L51-1: Predicting the future
ɛl51-1: prɪˈdɪktɪŋ ðə ˈfjuːʧə
Predicting the future is notoriously difficult. Who could have imagined, in the mid 1970s, for example, that by the end of the 20th century, computers would be as common in people's homes as TV sets? In the 1970s, computers were common enough, but only in big business, government departments, and large organizations. These were the so- called mainframe machines. Mainframe computers were very large indeed, often occupying whole air-conditioned rooms, employing full-time technicians and run on specially-written software. Though these large machines still exist, many of their functions have been taken over by small powerful personal computers, commonly known as PCs.In 1975, a primitive machine called the Altair, was launched in the USA.
prɪˈdɪktɪŋ ðə ˈfjuːʧər ɪz nəʊˈtɔːrɪəsli ˈdɪfɪkəlt. huː kʊd hæv ɪˈmæʤɪnd, ɪn ðə mɪd 1970ɛs, fɔːr ɪgˈzɑːmpl, ðæt baɪ ði ɛnd ɒv ðiː 20th ˈsɛnʧʊri, kəmˈpjuːtəz wʊd biː æz ˈkɒmən ɪn ˈpiːplz həʊmz æz ˌtiːˈviː sɛts? ɪn ðiː 1970ɛs, kəmˈpjuːtəz wɜː ˈkɒmən ɪˈnʌf, bʌt ˈəʊnli ɪn bɪg ˈbɪznɪs, ˈgʌvnmənt dɪˈpɑːtmənts, ænd lɑːʤ ˌɔːgənaɪˈzeɪʃənz. ðiːz wɜː ðə səʊ- kɔːld ˈmeɪnfreɪm məˈʃiːnz. ˈmeɪnfreɪm kəmˈpjuːtəz wɜː ˈvɛri lɑːʤ ɪnˈdiːd, ˈɒf(ə)n ˈɒkjʊpaɪɪŋ həʊl ˈeəkənˌdɪʃ(ə)nd ruːmz, ɪmˈplɔɪɪŋ fʊl-taɪm tɛkˈnɪʃənz ænd rʌn ɒn ˈspɛʃəli-ˈrɪtn ˈsɒftweə. ðəʊ ðiːz lɑːʤ məˈʃiːnz stɪl ɪgˈzɪst, ˈmɛni ɒv ðeə ˈfʌŋkʃənz hæv biːn ˈteɪkən ˈəʊvə baɪ smɔːl ˈpaʊəfʊl ˈpɜːsnl kəmˈpjuːtəz, ˈkɒmənli nəʊn æz piː-siːz.ɪn 1975, ə ˈprɪmɪtɪv məˈʃiːn kɔːld ði ˈælteə, wɒz lɔːnʧt ɪn ðə juː-ɛs-eɪ.
任务配置：L0、L3、L4
知识笔记：
单词与短语
sth is as common in people's homes as sth 家用的某物像某物一样普遍
练习感悟：利用上午时间来练习新概念，老觉得有点儿在不务正业，心里不舒服、着急。以后还是早起，利用早起的时间练习英语吧。
