There is no denying that students should learn something about how computers work, just as we expect them at least to understand that the internal combustion engine (内燃机) has something to do with burning fuel, expanding gases and pistons (活塞) being driven. For people should have some basic idea of how the things that they use do what they do. Further, students might be helped by a course that considers the computer's impact on society. But that is not what is meant by computer literacy. For computer literacy is not a form of literacy (读写能力); it is a trade skill that should not be taught as a liberal art. Learning how to use a computer and learning how to program one are two distinct activities. A case might be made that the competent citizens of tomorrow should free themselves from their fear of computers. But this is quite different from saying that all ought to know how to program one. Leave that to people who have chosen programming as a career. While programming can be lots of fun, and while our society needs some people who are experts at it, the same is true of auto repair and violin-making. Learning how to use a computer is not that difficult, and it gets easier all the time as programs become more "user-friendly". Let us assume that in the future everyone is going to have to know how to use a computer to be a competent citizen. What does the phrase "learning to use a computer" mean? It sounds like "learning to drive a car", that is, it sounds as if there is some set of definite skills that, once acquired, enable one to use a computer. In fact, "learning to use a computer" is much more like "learning to play a game", but learning the rules of one game may not help you play a second game, whose rules may not be the same. There is no such a thing as teaching someone how to use a computer. One can only teach people to use this or that program and generally that is easily accomplished.
单选题 To be the competent citizens of tomorrow, people should________.
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】解析:依据文章第二段,作者的意思是:要成为未来的competent citizens就需掌握计算机技术,但并不是要求懂得如何编程序,只要求学会如何使用计算机就行。
单选题 In the second paragraph "violin-making" is mentioned to show that________.
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】解析:依据文章第二段第五行,作者举汽车修理和小提琴制作的例子是说我们不必懂得如何修理汽车,只需懂得如何开车就行;不必了解如何制作小提琴,只需知道如何使用小提琴、如何欣赏就行。以此说明,知道如何使用计算机的人不必了解编程。A、B、C项和作者的真实意图无关,均应排除。
单选题 Learning to use a computer is getting easier all the time because________.
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】解析:参见文章第三段第一至二行。
单选题 According to the author, the phrase "learning to use a computer" (Line 4, Para. 3) means learning _____.
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】解析:依据文章第三段第四行,答案应在第四段开头In fact(事实上)以后的文字中找出。
单选题 The author's purpose in writing this passage is________.
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】解析:A、C、D项都是作者在解释computer literacy这一概念时所涉及的几个方面,所以均应排除。
单选题 According to the author, which of the following sentence is NOT true?
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】解析:其他选项都可以从文中推导出,只有D项不正确。