2. 外语
  3. The digital revolution in consumer electronics, including personal computer gadgets, began to gain momentum in 1998, and is expe

The digital revolution in consumer electronics, including personal computer gadgets, began to gain momentum in 1998, and is expe

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问题    The digital revolution in consumer electronics, including personal computer gadgets, began to gain momentum in 1998, and is expected to take a stronger hold of the market this year (1999).
   In 1998 the consumer electronics industry set the groundwork for the switch to digital products from analogue products, as companies formed alliances and introduced new products in the personal computer gadget, digital camera and digital television arenas. Digital technology produces sharper, higher-resolution images and crisper sound.
   Personal computer-type gadgets are perhaps most reflective of the oncoming digital age, and 3 Com Corp’s Palm Pilot is everyone’s favorite example. It offers calendar and address book functions and the latest version will allow access to the Internet and real-time data such as stock quotes.
   As PC gadgets become hot items, home networking will grow, and may eventually reach a level in which everything in the home is computerized.
   In the near-term, however, networks that enable users to connect multiple PCs to printers and other PC gadgets in the home will grow, especially as users get broadband Internet access, analysts said.
   Other digital products that have received attention recently include CD-writeable products, which allow consumers to record on compact discs, and minidisk players.
   Diamond Multimedia Systems Inc. has elicited an uproar from record studios with its device that allows music to be downloaded from the Internet.
   "We will see more varieties of products and different storage capacities coming to market-provided Diamond survives the litigation process here," said Kevin Hause, an analyst at International Data Corp. "It’s going to be an interesting race to watch."
   On the video end there is DVD, which is entering the home entertainment realm. However, Paine Webber said in its 1999 technology forecast that DVD will not make major progress in the market against CD-ROMs due to continued vendor wrangling over standardization.
   Still, the products are attracting users. In the first 18 months of sales, 365,000 people started using CDs, 394,000 VCRs and 1.07 million DVDs, said Jeff Joseph of the Consumer Electronics Manufacturing Association (Cema).
   Digital Video Disk Recorders are expected to be the next hot video item, as consumers become attracted to their real-time pause and personalized viewing abilities.
   And then there was this past autumn’s high-definition TV launch. The year 1998 witnessed digital TV’s first steps toward the mainstream, with manufacturers and networks putting forth high-definition television (HDTV).
   In November, digital signals were transmitted in major US markets and stores began carrying high-priced HDTV sets for curious consumers. Although some in the industry are pegging the advent of digital TV to be as momentous as the introduction of color TV, many industry analysts expect it to be a long time for the now costly technology to have any impact on the mainstream consumer.
   Cema expects the industry to have sold about 150,000 HDTV sets by the end of 1999. However, other analysts are more conservative, saying it will take at least until 2(D2 or 2003 for all the issues involved to be set- fled and standardization to occur.
What’s the attitude of the author towards the digital gadgets?
选项 A、Optimistic.
B、Pessimistic.
C、Worrying.
D、Not care at all.
答案A
解析 综观全文，作者认为数字化的小发明日益受到人们欢迎，由此可知[A]为正确答案。
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