Passage Four

Questions 16 to 20 are based on the following passage.

    “High tech” and “state of the art” are two expressions that describe very modern technology. High tech is just a shorter way of saying high technology. And high technology describes any invention, system or device that uses the newest ideas or discoveries of science and engineering.

     What is high tech? A computer is high tech. So is a communications satellite. A moderm manufacturing system is surely high tech.

     High tech became a popular expression in the United States during the early 1980's. Because of improvements in technology, people could buy many new kinds of products in American stores, such as home computers, microwave ovens, etc.

     “State of the art” is something that is as modern as possible. It is a product that is based on the very latest methods and technology. Something that is “state of the art” is the newest possible design or product of a business or industry. A state-of-the-art television set, for example, uses the most modern electronic design and parts. It is the best that one can buy.

    “State of the art” is not a new expression. Engineers have used it for years to describe the best and most modern way of doing something.

    Millions of Americans began to use the expression in the late 1970's. The reason was the computer revolution.

    Every computer company claimed that its computers were “state of the art”.

    Computer technology changed so fast that a state-of-the-art computer today might be old tomorrow. The expression “state of the art” became as common and popular as computers themselves. Now all kinds of products are said to be “state of the art”.

The purpose of the passage is to ______.

(67)

(66)

(64)

(65)

She dressed plainly because she could not dress well, but her unhappiness seemed to be deeper than one might expect. (63She seemed to feel that she had fallen from her proper station in life as a woman of wealth, beauty, grace, and charm.)She valued these above all else in life, yet she could not attain them. (64She cared nothing for caste or rank but only for a natural fineness, an instinct for what is elegant, and a suppleness of wit. )These would have made her the equal of the greatest ladies of the land. If only she could attain them...

    She suffered, feeling born for all the delicacies and all the luxuries. (65She suffered from the poverty of her dwelling, from the wretched look of the walls, from the worn-out chairs, from the ugliness of the curtains. )(66All those things, of which another woman of her rank would never even have been conscious, tortured her and made her angry.) (67The sight of the little Breton peasant who did her humble housework aroused in her despairing regrets and distracted dreams.) She thought of silent antechambers hung with Oriental tapestry, lit by tall bronze candelabra, and of two great footmen in knee breaches sleeping in big armchairs, made drowsy by the heavy warmth of the hot-air stove. She thought of long salons fitted up with ancient silk, of delicate furniture carrying priceless curiosities, and of coquettish perfumed boudoirs made for talks at five o’clock with intimate friends, with men famous and sought after, whom all women envy and whose attention they all desire.

                                                          (From The Necklace)

What is high tech?

When did the expression “state of the art” become popular in the US? Why?

(60)

(58)

(59)