Задать вопросы к тексту computers are electronic machines which can accept data in a certain form, process the data and give the results of the processing in a specified format as information. three basic steps are involved in the process. first, data are fed into the computer’s memory. then, when the program is run, the computer performs a set of instructions and processes the data. finally, we can see the results (the output) on the screen or in printed form. information in the form of data and programs is known as software, and the electronic and mechanical parts that make up a computer system are called hardware. a standard computer system consists of three main sections: the central processing unit (cpu), the main memory and the peripherals. perhaps the most influential component is the central processing unit. its function is to execute program instructions and coordinate the activities of all the other units. in a way, it is the ‘brain’ of the computer. the main memory holds the instructions and data which are currently being processed by the cpu. the peripherals are the physical units attached to the computer. they include storage devices and input/output devices. storage devices (floppy, hard or optical disks) provide a permanent storage of both data and programs. disk drives are used to handle one or more floppy disks. input devices enable data to go into the computer’s memory. the most common input devices are the mouse and the keyboard. output devices enable us to extract the finished product from the system. for example, the computer shows the output on the monitor or prints the results onto paper by means of a printer. on the rear panel of the computer there are several ports into which we can plug a wide range of peripherals – modems, fax machines, optical drives and scanners. these are the main physical units of a computer system, generally known as the configuration.