One evening in February 2007, a student named Paula Ceely brought her car to a s
题型:不详难度:来源:
One evening in February 2007, a student named Paula Ceely brought her car to a stop on a remote road in Wales. She got out to open a metal gate that blocked her path .That’s when she heard the whistle sounded by the driver of a train. Her Renault Clio was parked across a railway line. Seconds later, she watched the train drag her car almost a kilometre down the railway tracks. Ceely’s near miss made the news because she blamed it on her GPS (导航仪). She had never driven the route before. It was dark and raining heavily. Ceely was relying on her GPS, but it made no mention of the crossing. “I put my complete trust in the device and it led me right into the path of a speeding train,” she told the BBC. Who is to blame here? Rick Stevenson, who tells Ceely’s story in his book When Machines Fail Us, points the finger at the limitations of technology. We put our faith in digital devices, he says, but our digital helpers are too often not up to the job. They are filled with small problems. And it’s not just GPS devices: Stevenson takes us on a tour of digital disasters involving everything from mobile phones to wireless keyboards. The problem with his argument in the book is that it’s not clear why he only focuses on digital technology, while there may be a number of other possible causes. A map-maker might have left the crossing off a paper map. Maybe we should blame Ceely for not paying attention. Perhaps the railway authorities are at fault for poor singalling system. Or maybe someone has studied the relative dangers and worked out that there really is something specific wrong with the GPS equipment. But Stevenson doesn’t say. It’s a problem that runs through the book. In a section on cars, Stevenson gives an account of the advanced techniques that criminals use to defeat computer-based locking systems for cars. He offers two independent sets of figures on car theft; both show a small rise in some parts of the country. He says that once again not all new locks have proved reliable. Perhaps, but maybe it’s also due to the shortage of policemen on the streets. Or changing social circumstances. Or some combination of these factors. The game between humans and their smart devices is amusing and complex. It is shaped by economics and psychology and the cultures we live in. Somewhere in the mix of those forces there may be a way for a wiser use of technology. If there is such a way, it should involve more than just an awareness of the shortcomings of our machines. After all, we have lived with them for thousands of years. They have probably been fooling us for just as long. 小题1:What did Paula Ceely think was the cause of her accident?A.She was not familiar with the road. | B.It was dark and raining heavily then. | C.The railway workers failed to give the signal. | D.Her GPS device didn’t tell her about the crossing. | 小题2:The phrase “near miss” (Paragraph 2) can best be replaced by______.A.close hit | B.heavy loss | C.narrow escape | D.big mistake | 小题3:Which of the following would Rick Stevenson most probably agree with?A.Modern technology is what we can’t live without. | B.Digital technology often falls short of our expectation. | C.Digital devices are more reliable than they used to be. | D.GPS error is not the only cause for Ceely’s accident. | 小题4:In the writer’s opinion, Stevenson’s argument is _______.A.one-sided | B.reasonable | C.puzzling | D.well-based | 小题5:What is the real concern of the writer of this article?A.The major causes of traffic accidents and car thefts. | B.The relationship between human and technology. | C.The shortcomings of digital devices we use. | D.The human unawareness of technical problems. |
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答案
小题1:D 小题2:C 小题3:B 小题4:A 小题5:B |
解析
试题分析:文章讲述了一个因为导航仪出错误而引起的事故,告诉大家现代的仪器也会出问题,不要过于依赖他们。人类对于很多技术并不是完全了解,需要加强学习。 小题1:推理题。根据第二段1行Ceely"s near miss made the news because she blamed it on her GPS (导航仪)可知Paula Ceely 认为事故的原因是她的导航仪没有告诉她这里有十字路口,D正确。 小题2:推理题:根据第一段可知他很幸运,九死一生,没有被撞。C正确。 小题3:推理题。根据文章第三段We put our faith in digital devices, he says, but our digital helpers are too often not up to the job.可知现代的很多装置经常不能符合我们的期望值。选B。 小题4:推理题。根据文章第4段可知他的争论只是单方的,他只聚焦于数字技术而忽视了很多其它方面的原因。所以选A。 小题5:推理题。根据文章最后一段If there is such a way, it should involve more than just an awareness of the shortcomings of our machines。可知作者担心的是人类和科技的矛盾关系,所以选B。 |
举一反三
阅读理解。 |
Stamps for the white Olympics The Winter Olympics is also called the White Olympics. At this time, many colorful stamps are published (发行) to mark (标志) the great Games. The first stamps marking the opening came out on January 25, 1932 in the United States for the 3rd White Olympics. From then on, Publishing stamps during the White Olympics became a rule. (规定) During the 4th Winter Olympic Games a group of stamps were published in Germany in November 1936. The five rings of the Olympics were drawn on the front of the sportswear. It was the first time that the rings appeared on the stamps of the White Olympics. In the 1950s, stamps of this kind became more colorful. When the White Olympics came, the host countries (东道国) as well as the non-host countries published stamps to mark those Games. China also published four stamps in February 1980,when Chinese sportsmen began to take part in the White Olympics. Japan is the only Asian country that has ever held the White Olympics. Altogether 145 million stamps were sold to raise (筹集) money for this sports meet. Different kinds of sports were drawn on these small stamps. People can enjoy the beauty of the wonderful movements of some sportsmen. |
1. The White Olympics and the Winter Olympics . |
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A. are the same thing B. are different games C. are not held in winter D. are held in summer |
2. The world made it a rule to publish stamps to mark the great world Games . |
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A. after the year 1936 B. after the 3rd White Olympics C. before the 3rd White Olympics D. before the year 1932 |
3. The Winter Olympics is held once . |
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A. every two years B. every three years C. every four years D. every five years |
4. Which of the following is true? |
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A. Only the host countries can publish stamps to mark those Games B. Only the non-host countries can publish stamps to mark those Games C. All countries can publish stamps to mark those Games D. Japan can"t publish stamps to mark those Games |
5. What may appear on the stamps of the White Olympics? |
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A. Basketball B. Table tennis C. Football D. Skating |
阅读理解。 |
Recently a Beijing father sent in a question at an Internet forum asking what "PK" meant. "My family has been watching the "Super Girl" singing competition TV program. My little daughter asked me what "PK" means, but I had no idea," explained the puzzled father. To a lot of Chinese young people who have been playing games online, it is impossible not to know that item. In such Internet games, "PK" is short for "Player Kill", in which two players fight until one ends the life of the other. In the case of the "Super Girl" singing competition, "PK" was used to refer to the stage where two singers have to compete with each other for only one chance to go up in competition ranking. Like this puzzled father, Chinese teachers at high schools have also been finding their students" composition using Internet jargon (行话) difficult to understand. A high school teacher from Tianjin asked her students to write up compositions with colloquial (口语的) language, but they came up with a lot of Internet jargon that she didn"t understand. " My "GG" came back this summer from college. He told me I"ve grown up to be a "PLMM": I love to "FB" with him together; he always took me to the "KPM", went one composition." "GG" means Ge Ge (Chinese pinyin for brother ). "PLMM" refers to Piao Liang Mei Mei (beautiful sister ). "FB" means "to corrupt". "KPM" is short for KFC, Pizza Hut and McDonalds. While some specialists welcome Internet jargon as a new development in language, teachers are worried that too much use of such language might lead students away from the "right" usages. Parents especially worry that their children might not do well in language tests because of the use of Internet language. Such as those mixed feelings are, the conciseness and liveliness of Internet language continues to attract Internet users for making convenient communications. If you do not even know what a Kong Long (dinosaur, referring to ugly-looking female) or a Qing Wa (frog, referring to ugly-looking male)is, then you will possibly be regarded as a Cai Niao! |
1. By writing the article, the writer tries to ______. |
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A. explain some Internet jargon B. suggest normalizing Internet language C. draw our attention to Internet language use D. support teachers and parents. |
2. What does the writer think about the term "PK"? |
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A. Fathers can"t possibly know it. B. The daughter should understand it. C. Online game players must know it. D. "Super Girl" shouldn"t have used it. |
3. According to the composition, the underlined word "corrupt" probably means "______". |
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A. change the traditional form of something B. often have good food or do something expensive C. encourage someone to behave in a dishonest way D. often have some sports to become strong |
4. The example of the Beijing father and the Tianjin teacher are used to show that Internet jargon ______. |
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A. is used not only online B. contains many interesting expressions C. is hard to understand by the elders D. causes trouble to our mother tongue |
阅读理解。 |
There are many idioms in English that are about animals. Today let"s chat a little about some of the idioms about dogs that make English language fun and colorful. We love dogs; they are our best friends. When you first started to learn English, your teacher might teach you a number of phrases about dogs, such as: "you are a lucky dog," "I"m dog tired," "every dog has its day," or "our team was the underdog but won the first place at last." When I first got into high school, my English teacher used the idiom "dog-ear", which interested me very much. This word can be used as a noun, a verb, and an adjective as well. As a noun, it means a turned-down (折叠的) corner of a page as a bookmark. As a verb, it means someone makes a bookmark by turning down the corner of a page in the book. And, as an adjective, the word describes an old book with many broken pages. Examples: John made a dog-ear (noun) of the page he was reading before closing the book. Jane was reading a book; when the telephone rang, she dog-eared (verb) the page before answering the phone. In the old room, the children found some dog-eared (adjective) books left there for more than 30 years. |
1. Which of the following can be the best title of the passage? |
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A. Idioms about colors. B. Idioms about history. C. Idioms about animals. D. Idioms about dogs. |
2. How many idioms about dogs are mentioned in this passage? |
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A. 3. B. 4. C. 5. D. 6. |
3. Which of the following statements is NOT true about the meaning of the idiom "dog-ear"? |
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A.It means a turned-down corner of a page as a bookmark.. B.It means someone makes a bookmark by turning down the corner of a page in the book. C.It means an old book with many broken pages. D.It means something is short and small ike a dog"s ear. |
阅读理解。 |
Jenny Bowen, an American living in Beijing, was selected as the only American to carry the 2008 Beijing Olympic torch on Chinese soil. She and seven other non-Chinese winners had been chosen from 262 applicants from 47 countries in a contest organized by Chinese computer maker Lenovo Group and the official English- language newspaper, China Daily. When Bowen ran with the Olympic torch, she was not only representing the United States, but also representing thousands of Chinese orphans (孤儿). Bowen, a mother of two adopted (收养) Chinese daughters, is director of Half the Sky Foundation, an organization which was founded in 1998 and aims to enrich the lives of orphaned children in China. In nearly 10 years, Bowen and Half the Sky have touched the lives of over 13,000 children. Half the Sky is now present in 36 welfare institutions in 28 Chinese cities. About 4,000 children are active in the program, which provides trained staff, educational tools, medical support and care for orphans. Bowen hoped that running with the Olympic torch would help draw attention to the children in China. She was among 19,400 runners who carried the flame along an 85,000-mile, 130-day route across five continents. Beijing organizers say it was the longest torch relay in Olympic history. Like Bowen, the seven other non-Chinese winners, including a German engineer and a Venezuelan designer, live in China. Other countries represented were the Philippines, Colombia, India, Japan and Russia. According to Olympic organizers, candidates (候选人) were selected based on an online vote, committee selection, their "love of Chinese culture and history" and devotion to "communicating information of a real China to their native countries". Each runner carried the torch for 200 meters on Chinese soil. |
1. Bowen hopes that being a torch runner would help ______. |
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A. collect educational tools, medical support, etc, for orphans B. make Half the Sky Foundation well known C. draw special attention to orphans in China D. communicate information of America |
2. According to the text, Jenny Bowen ______. |
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A. is interested in Chinese sports B. founded the organization of Half the Sky C. has adopted 13,000 children during 10 years D. loves Chinese culture and history |
3. Which of the following about the 2008 torch relay is WRONG? |
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A. The contest for its runners is organized by Lenovo Group and China Daily. B. It has eight foreign runners, including an American, a German and a Venezuelan. C. It will be the longest relay with the most runners in Olympic history. D. It will be an opportunity to communicate information of a real China to the world. |
4. What"s the best title for the passage? |
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A. Happy Life of a Great US Woman in China B. A US Woman Carrying 2008 Olympic Torch in China C. The Development of Half the Sky Foundation D. The Longest Torch Relay in Olympic History |
阅读理解。 |
●Tower Bridge is one of London"s most well known landmarks. Opened in 1894, this hydraulic (液压的) bridge can be raised to permit river traffic to pass underneath. Visitors to Tower Bridge can enjoy wonderful views of the River Thames from the bridge towers. There is also a museum which explains how the bascule bridge operates and discusses its history. Tower Bridge is often incorrectly referred to as London Bridge. London Bridge, however, is a different bridge that is located directly upstream from Tower Bridge. ●The British Museum is a "must do" for all visitors to London, England. Treasures from around the world can be found in Britain"s largest and most popular museum. To top it off, admission to the British Museum is free of charge. Due to the enormous size of the museums, visitors should be clear about what they wish to see. One "must see" is the Rosetta Stone-a key puzzle piece in the recorded history of humankind. The British Museum is located in the Bloomsbury district of London in London WC1. ●Greenwich Park is a beautiful large park located a few kilometers away from the centre of London. Attractions in Greenwich include the Cutty Sark, the Gypsy Moth and the Old Royal Observatory. A painted line at the observatory indicates zero degrees of longitude (经度). Many visitors to Greenwich enjoy having their photos taken with one leg in the western hemisphere (半球) and the other in the eastern hemisphere. Greenwich is the place where time was officially tracked - "Greenwich Mean Time" or "GMT". Greenwich is located in London SE10. ●The Eurostar high-speed train service provides fast connections between London and Paris and London and Brussels. The Eurostar trains pass through the 32-mile Channel Tunnel under the English Channel. The tunnel is also known as the "Euro Tunnel"or "Chunnel". The Channel Tunnel is considered to be one of the world"s great engineering wonders. Trains leave form the Waterloo Rail Station which is located in south London. |
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