计算机专业英语的教程2.ppt

1.2 Computer Generations ;1.2.5 Generationless Computers We may have defined our last generation of computers and begun the era of generationless computers. Even though computer manufacturers talk of “fifth” and “sixth”-generation computers, this talk is more a marketing play than a reflection of reality. 我们可能已经定义了我们最新一代计算机而且开始了计算机的无代时代。即使计算机制造商谈到“第五”和“第六”代计算机,这些说法更多是市场行为，而不是真实的反映。 Advocates of the concept of generationless computers say that even though technological innovations are coming in rapid succession, no single innovation is, or will be, significant enough to characterize another generation of computers. 无代计算机的观念提倡者说，即使科技革新接二连三地迅速出现,没有一种革新是,或将是足够重要，作为另一代计算机的特征。;New Words Expressions: glean vt., vi. 搜集(情报或事实) MD abbr. Maryland(马里兰) Tflops abbr. teraflops 每秒兆兆(1012)次 architecture n.体系机构 terabit n.兆兆位 factor n. 阶乘 bandwidth n.带宽 Terabyte n. 兆兆(1012)字节； Petabyte n. 千兆兆(1015)字节 microprocessor n.[计]微处理器 contemplate v.凝视, 沉思 order n. 阶,次 turbulence n. 扰动；湍流 GB=GigaBit,千兆位; = GigaByte,吉字节 flops n. 每秒浮点运算次数(floating-point operation per second) ;Some idea of what might be happening in the near future in supercomputer design can be gleaned from a press release issued by the US Department of Energy (DoE). It came out of the SUPERCOMPUTING 2002 Conference held last November in Baltimore, MD. The press release announced that the DoE had awarded IBM a $290 (USD) million contract to build the two fastest supercomputers in the world with a combined peak speed of 460 TFlops. To get an idea of the speed computing throughput 460 teraflops represents, the press release states that, “These two systems will have more than one-and-a-half times the combined processing power of all 500 machines on the recently announced TOP 500 List of Supercomputers.” 从美国能源部发行的通告中，可以收集一些有关在不久的将来超级计算机设计中可能发生的事情的概念。它来自在马里兰州巴尔的摩市召开的2002年超级计算会议。该通告称能源部已给IBM拨款2.9亿美元建造世界上???快的两部超级计算机，其最高综合速度为每秒460兆兆次。为了理解每秒460兆兆次速度的含义，通告解释说,“这两个系统将会具有最近发布的500强超级计算机的总处理能力的1.5倍还多。”;The first sys