Text 1 - What are computers?

1 Computers are machines that perform tasks or calculations according to a set of

2 instructions, or programs. The first fully electronic computers, introduced in the
3 1940s, were huge machines that required teams of people to operate. Compared to
4 those early machines, todays computers are amazing. Not only they are thousands
5 of times faster, they can fit on your desk, in your lap, or even in your pocket.
6 Computers work through an interaction of hardware and software. Hardware refers to
7 the parts of a computer that you can see and touch, including the case and
8 everything inside it. The most important piece of hardware is a tiny rectangular chip
9 inside your computer called the central processing unit (CPU), or microprocessor. Its
10 the brain of your computer the part that translates instructions and performs
11 calculations. Hardware items such as your monitor, keyboard, mouse, printer, and
12 other components are often called hardware devices, or devices.
13 Software refers to the instructions, or programs, that tell the hardware what to do. A
14 word processing program that you can use to write letters on your computer is a type
15 of software. The operating system (OS) is a software that manages your computer
16 and the devices connected to it. Two well-known operating systems are Windows
17 and Macintosh operating system. Probably your computer uses the Windows
18 operating system.

DIFFERENT WORDS:

Line 1 Tasks: Tarefas;

1 According to: De acordo com;
2 Fully: Inteiramente;
5 Lap: Colo;
8 Tiny: Minsculo;
11 Such as: Tais como;
12 Devices: Dispositivos;
15 Manages: Administra;
16 Well-known: Bem conhecidos;

Dates 1940s
Possessive s todays computers
 Line 5 - What does times means?
Line 8 everything inside it. Is it an oblique or possessive pronoun? What
does this pronoun refer to?
Line 9 inside your computer. What kind of pronoun is that?
Line 16 devices connected to it. What kind of pronoun is that? What
does it refer to?
Search for a frequency adverb:

Text 2 - What is a computer?

1 Nowadays, in most modern societies, almost everybody has an idea about what a
2 computer is. We depend on computers in every aspect of our lives, whether we know
3 how to use one or not. But, does everyone really know how a computer works
4 inside?
5 A computer is an electronic machine which processes data and provides the results
6 of the processing as information. There are three basic steps in the computing
7 process. The first one in Input, which consists of feeding data into the computers
8 memory. Then comes the processing: the program is run and the computer
9 processes the data by performing a set of instructions. The third and final step is the
10 output furnished by the computer, which allows the user to see the results either in
11 printed form or on the screen.
12 The world of computers has created a specific language of its own. English words
13 such as software and hardware are used worldwide and have been borrowed by
14 many different languages. Software is information in the form of data and programs,
15 and hardware refers to the electronic and mechanical parts that make up a computer
16 system.
17 Despite the constant presence of computers in most modern societies, it is a great
18 mistake to believe that everybody in the world is computer-literate, i.e., is familiar with
19 computers and knows how to use them properly. In some contemporary societies,
20 many people still have no idea about the existence of computers, and even in the so-
21 called developed countries, there are lots of people who do not know or do not care
22 about what a computer is.
DIFFERENT WORDS:

Line 1 Nowadays: Hoje em dia;

2 Whether: Quer, ou;
10 Furnished: Fornecido;
10 Allows: Permite;
10 Either: Ou, tanto...como;
13 Worldwide: No mundo todo;
13 Borrowed: Emprestado;
17 Despite: Apesar de;
17 Great: Grande;
18 i.e.: Isto (that is to say);
19 Properly: Devidamente;
20 So-called: Assim ditos, supostos;

Is almost an adverb of frequency or time?

Line 2 - our lives. What kind of pronoun is that?
Write the ordinal numbers you can find:
Possessive s computers memory -
Possessive s the world of computers
Line 12 of its own. What kind of pronoun is that? What does it refer to?
Line 19 to use them properly. What kind of pronoun is that? What does
it refer to?
Search for adverbs of time: