Computerpowerismovingintothe"cloud"﹣networksofdatacente...

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Computer power is moving into the"cloud"﹣networks of data centers that use the Internet to supply all kinds of services，from e﹣mail and social networks to data storage and analysis．

The rise of cloud computing is rapid and causing huge changes in the tech industry．The old guard is suffering：this week's $67billion merger （合併） between Dell and EMC，makers of computers and storage devices respectively，was a marriage forced by the rise of the cloud．Disruptive （搗亂的） newcomers are blooming：if Amazon's cloud﹣computing unit were a stand﹣alone public company，it would probably be worth almost as much as Dell and EMC combined．

The gains for customers have been equally dramatic．Compared with older IT systems，cloud computing is often much cheaper．It adds tremendous flexibility：firms that need more computing capacity no longer have to spend weeks adding new servers and installing software．In the cloud they can get hold of it in minutes．Their applications can be updated continually，rather than just every few months．Individual users can reach their e﹣mails，files and photos from any device．And cloud services also tend to be more secure，since providers know better than their customers how to protect their computing systems against hackers．

But cloud computing makes one problem worse．In the old IT world，once a firm or a consumer had decided on an operating system or database，it was difficult and costly to switch to another．In the cloud this"lock﹣in"is even worse．Cloud providers go to great lengths to make it easy to upload data．They accumulate huge amounts of complex information，which cannot easily be moved to an alternative provider．

Cloud firms also create a world of interconnected services，software and devices，which is convenient but only for as long as you don't adventure outside their universe．Being locked in to a provider is risky．Firms can start to tighten the screws by increasing prices．If a cloud provider goes bust （崩潰），its customers may have trouble getting back their data．

These risks have already caused a debate about whether the cloud needs stricter regulation．Some European politicians want to force cloud providers to ensure that data can be moved between them．That is too heavy﹣handed，because strict rules will inhibit （阻礙） innovation in what is still a young industry．The history of computing suggests that common standards may well appear naturally in response to customers'demands﹣just as in personal computers，where it is now much easier to use the same files on different systems．

In the meantime，a few commonsense measures can reduce the risk of lock﹣in．Firms that use more than one cloud provider to host their data are less affected．So are those that keep their most important information in their own data centers．Consumers can take precautions，too．Some services are better than others at enabling users to move data between providers （Google does well on this score）．Cloud computing promises its users many benefits，but don't mistake it for some sort of digital heaven．

50．The author takes"the merger between Dell and EMC"for example to show　　．

A．the influence of cloud computing on computer and storage device makers

B．the miserable sufferings of old computer companies

C．the rapid development of new computer companies

D．the interaction between old companies and newcomers

51．With wide applications of cloud computing customers can　　．

A．pay less for the older IT systems

B．gain more computing capacity quickly

C．know better about defeating the hackers

D．install software within weeks

52．The problem of"lock﹣in"can be dangerous because　　．

A．it can make data easily be moved to another provider