Exercise 2

Read the magazine article about four of Apple’s pioneering computers (A–C). Then answer
questions a – h.

A Apple Lisa
Lisa is the first commercial personal computer with a graphical user interface (GUI). It was thus
an important milestone in computing as soon Microsoft Windows and the Apple Macintosh
would soon adopt the GUI as their user interface, making it the new paradigm for personal
computing. The Lisa ran on a Motorola 68000 microprocessor and came equipped with 1 MB of
RAM, a 12-inch black-and-white monitor, dual 5.25-inch floppy disk drives and a 5 MB
“Profile” hard drive. Lisa itself, and especially its GUI, were inspired by earlier work at the
Xerox Palo Alto Research Center.

B Apple I
Designed by Sunnyvale, California native Steve Wozniak, and marketed by his friend Steve
Jobs, the Apple-1 is a single-board computer for hobbyists. With an order for 50 assembled
systems from Mountain View, California computer store The Byte Shop in hand, the pair started
a new company, naming it Apple Computer, Inc. In all, about 200 of the boards were sold before
Apple announced the follow-on Apple II a year later as a ready-to-use computer for consumers, a
model which sold in the millions for nearly two decades. With the introduction of the new
version, the Apple I was officially discontinued and removed from Apple's price list.

C Apple II
Sold complete with a main logic board, switching power supply, keyboard, case, manual, game
paddles, and cassette tape containing the game Breakout, the Apple-II finds popularity far
beyond the hobbyist community which made up Apple’s user community until then. When
connected to a color television set, the Apple II produced brilliant color graphics for the time.
Millions of Apple IIs were sold between 1977 and 1993, making it one of the longest-lived lines
of personal computers. Apple gave away thousands of Apple IIs to school, giving a new
generation their first access to personal computers

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Which of the Apple’s very first computers…..

a) went on to be a huge commercial success for almost twenty years. ……

b) was the inspiration for some successful companies’ model of computer manufacture? ……

c) led to the formation of a renowned company due to its unprecedented demands. ……

d) was one of the earliest to be liked by people other than computer enthusiasts? …...

e) had an integral part manufactured by another company. ……

f) gave many youngsters their first experience on computer. ……

g) was primarily targeted for only a particular group of people. ……

h) was the reason behind the cessation of the previous model of computer …....

© eslmojo.com
Key

Which of the Apple’s very first computers…..

a) went on to be a huge commercial success for almost twenty years. [C]

b) was the inspiration for some successful companies’ model of computer manufacture? [A]

c) led to the formation of a renowned company due to its unprecedented demands. [B]

d) was one of the earliest to be liked by people other than computer enthusiasts? [C]

e) had an integral part manufactured by another company. [A]

f) gave many youngsters their first experience on computer. [C]

g) was primarily targeted for only a particular group of people. [B]

h) was the reason behind the cessation of the previous model of computer [C]

© eslmojo.com