The first modern digital computers were developed in the 1940s for military purposes tha

t arose during World War II. These computers filled entire rooms, and with rates of a few thousand calculations per second, they【M1】______ took hours to perform. complex mathematical operations. In the 1970s, the first personal computers were sold. Fitting on a desktop, they are【M2】______ exponentially faster and more powerful than the computers that had once filled large rooms. They were also affordable to individual consumers, made【M3】______ it possible for many people to use them for personal, business, and academic needs. By the mid-1990s, laptop computers able of millions of calculations【M4】______ per second had been developed. Currently, nearly half of American homes have a personal computer, and businesses have come to rely on computers for nearly every function. Now that computers are small, powerful, cheap, and effect every part【M5】______ of our lives, the next step will be the formation of a network connecting all of these computers to each another. On this network, which some people are【M6】______ calling the information highway, great changes take place every day. The changes to society will be as revolutionary as those of the Industrial Age and the Renaissance. Not only will people shop and conduct business through their computers, but they will also engage with every type of human activity,【M7】______ from reading to simply hanging with friends. The increased level of【M8】______ communication made it possible by computer networks will bring many【M9】______ benefits in the areas of business, education, and social interaction, producing widespread sharing of knowledge and wealth and the worldwide cultural renewal.【M10】______

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