Doretta Ardu

Maria Grazia Bellino

Giusy Di Giorgio

Bit by Bit è un testo di inglese rivolto in particolare agli studenti dei corsi a indirizzo Informatico e, in generale, a coloro che hanno l’esigenza di utilizzare la lingua inglese come strumento di studio e/o di lavoro in questo settore.
 Materiali integrativi <ul><li>Teacher’s Book. - Soluzioni, testi degli esercizi di ascolto, test di fine unità e di fine modulo, proposte di domande orali e di griglie valutative, real-life tasks, mappe per ogni unità, programmazione didattica, guida didattica di supporto per studenti BES.
</li><li>ONLINE RESOURCES. - Ulteriori esercitazioni, approfondimenti letterari, esempi di reading comprehension per le certificazioni EUCIP Core e FIRST/IELTS, test adattati per studenti BES.</li></ul>

Module 1 - The birth and role of computers

Unit 1- Computer science and ict

Unit 2 - ICT and society

Unit 3 - Computers

Vocabulary

Grammar • Prefixes, suffixes and compound nouns

Listening • Digital libraries

Speaking • New technological trends in teaching and studying

Writing • Learning with technology

Mapping your mind

Film • Bicentennial man

Module 2 - The body of computers

Unit 4 - The electronics of computers

Unit 5 - The structure of computers

Unit 6 - The peripherals of computers

Grammar • Relative clauses

Listening • At the computer shop

Speaking • Discussing computers

Writing • Describing computers and computer problems

Film • Strange Days

Module 3 - The mind of computers

Unit 7 - Computer languages

Unit 8 - Computer programming

Unit 9 - Operating systems

Grammar • Conditionals

Listening • Working in a software house

Speaking • Writing computer code

Writing • Programming languages

Film • Desk Set

Module 4 - The uses of computers

Unit 10 - Main software

Unit 11 - Graphics software

Unit 12 - Other software programs

Grammar • The passive voice

Listening • Learning and playing with computers

Speaking • Interviewing

Writing • Improving sound, music, pictures and texts

Film • AI - Artificial intelligence

Module 5 - Linking computers

Unit 13 - Communication networks

Unit 14 - The internet

Unit 15 - Sharing online

Grammar • Main verb tenses

Listening • Slideshare and other online activities

Speaking • Past and future

Writing • Social media

Film • Lucy

Module 6 - Protecting computers

Unit 16 - Computer threats

Unit 17 - Computer protection

Grammar • Comparatives and superlatives

Listening • Internet privacy

Speaking • Security problems

Writing • Data encryption

Film • The Imitation game

Appendices

1 Biz bits

2 Careers

3 How to…

Technical glossary

Acronyms

COMPUTER LANGUAGES Answer these questions. a. How many languages can you speak? b. Do you know how many languages a computer can speak? c. How many generations are there in your family? to add: aggiungere nowadays: oggigiorno source code: codice sorgente syntax: sintassi time-consuming: lungo Lisp was the first example of interpreter. It was first defined in 1958 by Steve Russell. 7 LOW LEVEL LANGUAGES, HIGH LEVEL LANGUAGES AND TRANSLATION PROGRAMS Computers are devices which follow instructions, but unfortunately they only understand machine language or machine code. Machine language is made up of a sequence of 0s and 1s that the computer s controls interpret electrically as instructions. Programmers plan the set of instructions to give a computer using an algorithm, and they then have to write them in a language that the computer can understand. However, it is almost impossible for humans to program using such a language since it is very difficult to remember long sequences of binary code. Moreover, such programs take a long time to create and read and are not portable because they are machine specific, i.e. created for a given type of CPU. For these reasons, other programming languages than machine code were invented. Programming languages can be classified into low level and high level languages. Low level languages (LLL) are considered closer to computers and their primary function is to operate, manage and manipulate the computer hardware and components. Programs and applications written in a lowlevel language are directly executable on the computer hardware without any interpretation or translation. Machine language and assembly language are examples of low level languages. High level languages (HLL) were created with the programmer in mind and their syntax is closer to a natural language like English. For example, they have words and a sentence-like structure. For this reason, they are easier to learn and use. Moreover, they are not machine-dependent and a program, once written, can be used on different types of computers. However, in order to be executed, programs written in a high level language need to be translated. There are three types of translation programs: compilers and interpreters are used for high level languages, and assemblers for assembly language. A compiler converts the whole program in one go, i.e. all at once. It converts it into an object file, and a related program, called linker, converts the object file into an executable file. An interpreter takes each line of instruction in turn from the source code, converts it to machine code and executes it one by one. An assembler translates assembly language into machine code. One instruction in assembly corresponds to one machine code instruction. Nowadays, most commercial programs are sold compiled, so that they will run faster and it will be difficult for others to change the program since it is now in machine code, thus protecting the manufacturer s intellectual property, which can be copyrighted by law. 102 Module 3 FLOWCHARTING 

1 Write short definitions for the following words/phrases. 1. machine language: .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 2. low level language: .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 3. high level language: .................................................................................................................................................................................................. 4. assembly language: ................................................................................................................................................................................................... 5. compiler: .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 6. interpreter: ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 7. assembler: ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 2 WORK IN PAIRS. In turns, describe the differences between HLL and LLL, and between interpreters and compilers. HLL LLL Difficult to learn Close to human languages Different from human languages Slow in execution Fast in execution Easy to modify Difficult to modify Knowledge of hardware is not required to write programs Deep knowledge of hardware is required to write programs Used to write application programs Used to write hardware programs INTERPRETER COMPILER Translates and executes every single instruction directly Translates all the program into machine code and then runs it The code is tested instruction by instruction and any errors are immediately found It takes more time to translate the whole program, but it allows for a faster execution Execution is slower Debugging is at the end and it is harder It doesn t generate an executable code, so it is more memory efficient It generates an executable, so memory requirements are heavy It needs to be used every time the program is run Once the program has been compiled, the compiler isn t needed anymore 3 3.1 Listen to an extract on compilers and interpreters and answer the questions. Then, complete the sentences. 1. Which one is better for error reporting? 2. Which one is slower? 3. Which one is easier to use? compiler compiler compiler interpreter interpreter interpreter ACTIVITIES Easy to learn Which programming languages are mostly used in Africa? Pygmies use low level languages while zulus use high level languages. 1. If errors have occurred, then the program cannot ........................................... 2. Some compilers assist by adding line ........................................... 3. Programmers must then use the error messages to identify and remove the ........................................... 4. Error correction can be very time-consuming and ........................................... 5. Compilers can produce much more efficient object ........................................... THE MIND OF COMPUTERS Module 3 103 

Preparazione inglese per studenti di informatica: materiali integrativi, esercizi, soluzioni e risorse online per il miglior apprendimento.

Bit by bit

English for Information and Communications Technology

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