文章大意:本文是一篇说明文。本文介绍了计算机的发展历史和现代计算机的特点。从史前时期的算盘,到体积如1,800平方英尺的ENIAC,再到今天的便携式智能手机和一立方毫米的微型计算机,计算机越来越小,同时功能越来越强大。作者通过举例说明了计算机大小和性能的变化,并暗示未来计算机的发展趋势。
Have you noticed that as time goes on and technology advances, things seem to keep getting smaller and smaller? That’s especially true with that machine we call the “computer.”
What exactly is a computer? Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary defines a computer as “a usually programmable electronic device that can store, retrieve (检索), and process data.” Others think a computer as anything that transforms information in a meaningful way.
For thousands of years, people have tried to improve their lives by inventing machines to make certain tasks easier. Some people believe a simple mechanical device called an “abacus” was one of the earliest forms of a computer. Ancient people used the device to perform simple calculations (计算).Archaeologists (考古学家) have found evidence that the ancient Greeks used the abacus as early as the 5th century B.C.
Modern computers were developed much more recently. The first modern electronic computer—known as the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer or ENIAC—became operational in 1946. Weighing more than 30 tons, ENIAC took up as much space as 1,800 square feet. Since then, computers have become much smaller and much more powerful. While ENIAC could perform 5,000 addition problems per second, many of today’s laptop computers weigh just a few pounds and can perform several billion operations per second.
Today’s computers keep getting smaller and smaller. Large desktop computers gave way to laptops. Laptops have developed into a wide variety of even smaller computing devices, such as netbooks and tablet computers. Many people even carry computers with them everywhere they go. Smartphones, or cellphones, fit easily into a pocket and allow their users to make telephone calls, surf the Internet and conduct business.
So what’s the smallest computer available today? As of 2015, the smallest computer is just one cubic millimeter. However, today’s computer manufacturers are constantly producing newer and smaller models at a rate too fast to keep up with. Whatever is the smallest today will probably be replaced with something even smaller tomorrow!
8. How does the author organize the text?
A.In the order of time. |
B.In the order of space. |
C.By raising questions and answering them. |
D.By analyzing reasons and then drawing a conclusion. |
9. What can we know about “abacus” from Paragraph 3?
A.It was invented by Ancient Greeks. | B.It was widely used in Ancient Greece. |
C.It could carry out various tough tasks. | D.It was among the earliest forms of computer. |
10. Why does the author take ENIAC as an example?
A.To compare it with ancient computers. |
B.To tell readers how large earlier computers were. |
C.To show readers how powerful the first computer was. |
D.To explain to readers how modern computers operated. |
11. Which might be the best title for the text?
A.What exactly is a computer? | B.What is the smallest computer? |
C.What would future computers be like? | D.How did the computer come into being? |