The Power of Programs

If you were going to build a bookcase, you’d follow a step-by-step plan. First, you’d decide exactly what sort of bookcase you wanted: its length, width and number of shelves. Once your design was set, you’d gather your tools and supplies and get started. When you finished, you’d check your work carefully and make any needed changes.

Programming a computer – giving it a set of instructions to follow – has a lot in common with building that bookcase. To write a program, you begin by deciding exactly what task you want to accomplish. Then your work on developing and refining program. You don’t use carpentry tools, of course. Instead, you use a programming tool: the computer.

Before writing your own program you need to learn a lot about programming: its purpose, power and importance. You also have to learn about computer languages.

Do you want to play a computer game? Use a computer to write a story? Turn your computer into piano or a drawing pad? You can do all this. But …

For a computer to do something – anything- it must have a set of instructions. Without instructions the computer is as useless as a tape recorder without a tape. You can buy instructions for the computer in the form of computer software, such as a game or a word-processing program, or you can create your own instructions.

Creating instructions for the computer is called writing a computer program or programming. Firstly, you have to learn how to write some simple programs. Writing even simple programs can help you understand better how a computer and computer software work.

Programming can also be a very exciting hobby. Many students go on to create complicated programs as a hobby. Some students even turn their hobbies into jobs.

Exercise 1. Find Ukrainian equivalents for the given words.

1) word-processing program a) магнітофон

2) software b) покроковий, поступовий

3) complicated c) розробляти

4) tape recorder d) вдосконалювати

5) to accomplish e) програмне забезпечення

6) to develop f) складний

7) step-by-step g) текстовий редактор

8) to refine h) виконувати

1) programmed a) програма

2) programming b) програмований

3) programmer c) програмування

4) to program d) запрограмований

5) programmable e) програміст

6) a program f) програмний

7) program g) програмувати

Exercise 2. Fill in the gaps.

1. If you were going to build bookcase, you’d follow a … plan. 2. To write a program, you begin by deciding exactly what task you want to …. 3. Then you work on developing and … program. 4. Without instructions the computer is as useless as a … without a tape. 5. You can buy instructions for the computer in the form of computer …. 6. You can write a composition on your computer using … program. 7. Creating instructions for the computer is called writing computer program or …. 8. Many students go on to create … as a hobby.

Exercise 3. Ask your group mates:

1) what programming a computer has a lot in common with;

2) whether he should follow a step-by-step plan while programming;

3) what the main programming tool is;

4) what he can do using computer;

5) whether a set of instructions is called software.

Exercise 4. Translate the following sentences into English.

1. Тільки програміст може написати складну програму. 2. Програмне забезпечення – це набір команд для комп’ютера. 3. Комп’ютерні ігри та текстовий редактор – це дуже складні програми. 4. Будь-яку програму треба розробити та вдосконалити. 5. Наш інститут готує справжніх програмістів.

Exercise 5. Express your opinion on the following topics:

- Why have you decided to become a programmer?

- Is this profession of great demand nowadays in Ukraine?