Not very long ago, the computer was a strange machine. Not many people understood it. Not
many people said yes to it. Today much of that is changing. The first computer system was introduced
for use in business in the mid-1950s. Since then, the number of computer systems used in business,
government offices, and institutions has grown rapidly. In 1975, about 250,000 systems were in use
in the United States. This figure is growing by tens of thousands every year.
The computer is an important factor in our lives. Each year we use computer more and more to
help us to collect data and to provide us with information. At one time people thought computers were
only useful to banks, department stores and governments. But today the rapidly increasing numbers of
computers are used for many other purposes. Have you ever stopped to think how you are affected
(影响) by a computer? The clothes you wear were probably made with the help of a computer. The
newspaper you read could have been edited and typed by a computer. Even radio programmes are
often prepared by computers.
Computers today are playing important roles in education, transportation and medicine. They are
used to predict the weather, to examine the ocean, and to develop defense systems. They are being
used by businesses, governments and institutions. There is no doubt that their uses will become a greater
part of our lives.
The influence (影响) of the computer is great. The list of its uses could go on and on. Computers
now affect millions of people in countless ways every day.
1. Before the 1950s the computer was_________.
A. widely used
B. no use at all
C. not understood by many people
D. liked by people
2. The writer thinks our lives are affected by computers, but we________.
A. don't quite notice it
B. have known it clearly
C. don't want to know about it
D. don't like it
3. Although the first computer system was only introduced in the mid-1950s, computers now affect millions of people in countless ways every day. This means the writer___________.
A. doesn't like computers
B. likes computers
C. thinks computers have developed rapidly
D. thinks we can't live without computers
