Computers were made to do the very tedious computations of everyday life and business. The first computers, mechanical calculators, performed computations in seconds that would take someone using a slide rule minutes if not hours to do. A lot of development occurred in the 1600s and 1900s in Europe that outdid ancient systems like the Roman abacus, Greek astrolabe, Song astronomical clock, and Persian planisphere. These were used for calculations in astronomy, engineering, and accounting. The new mechanical innovations (addiators, comptometers, arithmometers) finally died out in the 1970s.
The mechanical calculators gave way to digital (electronic) computers with miniature circuits in the 1930s and 40s. They used punched cards/tape for commands. During World War II, the British used the Colossus to crack messages encrypted by the Germans. In Germany, Zuse introduced the Z-Series. In the 50s, IBM began selling computers that weighed around a metric ton (1,000 kg) each for business purposes. In 1976 Steve Wozniak handmade the Apple I circuit boards (the case, monitor, and keyboard were separately attached). Computers for personal use became very popular at this time.
Calculations for NASA entry and exit trajectories would take days or even weeks to do by hand and the first mainframe computers did the calculations in minutes.

"The Father of Computers" Charles Babbage who invented the 1st mechanical Computer in 1834 he dreamt of designing mechanical calculating machines. "... I was sitting in the rooms of the Analytical Society, at Cambridge, my head leaning forward on the table in a kind of dreamy mood, with a table of logarithms lying open before me. Another member, coming into the room, and seeing me half asleep, called out, "Well, Babbage, what are you dreaming about?" to which I replied "I am thinking that all these tables" (pointing to the logarithms) "might be calculated by machinery."
This machine used the decimal numbers system and was powered by cranking a handle.
The British government first financed the project but then later cut off support. Babbage went on to design his much more general analytical engine but later returned and produced an improved design (his "Difference Engine No. 2") between 1834 and 1869.
Meanwhile Ada Lovelace is credited as the "first Computer programmer" since she was writing programs -that is, manipulating symbols according to rules-for Babbage's machine.

Exercise 5. Make and write the plan of the text .

Exercise 6. Put five questions to the text.

Exercise 7. Do the test

1. Digital (electronic) computers with miniature circuits appeared …… .

a) in the 1950s and 60s b) in the 1930s and 40s c) in the 1970s and 80s

2.….. . invented the 1st mechanical сomputer.

a) Steve Wozniak        b) Ada Lovelace    c) Charles Babbage

 3. The first computers, mechanical calculators, performed computations … that would take someone using a slide rule minutes if not hours to do.

     a) in seconds                b) in minutes          c) in hours

4. In the 50s, IBM began selling computers that weighed around … each for business purposes.

    a) 100 gr.                      b) 1 kg                     c)10 gr.

5. Babbage … to design his much more general analytical engine but later returned and produced an improved design (his "Difference Engine No. 2") between 1834 and 1869.

  a) continued                       b) finished              c) started

6. The "first Computer programmer" is considered to be … .

a) Charles Babbage          b) Ada Lovelace        c) Steve Wozniak

7. Computers were made ……….of everyday life and business.

a) to do harm        b) to do the very boring calculations  c) to find the very fast machine

8. Computers for personal use became very popular in … .

a) 1869                             b) 1834                      c) 1976

9. In 1976 Steve Wozniak … the Apple I circuit boards.

a) invented                      b) financed                  c) used

10. … used the decimal numbers system and was powered by cranking a handle.
   a) the 1st mechanical Computer  b) the Apple         c) arithmometers

Контрольная работа №1

Вариант 3

Exercise 1. Rewrite and translate the sentences into Russian, paying attention to ending –s. Define what part of speech it is:

c) Verb in Present Simple (3 pronoun, singular);

d) Noun plural form;

E) Noun in Possessive Case.

1. The invention of the phonograph belongs to Edison.
2. At school he asked his teachers a lot of questions.
3. This made Edison's mother so angry that she took him from the school and decided to teach him at home herself.
4. Everybody understands Edison’s greatness as an inventor.
5. Though he was not good at school studies, he liked very much to put questions to everybody about nature of different things.
6. The development of science has shown that Darwin’s idea of evolution was correct.
7. Heat converts ice into water.
8. He spent the greater part of his day in making different experiments.
9. Alexander's mother was a painter and a musician.

10. That he can speak many foreign languages helps him in this work.