China’s Tianhe-1 has a computing speed of 2,507 trillion（万亿）calculations a second, making it the fastest computer in the world. It is also 40 percent faster than the world’s second fastest supercomputer, Cray XT5 Jaguar, in the US, kept at a national laboratory in Tennessee, according to the New York Times. Jack Dongarra, a University of Tennessee computer scientist, told NYT that the Chinese supercomputer is faster than the existing Number One machine.
Building the fastest supercomputer has become a source of national pride, as these machines are valued for their ability to solve problems in areas like defense, energy and science. These problems are related to national interests. Supercomputing technology is also found in business. Oil and gas companies use supercomputers to find oil and gas.
Obviously, research centers with large supercomputers attract top scientific talents. This adds extra importance to the machines—they’re more than just huge computers.
China’s new supercomputer will be used to speed up greatly scientific calculations, such as hurricane and tsunami modeling, cancer research, car design and even studying stars.
In 2008, two US scientists put together a step-by-step guide on how to build a supercomputer using PlayStation 3 video-game consoles（控制台）. Modern supercomputers are built by combining thousands of small computer servers（服务器）and using software to turn them into one large computer. Really, any organization with enough material and technology can create a fast machine.
The Chinese system follows that model by linking thousands upon thousands of computer servers. But the secret behind the system—and the technological achievement—is China’s own networking technology. “That technology was built by them,” Dongarra said. “They are taking supercomputing very seriously and using a lot of time and money.”
“China is still a developing country,” said Sha Chaoqun, manager at Dawning Company which is the leading supercomputer maker in China. “Maybe one day, China’s total computing power can be greater than that of the US, but there is still a long way to go before we get there.”
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China has developed the world’s fastest
supercomputer.
| ◇Tianhe-1 has a high computing speed, which 小题1:_______ it the fastest computer in the world.
◇Tianhe-1 is 40 percent faster than the 小题2:______ fastest supercomputer in the world.
◇小题3:_____ Jack Dongarra, we learn that the Chinese supercomputer is faster than the existing Number One machine.
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Many countries see the fastest supercomputer as a source of national 小题4:______ and are making efforts to develop it.
| ◇The high-speed computer is 小题5:________ to solve problems related to national interests.
◇Besides 小题6:______, supercomputing technology can also be found in areas of defense, energy and science.
◇It’s obvious that top scientific talents are 小题7:______ to research centers with large supercomputers.
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The secret behind supercomputers is networking technology.
| ◇By using the technology built by Chinese people, taking it 小题8:_______ and devoting lots of time and money, China has achieved a lot.
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Mr. Sha showed a conservative（保守的） 小题9:_______ toward the development of
computing power.
| ◇小题10:_________ the greater computing power China may have in the future, there is still a long way to go.
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