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新概念英语第三册逐句精讲语言点 第51课(2)

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Predicting the Future 预测未来

Predicting the future is notoriously difficult. Who could have imagined, in the mid 1970s, for example, that by the end of the 20th century, computers would be as common in people's homes as TV sets? In the 1970s, computers were common enough, but only in big business, government departments, and large organizations.These were the so-called mainframe machines. Mainframe computers were very large indeed, often occupying whole air-conditioned rooms, employing full-time technicians and run on specially-written software. Though these large machines still exist, many of their functions have been taken over by small powerful personal computers, commonly known as PCs.
In 1975, a primitive machine called the Altair, was launched in the USA. It can properly be described as the first 'home computer' and it pointed the way to the future. This was followed, at the end of the 1970s, by a machine called an Apple. In the early 1980s, the computer giant, IBM produced the world's first Personal Computer. This ran on an 'operating system' called DOS, produced by a then small company named Microsoft. The IBM Personal Computer was widely copied. From those humble beginnings, we have seen the development of the user-friendly home computers and multimedia machines which are in common use today.
Considering how recent these developments are, it is even more remarkable that as long ago as the 1960s, an Englishman, Leon Bagrit, was able to predict some of the uses of computers which we know today. Bagrit dismissed the idea that computers would learn to 'think' for themselves and would 'rule the world', which people liked to believe in those days. Bagrit foresaw a time when computers would be small enough to hold in the hand, when they would be capable of providing information about traffic jams and suggesting alternative routes, when they would be used in hospitals to help doctors to diagnose illnesses, when they would relieve office workers and accountants of dull, repetitive clerical work. All these computer uses have become commonplace. Of course, Leon Bagrit could not possibly have foreseen the development of the Internet, the worldwide system that enables us to communicate instantly with anyone in any part of the world by using computers linked to telephone networks. Nor could he have foreseen how we could use the Internet to obtain information on every known subject, so we can read it on a screen in our homes and even print it as well if we want to. Computers have become smaller and smaller, more and more powerful and cheaper and cheaper. This is what makes Leon Bagrit's predictions particularly remarkable. If he, or someone like him, were alive today, he might be able to tell us what to expect in the next fifty years.



4.These were the so-called mainframe machines.

它们被称为主机。

5.Mainframe computers were very large indeed, often occupying whole air-conditioned rooms, employing full-time technicians and run on specially-written software.

计算机主机确实很大,常常占据了装有空调的多间房间,雇用专职的技师,而且得用专门编写的软件才能运行。

6.Though these large machines still exist, many of their functions have been taken over by small powerful personal computers, commonly known as PCs.

虽然这种大计算机仍然存在,但它们的许多功能已被体积小但功能齐全的个人电脑—即我们常说的 PC机—所代替了。

语言点:与“电脑”相关的词汇总结:

PC(Personal Computer)个人电脑
Home computer 家用电脑
deskstop 台式电脑
laptop 笔记本电脑
palmtop 掌上电脑
penputer 笔触式电脑
teleputer 电视电脑

重点单词   查看全部解释    
commonplace ['kɔmənpleis]

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adj. 平凡的,陈腐的
n. 常事,老生常谈

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humble ['hʌmbl]

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adj. 卑下的,谦逊的,粗陋的
vt. 使

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alternative [ɔ:l'tə:nətiv]

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adj. 两者择一的; 供选择的; 非主流的

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notoriously [nəu'tɔ:riəsli]

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adv. 臭名昭著地,众所周知地

 
predict [pri'dikt]

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v. 预知,预言,预报,预测

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remarkable [ri'mɑ:kəbl]

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adj. 显著的,异常的,非凡的,值得注意的

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dull [dʌl]

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adj. 呆滞的,迟钝的,无趣的,钝的,暗的

 
repetitive [ri'petitiv]

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adj. 重复的

 
relieve [ri'li:v]

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v. 减轻,救济,解除

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primitive ['primitiv]

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adj. 原始的
n. 原始人,文艺复兴前的艺

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