Computers

As the third millennium approached, people everywhere shivered with fear. A few worried that the year 2000 would fulfill an ancient prediction and bring the end of the world. Millions more feared a contemporary calamity -computer confusion. Would computers think that the year 2000 was 1900? As a result, would electricity, heat, water supplies, airplane service, banking, and food delivery all be disrupted? This widespread anxiety even had a name-Y2K (a symbol for the year 2000). Fortunately, the computer programmers who had predicted this potential problem figured out ways to avoid it. On January 1, 2000, there were amazingly few computer "glitches"-except for one very sur­prised man who was charged a $400,000 late fee on a rented videotape! But Y2K re­minded the world just how dependent industrialized societies (and especially the U.S.) are on computers.

Computers control almost every part of American life. They are in places most people don't even realize. Computers regulate cars, microwave ovens, telephones, even newer models of refrigerators and dishwashers. The growth in computer usage came about only recently. In the 1970s, only large businesses and governments had comput­ers. They were extremely expensive and very large. Shortly after the introduction of the smaller, cheaper personal computer, Ken Olson, the president of Digital Equipment Corporation, said, "There is no reason for any individual to have a computer in their home." Today, there are computers in 55 million American homes (more than half of all households), and the number is growing rapidly. About 30% of all computers are in the United States. About 92% of Americans under age 60 have used a computer. It has been predicted that, by the year 2010, there will be more computers than people in the U.S. What purpose do these computers serve? Among many other tasks, computers send and receive messages, do research, keep track of finances, make and check on invest­ments, and purchase goods of all kinds-books, antiques, groceries, cars, homes, air­plane tickets, and more computers. Almost anything that can be purchased at a store or by mail order can now be obtained by computer.

Businesses of all sizes now find computers a necessity. Computers keep track of inventory, record financial data, transmit credit card information, and receive immediate approval on credit card purchases. Products that are bought in person are also affected by computers. Most products sold today have a bar-code label that contains the name of the product, the price, and other information. An employee enters prices into a database that also contains product descriptions. A laser device reads the bar code at the checkout line, and the name of the product and price are automatically printed on a register tape. No matter what the job is, computer literacy is essential in today's business world.

Computers have revolutionized medicine. They have made possible such devices as the CT (computer tomography) scanner and the MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) machine, both of which are used to diagnose medical conditions. An amazing new instrument is being developed that will be able to diagnose breast cancer long before a mammogram could detect it.

Home computers are useful to people of all ages. Children as young as 3 years old practice computer skills they will need in their school years and careers. Older children play exciting (and sometimes scary) computer games. Educational programs on CD-ROM disks teach reading, geography, and virtually all other academic subjects. Teenagers communicate with their friends by e-mail (electronic mail) and meet people with similar interests all over the world on the Internet. Many high school and college teachers give assignments to students by e-mail. Students research assignments on the Internet, use a word-processing program to type them up, and send them to their teach­ers via the Internet. Some teachers correct and grade work and return it electronically. Adults with money to invest study public companies and buy and sell stocks online. Older people use e-mail to communicate with their grown children and grandchildren who may live far away. Not only written material, but pictures, too, can be sent by com­puter anywhere in the world.

The computer revolution has had an enormous effect upon the economy. The computer, and especially the Internet, has produced a host of new businesses. such as com­panies that sell products exclusively on the Internet and companies that manufacture, develop, and improve software and hardware. when these companies sell their stock on stock exchanges, many people invest in them.

The growth of computer use has also created millions of new jobs, replacing those that were lost as manufacturing industries became more automated and companies built new factories outside the U.S. However, this new high-tech job market requires specialized skills and training.

Computers have even changed where workers do their jobs. Today, more than 20 million people are "telecommuting" (working at home and communicating with their of­fices by computer), at least part of the week.

Check your comprehension.

What are five tasks that computers can do?

Дата добавления: 2015-08-27