Page 139 - bt Tieng Anh 8 Bui Van Vinh

UNIT 11: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
VI. Read the passage and use the words in the box to fill in the space.

which, smaller, ago, which, make, where, much, many, what,
sold
The first worlds computer was built at University of Pennsylvania in 1946, although
th
computer-like machines were built in the 19 century. Computers were ........................... (1)
commercially for the first time in the 1950s, and a lot of progress has been made then. Computers
are now much ........................... (2) and more powerful.

Computers are used in ........................... (3) fields – in business, science, medicine, and
education. They can be used to forecast the weather or to control robots ........................... (4) make
cars. The computer‟s memory is the place .......................... (5) information is kept and calculations
are done. A computer cannot think for itself. It must be told exactly ....................... (6) to do. A lot
of difficult calculations can be done very quickly on a computer. Computers don‟t
........................... (7) mistakes. Stories are heard sometimes about computers paying people
too........................... (8) money or sending them bills for things they didn‟t buy. These mistakes are
made by programmers. Some years ........................... (9), an American computer-controlled rocket
went out of control and had to be destroyed. The accident was caused by a small mistake in one
line of the program, ........................... (10) cost the USA 18 million dollars. Criminals have found
that computer crimes are a lot easier than robbing banks. Hundreds of millions of dollars are stolen
from business every year by people changing the information in computers.

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