The three biggest lies in America are:(1)"The cheque is in the mail."(2)"Of course I'llrespond to you in the morning."and(3)"It was a computer error."

    Of these three little white lies, the worst is the third. It's the only one that can never be true.Today, if a bank statement cheats you out of $900 this way, you know what the bank clerk is sure tosay,"It was a computer error."Nonsense. The computer is reporting nothing more than what the clerktyped into it.

    The most annoying case of all is that the computerized cash register in the grocery store shows thatan item costs more than it actually does. If the innocent buyer points out the mistake, the checker,bagger, and manager all come together and offer the familiar explanation:"It was a computer error."

    It wasn't, of course. The computerized register is really nothing more than an electronic machine.Its scanner reads the Universal Product Code—a barcode of black and white lines in a corner of thepackage—and then checks the code against a price list stored in memory. If the price list is right,you'll be charged accurately.

    Grocery stores update the price list each day—that is, somebody sits at a keyboard and types in theprices: If the price they type in is too high, there are only two explanations: carelessness or dishonesty.But somehow "a computer error"is supposed to excuse everything.

    One reason we let people hide behind a computer is the common misperception that all computersare "electronic brains" with artificial intelligence. We have seen machines with intelligence but theyare still not widely used nowadays. The computer we often use right now is not so intelligent as a humanbeing. For the common machines in our daily lives, the only thing they can do is what a human hasinstructed them to do.

Of the three lies, the one about the computer error is the worst because the computeritself __.

题干大意是：在这三个谎言中，有关计算机错误的谎言是最拙劣的，因为计算机本身________。根据第二段最后一句"The computer is reporting nothing more thanwhat the clerk typed into it.”可知，计算机只不过是在报告职员键入的内容，即计算机本身不可能出错。故选C。According to the author, a computerized register is really just

题干大意是：据作者说，计算机化的收银机事实上只是______。根据第四段第二、三句"The computerized register is really nothing more than an electronic machine.Its scanner reads..and then checks the code against a price list stored in memory.”可知，计算机化的收银机事实上只是电子机器；它的扫描器读取通用产品代码——位于包装一角的黑白线条构成的条形码——然后核对代码和存储在内存中的价格表是否相符。由此可知，计算机化的收银机事实上只是一个读取代码的仪器。故选D。Price lists of grocery stores are updated by____.

题干大意是：食品杂货店的价格表由______更新。根据倒数第二段第一句"Grocery stores update the price list each day—that is, somebody sits at a keyboard andtypes in the prices."可知，食品杂货店每天都会更新价格表——也就是说，有人坐在键盘前键入价格。故选C。The last paragraph of the passage implies that computers __.

题干大意是：这篇文章的最后一段暗示计算机______。根据最后一段最后一句"For the common machines in our daily lives, the only thing they can do is what ahuman has instructed them to do."可知，对于我们日常生活中常见的机器来说，它们唯一能做的就是人类命令它们去做的事。由此可推知，计算机为人类所操控。故选A。Which of the following describes the main idea of the passage?