house call? I haven't heard of a doctor actually going
to a patient's house in years.
13. My boss me get him coffee, pick up his dry cleaning and buy presents for his wife. He
can't do anything by himself!
14. Tommy didn't want to go to his cousin's birthday party, but his mom him go.

15. I can't believe the zoo keeper you feed the snake. That was so cool!
16. The contract was very detailed, and it was essential that the wording be absolutely
correct. Therefore, I the translator recheck his work several times to make sure there would
be no misunderstandings.

17. Cheryl didn't want to wash her car, so with a little smooth talk she her boyfriend to
wash it for her.

18. If you ask me nicely, I'll you lick the bowl after I make the cookies.
19. Dr. Jackson the nurse monitor the patient's condition overnight.

20. The news coverage of the recent tornado was incredibly moving. The interview with
the little boy who lost his family in the tragedy everyone cry.

3.2.2 Complete the gap in each sentence with the correct form of the verb in brackets.
1. The Help facility enables users (get) advice on most problems.

2. Adding more memory lets your computer (work) faster.

3. Windows allows you (display) two different folders at the same time.
4. The Shift key allows you (type) in upper case.

5. The MouseKeys feature enables you (use) the numeric keypad to move the mouse
pointer.

6. ALT + TAB allows you (switch) between programs.

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7. The StickyKeys feature helps disabled people (operate) two keys simultaneously.
8. ALT + PRINT SCREEN lets you (copy) an image of an active window to the Clipboard.
3.2.3 Describe the function of these features using 'enabling' verbs.
1. In a window, the vertical scroll bar
2. The Find command
3. The Undo command
4. Cut and paste
5. Print Screen
6. Menus
7. Recycle bin
8. Tooltips
IV. Speaking
Jim gets the new computer home, turns it on, and nothing happens. Could you discuss
possible reasons and solutions?
V. Listening
Listen to the text and answer following questions:
a. Compared to HDDs,
are SSDs less susceptible to physical shock?
are SSDs noisier?
are SSDs more expensive?
have longer access time?
have higher I/O rate?
b. Does SSD have a limited number of write cycles?
c. How many write cycles MLC cells can perform?
d. What is wear leveling technique?
VI. Summary
In this lesson, we studied the following contents:
- The functionality of many different input devices.
- The functionality of many different output devices.
- The usage of grammar structure - V+ obj + infin | V + obj + to-infin.

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VII. Exercises
Translate into Vietnamese

Point and click!

Typically, a mouse is a palm-sized device, slightly smaller than a pack of cards. On top
ofthe mouse there are one or more buttons for communicating with the computer. A 'tail' or
wireextends from the mouse to a connection on the back of the computer.

The mouse is designed to slide around on your desktop. As it moves, it moves an image
onthe screen called a pointer or mouse cursor. The pointer usually looks like an arrow or I-
bar, and it mimics the movements of the mouse on your desktop.
What makes the mouse especially useful is that it is a very quick way to move around on
ascreen. Move the desktop mouse half an inch and the screen cursor will leap four i~ches.
Makingthe same movements with the arrow keys takes much longer. The mouse also
issues instructionsto the computer very quickly. Point to an available option with the
cursor, click on the mouse, and the option has been chosen.

Mice are so widely used in graphics applications because they can do things that
aredifficult, if not impossible, to do with keyboard keys. For example, the way you move
an imagewith a mouse is to put the pointer on the object you want to move, press the
mouse button anddrag the image from one place on the screen to another. When you have
the image where youwant it, you release the mouse button and the image stays there. Simi
larly the mouse is used tograb one corner of the image (say a square) and stretch it into
another shape (say a rectangle).
Both of these actions are so much more difficult to perform with a keyboard that most
graphicsprograms require a mouse.
The buttons on the mouse are used to select items at which the mouse points. You
positionthe pointer on an object on the screen, for example, on a menu or a tool in a paint
program, andthen you press the mouse button to 'select' it. Mice are also used to load
documents into aprogram: you put the pointer on the file name and double-click on the
name - that is, you press amouse button twice in rapid succession.

VIII. Chapter’s references

[1] Eric H. Glendinning, John McEwan, Oxford English for Information Technology,
Student Book, Teacher Book, Publisher Oxford University Press, 2006, Unit 7, pp
44-51.
[2] http://www.english4it.com, unit 17

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