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  3. How fast is your personal computer? When people ask this question, they are typically referring to the frequency of a minuscule

How fast is your personal computer? When people ask this question, they are typically referring to the frequency of a minuscule

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问题     How fast is your personal computer? When people ask this question, they are typically referring to the frequency of a minuscule clock inside the computer, a crystal oscillator that sets the basic rhythm used throughout the machine. In a computer with a speed of one gigahertz, for example, the crystal "ticks" a billion times a second. Every action of the computer takes place in tiny steps, each a billionth of a second long. A simple transfer of data may take only one step; complex calculations may take many steps. All operations, however, must begin and end according to the clock’s timing signals.
    Because most modern computers use a single rhythm, we call them synchronous. Inside the computer’s microprocessor chip, a clock distribution system delivers the timing signals from the crystal oscillator to the various circuits, just as sound in air delivers the beat of a drum to soldiers to set their marching pace. Because all parts of the chip share the same rhythm, the output of any circuit from one step can serve as the input to any other circuit for the next step. The synchronization provided by the clock helps chip designers plan sequences of actions for the computer.
    The use of a central clock also creates problems. As speeds have increased, distributing the timing signals has become more and more difficult. Present day keeping the rhythm identical in all parts of a large chip requires careful design and a great deal of electrical power. Wouldn’t it be nice to have an alternative?
    Our research group at Sun Microsystems Laboratories seeks such alternatives. Along with several other groups worldwide, we are investigating ways to design computing systems in which each part can proceed at its own pace instead of depending on the rhythm of a central clock. We call such systems asynchronous. Each part of an asynchronous system may extend or shorten the timing of its steps when walking across rough terrain.
For what purpose does the author mention sound in air in the second paragraph?
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答案To illustrate the timing signals aYe delivered in a similar way sound travels in the air．
解析 事实细节题。第二段第二句指出，在电脑的微处理机芯片中，时钟分布系统会将定时信号从晶体振荡器发送到不同的电路上，就像是空气中的声音将击鼓的节奏传送到士兵那里，从而确定他们的行进速度一样。由此可知，作者提到空气中的声音是为了说明定时信号的传送方式。
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