INTRODUCTION

    A computer is an electronic device that can receive a set of instructions, or program, and then carry out this program by performing calculations on numerical data or by manipulating other forms of information.

    The modern world of high technology could not have come about1 except for the development of the computer. Different types and sizes of computers find uses throughout society in the storage and handling of data,from secret governmental files to banking transactions to private household accounts. Computers have opened up a new era in manufacturing through the techniques of automation, and they have enhanced modern communication systems. They are essential tools in almost every field of research and applied technology, from constructing models of the universe to producing tomorrow’s weather reports, and their use has in itself opened up new areas of conjecture. Database services and computer networks make available a great variety of information sources. The same advanced techniques also make possible invasions of personal and business privacy.Computer crime has become one of the many risks that are part of the price of modern technology.

翻译：

引言

    计算机是一种电子设备，它能接收一套指令或一个程序，然后通过对数值数据进行运算或者对其他形式的信息进行处理来执行该程序。

    如果没有计算机的发展，现代的高科技世界是不可能产生的。在整个社会，不同型号和不同大小的计算机被用于存储和处理各种数据，从政府保密文件、银行交易到私人家庭账目。计算机通过自动化技术开辟了制造业的新纪元，而且它们也增强了现代通信系统的性能。在几乎每一个研究和应用技术领域，从构建宇宙模型到产生明天的气象报告，计算机无不是必要的工具，并且它们的应用本身就开辟了人们推测的新领域。数据库服务和计算机网络使各种各样的信息源可供使用。同样的先进技术也使侵犯个人隐私和商业秘密成为可能。计算机犯罪已经成为作为现代技术代价组成部分的许多风险之一。