Раздел 5 Первое занятие

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Whereas early developments were concerned with implementa­tion of simple architectures with fundamental concepts and operations, the technology has now advanced to the point where significantly more sophisticated hardware can be (and is being) implemented in current and future microprocessor generations. For example, some relatively new functions available in today’s PCs may include: Moving blocks of data from memory location to memory location or from I/O location to memory location with a single instruction; Matrix operations such as logical AND and logical OR for comparing on/off bit patterns; Ex­panded mathematical abilities.

The ease or difficulty with which each element can communicate with another will affect how much the data are manipulated⁴⁸ before they are transmitted through the network. The major obstacle⁴⁹ to de­signing an effective distributed-processing system is the difficulty in­volved in writing the system’s software, which must enable the various elements of the network to operate and interact efficiently.

The evolution of computer hardware influenced programming.

Programmability — that flexible feature not found in random-logic design — can be obtained in microprocessors on one of the two levels. A very detailed level of control is provided at the micro-instruction level. These micro-instructions may be used to obtain a macro- or machine- language instruction set, which is then used to write control programs for microprocessor. New machine-language instructions may be defined by coding new microroutines⁵⁰. In this way an instruction set can be tai­lored to an application. Control programs can also be written in micro­code. This provides increased execution speed and more detailed con­trol at the expense of more difficult programming. Microprocessors that are not microprogrammable contain fixed, general-purpose instruction sets that are often adequate⁵¹ for most applications.

Machines with new architectures possessing highly parallel struc­ture are being designed and built.

It is technically possible to obtain within next two decades sys­tems that are self-maintaining. This is a worthy challenge⁵².

Improvements in the microprocessor’s technology occur with such break-neck regularity that a generation may last only a year or two. Microprocessors are now appearing in many types of equipment and their field of application will inevitably widen.

Микроэлектроника настоящее и будущ _е

The use of microprocessors makes system easier to operate and maintain. Microprocessors provide greater application flexibility. To­day microprocessors are designed with communications in mind so it is possible to link these processors together in a network. It is attractive for a number of reasons.

Wfe can look forward to even more sophisticated system functions including digital to analog conversion⁵³ and vice versa, more arithmetic capability such as matrix inversion, etc., and massive amounts of memory Microsystems pervade⁵⁴ the products of cybernetics, for exam­ple, mobile phone, supercomputers, high-speed communication’s sys­tem, super-industrial controls and logical systems.

Today microprocessors are sure to be brains of virtually all elec­tronic devices.

2. Проверьте, как вы запомнили слова первой части основ­ного текста.

§.§. Переведите выделенные слова/словосочетания, исходя из значений, приве­денных в скобках:

1. interrupt v (прерывать), interruption п

2. quality п (качество), qualitatively adv

3. requirement п (требование), require v

4. dissipate v (рассеивать), dissipation n

5. booster n (усилитель, ускоритель), boost v

6. complementation n (дополнение), complementary a

7. inferior а (нижний), tobe inferior

8. elimination n (исключение), eliminate v

9. maintenance n (техническое обслуживание), maintain v

10. capacitor n (конденсатор), capacity n

6. Определите значение слова из первой части основного текста (I), исходя из значения его синонимов:

1. decrease п, reduction п 4. get v, earn v

2. operate v, manipulate v 5. receive v, achieve v

3. execution n, fulfilment n 6. do v, make v

6. Переведите следующие слова. Обратите внимание на значение префиксов mis- и re- (mis- означает неправильность, те— повторность).