MA Computer Reading Comprehension

PASSAGE 1:

It is imperative that the computer scientist have a clear understanding of how a computer functions. Such understanding is also important to the high-level language programmer—if not for the sheer knowledge, then to help him or her design programs that use the computer more effectively. To have a clear understanding of conventional computers and how they work, one should have good knowledge of machine language or, equivalently, assembly language. After all, a computer executes a machine language program to perform a certain task.

There are certain functions on many computer systems that are still in the domain of assembly language—for example, the operation of physical input and output devices, and the transfer of control of the computer from one job to another in a multiprogramming system. Although there are attempts to use higher-level languages for such functions, assembly language still prevails in these instances.

In principle, an assembly language program is more efficient than its higher-level language counterpart. This is so because compilers, in general, tend to generate less optimal code than the code of a carefully handwritten assembly language program. Therefore, in applications in which saving memory storage and execution time is of primary importance, assembly language may be advantageous.

The foregoing reasons should not be interpreted as a plea for writing all programs in assembly language. They mean only that assembly language can be used to add to the capabilities of higher-level languages. Since most higher-level languages allow the user to write subroutines in assembly language, a programmer can, through judicious choices, combine the advantages of both higher-level and assembly languages. For instance, the programmer can write those parts of a program that ate machine-dependent or that execute very frequently as subroutines in assembly language, and the rest of the program in a higher-level language.

1.A high-level language programmer ———-.

1) is fooled by knowing the machine language

2) writes programs using the assembly language

3) cannot benefit from knowledge of assembly language

4) can write more effective programs if he/she is familiar with the assembly language

2.Assembly language is ———- a high-level language to certain computer control operations.

1) used more extensively than

2) used less often than

3) used as much as

4) less effective than

3.What does the underlined word “prevails” in the second paragraph mean?

1) abuses

2) predominates

3) glorifies

4) propagates

4.Compilers ———-.

1) generate efficient computer codes

2) generate codes of primary importance

3) tend to generate computer codes using optimal memory storage

4) may not produce computer codes being advantageous to an assembly language program.

5.Some higher-level languages ———-.

1) are preferred for use in controlling computer operations

2) have been developed to remove the need for writing programs in assembly language

3) appropriate for the use of assembly language programs to be more advantageous

4) are used to generate more efficient programs than assembly language programs

PASSAGE 2:

Some people have suggested the word “sequencing” as an appropriate name for an ordering process; but this word often seems to lack the right connotation, especially when equal elements are present, and it occasionally conflicts with other terminology. It is quite true that “sorting” is itself an overused word (“He was sort of out of sorts after sorting that sort of data.”), but it has become firmly established in computing parlance. Therefore, we shall use the word “sorting” chiefly in the strict sense of “sorting into order,” without further apologies.

Some of the most important applications of sorting are

Solving the “togetherness” problem, in which all items with the same identification are brought together. Suppose that we have 10,000 items in random order, many of which have equal values; and suppose that we want to rearrange this file so that all items with equal values appear in consecutive This is essentially the problem of “sorting” in the older sense of the word; and it can be solved easily by sorting the file in the new sense of the word, so that the values are in ascending order, vi v2 … . (The efficiency which is possible in this procedure explains why the original meaning of “sorting” has changed.)
If two or more files have been sorted into the same order, it is possible to find all of the matching entries in one sequential pass through them, without backing up. This is the principle which Perry Mason used to help solve a murder case (see the quotation at the beginning of this chapter). It is usually much more economical to access a list of information in sequence from beginning to end, instead of skipping around at random in the list, unless the list is small enough to be stored in a high-speed random-access memory. Sorting makes it possible to use sequential accessing on large files, as a feasible substitute for direct addressing.

Sorting also is an aid to searching, as we shall see in Chapter 6, and therefore it helps to make computer output more suitable for human consumption. In fact, a listing that has been sorted into alphabetic order often looks quite authoritative even when the associated numerical information has been incorrectly computed.

6.Sorting ..

1) has some connotation as sequencing

2) is less meaningful than sequencing in ordering

3) is widely used in computing terminology for its various meanings in the literature

4) is an accepted terminology in computing despite its being an overused word

7.What does the underlined word “consecutive” in part (a) mean?

1) Successive

2) consequence

3) ordered

4) propagated

8.If a number of files are sorted into the same order, then by performing a single sequential search through the files ———-.

1) matching entries may be lost

2) matching entries can be detected

3) matching entries are replaced

4) some matching entries may be skipped if situated in a large list

9.According to the passage, choose the correct statement.

1) Togetherness is best characterized by sequencing.

2) Togetherness and searching are easily accommodated by sorted lists.

3) For large files, direct addressing is more economical than sequential accessing of the sorted file.

4) Searching is performed more effectively in a list with randomly distributed entries.

10-What does the underlined word “chiefly” in the first paragraph mean?

1) Preferably

2) advantageously

3) mainly

4) primarily

PASSAGE 3:

Chapter 4 deals with dynamic data structures, i.e., with data that change their structure during the execution of the program. It is shown that the recursive data structures are an important subclass of the dynamic structures commonly used. Although a recursive definition is both natural and possible in these cases, it is usually not used in practice. Instead, the mechanism used in its implementation is made evident to the programmer by forcing him to use explicit reference or pointer variables. This book follows this technique and reflects the present state of the art: Chapter 4 is devoted to programming with pointers, to lists, trees and to examples involving even more complicated meshes of data. It presents what is often (and somewhat inappropriately) called list processing. A fair amount of space is devoted to tree organizations, and in particular to search trees. The chapter ends with a presentation of scatter tables, also called “hash” codes, which are of tern preferred to search trees. This provides the possibility of comparing two fundamentally different techniques for a frequently encountered application.

Programming is a constructive activity. How can a constructive, inventive activity be taught? One method is to crystallize elementary composition principles out many cases and exhibit them in a systematic manner. But programming is a field of vast variety often involving complex intellectual activities. The belief that it could ever be condensed into a sort of pure recipe teaching is mistaken. What remains in our arsenal of teaching methods is the careful selection and presentation of master examples. Naturally, we should not believe that every person is capable of gaining equally much from the study of examples. It is the characteristic of this approach that much is left to the student, to his diligence and intuition. This is particularly true of the relatively involved and long example programs. Their inclusion in this book is not accidental. Longer programs are the prevalent case in practice, and they are much more suitable for exhibiting that elusive but essential ingredient called style and orderly structure.

They are also meant to serve as exercises in the art of program reading, which too often is neglected in favor of program writing. This is a primary motivation behind the inclusion of larger programs as examples in their entirety. The reader is led through a gradual development of the program; he is given various snapshots in the evolution of a program, whereby this development becomes manifest as a stepwise refinement of the details. I consider it essential that programs are shown in final form with sufficient attention to details, for in programming, the devil hides in the details. Although the mere presentation of an algorithm’s principle and its mathematical analysis may be stimulating and challenging to the academic mind, it seems dishonest to the engineering practitioner. I have therefore strictly adhered to the rule of presenting the final programs in a language in which they can actually be run on a computer.

11.A recursive data structure ———-.

a. is an example of hash code

b. is not commonly perceived as a dynamic data structure

c. may not promote a recursive definition in practice

d. is so that the structure changes during the execution of the program

12.What does the underlined word “encountered” in the first paragraph mean?

1) challenging

2) admissible

3) faced

4) approved

13.According to the passage, programming ———-.

1) does not involve much intellectual activity

2) is a complicated task and cannot be learned completely

3) may not be conceived as a subject easily taught in a class

4) is a constructive task and can be taught systematically in a class

14.What does the underlined word “condensed” in the second paragraph mean?

1) compressed

2) influenced

3) scattered

4) clustered

15.According to the passage, stepwise refinement ———-.

1) is a key element for the evolution of a program

2) is not commonly accepted by practitioners

3) slows down programming in general

4) is not popular among engineers

MA Computer Reading Comprehension

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