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.
Which of the following statements best summarizes the first paragraph?()
A、Computers have extended the range of our senses.
B、Computers have extended the power of our mind.
C、Computers have extended the scope of our activities.
D、Computers have extended the speed of our reasoning.
【正确答案】：B
【题目解析】：主旨归纳题。题干要求选出最能概括首段主旨大意的陈述。首段最后一句“随着像电子计算机这样一些新工具的发展，人类似乎已经成了‘智力上的百万富翁’”很好地总结了首段的内容，并引起下文。B项符合题意。答案为B。