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SEANCE 07 (Word)

The document discusses the history of early computers, starting with the Mark I, the first electric-powered computer created in 1944, followed by the ENIAC, the first all-electronic computer built in 1946. It highlights the advancements in computing, particularly the transition to binary code with the development of the EDVAC in 1950. The passage emphasizes the evolution of computers and the contributions of key inventors in shaping modern computing technology.

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17 views2 pages

SEANCE 07 (Word)

The document discusses the history of early computers, starting with the Mark I, the first electric-powered computer created in 1944, followed by the ENIAC, the first all-electronic computer built in 1946. It highlights the advancements in computing, particularly the transition to binary code with the development of the EDVAC in 1950. The passage emphasizes the evolution of computers and the contributions of key inventors in shaping modern computing technology.

Uploaded by

amine adoul
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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UMBB – Department of Computer Science

Master 1 - Semester 2
Subject : « Langue étrangère » (English)
Dr REZZIK Mnd Akli

SESSION SEVEN
Reading Comprehension
Read the passage below to answer the questions

(Please do the tasks as soon as possible. I’ll send you the answer key in a week’s
time in order for you to check the answers and learn from possible ‘errors’.)
*************---------------------**************

The First Electric-Powered Computer


What is considered to be the first computer was made in 1944 by Harvard
Professor Howard Aiken. The Mark I computer was very much like the design of
Charles Babbage’s Analytical Engine, having mainly mechanical parts but with
some electronic parts. His machine was designed to be programmed to do many
computing jobs. This all-purpose machine is what we now know as the PC or
personal computer. The Mark I computer was the first computer financed by IBM
and was about 50 feet long and 8 feet tall. It used mechanical switches to open
and close its electric circuits. It contained over 500 miles of wire and 750,000
parts. (§1)
The First All-Electronic Computer
The first all-electronic computer was the ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator
and Computer). ENIAC was a general purpose digital computer built in 1946 by J.
Presper Eckert and John Mauchly. The ENIAC contained over 18,000 vacuum
tubes (used instead of the mechanical switches of the Mark I computer) and was
1,000 times faster than the Mark I. In twenty seconds, ENIAC could do a math
problem that would have taken 40 hours for one person to finish. The ENIAC was
built at the time of World War II and as its first job had to calculate the feasibility
of a design for the hydrogen bomb. The ENIAC was 100 feet long and 10 feet tall.
(§2)
More Modern Computers
A more modern type of computer began with John von Neumann’s development
of software written in binary code. It was von Neumann who began the practice of
storing data and instructions in binary code and initiated the use of memory to
store data, as well as programs. A computer called the EDVAC (Electronic Discrete
Variable Computer) was built using binary code in 1950. Before the EDVAC,
computers like the ENIAC could do only one task; then they had to be rewired to
perform a different task or program. The EDVAC’s concept of storing different
programs on punched cards instead of rewiring computers led to the computers
that we know today. While the modern computer is far better and faster than the
EDVAC of its time, computers of today would not have been possible without the
knowledge and work of many great inventors and pioneers. (§3)
I. Comprehension questions
1. Describe all the technical parameters of the first electric powered computer.
2. What were the differences between the Mark I and the ENIAC?
3. What is the main advantage of using binary code in storing data and
instructions?
4. Give a title to the passage.
II. Vocabulary

1/ Find in the passage words or expressions that are close in meaning to :


a- tasks (§1) = … b- made (§2) = … c- started (§3) = … d- to do (§3) = …

2/ Find in the passage words or expressions that are opposed in meaning to :


a- short (§1) ≠ … b- specific (§2) ≠ … c- traditional (§3) ≠ … d- similar (§3) ≠ …

III. Discourse analysis (Cohesion – Anaphoric reference):

What do the underlined words in the passage refer to ?


a- ….… His (§1) b- ….… It (§1) c- ……. its (§2)
d- ……… they (§3) e- …… that (§3)

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