Question

In the computer age, most of us take a broadband（宽带）Internet connection for granted. Whether cable or mobile broadband, today’s connections are many times faster than those in the early days. Videos play smoothly, complex websites load quickly, and files download much faster than ten years ago. And the files are much bigger too.

There’s a catch, of course: You have to live near enough to a major city to get broadband Internet. If you don’t, it’s slow dial-up access for you. And for those living really far out, there may be no Internet access at all.

Technology experts often talk about the “last mile” problem, which refers to the difficulty of bringing Internet access to remote locations. In cities and suburbs, it’s relatively easy to provide access for everyone. It is much more difficult to deliver access to those living far from cities, especially in developing countries. Internet service providers, for their part, have been reluctant to provide access to sparsely (稀疏地) populated areas. The handful of Internet users they would reach wouldn’t cover the expense.

But every year, technological advancements allow of more and more Internet users. Most broadband connections today run over existing cable TV and telephone lines although these technologies aren’t available everywhere.

Some companies have delivered the Internet over standard power lines. Advancements in cheaper, more efficient fiber optics cables (光纤电缆) promise to bring extremely fast Internet connections to more users.

Still, the “last mile” problem remains hard to deal with. There will always be somewhere that doesn’t have an affordable broadband connection. But someday that might not matter. If the rapid progress in cell phone technology is any indication (迹象), it may not be too long before an Internet connection simply follows you wherever you go.

1.The underlined part “a catch” (in Paragraph 2) probably means “_____”.

A．a rare challenge    B．a desirable plan     C．an efficient device   D．a hidden problem

2.What can we know from the third paragraph?

A．Internet connection has not been popular in most cities.

B．Internet service providers care about rural（农村的）customers.

C．Computer is popular in developing countries.

D．It is hard to bring Internet access to users in remote areas.

3.Paragraph 4 mainly tells us that technological advancements _____.

A．make TV and telephone available everywhere

B．bring great change to people’s everyday life

C．make it possible for more people to use the Internet

D．bring faster Internet connections to users

4.What may eventually settle the “last mile” problem?

A．The broadband connection’s getting faster.

B．More and more Internet users.

C．more and more Internet connections.

D．The rapid progress in cell phone technology.

Answer

1.D

2.D

3.C

4.D

【解析】

试题分析:本文是一篇说明文，说明了在计算机时代，我们大部分人使用宽带是理所应当的。但是技术专家讨论“最后一公里”的问题，这是互联网难以实现接入到远程位置，在发展中国家，他们不愿意为人口稀少的地方提供互联网，只在城市和郊区提供，他们认为一些互联网用户支付不起费用

1.推理题，由后面的句子You have to live near enough to a major city to get broadband Internet. If you don’t, it’s slow dial-up access for you. And for those living really far out, there may be no Internet access at all可以推出答案，故选D。

2.推理题，由第三段的主要意思，第一句是这段的主旨，Technology experts often talk about the “last mile” problem, which refers to the difficulty of bringing Internet access to remote locations.可以推出答案，所以选D。

3.推理题，由第四段的主要意思“越来越多的人使用互联网”，可以推出答案，所以选C

4.推理题，由最后一段倒数第二行If the rapid progress in cell phone technology is any indication (迹象),可以推出答案，所以选D

考点：本篇是一篇说明文