LESSON 30

COBOL [4]

Task 1. Read and translate the text:

Задание 1. Прочитайте и переведите текст:

COBOL is an acronym for Cоmmon Business Oriented Language. It is internationally accepted programming language developed for general commercial use. COBOL is a problem oriented high - level language in which the source program is written using statements in English.

A COBOL program is written in four divisions: Identification Division, Environment Division, Data Division, Procedure Division. The Identification Division contains descriptive information that identifies the program being compiled. The Environment Division deals with the specification of the computer to be used for operating the object program, including such information as the size of memory, the number of tape decks, printers and other peripheral devices that will be used; a description of the computer to be used for compiling the source program is also given here. The Data Division is used to allocate labels to all units of data on which operations are to be performed. All input and output files are defined and associated with the peripheral units to be used for input and output.The Procedure Division gives the step-by-step instructions necessary to solve the problem. These steps are specified by means of instructions expressed in English statements which can be recognized by the compiler and translated into a sequence of machine code instructions capable of being used by the computer to solve the problem.

The advantages of using COBOL are that it is relatively simple to learn, and programs can be quickly written and tested; programmers can easily understand programs not written by themselves, and thus associated documentation can be simplified; and programs can be used on other machines, within the limitations

noted above.

The disadvantages are: (1) the relative inefficiency of the resulting object program as compared with a program written in machine code or a machine oriented language and (2) the lack of flexibility (гибкость) imposed by the restrictions (ограничение) on the type of instructions and methods for performing operations in a highly standardized language.

Task 2. Answer the following questions:

Задание 2. Ответьте на следующие вопросы:

1. What is COBOL?

2. How many divisions does a COBOL program have?

3. Can you name them?

4. What does the Procedure Division give?

5. What are the advantages of using COBOL?

6. What are the disadvantages of this program?

Task 3. Find the English equivalent for the words given below in the text:

Задание 3. Найдите эквиваленты следующих слов в тексте:

Распознавать, принимать, использовать, включать, распределять, сравнивать, содержать, относительный, связанный, процедура, изображать, деление, упрощать.

Task 4. Translate the following words given below into Russian:

Задание 4. Прочтите следующие слова и словосочетания и переведите их на русский язык:

Relative, associate, simplify, compare, lack, recognize, capable, thus, impose, contain, descriptive, include, allocate, compile, division.

Task 5. Make the sentences interrogative:

Задание 5. Поставьте следующие предложения в вопросительную форму:

1. The advantages of using COBOL are that it is relatively simple to learn, and programs can be quickly written and tested.

2. The Data Division is used to allocate labels to all units of data on which operations are to be performed.

3. COBOL is an acronym for Cоmmon Business Oriented Language.

4. All input and output files are defined and associated with the peripheral units to be used for input and output.

5. It is internationally accepted programming language developed for general commercial use.

Task 6. Fill in the blanks with the following words given below: