The history of inventions leading up to the modern computer is a story of people trying hard to create machines that complete many tasks automatically, such as adding up large numbers, controlling airplanes in flight, etc. Many of the earliest methods of recording and counting data still remain mysteries (something that is not understood).

In England you can visit Stonehenge, where a mysterious collection of large stones has stood since 1,500 BC. Scientists have never discovered the stones’ purpose. However, by observing the way the sun shines between the stones, many people believe Stonehenge was used to predict the seasons and eclipses (蚀) of the sun and the moon.

Another early method of computing was a brass calculator, which existed in Spain nearly 1,000 years ago. The machine was shaped like a human head, with numbers instead of teeth. The shape became its undoing; some people were afraid the machine was supernatural, and destroyed it. In early recorded history, calculators that used the sun, or objects in the night sky, were developed to be used on ships to explore the world beyond the Tigris-Euphrates Valley of southwestern Asia. One such device, dating from the first century, worked with a system of gears designed to track the orbits of stars and planets. These orbits became the marked routes for ships.

In ancient Rome and Greece, one of the earliest machines ever used for processing numbers was the abacus. This simple collection of beads has been used for centuries in China and other Asian countries. The abacus is built with columns of beads attached to a rectangular wooden frame. Inside the wooden frame is a crossbar that separates each column of beads into two sections. In the Chinese version there are two beads above the bar and five below. Each column of beads means a different range of numbers. The first column from the right represents ones, the second tens, the third hundreds, etc. By moving beads, calculations are quickly completed. Because values are shown by positions, the abacus is very valuable in teaching arithmetic to blind students.

Experienced users operate the abacus very quickly. After World War II, a speed competition was arranged in Japan between the fastest calculator operator in the US Army and an employee of the Japanese Post Office using an abacus. The American was defeated easily by the moving beads of his opponent.

62. What does the author mainly talk about in this passage?

A. Old methods to manage data.　　　　　　　　 B. The great inventions in science.

C. The mysterious historical events.　　　　　 D. Theory and practice in computing.

63. How does the author try to prove his point?

A. By making comparisons.　 　　　　　　 B. By analyzing the cause.

C. By telling a true story.　　　　　　　 D. By giving examples.

64. The underlined word “undoing” in Paragraph 3 probably means ________.

A. cause of bad luck　　 B. reason for change　 C. way to escape　　 　　 D. loss of power

65. What will the author most probably discuss in the paragraph that follows?

A. The fast development of computer science.　

B. The use of abacus in Japanese Post Office.

C. The inventor of the first modern computer.　　

D. The invention of the first analytical engine.

You don’t mean any harm. You’re just trying to have a good time. But do you know how your overseas vacation    21   people in other countries? What’s your dream vacation? New chances are opening up all the time to   22  the world. So we visit travel agents, compare prices and pay our money. We know   23   our vacation costs us.     24   unfortunately, tourism often harms the local people   25  it helps them. For example, in Zanzibar, a British company got 57 sq km of land from the government for tourist sites（旅游胜地）. They include 14 luxury hotels, three golf courses , swimming pools and an airport. The local people fear   26    their farmland and fishing rights. And most of the profits（利润） do not help the local people.  27   , profits go for the tour operators in wealthier countries. When the Massey people in Tanzania were driven from their lands, some moved to city slum (贫民区),   28   now make a little money by selling small gifts. Removed  from their hunting lands, the Indians have no choice   29  their culture. Problems like these were observed more than 20 years ago. Now people are working together to correct them. Tourists, too, are  30   the pressure. Though the beginnings are small, the results are    31 . The good news is that everyone, including us, can  32  in helping the local people in the place we visit. Tour operators and companies can help by   33   that local people work in good conditions and earn reasonable wages. They can make it a point to use only locally   34  hotels, restaurants and guide services. They can share profits fairly to help the local economy. And they can involve the local people  35   planning and managing tourism.

A. effect         B. affect        C. cause       D. involve

A. exploit        B. invent        C. find        D. explore

A. what         B. how             C. which       D. how many

A. However      B. But          C. Yet         D. Otherwise

A. more than     B. other than     C. less than     D. rather than

A. losing        B. missing       C. disappearing  D. dismissing

A. Instead       B. Instead of     C. In place of    D. Opposite

A. the other      B. others        C. the others     D. some other

A. but “sell”     B. except “sell”   C. but to “sell”   D. but “selling”

A. holding on    B. putting on     C. lying on      D. setting up

A. disappointing  B. ridiculous     C. apparent       D. terrible

A. have an effect                 B. make an attempt

          C. be responsible                D. play a part

A .subscribing    B. convincing    C. deciding       D. making sure

A. owned        B. possessing    C. belonged to     D. owning

A. on           B. at            C. in            D. for

You don’t mean any harm. You’re just trying to have a good time. But do you know how your overseas vacation    21  people in other countries? What’s your dream vacation? New chances are opening up all the time to   22 the world. So we visit travel agents, compare prices and pay our money. We know   23  our vacation costs us.    24  unfortunately, tourism often harms the local people   25  it helps them. For example, in Zanzibar, a British company got 57 sq km of land from the government for tourist sites（旅游胜地）. They include 14 luxury hotels, three golf courses , swimming pools and an airport. The local people fear   26   their farmland and fishing rights. And most of the profits（利润） do not help the local people. 27  , profits go for the tour operators in wealthier countries. When the Massey people in Tanzania were driven from their lands, some moved to city slum (贫民区),   28  now make a little money by selling small gifts. Removed  from their hunting lands, the Indians have no choice   29 their culture. Problems like these were observed more than 20 years ago. Now people are working together to correct them. Tourists, too, are  30  the pressure. Though the beginnings are small, the results are    31 . The good news is that everyone, including us, can  32  in helping the local people in the place we visit. Tour operators and companies can help by   33  that local people work in good conditions and earn reasonable wages. They can make it a point to use only locally   34  hotels, restaurants and guide services. They can share profits fairly to help the local economy. And they can involve the local people  35   planning and managing tourism.

You don’t mean any harm. You’re just trying to have a good time. But do you know how your overseas vacation    21   people in other countries? What’s your dream vacation? New chances are opening up all the time to   22  the world. So we visit travel agents, compare prices and pay our money. We know   23   our vacation costs us.     24   unfortunately, tourism often harms the local people   25  it helps them. For example, in Zanzibar, a British company got 57 sq km of land from the government for tourist sites（旅游胜地）. They include 14 luxury hotels, three golf courses , swimming pools and an airport. The local people fear   26    their farmland and fishing rights. And most of the profits（利润） do not help the local people.  27   , profits go for the tour operators in wealthier countries. When the Massey people in Tanzania were driven from their lands, some moved to city slum (贫民区),   28   now make a little money by selling small gifts. Removed  from their hunting lands, the Indians have no choice   29  their culture. Problems like these were observed more than 20 years ago. Now people are working together to correct them. Tourists, too, are  30   the pressure. The beginnings are small,   31  , but the results are obvious. The good news is that everyone,   32  can play a part to help the local people in the place we visit. Tour operators and companies can help by making sure that local people work in good   33  and earn reasonable wages. They can make it a point to use only locally   34  hotels, restaurants and guide services. They can share profits fairly to help the local economy. And they can involve the local people  35   planning and managing tourism.