Question

Everyone looks forward to progress, whether in one’s personal life or in the general society. Progress indicates a person’s ability to change the way he is living at the moment. Progress must lead to a better life and a better way of doing things. All these, however, remain true only in so far as people want to accept technology and move forward by finding new and more efficient ways of doing things.

However, at the back of the minds of many people, especially those who miss the “good old days”, efficiency comes with a price. When communication becomes more efficient, people are able to contact one another no matter where they are and at whatever time they wish .The click of a button allows people miles apart to talk or to see each other without even leaving their homes. With the communication gadets, such as mobile phones and ipads, people often do not take the effort to visit one another personally. A personal visit carries with the additional feature of having to be in the person’s presence for as long as the visit lasts. We cannot unnecessarily excuse our selves or turn the other persons off.

With efficiency also comes mass production. Such is the nature of factories and the success of industrialization today. Factories have improved efficiency. Unskillful tasks are left to machines and products are better made and produced with greater accuracy than any human hand could ever have done. However, with the improvements in efficiency also comes the loss of the personal touch when making these products. For example, many handcrafts(手工艺品) are now produced in a factory. Although this means that supply is better able to increase demand, now that the supply is quick and efficient, the demand might fall because mass production lowers the quality of the handcraft and it is difficult to find unique designs on each item.

Nevertheless, we must not commit the mistake of analyzing progress only from one point of view. In fact, progress has allowed tradition to keep up. It is only with progress and the invention of new technology that many old products can be brought back to their old state. New technology is required for old products to stay old.

It is people’s attitude towards progress that causes the type of influence that technology has on society. Technology is flexible. There is no fixed way of making use of it. Everything depends on people’s attitude. The worst effects of progress will fall on those who are unable to rethink their attitudes and views of society. When we accept progress and adapt it to suit our needs, a new “past” is created.

1.According to Paragraph 1, progress can benefit people when they are willing to _______.

A. live a better life    B. look for better methods

C. change ways of living    D. accept technology and advance steadily

2.The underlined word “gadgets” is closest in meaning to _______.

A. tools    B. messages

C. barriers    D. skills

3.The author explains “efficiency comes with a price” by _______.

A. describing a process    B. using examples

C. following time order    D. making classification

4.What can be concluded from the last paragraph?

A. Progress can suit the needs of daily life.

B. People review the past with great regret.

C. Technology should be introduced in a fixed way.

D. People’s attitude decides the use of technology.

Answer

1.D

2.A

3.B

4.D

【解析】本文是一篇议论文，首先提出：接受科技进步的人可以提高效率，取得进步，接着通过效率提高的通讯这一例子告诉我们效率的提高是要付出代价的，以及工厂生产中效率提高可以带来大规模生产，最后得出结论：科技如何使用，要取决于人民的态度和需要。

1.细节理解题，根据第一段“All these, however, remain true only in so far as people want to accept technology and move forward….然而，所有这些只对那些想要接受新科技前行的人才适用，”故选D.

2.词义理解题，根据第二段“With the communication gadets, such as mobile phones and ipads,通讯……，比如手机和平板”，可推测这里的gadgets是工具的意思，故选A.

3.推理判断题，“efficiency comes with a price”此句后面都是作者解释这句话的理由，作者举出了在通讯领域中效率提高的例子来解释这句话，故选B.

4.推理判断题，根据最后一段“Technology is flexible. There is no fixed way of making use of it. Everything depends on people’s attitude.科技是灵活的，没有固定不变的方式利用它，所有一切都要取决于人类的态度”，所以可推断：人们的态度决定了科技的使用，故选D.