Text 3
Success, it is often said, has many fathers—and one of the many fathers of computing, that most successful of industries, was Charles Babbage, a 19th-century British mathematician. Exasperated by errors in the mathematical tables that were widely used as calculation aids at the time, Babbage dreamed of building a mechanical engine that could produce flawless tables automatically. But his attempts to make such a machine in the 1920s failed, and the significance of his work was only rediscovered this century.
Next year, at last, the first set of printed tables should emerge from a calculating "difference engine" built to Babbage’s design. Babbage will have been vindicated. But the realization of his dream will also underscore the extent to which he was a man born ahead of his time.
The effort to prove that Babbage’s designs were logically and practically sound began in 1985, when a team of researchers at the Science
A. Babbage's intelligence was far ahead of his fellow-men
B. Babbage's idea was reasonable both theoretically and practically
C. Babbage's dream could only be realized in the 20th century
D. Babbage's design was actually imperfect
我来回答:
