Question

    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 device.She had never driver 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 signaling 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 a.s long.

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.

2.The phrase “near miss”（Paragraph 2）can best be replaced by ________.

A. close hit B. heavy loss

C. narrow escape D. big mistake

3.Which of the following would Rick Stevenson most probably agree with?

A. Modern technology is what we can’t live without.

B. Digtal 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.

4.In the writer’s opinion,Stevenson’s argument is ________ .

A. one-sided B. reasonable

C. puzzling D. well-based

5.What is the real concern of the writer of this article?

A. The major causes of traffic accidents and car thefts.

B. The human unawareness of technical problems.

C. The shortcomings of digital devices we use.

D. The relationship between humans and technology.

Answer

1.D

2.C

3.B

4.A

5.D

【解析】

这是一篇夹叙夹议的议论文。文章通过一起交通事故，司机没有看到火车路口导致了一起事故，司机却将责任归咎到自己的导航仪没有路口提示上。引发作者对于人与科技的关系上的深思。

1.细节理解题。由第二段第一句 “Ceely's near miss made the news because she blamed it on he GPS(导航仪).” 可知 Ceely 认为事故发生的原因是GPS没有指出那个路口。故正确答案为D。

2.词义猜测题。由第一段可知 Ceely 的车被卡在铁路上并且被火车撞飞了，而她自己则死里逃生，文章用 “near miss” 来形容这个事故，由此可推断 narrow escape 最符合文意，即 Ceely 很惊险地逃生了，故正确答案为C。

3.细节理解题。由第三段第三句 “We put our faith in digital devices, he says, but our digital helpers are too often not up to the job.” 可知 Stevenson 认为是科技设备应该被指责，即它们不能满足人们的需要，故正确答案为B。

4.细节理解题。由第四段第一句 “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.” 可知作者认为 Stevenson 只关注到了片面的，故正确答案为A。

5.主旨大意题。由倒数第二段第一句 “The game between humans and their smart devices is amusing and complex.” 可知作者在讨论完 Ceely 这起事故后，在最后两段将讨论延伸到了人与科技的关系上，因此作者实际关心的内容是人与科技的关系，故选D。