Learning about Language教学设计(第二课时)

Pre-class homework:

Who Invented the Computer ? "Who invented the computer?" is not a question with a simple answer. The real answer is that many inventors contributed to the history of computers.

The development of computers reflects the wisdom of modern humans.

A computer is a complex piece of machinery made up of many parts, each of which can be considered a separate invention. The following is a list of people who are all the key figures in the development of computers. Charles Babbage(1791-1871) Charles Babbage was born in 1791 in Britain. He was in poor health in his youth, so he had to be educated at home. Concerned about his health, his mother advised that he should not be taught too much. However, the boy showed an early interested in mathematics and worked harder at it than anyone else. Later he was admitted into Cambridge University. In 1827, he became a professor of mathematics. He worked selflessly, devoting a lot of his wealth and energy to computing machines. In 1834 he invented the Analytical Machine which is the beginning of a computer. This was a great achievement but Charier Babbage never produced a real computer.

Finally in 1871, Charles Babbage who is remembered as the “grandfather of computing”

died peacefully. However, his principles are still those on which modern computers are based.

John Ambrose Fleming (1849-1945) John Ambrose Fleming, born in Lancaster, Lancashire, England, is one of the great men of radio and electronics in the world. As an electrical engineer and physicist, he invented the first vacuum tube(真空电子管) in 1904, which could be said to be the beginning of modern electronics（电子学）. Because of this he was also called the Father of Modern Electronics. Ambrose was also a versatile（多才多艺的）

man. He was a famous photographer, painted water colours, and enjoyed climbing the Alps. Childless himself, he

donated much of his estate(个人财产) to Christian charities, especially those for the poor. Alan Turing (1912-1954) Alan Turing was a logician, mathematician and computer scientist. He is generally known for his work in artificial intelligence and computer science. Turing was born in London in 1912. When he was young at school, he wasn’t considered as a good student and he even found it hard to fit in. But he was

so talented in mathematics that he was able to solve difficult problems without having been taught them. In 1931, he went to study mathematical logic at King’s College, Cambridge.

In 1936, he came up with the idea of a machine that was able to calculate anything that could be calculated. This was known as the Turing Machine and led to the modern computer. Turing killed himself in 1954, by eating an apple containing cyanide(氰化物). He was fond of the Disney cartoon version of Snow White which features a similar idea.

Alan Turing has been named as one of the 100 most important people of the 20th century. A Manchester road is named for him, as are many colleges. Just because of his extraordinary contributions, the future generations can enjoy the endless.

Bell Laboratories Bell Laboratories, one of the world's largest industrial laboratories, was established in 1925 and was headquartered（总部设在）

in New York. It is a research and development organization with high reputation in the world.

Ever since its establishment, its scientists have been occupied with various research projects. So far, it has obtained around 26,000 patents (nearly one each day). In 1945, Bell Labs was beginning to look for a solution to a long-standing problem---the vacuum tubes were extremely unreliable, used too much power and produced too much heat.

Bill Shockley, a young, brilliant theoretician was selected as a team leader. Shockley drafted(抽调、选用)

Bell Lab's Walter Brattain, an experimental physicist who could build or fix just about anything, and hired theoretical physicist John Bardeen from the University of Minnesota to work together with him. After about two years of hard work, the transistor was invented. The invention of the transistor was an unprecedented(空前的、前所未有的) development in the electronics industry. It marked the beginning of the new age in the electronics. After the transistor's invention, advances in technology became more frequent, the most famous of which was computer technology. The three physicists who invented the transistor: William Shockley, John Bardeen, and Walter Brattain were awarded with the Nobel Prize. Considering the inventions that the transistor paved the way for, one could argue that it was the most important invention of the twentieth century. Questions: 1.

Who invented the computer?

2.

What is Charles Babbage’s greatest achievement? Why is his invention so important?

3.

Who invented the first vacuum tube? What was he called?

4.

What is Alan Turing famous for? What is the function of Turing Machine? How did he die?

5.

What was the problem with the vacuum tube? Why was the invention of transistor so important?