Computer Applications

As computer systems become more intelligent, they are used in a wider variety of work situations where previously it was necessary to employ people. Hospitals can increasingly use computers where highly trained people were required to deal with life threatening situations. Computers can also be used in airports where highly trained experts were previously required to ensure safety and the police can make more use of computers to detect and investigate increasingly sophisticated crimes.

One of the uses considered in this unit is police speed traps used to catch drivers that are breaking the official speed limit. In earlier systems, radar equipment was used to bounce radio waves off the moving car. A small processor, known as a microprocessor, calculated the speed of the car from the changes in the radio waves and triggered an ordinary camera with a flashgun to take a photograph of the car if it was speeding. The details were stored on a smart card (a plastic card with a built-in computer system that can store large amounts of data). When the smart card was taken back to the police station, the driver's details were obtained from the DVLC (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Centre) database i.e. the central computerised records of all licensed drivers and vehicles.

Newer systems prevent 'surfing' i.e. where the driver only slows down as they pass through the speed trap, by using two computerised units with digital cameras placed at a fixed distance apart. Each unit records the time that a vehicle passes it, as well as photographing and identifying the car license number using OCR software (optical character recognition software that changes picture images of letters and numbers into digital form for use by a computer system).

The computer then uses the difference in recorded times to calculate the speed of the vehicle. The registration numbers of vehicles exceeding the speed limit are immediately downloaded (copied from the computer to a server computer) to the computer at police headquarters where each vehicle is matched with the DVLC database. Standard letters are then printed off addressed to the vehicle owners using mailmerge (a wordprocessing feature that produces a separate standard letter containing details obtained from each record in a database).

There are many ways in which computer systems can be used in large supermarkets, particularly for financial calculations and in stock control using EPOS tills (electronic point of sale cash tills). Each item on a supermarket shelf has a barcode label with a barcode (a standard set of vertical bars of varying thickness used to identify products) printed on it. The barcode number system giving standard price and item code numbers used throughout Europe is known as EAN (European Article Number). The barcodes are read by scanner devices called barcode readers that are attached to the EPOS tills. When a checkout operator moves the barcode label across the scanner, the label is scanned and the barcode number for that item is read. The scanner signals are converted to a digital form (where the changing signal is either off or on) and sent to the supermarket branch computer. The branch computer checks the digital EAN code against a computer database (a type of applications program used for storing information so that it can be easily searched and sorted) that holds a record of each type of item. In this way the item and the price of the item can be identified and the sale of the product can be recorded by the computer. The item and the price are shown on the EPOS till display and printed on a paper receipt.

Computers are also used to provide cash to users and to process bank cards such as Visa cards using an ATM (automatic teller machine – the type of machine used by banks for enabling customers to withdraw money from their bank accounts).

4. Pronounce correctly and transcribe. Consult the dictionary if necessary:

Speed trap, microprocessor, database, surfing, mail merge, barcode label, digital, database, data mining, AI, cleansed data, data warehouse, duplicate and erroneous information, raw data.

5. Give Russian equivalents to the following words and phrases:

Speedtrap,radar, microprocessor, smart card, DVLC, database, surfing, OCR software, downloaded, mailmerge, EPOS tills, barcode label, barcode, EAN, barcode reader, digital, data base.

6. Give English equivalents to the following words and phrases:

Скорость компьютера, цифровой, база данных, запоминающее устройство, загрузить в компьютер, микропроцессор, чип, периферийные устройства, широкое разнообразие, опасные для жизни ситуации, обеспечить безопасность, обнаружить и расследовать преступление, нарушать ограничение скорости, оборудование, сфотографировать, хранить большое количество данных, замедлять, программное обеспечение оптического распознавания символов, рассчитать скорость транспортного средства, загрузить, полицейское управление, контролировать запасы, штрих-код, продавец на кассе, касса, бумажный чек, банкомат, снять деньги,банковский счет.

7. Read the text again and answer the questions:

1. Where can computers be used in present time?

2. How do you think is it important to use computers everywhere?

3.Describe how computers can be used in different fields of life?

4. What do we use computers for?

5. What are the ways in which computers system can be used?

6. What is barcode label?

7. What are the barcode readers used for?

8. Do you know what is OCR software?

9. How are computers used to provide cash to users and to process bank cards?

10. What is your opinion about use fullness of the computers in modern life and fields of applications?

8. Read and translate the following sentences paying attention to Passive Voice:

1. The time each vehicle passes is recorded by the first unit.

2. Each vehicle is identified by its number plates using OCR software.

3. The information is relayed to the second unit.

4.The time each vehicle passes is also recorded by the second unit.

5. The time taken to travel between the units is calculated by the microprocessor.

6. The registration numbers of speeding vehicles are relayed to police headquarters.

7. Each vehicle is matched with the DVLC database.

8. A letter is printed off to the vehicle owners using mailmerge.