【全国英语等级考试四级】Unit 1 计算机与信息（7）

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Unit 1 Unit 1 Computer and Information (I)  计算机与信息
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Apple Macintosh
IBMThe invention of microprocessors set the stage for the arrival of the microcomputer, or personal computer - an affordable machine for the masses.   The first PCs, in kit form, appeared in the mid-1970s, and by the mid-1980s machines such as the Apple Macintosh and those based on a PC first brought out by IBM in 1981 were popular throughout the world.   The success of these machines led to an explosion of software, in particular a range of spreadsheet, word-processing, graphic, educational, and games programs.   Since the 1980s, a number of strong-intertwined themes have driven the computer revolution forward, including a continuing increase in the processing power and decrease in the size and cost of PCs; a switch of emphasis from isolated to linked machines, as evidenced by the growth of local area networks and the Internet; and the spread of computer applications into virtually every aspect of home and business life.