Passage One
Electronic computers are amongthe fastest and most useful instruments for sorting and comparing in use today.Computers provide means for greater speed and accuracy in working with ideasthan had previously been possible. With the development of these new tools, itis as if man has suddenly become a millionaire of the mind.
Although man has been growingmentally richer ever since he started to think, the electronic computer allowsand will continue to allow him to perform tremendous mental tasks in arelatively short time. Great scientists of the past produced ideas which werethe basis for great advances, but their ideas sometimes had to wait for yearsbefore they were understood sufficiently well to be of practical use. With thecomputer，theideas of today’s scientists can be studied, tested, distributed, and used morerapidly than ever before.
Old lines and methods ofcommunication do not work easily or efficiently with as much information as wehave now. The repeated actions of preparing, sorting, filling, distributing,and keeping track of records and publications can be as troublesome ascalculating. Errors occur because men grow tired and can be distracted.
The basic job of computers isthe processing of information. For this reason computers can be defined asdevices which accept information, perform mathematical or logical operationswith the information, and then supply the results of these operations as newinformation.
Although a sharp dividing linebetween types of computers is not always easy to see, computers are usuallydivided into two broad groups：digital and analog. Digital computers work by using specificinformation which is usually in the form of numbers. Analog computers, on theother hand, usually process continuous information.
To explain the differences,let us consider two devices which handle information in a manner similar to thetwo types of computers. A turnstile, which has a counter attached to it, canhelp to explain the way a digital computer works. Each time a person passesthrough the turnstile, the indicator quickly jumps from one number to another.Each number registered is separate and specific.
The continuous change in thelevel of sand in an hourglass as time passes makes it an analog device. Perhapsthe first analog computation was the use of graphs for the solution ofsurveying problems.
The digital computers are different from analog computers because____.()
A、they process continuous information
B、they process specific information
C、they record separate numbers
D、they produce vivid pictures
【正确答案】：B
【题目解析】：比较分析题。要解决此题需定位在最后3段。如果不知“analog”的意思，这并不影响我们解答。因为倒数第3段最后两句很明显对“digital computers”与“analog computers” 进行了比较，故B项正确。（“digital computers”为“数字电脑”,”analog computers”为“模拟电脑”。）答案为B。