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(档案文件)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(郊区), 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.