英语翻译
Thirteenhundredmenandwomenaredressinguplikeastronauts.Theyputonwhitesuitsandpulloncaps,bootsandgloves.Afterwalkingthrough"airshowers,"whereblastsofairremovedustparticlesfromtheirclothing,theteamisreadytowork.
Aretheypreparingtoperformoperationsonpatients?Oraretheyshootingscenesforasciencefictionfilm(科幻影片)?
No.thesepeoplearethetechnicianswhomakethelatestcomputerandvideo-game(电子游戏)"brains"-IntelPentiumchips(英特尔奔腾集成块).
Inteltechniciansarhigh-techelectricalengineers.WhentheymakePentiumchips,they'rebuildingtinyinterconnectedelectricalcircuits-pathwaysthroughwhichelectricity,astreamofelectrons,caflow.
BecausethecircuitstheIntelworkersbuildaresosmall,eventinydustparticlescancausetrouble.That'swhyInteltechniciansdressuplikeastronautsandmakethechipsinasupercleanenvironment.Impurities(杂质)likedustcancoverandblockthetinyelectricalcircuits.
Inthecomputerworld,blockedcircuitsarebadnews.That'sbecauseallthefunctionsacomputerperformsdependontheflowofelectricity.Thespecificfunctionacomputerperformsatanyonetimedependsonwhichcircuitsareonoroff.
Inorderforyourcomputertounderstandwhichcircuitsshouldbeonoroff,everyinstructionyougivemustbetranslatedintobinary(二进制的)code.Binarycodeisanumbersystemthatusesonlytwonumbers-0and1.
Eachbinarydigit,orbit,operatesatinyelectronicswitchonacomputerchipcircuit."one"switchesthecurrenton,while"zero"switchesthecurrentoff.
Themainreasonforthedifferenceinspeedisthesizeofthecircuits.Intheveryearliestcomputers,builtinthe1940s,techniciansconstructedlargecircuitswithbulky(体积大的)switchesinglasstubesandmilesofwires.Asinglecomputercouldfillaroom.Theseprimitivecircuitsusedalotofelectricityandoverheatedquickly.
Today'scircuitsarefar,farsmaller.Youcanfitcircuitswithmillionsofswitchesonasinglesiliconchip.Thesesmallerchipsarefasterbecauseelectricitydoesn'thavetotravelasfarfromoneswitchtothenext.Ittakeslesselectriccurrenttoturnthesetinyswitchesonandoff.Thecomputeruselesspowe