5. Computer. 6. Internet.

5. Computer

A ………. is a machine that takes information in, is able to manipulate it in some way, and outputs new information. There is no single inventor of the modern …….., although the ideas of British mathematician Alan Turing are considered eminently influential in this field. Mechanical ……… devices were in existence in the 1800s (there were even rare devices that could be considered ……… in ancient eras), but electronic ………. were invented in the 20th century.

………… are able to make complicated mathematical calculations at an incredible rate of speed. When they operate under the instructions of specialists, ………. can accomplish amazing feats. Some high-performance military aircraft wouldn't be able to fly without constant ……… adjustments to flight control surfaces. ……… performed the sequencing of the human genome, let us put spacecraft into orbit, control medical testing equipment, and create the complex visual imagery used in films and video games.

If we only examine these grandiose uses of ……., we overlook how much we rely on them from day to day. ………. let us store vast amounts of information and retrieve a given piece of it almost instantly. Many of the things we take for granted in the world wouldn't function without ………, from cars to power plants to phones.

6. Internet.

……… allows people to access almost any information located anywhere in the world at any time. Its effects on business, communication, economy, entertainment and even politics are profound. ….. …. may not have changed the world as much as the plough, but it's probably on par with the steam engine or automobile.

DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency), the research and development arm of the U. S. military, created ARPANET in the late 1960s. This project was intended for military and academic research. Other networks began to cross the globe in the next few years, and by the late 1970s scientists had created a single protocol, TCP/IP, that would allow computers on any network to communicate with computers on other networks. This was, essentially, the birth of the …….., but it took 10 or so years for various other networks in the world to adopt the new protocol, making the ……… truly global.

…….. is such a powerful invention that we've probably only begun to see the effects it will have on the world. The ability to diffuse and recombine information with such efficiency could accelerate the rate at which further world-changing inventions are created. At the same time, some fear that our ability to communicate, work, play and do business via …….. breaks down our ties to local communities and causes us to become socially isolated. Like any invention, the good or ill it accomplishes will come from how we choose to use it.

plough, n [plau] плуг

tobeonparwithsmth быть наравне/на одном уровне с чем-л.

diffuse, v распространять

recombine, vрекомбинировать; воссоединяться; перекомпоновывать

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