Topic: storage devices

 

I. Pre-Reading

 

1. Before you read the text, look at these sentences and see if you can guess the missing words.

 

1. Data and applications are stored in either ___________ or ___________disks.

2. ___________are so called because they consist of flexible plastic material.

3. ___________ have important advantages over floppy disks: they ___________ at a higher speed, so you can store information much faster than with floppies.

4. ___________ can store information at much higher densities than magnetic discs.

5. ___________ come in two different forms: CD-R and CD-RW.

6. DVD is ___________.

7. ___________ use both a laser and an electromagnet to record information.

 

II. Reading

 

1. Read the text and check whether your guesses were correct.

 

 A. Information stored in the RAM is lost when the computer is turned off. Because of this, data and applications are stored in either hard or floppy disks which provide a more permanent backing store.

 B. Floppy disks are so called because they consist of flexible plastic material which has a magnetizable surface. The surface of a floppy disk is divided into concentric circles or ‘tracks’, which are then divided into ‘sectors’. When you insert a blank disk into a disk drive, it must be ‘initialized’, or formatted, before information can be recorded into it. When you save a file, the operating system moves the read/write heads of the disk drive towards empty sectors, records the data and writes an entry for the directory. Later on, when you open that file, the operating system looks for its entry in the directory on the disk, moves the read/write heads to the correct sectors, and reads the file into the RAM area.

 C. Hard disks have important advantages over floppy disks: they spin at a higher speed, so you can store and retrieve information much faster than with floppies. They can also hold vast amounts of information, from 500 MB up to several gigabytes. Apart from this, both types of disks work in the same way. Access times vary from 8 ms to 20 ms. ‘Access time’ or seek time is the time it takes your read/write heads to find any particular record. You have to distinguish clearly between seek time and data transfer rate, (the average speed required to transmit data from a disk system to the RAM).

 D. Optical disks can store information at much higher densities than magnetic discs. There are various types of optical drives: CD-ROM systems offer everything, from shareware programs to dictionaries and encyclopedias, from multimedia databases to 3-D games. A lot of institutions have discovered that CD-ROM is the most economical way of sharing information. Yet CD-ROM technology has one disadvantage: you cannot write anything onto a CD-ROM disk. You can only ‘read’ it, like a book.

 E. CD-Recorders come in two different forms: CD-R and CD-RW. CD-R machines record on CD-R (write-once) disks, allowing you to create and duplicate CDs. They are used to back up hard disks or to distribute and archive information. CD-RW machines hold CD-RW (rewritable) disks that you can erase and re-use, just as you would do with a hard disk.

 F. The future of optical storage is called DVD (digital versatile disk). It can store a large amount of multimedia software and complete Hollywood movies in different languages. They can also play music CDs and CD-ROMs. However DVD-ROMs are ‘read-only’ devices. To avoid this limitation companies also produce DVD rewritable drives.

 G. Magneto-optical (MO) drives use both a laser and an electromagnet to record information. Consequently, MO disks are rewritable, i.e. they can be written to, erased and then written again.

 

(adapted from Infotech, Remacha Esteras, p. 52, p. 55)

 

III. Post-Reading

 

1. Complete the sentences with the best option.

 

1. ___________ are so called because they consist of flexible plastic material which has a magnetizable surface.

      a) magneto-optical disks      b) CD-R disks     c) floppies

 

2. When you insert a blank disk into a disk drive, it must be ___________, before information can be recorded into it.

      a) formatted      b) transformed     c) erased

 

3. ___________ time is the time it takes your read/write heads to find any particular record.

      a) mean      b) access     c) search

 

 

4. DVD-ROMs are ‘___________ -only’ devices.

      a) write      b) think     c) read

 

5. A lot of institutions have discovered that ___________ is the most economical way of sharing information.

      a) CD-ROM      b) DVD ROM     c) disk drive

 

2. Read these sentences and decide if they are true (T) or false (F). Correct the false ones.

 

1. Floppy disks can store information at much higher densities than magnetic disks.

2. ‘Seek time’ refers to the average time required for the recording heads to move and access data.

3. If you use multimedia applications, you need the same storage capacity as required for word processors.

4. ‘Access time’ and ‘seek time’ mean the same.

5. Data transfer rate is the time it takes your read/write heads to find any particular record.

6. A diskette is the most economical way of sharing information.

 

3. Read the text again and summarize the most relevant information. Use the  table below.

 

	Technical specifications	Use
CD-ROM
CD-Recorder
DVD
Magneto-optical
Floppy disk
Hard disk

 

  4. Find the sentences which contain a technical mistake. Correct them.

 

1. The shape of a CD-ROM disk is similar to the floppy disk.

2. The read/write heads of the floppy drive are based on laser technology.

3. Operating system reads the file from floppy directly to ROM.

4. CD-ROM systems can’t offer storing big amounts of information, because the information is stored at low density.

5. Information on hard disks is temporary, it is lost when the computer is turned off.

 

5. Work in pairs. Take turns answering the questions.

 

1. What do people use floppies for?

2. What is the main function of hard disks?

3. Which unit is used to measure hard disks’ capacity?

4. What is the main advantage that hard disks have over floppies?

5. What kind of technology is used by CD-ROM disks and drives?

6. What does CD-ROM stand for?

7. How do we call the following devices in Russian: compact disk, laser technology, CD-ROM, disk drive, erasable optical disk?

 

IV. Vocabulary Work

 

1. In the text find the words that mean the same as the words in the box.

 

Search time (C), empty (B), to remove (E), to transfer (C), diskette (B), to restore (C), marks (B), part (B), to revolve (C), to copy (E), to tape (B), to store (E).

 

2. a) Try to give your own definitions of floppy disks, hard disks, optical disks, CD, data-transfer rate, disk drive. Compare your definitions with your partner.

b ) Make your own sentences using as many new words as possible.

 

3. The phrase hard disk consists of the adjective hard and the noun disk. Make up more phrases with these words combining them with different words so that they make sense. Explain the meaning of each new phrase or word.

                                                                            drive                                                

                    hard                                           disk                             

 

   ware

V. Speaking

 

Which of the storage devices described in the text would be more suitable for the purposes below? Discuss the pros and cons of each with your partner.

 

1. To store data and programs at home.

2. To store an illustrated encyclopedia.

3. To hold records of students, teachers or materials at Samara State Aerospace University.

4. To store high-quality audio and video, and hold several movies in different languages.

 

The following expressions might be helpful: * In my opinion ….                                                                                                                * What I think is (that) ….                                                                                                 * I really think (that) ….                                                                                              * I am sure (that) ….                                                                                         * I strongly believe (that) ….                                                                           * I am not sure, but ….                                                                                 * Well, I don’t know, but ….                                                                                 * I can’t make up my mind, but ….

 

VI. Writing

 

You are working in a computer shop and your boss asks you to prepare a list of recommendations for taking care of software stored on disks. Some examples are given to you.

Handle disks carefully.

         Never touch their recording surfaces.

         Keep disks in envelopes, cassettes in cases.

Write more recommendations

       …………………………

       …………………………

            …………………………

 

 

Sources of texts:

 

1. English for Computer Users, L. Bobileva, Minsk, 2003

2. Infotech, Remacha Esteras, Cambridge University Press, 2003

 

Sources of advertisements:

 

1. www.wikipedia.com

2. www.wikipedia.com

3. www.yandex.com)