TOEFL Question
작성자
CLI 아카데미
작성일
2019-10-10 09:44
조회
819
History
One of the first computer designs was planned by Charles Babbage, a 19th century English mathematician. Unable to raise the money to complete his projects, Babbage was never able to build his machines. The machines were very different from the types of computers used today. However, through his own innovation, Babbage set the stage for further development of computing devices. In this lifetime, he designed two computers, both of which were later built and found to be fully functional.
In 1822, he began designing the computer, called a difference engine, in order to calculate values for tables automatically. The completed design stood eight feet tall and weighed fifteen tons. When the difference engine was built by scientists in 1991 according to Babbage’s specifications, it was found to perform calculations as Babbage originally planned.
The second of Babbage’s designs was called the analytical engine. This machine differed from the difference engine in that it was more complex. Also, his analytical machine was programmed by using punch cards. The punch cards were pieces of hard cardboard that had holes punched into the side. The holes represented a simple code that told the computer to execute different calculations without reprogramming the machine. In turn, the answers from early problems could be used later in more complicated calculations.
Babbage’s computers may have appeared very different from modern computers, but his machines included many features that are still used today. For example, his analytical machine led to the use of sequential control, looping, and branching, which are popular modern computational processes. It seems mechanical computers like Babbage’s are completely obsolete. Yet scientists have tested similar machines for use in environments that cannot support electronic computers
Innovation: a new idea
Specification: a detailed description of how something is done
Program: to write a set of instructions for a computer to perform
Execute: to do something
Computational: relating to making calculations with the help of a machine
Support: to permit the use of software
Q. Why does the author mention the size of the difference machine?
(A) To contrast Babbage’s designs with modern computers
(B) To demonstrate its superiority
(C) To exemplify the typical size of early computers
(D) To explain why it was never completed
A>A