Read the text. Then choose the correct answer to questions 30-32

b) is infinitely more complex and powerful than any computer.
c) is not as complicated and mysterious as has usually been thought
d) reaches its maximum efficiency at the age of three
8. It is emphasized in the passage that the efficiency of the computer
a) depend on the/speed with which the data are collected
b) will soon make it possible for man to be served by robots
c) can best be appreciated in the decision-making positions.
d) is the result of its being concentrated on one task at a time
9. The author thinks that Computers ............. .
a), have contributed immensely to the improvement of living standards.
b) are becoming unaffordable as they get more developed.
c) have been unnecessarily overrated.
d) will be a major force behind all future progress. 71

The rapid growth of the world's population in the twentieth

century has been on a scale without parallel in human history. Most of this growth has taken place since 1950 and is known, as the population explosion. Between 1950 and 1980 the world population went up from 2.5 to over 4 billion, and by the end of the century this figure will have risen to at least 6 billion. Growth of this size cannot carry on indefinitely. Recent forecasts suggest that the total population will remain steady between 10 and 15 billion in the mid twenty-first century. Already there are encouraging signs that the rate of rise in many underdeveloped countries is beginning to slow down.
10. In accordance with the passage, at no period in human history has there been ............. . .
a) a sharp decrease in population like the one since 1980
b) so much consensus among nations concerning the population of the world
c) a universal fear about the future of human beings.
d) a population explosion of the magnitude of the one in this century
11. It is stated in the passage that the increase in the world population ............. .
a) is expected to continue even faster until 1950
b) is a highly encouraging sign for the general economy
c) will not continue into the next century