六级经典阅读8
Computers match people in some roles， and when fast decisions are needed in a crisis， they often surpass them. Having evolved when the pace of life was slower， the human brain has an inherent defect that prevents it from absorbing several streams of information simultaneously and inherent defect that prevents it from absorbing several streams of information simultaneously and acting on them quickly. Throw too many things at the brain at one time and it freezes up.
We are still in control， but the capabilities are increasing at a fantastic rate， while raw human intelligence is changing slowly， if at all. Computer power has increased ten times every eight years since 1946. In the 1990s， when the sixth generation appears， the reasoning power of an intelligence built out of silicon will begin to match that of the human brain.
That does not mean the evolution of intelligence has ended on the earth. Judging by the past， we can expect that a new species out of man， surpassing his achievements as he has surpassed those of his predecessor. Only a carbon chemistry would assume that the new species must be man`s flesh-and-blood descendants. The new kind of intelligent life is more likely to be made of silicon.
31. What do you suppose was the attitude of Dr. Samuel Johnson towards ladies preaching？
A） He believed that ladies were born worse preachers than men.
B） He was pleased that ladies could preach， though not as well as men.
C） He disapproved of ladies preaching.
D） He encouraged ladies to preach.
32. Today， computers are still inferior to man in terms of _______.
A） decision making
B） drives and feelings
C） growth of reasoning power
D） information absorption
33.In terms of making quick decisions， the human brain cannot be compared with the computer because______.
A） in the long process of evolution the slow pace of life didn`t require such ability of the human brain
B） the human brain is influenced by other factors such ass motivation and emotion
C） the human brain may sometimes freeze up in a dangerous situation
D） computers imitate life while the human brain does not imitate computers
34. Though he thinks highly of the development of computer science， the author doesn`t mean that______.
A） computes are likely to become a new form of intelligent life
B） human beings have lost control of computers
C） the intelligence of computers will eventually surpass that of human beings
D） the evolution of intelligence will probably depend on that of electronic brains
35. According to the passage， which of the following statements is TRUE？
A） Future man will be made of silicon instead of flesh and blood.
B） Some day it will be difficult to tell a computer from a man.
C） The reasoning power of computers has already surpassed that of man.
D） Future intelligent life may not necessarily be made of organic matter.
Passage 3
More and more， the operations of our businesses， governments， and financial institutions are controlled by information that exists only inside computer memories. Anyone clever enough to modify this information for his own purposes can reap substantial rewards. Even worse， a number of people who have done this and been caught at it have managed to get away without punishment.
It 's easy for computer crimes to go undetected if no one checks up on what the computer is doing .But even if the crime is detected ，the criminal may walk away not only unpunished but with a glowing recommendation from his former employers.
Of course， we have no statistics on crimes that go undetected. But it 's disturbing to note how many of the crimes we do know about were detected by accident ，not by systematic inspections or other security procedures. The computer criminals who have been caught may been the victims of uncommonly bad luck.
For example， a certain keypunch（键盘打孔）operator complained of having to Stay overtime to punch extra cards. Investigation revealed that the extra cards she was being asked to punch were for dishonest transactions. In another case， dissatisfied employees of the thief tipped off （向……透露）the company that was being robbed.
Unlike other lawbreakers， who must leave the country， commit suicide， or go to jail， computer criminals sometimes escape punishment， demanding not only that they not be charged but that they be given good recommendations and perhaps other benefits. All too often， their demands have been met.