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 (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.

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.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.

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

A.one-sided B.reasonable C.puzzling D.well-based

Answer

1.D

2.C

3.B

4.A

【解析】

文章是一篇说明文。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。

1.

细节理解题。根据文章第二段1行“It was dark and raining heavily. Ceely was relying on her GPS, but it made no mention of the crossing天很黑，雨下得很大。塞莉依靠她的全球定位系统，但它没有提到十字路口。所以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，故选D项。

2.

词句猜测题。根据文章第一段“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.”可知，她的雷诺Clio停在一条铁路线上。几秒钟后，她看着火车把她的车拖下了将近一公里的铁轨。由此可知，她很幸运，九死一生，没有被撞。故选C项。

3.

推理判断题。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.” 他说，我们对数字设备充满信心，但我们的数字助手常常无法胜任工作。由此判断出，Rick Stevenson认为现代的很多装置经常不能符合我们的期望值。故选B项。

4.

推理判断题。根据文章第4段“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.”他在书中的论点的问题在于，不清楚他为什么只关注数字技术，而可能还有其他一些可能的原因需要弄清楚。由此判断出，他的争论只是单方的。故选A项。