电子信息工程专业专业英语三千字翻译.docx

1、电子信息工程专业专业英语三千字翻译Unit3 computer architecture and microprocessors 3-1 Computer Architecture1) Computer architecture , in computer science , is a general term referring to the structure of all or part of computer system . The term also covers the design of system software , such as the operating syste

2、m (the program that controls the computer) , as well as referring to the combination of hardware and basic software that links the machines on a computer network . Computer architecture refers to an entire structure and to the details needed to make it functional . Thus , computer architecture cover

3、s computer systems , microprocessors , circuits , and system programs . Typically the term does not refer to application programs , such as spreadsheets or word processing , which are required to perform a task but not to make the system run .2)1.Design Elements3) In designing a computer system , ar

4、chitects consider five major elements that make up the systems hardware : the arithmetic /logic unit , control unit , memory , input , and output . The arithmetic /logic unit performs arithmetic and compares numerical values . The control unit directs the operation of the computer by taking the user

5、 instructions and transforming them into electrical signals that the computer s circuitry can understand . The combination of the arithmetic /logic unit and the control unit is called the central processing unit (CPU) . The memory stores instructions and data . The input input and output sections al

6、low the computer to receive and send data , respectively . 4) Different hardware architectures are required because of the specialized needs of systems and users . One user may need a system to display graphics extremely fast , while another system may have to be optimized for searching a database o

7、r conserving battery power in a laptop computer . 5) In addition to the hardware design , the architects must consider what software programs will operate the system . Software , such as programming languages and operating systems , makes the details of the hardware architecture invisible to the use

8、r . For example , computers that use the C programming language or a UNIT operating system may appear the same from the users viewpoint , although they use different hardware architectures . 6)2.Processing Architecture7) When a computer carries out an instruction , it proceeds through five steps . F

9、irst ,the control unit retrieves the instruction from memory , for example , an instruction to add two numbers . Second , the control unit decodes the instruction into electronic signals that control the computer . Third , the control unit fetches the data (the two numbers) . Fourth , the arithmetic

10、/logic unit performs the specific operation ( the addition of the two numbers ) . Fifth , the control unit saves the result ( the sum of the two numbers ) . 8) Early computers used only simple instructions because the cost of electronic capable of carrying out complex instructions was high . As this

11、 cost decreased in the 1960s , more complicated instructions became possible . Complex instructions ( single instructions that specify multiple operations ) can save time because they make it unnecessary for the computer to retrieve additional instructions . For example , if seven operations are com

12、bined in one instruction , then six of the steps that fetch instructions are eliminated and the computer spends less time processing that operation . Computers that combine several instructions into a single operation are called complex instruction set computers ( CISC ) . 9) However , most programs

13、 do not often use complex instructions , but consist mostly of simple instructions . When these simple instructions are run on CISC architectures , they slow down processing because each instruction-whether simple or complex -takes longer to decode in a CISC design . An alternative strategy is to re

14、turn to designs that use only simple , single-operation instruction sets and make the most frequently used operations faster in order to increase overall performance . Computers that follow this design are called reduced instruction set computers ( RISC ) .10) RISC designs are especially fast at the

15、 numerical computations required in science , graphics , and engineering applications . CISC designs are commonly used for non-numerical computations because they provide special instruction sets for handling character data , such as text in a word processing program . Specialized CISC architectures

16、 , called digital signal processors , exist to accelerate processing of digitized audio and video signals . 11)3.Open and Closed Architectures12) The CPU of a computer is connected to memory and to the outside world by means of either an open or a closed architecture . An open architecture can be ex

17、panded after the system has been built , usually by adding extra circuitry , such as a new microprocessor computer chip connected to the main system . The specifications of the circuitry are made public , allowing other companies to manufacture these expansion products . 13) Closed architectures are

18、 usually employed in specialized computers that will not require expansion , for example , computers that control microwave ovens . Some computer manufacturers have used closed architectures so that their customers can purchase expansion circuitry only from them . This allows the manufacture to char

19、ge more and reduces the options for the consumer . 14)4.Network Architecture15) Computers communicate with other computers via networks . The simplest network is a direct connection between two computers . However , computers can also be connected over large networks , allowing users to exchange dat

20、a , communicate via electronic mail , and share resources such as printers .16) Computers can be connected in several ways . In a ring configuration , data are transmitted along the ring and each computer in the ring examines this data to determine if it is the intended recipient . If the data are n

21、ot intended for a particular computer , the computer passes the data to the next computer in the ring . This process is repeated until the data arrive at their intended destination . A ring network allows multiple messages to be carried simultaneously , but since each message is checked by each comp

22、uter , data transmission is slowed .17) In a bus configuration , computers are connected through a single set of wires , called a bus . One computer sends data to another by broadcasting the address of the receive and the data over the bus . All the computers in the network look at the address simul

23、taneously , and the intended recipient accepts the data . A bus network , unlike a ring network , allows data to be sent directly from one computer to another . However , only one computer at a time can transmit data . The others must wait to send their messages . 18) In a star configuration , compu

24、ters are linked to a central computer called a hub . A computer sends the address of the receiver and the data to the hub , which then links the sending and receiving computers directly . A star network allows multiple messages to be sent simultaneously , but it is more costly because it uses an add

25、itional computer , the hub , to direct the data .19)5.Recent Advances20) One problem in computer architecture is caused by the difference between the speed of the CPU and the speed at which memory supplies instructions and data . Modern CPUs can process instructions in 3 nanoseconds ( 3 billionths o

26、f a second ) . A typical memory access , however , takes 100 nanoseconds and each instruction may require multiple accesses . To compensate for this disparity , new computer chips have been designed that contain small memories , called caches , located near the CPU . Because of their proximity to th

27、e CPU and their small size , caches can supply instructions and data faster than normal memory . Cache memory stores the most frequently used instructions and data and can greatly increase efficiency .21) Although a large cache memory can hold more data , it also becomes slower .To compensate , comp

28、uter architects employ designs with multiple caches . The design places the smallest and fastest cache nearest the CPU and locates a second large and slower cache farther away . This arrangement allows the CPU to operate on the most frequently accessed instructions and data at top speed and to slow

29、down only slightly when accessing the secondary cache . Using separate caches for instructions and data also allows the CPU to retrieve an instruction and data simultaneously .22) Anther strategy to increase speed and efficiency is the use of multiple arithmetic/logic units for simultaneous operatio

30、ns , called super scalar execution . In this design , instructions are acquired in groups . The control unit examines each group to see if it contains instructions that can be performed together . Some designs execute as many as six operations simultaneously . It is rare , however , to have this man

31、y instructions run together ,so on average the CPU does not achieve a six-fold increase in performance . 23) Multiple computers are sometimes combined into single systems called parallel processors . When a machine has more than one thousand arithmetic/logic units , it is said to be massively parall

32、el . Such machines are used primarily for numerically intensive scientific and engineering computation .Parallel machines containing as many as sixteen thousand computers have been constructed .3-3 VLIW Microprocessors24) When Transmeta Corp. revealed its new Crusoe of processors last month ,experts

33、 werent surprised to learn that the chips are based on Very Long Instruction Word(VLIW) technology .VLIW has become the prevailing philosophy of microprocessor design , eclipsing older approaches such as RISC and complex instruction set computing(CISC) .25) All microprocessor designs seek better performance within the limitations of t