The most frightening words in the English language are, “Our computer is down.” You hear it more and more when you are 1 .The other day I was 2 waiting for a ticket to Washington and the girl in the ticket office said, “ 3 , I can’t sell you a ticket. Our computer is 4 .” “If your computer is down, just 5 me out a ticket.” “I can’t write you out a ticket. The computer is the only one 6 to do so.” I looked down the counter and every 7 was just standing there drinking coffee and staring at the 8 screen. Then I asked her, “What do you do?” “We give the computer 9 about your trip, and then 10 tells us whether you can fly with us or not.” “So when it goes down, you 11 with it.” “That’s right, sir.” “ 12 will the computer be down?” I wanted to know. “I have no idea. Sometimes it’s down for 10 minutes, sometimes for two hours. There is no way we can 13 without asking the computer, and 14 it’s down it won’t answer us.” 15 the girl told me they had no backup ( 备用 ) computer, I said, “Let’s forget the computer. What about your 16 ? They’re still flying, aren’t they?” “I couldn’t tell without asking 17 . ” By that time there were quite a few people standing in lines. 18 soon spread to other travelers that the computer was down. Some people 19 , some people started to cry and still others kicked their 20 .