ФЕДЕРАЛЬНОЕ АГЕНТСТВО ПО ОБРАЗОВАНИЮ
КАЗАНСКИЙ ГОСУДАРСТВЕННЫЙ АРХИТЕКТУРНО-СТРОИТЕЛЬНЫЙ УНИВЕРСИТЕТ
Кафедра иностранных языков
‘A HOUSE KISSED BY THE SUN’
COMPUTER TECHNOLOGIES AND NANOTECHNOLOGY
Методические указания по английскому языку для студентов
II курса строительного факультета
Казань
2008
УДК 372.8+802.0
ББК 81.2 Англ-923
‘A HOUSE KISSED BY THE SUN’, COMPUTER TECHNOLOGIES AND NANOTECHNOLOGY. Методические указания по английскому языку для студентов II курса строительного факультета дневного отделения по развитию умения читать оригинальную литературу/ Составитель: - Казань: КГАСУ, 2008.- 23с.
Основная цель методических указаний – развитие навыка перевода оригинальных текстов, развитие умения точно и адекватно извлекать основную информацию, содержащуюся в тексте и формирование речевых навыков в сфере профессиональной коммуникации.
Отв. редактор: канд. фил. наук, зав. каф. ин. яз КГАСУ МаксудоваЭ. С.
Рецензент: д. филол. наук, профессор КГУ
УДК 372.8+802.0
ББК 81.2 Англ-923
© Казанский государственный
архитектурно-строительный
университет,2008 г.
©
PART I
The Fifth Generation Computer.
I. Read and remember words and word combinations.
1. epoch-making - значительный, эпохальный; открывающий новую эру
2. artificial - искусственный, ненатуральный, неестественный
3. convey - транспортировать; перемещать; перевозить
4. diode –диод
5. CPU (central processing unit) - центральный процессор
6. multiple - многократный, множественный составной;; кратное число
7. in-depth studies - доскональное изучение, тщательное исследование
8. access – доступ, предоставлять доступ, допускать
9. ingrained - проникающий, пропитывающий
10. invincibility - непобедимость, непреодолимость, несокрушимость
11. workstations - рабочая станция, узел ЛВС, место рабочее автоматизированное
12. curve - кривая (линия) ; дуга; гнуть; изгибать, перегибать
13. failure - неудавшееся дело, неудача, неуспех, провал
14. yen - иена (денежная единица Японии)
15. terminate - завершать, останавливать, прекращать
16. without having met its goals – не достигнув цели
17. GUI (graphical user interface) - графический интерфейс пользователя
18. R&D (research and development) - исследования и разработка, НИОКР
19. between 100M and 1G LIPS (Logical Inference Per Second)- между 100 млн. и 1 млрд. липс (логических выводов в секунду)
20. IC (Integrated Circuit) - интегральная схема
21. computers using vacuum tubes – ламповые компьютеры
The Fifth Generation Computer.
The Fifth Generation Computer was to be the end result of a massive government-industry research project in Japan during the 1980s, which aimed to create an "epoch-making computer" that would leapfrog more evolutionary designs by using the Prolog programming language to create a desktop system with supercomputer-like performance and usable artificial intelligence capabilities. The term "fifth generation" was intended to convey the system as being a leap beyond existing puters using vacuum tubes were called the first generation, transistors and diodes the second, ICs the third, and those using microprocessors the fourth. Whereas previous computer generations had focused on increasing the number of logic elements in a single CPU, the fifth generation, it was widely believed at the time, would instead turn to massive numbers of CPUs for added performance.
Throughout these multiple generations since the 1950s, Japan had largely been a follower in terms of computing advancement, building computers following US and British leads. The Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) decided to attempt to break out of this follow-the-leader pattern, and in the mid-1970s started looking, on a small scale, into the future of computing. They asked the Japan Information Processing Development Center (JIPDEC) to indicate a number of future directions, and in 1979 offered a three-year contract to carry out more in-depth studies along with industry and academia. It was during this period that the term "fifth-generation computer" started to be used. The primary fields for investigation from this initial project were:
· Inference computer technologies for knowledge processing
· Computer technologies to process large-scale data bases and knowledge bases
· High performance workstations
· Distributed functional computer technologies
· Super-computers for scientific calculation
The project imagined a parallel processing computer running on top of massive databases, as opposed to a file system, using a logic programming language to access the data. They envisioned building a prototype machine with performance between 100M and 1G LIPS, where a LIPS is a Logical Inference Per Second. At the time typical workstation machines were capable of about 100k LIPS. They proposed to build this machine over a ten year period, 3 years for initial R&D, 4 years for building various subsystems, and a final 3 years to complete a working prototype system. In 1982 the government decided to go ahead with the project, and established the Institute for New Generation Computer Technology (ICOT) through joint investment with various Japanese computer companies.
So ingrained was the belief that parallel computing was the future of all performance gains that the Fifth-Generation project generated a great deal of apprehension in the computing field. After having seen the Japanese take over the consumer electronics field during the 1970s and apparently doing the same in the automotive world, the Japanese in the 1980s had a reputation for invincibility. Soon parallel projects were set up in the US as the Microelectronics and Computer Technology Corporation (MCC), in England as Alvey, and in Europe as the European Strategic Program of Research in Information Technology (ESPRIT). Over the next ten years the Fifth-Generation project ran into one difficulty after another. A primary problem was that their selected language, Prolog, did not support concurrency, and therefore they had to develop their own language for their multi-CPU goals. This never happened cleanly, and in fact a number of languages were developed, all with their own limitations. Another problem was that existing CPU performance quickly pushed through the "obvious" barriers that everyone believed existed in the 1970s, and the value of parallel computing quickly dropped to the point where it is today used only in niche situations. Although a number of workstations of increasing capacity were designed and built over the project's lifespan, they generally found themselves soon outperformed by "off the shelf" units available commercially.
The Fifth-Generation Computer was constantly on the wrong side of technology curve in software as well. Over the period of it's lifespan Apple Computer introduced the GUI to the masses, the internet made locally-stored large databases a thing of the past, and even simple research projects constantly provided better real-world results in data mining, Google being a good example. Moreover the project found that the promises of logic programmer were largely negated by the use of committed choice, and they ran into the same sorts of limitations that earlier artificial intelligence researchers had, albeit at a different scale. Repeated attempts to make the system work after changing one language feature or another simply moved the point at which the computer suddenly seemed stupid. In fact it can be said that the project "missed the point" as a whole. It was during this time that the computer industry moved from hardware to software as a primary focus. The Fifth Generation project never made a clean separation, feeling that, as it was in the 1970s, hardware and software were inevitably mixed.
By any measure the project was an abject failure. At the end of the ten year period they had burned through over 50 billion yen and the program was terminated without having met its goals.
II. Put the following words and word combinations into the sentences.
to make the system work; without having met; to process; a clean separation; of increasing capacity; vacuum tubes; a logic programming language; CPU performance;
1. Another problem was that existing … quickly pushed through the "obvious" barriers that everyone believed existed in the 1970s.
2. Computers using … were called the first generation.
3. Computer technologies … large-scale data bases and knowledge bases.
4. A number of workstations … were designed and built over the project's lifespan.
5. Repeated attempts … after changing one language feature or another simply moved the point at which the computer suddenly seemed stupid.
6. The Fifth Generation project never made …, feeling that hardware and software were inevitably mixed.
7. At the end of the ten year period they had burned through over 50 billion yen and the program was terminated … its goals.
8. The project imagined a parallel processing computer running on top of massive databases, as opposed to a file system, using … to access the data.
III. Make the plan of the text.
IV. Translate the following sentences into Russian.
· The Fifth-Generation Computer was to be the end result of a massive government-industry research project in Japan during the 1980s, which aimed to create an "epoch-making computer" that would leapfrog more evolutionary designs by using the Prolog programming language to create a desktop system with supercomputer-like performance and usable artificial intelligence capabilities.
· Computers using vacuum tubes were called the first generation, transistors and diodes the second, ICs the third, and those using microprocessors the fourth.
· The project imagined a parallel processing computer running on top of massive databases, as opposed to a file system, using a logic programming language to access the data.
· Another problem was that existing CPU performance quickly pushed through the "obvious" barriers that everyone believed existed in the 1970s, and the value of parallel computing quickly dropped to the point where it is today used only in niche situations.
· Over the period of it's lifespan Apple Computer introduced the GUI to the masses, the internet made locally-stored large databases a thing of the past, and even simple research projects constantly provided better real-world results in data mining.
V. Give a short summary of the text in English.
PART II
Professor Puts New Spin on Quantum
Computer Technology.
I. Read and remember words and word combinations.
1. quantum - значительный, большой, квантовый, шаг квантования
2. database - база данных
3. sought-after - пользующийся спросом
4. semiconductor - полупроводник
5. non-volatile - энергонезависимый, долгохранящий, неразрушающийся,
6. еliminate - устранять, исключать
7. inordinate - неумеренный; чрезмерный
8. processing - обработка, переработка, обработка данных
9. inextricably - неразрывно
10. accomplish - совершать, выполнять; достигать
11. corral – собирать, загонять
12. purport - означать, подразумевать
13. to winnow out - отсеивать, удалять, отделять
14. entanglement - запутанность; затруднительное положение
15. measurement - снятие мерок, измерение (действие) , обмер
16. spin - речевой интерфейс, программный модуль SPIN
Professor Puts New Spin on Quantum
Computer Technology.
Purdue University physicists have built a critical component for the development of quantum computers and spintronic devices, potentially bringing advances in cryptography and high-speed database searches a step closer. A team of researchers including Leonid P. Rokhinson has created a device that can effectively split a stream of quantum objects such as electrons into two streams according to the spin of each, herding those with "up" spin in one direction and corralling those that spin "down" in producing such "spin-polarized" streams, the tiny device could become a key component in quantum computers, which have not yet left the drawing boards of the computer industry but are highly sought-after for their purported facility at cracking codes and searching large databases. "For the first time, we have achieved spatial spin separation of the 'holes' in gallium arsenide, the spaces that electrons leave behind as they travel through this semiconductor," said Rokhinson, who is an assistant professor of physics in Purdue's School of Science. "These holes also have spin characteristics, just as particles do, and separating them according to their spin has been a great challenge. Producing this effect will be critical for the success of any spin-based electronic device, and this separation method could be one of the missing links necessary for the development of quantum computers and non-volatile memory devices."
Quantum computers, though still in the early stages of development, are highly desired because of their projected ability to solve particular kinds of difficult problems that often arise in cryptography and database searching. These problems often have a very large number of candidate solutions, most of which are incorrect and must be quickly eliminated from the solution pool. Even the fastest conventional computers, which must test each potential solution before moving on to another, can take an inordinately long time to winnow out the incorrect candidates. But a quantum computer could theoretically test the solutions simultaneously - a process computer scientists refer to as parallel processing. Rokhinson said this is because of a peculiar quantum physical property of particles called entanglement. "Two electrons - one that has 'up' spin, the other with 'down' - can be entangled so that anything that affects one affects the other," he said. "The particles remain entangled even if they are separated by great distances." The two particles' respective spins, which are opposite but inextricably linked, allow them to form a 'quantum bit,' or qubit, that can actually be 'on' and 'off' simultaneously, or function as both a one and a zero during digital calculations. This ability to represent two conditions at once, multiplied many times over within a computer chip that uses a large number of qubits, could be a powerful tool for sifting through information. "The trouble is, you have to find a way to measure the final quantum state of the qubit after the calculations have been made to extract useful information from them," Rokhinson said. "Only once you have separated them can you obtain the answer to your calculations. This measurement issue has been one of the big challenges of the field."
Some of the reason behind this difficulty lies in the very weak coupling of spin with the environment. In semiconductor materials, Rokhinson said, spin is coupled many trillions of times less than charge is, and spin experiences comparatively little influence from nearby matter. "In practical terms, this means you can try to make a particle flip its spin from 'up' to 'down,' but it won't feel you pushing," he said. "Researchers have tried to polarize the particles using everything from light waves to strong magnetic fields, but nothing was working well enough to separate them." However, Rokhinson's team discovered that semiconductors made of highly purified gallium arsenide sandwiched between layers of aluminum gallium arsenide possessed a natural property that, when harnessed, could push the quantum spaces, or 'holes,' into two different directions according to their spin state. "Although it may seem counterintuitive, the holes have a spin state as well," Rokhinson said. "The spaces don't literally spin - the idea of spin is just a loose metaphor anyway, to help physicists imagine what's going on. In an electric current flowing through a copper wire, we imagine electrons jumping from one copper atom's orbital hole to another. We could also imagine those holes having a positive charge and flowing in the opposite direction. A similar concept is at work here with spin state - we're just working with the holes this time, not the particles." It is a natural property of the holes within the semiconductor that Rokhinson's group has harnessed to divide them up, which could make life simpler for the chip designers who may someday put this hole-herder to use. "The large magnetic fields needed for other methods of spin measurement are not necessary in this device," Rokhinson said. "However, it requires very low temperatures, a fraction of a degree above absolute zero. We will probably need to reproduce the effect at higher temperatures for chips based on this technology to become commercially worthwhile." But with further development, Rokhinson said, the device might form a key element in a quantum microprocessor. "All spin-based processors require devices that can inject, detect and manipulate particles," he said. "This device can both inject and detect them, and since we already have some knowledge about manipulating particles, it could mean that a major hurdle in the way of developing spintronics devices has been overcome."
Rokhinson said his team would be concentrating on creating a device that also could manipulate the electron holes as well, thus accomplishing all three necessary tasks with a single component. "That would allow us to create a spin-based transistor," he said. "Because semiconductor transistors have had such a dramatic impact on the last few decades of computer development, we are optimistic that this discovery could be significant for the industry." Rokhinson is affiliated with Purdue's Birck Nanotechnology Center. The center anchors Purdue's new Discovery Park, located on the southwestern edge of campus. Programs include undergraduate teaching, graduate research and technology transfer initiatives with industry partners.
II. Put the following words and word combinations into the sentences.
each potential solution; within a computer chip; reason; quantum computers; electrons; missing links; can be entangled; a key component; gallium arsenide.
1. By producing such "spin-polarized" streams, the tiny device could become … in quantum computers.
2. For the first time, we have achieved spatial spin separation of the 'holes' in … .
3. Producing this effect will be critical for the success of any spin-based electronic device, and this separation method could be one of the … necessary for the development of … and non-volatile memory devices.
4. Even the fastest conventional computers, which must test … before moving on to another, can take an inordinately long time to winnow out the incorrect candidates.
5. "Two electrons - one that has 'up' spin, the other with 'down' - … so that anything that affects one affects the other," he said.
6. This ability to represent two conditions at once, multiplied many times over … that uses a large number of qubits, could be a powerful tool for sifting through information.
7. Some of the … behind this difficulty lies in the very weak coupling of spin with the environment.
8. In an electric current flowing through a copper wire, we imagine … jumping from one copper atom's orbital hole to another.
III. Find six sentences to express the main idea of the text.
IV. Translate the following sentences into Russian.
· A team of researchers including Leonid P. Rokhinson has created a device that can effectively split a stream of quantum objects such as electrons into two streams according to the spin of each, herding those with "up" spin in one direction and corralling those that spin "down" in another.
· "For the first time, we have achieved spatial spin separation of the 'holes' in gallium arsenide, the spaces that electrons leave behind as they travel through this semiconductor," said Rokhinson, who is an assistant professor of physics in Purdue's School of Science.
· Even the fastest conventional computers, which must test each potential solution before moving on to another, can take an inordinately long time to winnow out the incorrect candidates
· The two particles' respective spins, which are opposite but inextricably linked, allow them to form a 'quantum bit,' or qubit, that can actually be 'on' and 'off' simultaneously, or function as both a one and a zero during digital calculations.
· "This device can both inject and detect them, and since we already have some knowledge about manipulating particles, it could mean that a major hurdle in the way of developing spintronics devices has been overcome."
V. Discuss the main problems of the text with your partner.
PART IV
A House Kissed by the Sun.
I. Read and remember words and word combinations.
1. homeowner - владелец дома
2. team up to prove – объединиться, чтоб доказать
3. contemplatе - обозревать, созерцать; пристально разглядывать
4. retirement - списание, уединение, изолированность, отставка
5. fixture - недвижимый инвентарь, приспособление, прибор
6. custom-home client – постоянный клиент
7. elevator - грузоподъёмник
8. the grade of insulation - качество изоляции
9. possess - владеть, иметь, обладать, располагать
10. outfit – оборудовать, оснащать
11. cedar - кедр
12. accessibility - доступность
13. fittings – фурнитура, гарнитура, арматура
13. physically challenged occupant - физически нетрудоспособный житель
14. to preheat - предварительно нагревать, подогревать
15. square-foot - квадратный фут (мера площади = 144 дюймам = 929,03 см²)
16. siding - наружная обшивка
17. copper - медь; медный, сделанный из меди; покрывать медью, обшивать медью
18. air-to-air heat exchanger - воздухо-воздушный теплообменник
A House Kissed by the Sun:
A homeowner and an architect team up to prove solar
passive design can be economical and beautiful.
By William Weathersby, Jr.
Most couples contemplating their prospective dream home compose wish lists of their favorite architectural details and lifestyle amenities. Few, however, are likely to map out a building game plan as comprehensive as the document drafted by Carol and John Harkness. When they met with architect Kevin Burke to discuss building their retirement home in Teton Village, Wyoming, they arrived with a six-page (single-spaced) project “brief” detailing precise requirements for the house. And these weren’t even notes about the usual aesthetic concerns regarding fixtures and finishes; their highly detailed punch list explored everything from passive solar heating to the specifications of handicapped-accessible elevators and doorways.
“I’ve never had clients as passionate about every design detail of their new house,” says Burke, associate architect at Carney Architects in Jackson, Wyoming. “The Harknesses were involved with every design and construction decision along the way, from where best to site the house to selecting the grade of insulation between each wall.” “This was planned as the last house we would build as we entered the retirement phase of our life,” says Carol. “John and I had been thinking about exactly what we wanted for more than a decade, so I guess the attention to every element showed.” Admittedly, John and Carol both have technical backgrounds that would trump the curiosity about construction many custom-home clients might possess. He worked as a chemical engineer at the prestigious Argonne National Laboratory; she was a computer software developer. In addition, John had previously outfitted their home in a Chicago suburb with passive solar features. Now that they were retiring to Wyoming, the couple sought even more energy efficiency and adaptability within the home they were building on a half-acre lot at the base of the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort.
“We’re not too hung up on aesthetics,” says John, “but the practicality and future performance of the house were important to us.” One of the couple’s goals was to make the house thoroughly handicapped accessible, particularly because John has a brother with muscular dystrophy. They also agreed it should be heated and cooled with active and passive systems to the greatest degree possible, for both energy conservation and long-term financial benefits.
The 4,300-square-foot house sits on a steeply sloping meadow near the base of the resort. Avid skiers and climbers, John and Carol selected a lot that would allow them to easily walk to the slopes and to a nearby music festival. Despite the Harknesses’ list of mandates for the house, ironically, its architectural design was also influenced by restrictions set by the previous owner of the property. “He was moving across the street and didn’t want our new house to block his view,” Carol recalls. The height and siting restrictions “actually inspired our creativity,” Kevin Burke says. Clad in cedar siding with copper bump-outs, the house has a sloping metal roof that does not obstruct the neighbor’s views of the mountains. A wall of windows on the back side of the house opens to views of the valley. The Harknesses planned the house to easily accommodate changes in lifestyle they may face as they age. With Burke, the couple plotted the three-level house in zones, with a self-contained main floor serving most of their day-to-day needs, encompassing a bedroom, living and dining area, bathroom, and kitchen. A suite on the upper floor, which can be reached by an elevator, features the most accessibility fittings for physically challenged occupants, including hand railings in a bathroom and wide doorways. The lowest level features another bedroom, study, workshop, and two bathrooms. Technically, the house is more efficient and eco-friendly than any Burke can recall building, he says. Many of the building materials were selected for their environmental sensitivity and sustainability, such as interior flooring made from cork, a renewable resource. The outdoor decking is made from recycled plastic.
The “super-insulated” envelope of the building goes far beyond typical standards for houses in the region. An air-to-air heat exchanger introduces fresh air using warm air from the house to preheat the cool outside air as it enters. “The house is very tight, and we can keep our thermostats set to 55 degrees,” John says.
Outfitted with extensive technical features, yet conveying warmth and coziness with a generous use of natural materials, the Harkness house makes a strong case for homeowners taking charge of their “domestic engineering.”
II. Put the following words and word combinations into the sentences.
recycled; physically challenged occupants; warmth; handicapped accessible; coziness; passive solar features; backgrounds; handicapped-accessible elevators; heating; a sloping metal roof.
1. Their highly detailed punch list explored everything from passive solar … to the specifications of … and doorways.
2. Admittedly, John and Carol both have technical … that would trump the curiosity about construction many custom-home clients might possess.
3. John had previously outfitted their home in a Chicago suburb with … .
4. One of the couple’s goals was to make the house thoroughly …, particularly because John has a brother with muscular dystrophy.
5. Clad in cedar siding with copper bump-outs, the house has … that does not obstruct the neighbor’s views of the mountains.
6. A suite on the upper floor, which can be reached by an elevator, features the most accessibility fittings for …, including hand railings in a bathroom and wide doorways.
7. The outdoor decking is made from … plastic.
8. Outfitted with extensive technical features, yet conveying … and … with a generous use of natural materials.
III. Make the plan of the text.
IV. Translate the following sentences into Russian.
· And these weren’t even notes about the usual aesthetic concerns regarding fixtures and finishes; their highly detailed punch list explored everything from passive solar heating to the specifications of handicapped-accessible elevators and doorways.
· Despite the Harknesses’ list of mandates for the house, ironically, its architectural design was also influenced by restrictions set by the previous owner of the property.
· Clad in cedar siding with copper bump-outs, the house has a sloping metal roof that does not obstruct the neighbor’s views of the mountains.
· Outfitted with extensive technical features, yet conveying warmth and coziness with a generous use of natural materials, the Harkness house makes a strong case for homeowners taking charge of their “domestic engineering.”
· A suite on the upper floor, which can be reached by an elevator, features the most accessibility fittings for physically challenged occupants, including hand railings in a bathroom and wide doorways.
V. Do you find the project interesting? Why do you think so?
