Roy Palmer

Doretta Ardu

L’argomento.
 Bit by Bit è un corso di inglese specialistico per il settore Informatico.
 
 I contenuti sono ordinati secondo criteri di graduale complessità concettuale e linguistica e vengono esplorati utilizzando le quattro abilità in modo omogeneo e integrato. I brani offrono un assortimento di stili, registri e livelli di difficoltà.
 
 La struttura.
 Bit by Bit è diviso in sei Moduli, ognuno dei quali è ripartito in un numero variabile di Unità.
 
 Ogni Unità è suddivisa in brevi Capitoli su due pagine – teoria ed esercizi – per favorire uno studio più parcellizzato e la scelta antologica da parte dell’insegnante. Brevi link (curiosità, ampliamenti, rimandi, attività o mini-approfondimenti) arricchiscono i brani per consentire una maggiore interattività. Un ricco apparato iconografico correda i brani di lettura, per ognuno dei quali è previsto un esauriente glossario.
 
 Al termine di ogni Unità sono presenti le seguenti sezioni:
 
 <ul><li>Grammar: Revisione delle strutture grammaticali più comuni con esercizi di rinforzo calati nel contesto;
</li><li>Citizenship: Attività che prendono spunto da contenuti dell’unità per agganciarsi a tematiche legate all’educazione civica e alla cittadinanza.
</li></ul>Alla fine di ogni Modulo, il testo propone ulteriori attività:
 
 <ul><li>Vocabulary: Esercizi di revisione e consolidamento;
</li><li>Real-life skills: Compiti di realtà e collaborativi, lavori di gruppo con un taglio di tipo pratico calato nella realtà;
</li><li>Case study: Argomento di attualità corredato di esercizi mirati all’approfondimento e alla discussione;
</li><li>Clip: Breve clip tratta da film attinenti agli argomenti del Modulo;
</li><li>Mapping your mind: Mappa concettuale riepilogativa.
</li></ul>Il testo si conclude con due ampie appendici:
 
 <ul><li>Biz bits: presenta testi e attività relativi al mondo del commercio e dell’economia;
</li><li>Careers: descrive le varie fasi della ricerca di un lavoro e analizza diversi profili lavorativi nel settore ICT.</li></ul>

MODULE 1 - THE BIRTH AND ROLE OF COMPUTERS

Unit 1.1 • Computer science, ICT and digital literacy

Unit 1.2 • Computers

VOCABULARY

REAL-LIFE SKILLS Choosing the right computer

CASE STUDY Artistic creations with e-waste

CLIP FILM The Time Machine

MAPPING YOUR MIND

MODULE 2 - THE BODY OF COMPUTERS

Unit 2.1 • The electronics of computers

Unit 2.2 • The structure of computers

Unit 2.3 • The peripherals of computers

REAL-LIFE SKILLS Dealing with QR codes and barcodes

CASE STUDY Federico Faggin and Intel 4004

CLIP FILM Strange Days

MODULE 3 - THE MIND OF COMPUTERS

Unit 3.1 • Computer languages

Unit 3.2 • Computer programming

Unit 3.3 • Operating systems

REAL-LIFE SKILLS Choosing the best programming language for your task

CASE STUDY Ada Lovelace, the first computer programmer

CLIP FILM Steve Jobs

MODULE 4 - THE USES OF COMPUTERS

Unit 4.1 • Main software

Unit 4.2 • Graphics software

Unit 4.3 • Other software programs

Unit 4.4 • The new frontiers of ICT

REAL-LIFE SKILLS Organising your school week and your notes

CASE STUDY The Story of Open Office

CLIP FILM AI – Artificial Intelligence

MODULE 5 - LINKING COMPUTERS

Unit 5.1 • Communication networks

Unit 5.2 • The Internet

Unit 5.3 • Sharing online

REAL-LIFE SKILLS Choosing a name and a template for a class blog

CASE STUDY Trivago: an aggregator website

CLIP FILM Lucy

MODULE 6 - PROTECTING COMPUTERS

Unit 6.1 • Computer threats

Unit 6.2 • Computer protection

Unit 6.3 • Protecting yourself and your data

REAL-LIFE SKILLS Encrypting and decrypting messages with Caesar cipher

CASE STUDY 2017 Wannacry ransom attack

CLIP FILM The Imitation Game

APPENDICES

1 • Biz bits

2 • Careers

3 • Technical Glossary

4 • Acronyms

3.3 OPERATING SYSTEMS Besides computers and mobile devices, other devices which perform a specific task, like a washing machine or a microwave oven, have an embedded operating system. This O/S allows the software which runs the programs to access device hardware. The first operating system as we know it today was developed by IBM in the 1960s for the System/360 series of machines, all with the same instructions and input/output architecture. to be devised: essere concepito firmware: impostazioni di fabbrica (che non possono essere modificate dall utente) overall: complessivo to prove: dimostrarsi room: spazio thread: parte di un programma time slice: intervallo di tempo OPERATING SYSTEMS FOR COMPUTERS AND MOBILE DEVICES An operating system (O/S) is a system of different programs that work together to control and manage the hardware to provide the most efficient use of the available equipment and memory resources, and to act as an interface between the computer and the user.   The main parts of an O/S The most important part of the O/S consists of the supervisory programs, which control all the other programs in the O/S, and the service programs, which provide system services to the user. These fall into two categories: utility programs and system aids.   Utility programs allow files to be saved, copied, renamed or deleted. They activate all peripheral devices and are able to format a disk in preparation for storing information.   System aids assist the user when developing a program. Any system errors experienced in a program at run time will be located and identified by the O/S. System aids also include translation programs such as assemblers, interpreters and compilers.   Types of           operating systems The most common types of O/S are:   Single program: one application program is run at a time, both in real time and batch processing. In real time processing the user interacts with the computer 126 THE MIND OF COMPUTERS     during the execution of a program and that means that the computer is able to respond immediately to inputs; in batch processing a series of programs are run in sequence and an output is only provided at the end. Multi-user: a number of users use the computer system at the same time. The computer resources are time-shared among the users, each user having exclusive use of the resources at any one time. As all operators are offered a time slice in turn, every user has the impression that they have exclusive use of a computer all the time; Multi-processing: a very complex program is run on more than one CPU at the same time. The CPUs are linked in parallel as in the case of supercomputers; Multi-programming or multi-tasking: more than one program can run at the same time. Different areas of primary storage are reserved for each program and any one particular program can be called into operation by the user at any time; Multi-threading: different parts of a single program run at the same time; Virtual storage: data is moved between primary and secondary storage as and when the primary storage proves to be too small. The user has the impression of a computer with a larger memory; Virtual machine: different users can use different operating systems simultaneously on the same PC. Distributed: various computer systems, which are connected to each other using a shared communication network, have their own CPU, main memory, secondary memory, and resources. 

1 Read the text and decide if the statements are true or false. 5. With a virtual machine operating system, we can change the operating system according to the program we need to use. Virtual Storage and Virtual Machine Operating Systems 1. The virtual storage operating system was devised for large programs. F 6. The virtual machine manages the simultaneous use of different operating systems. The virtual storage operating system was originally devised for programs that were too large to be wholly contained within primary storage. Even today, with large amounts of primary storage available, it is not unusual for the amount of RAM available to be too small to satisfy the needs of a particular application program. In this case, a virtual storage operating system will permit data to be moved between primary and secondary storage when primary storage is not big enough for a program to run. Many professional word processors use this facility. If the RAM available is too small to accommodate a complete document, then only a few pages will be in RAM at any one time. Any other pages that are required will be brought in from the secondary storage, with room being made for them by downloading current pages from primary storage to secondary storage. Another aspect of virtual storage is called spooling. Spooling is the process of sending output to a disk file and then printing that output directly from the file, thus freeing up the CPU to do other tasks. Multi-programming and timesharing can potentially bring users into conflict over shared resources. Consequently, the idea of the virtual machine was devised to give users the impression that they each have control over the entire computer: i.e. each user has what appears to be a separate copy of the physical machine. In such a virtual machine operating system, different users can even use different operating systems simultaneously. This facility allows different application programs to use the operating system appropriate for them. The overall control of such a system is under the supervision of a virtual machine. T T 2 3.13 Listen to an introductory talk on operating systems and take notes. 1. Main functions:   ...........................................................................................................................   ...........................................................................................................................   ...........................................................................................................................   ........................................................................................................................... 2. Examples of two other functions: ..........................................., ............................................ 3. Names of five examples of operating systems: ............................................, ............................................, ............................................, ............................................, ............................................. 3 Complete the text with the missing words. after   also   like   loaded   may   other   their   very   when   which Operating System Storage Most computers have 1. ............................................ operating system stored in secondary storage, 2. ............................................ is accessible from a system resident device 3. ............................................ a hard drive. 4. ............................................ the computer is switched on, the appropriate secondary storage device is 5. ............................................ switched on and the operating system is loaded into the CPU s F primary storage. If the operating system is 6. ............................................ large, then only essential parts of the supervisory programs are loaded and 2. Today, with bigger RAM, virtual storage is no longer necessary. when 7. ............................................ parts of the operating 3. Virtual storage is very useful for large documents. as necessary and deleted 9. ............................................ 4. With spooling, it is possible to print directly from a file. 10. ............................................ be part of the firmware. system are needed, they are 8. ............................................ use. Alternatively, the operating system 3.3   OPERATING SYSTEMS 127 

English for information and communication technology. Bit by Bit è un corso di inglese specialistico per il settore Informatico.

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