题目内容
When you have a question about something, where do you go? For many people the answer is simple. They go online to a search engine like Google or Yahoo. But what about people in rural or under developed areas who may have no way to get on the Internet? Luckily, Rose Shuman, a business and international development consultant in California, has found a way for them. Her amazing solution is “Question Box”.
Question Box is a service that provides answers -- free of charge -- for people who cannot search the Internet directly. They might not be able to read, or they simply have no access.
Question Box began two years ago in India. People use a metal call box with a push-to-talk button to connect to a live operator, as Rose Shuman explains, “You just push a button, a big green button, and that will connect you directly to our operators who are sitting in front of computers, and speak your language. And you can ask them any sort of question you want, and they'll look it up in English or in Hindi, or whatever the main language is, and translate the answer right back for you.”
The service is currently offered in two villages. The latest version of the box uses mobile phone technology and solar panels in case the electrical power fails. Rose Shuman says the aim was to make the box as easy as possible for users.
“Rather than try to bring a lot of infrastructure to them and expect them to learn how to use the Internet, the idea was to make a technology that even Grandma could use, figuring that Grandma could probably walk up to a box and push a button,” added Shuman.
In April, Question Box expanded to Uganda. Forty community workers with mobile phones connect villagers to call center operators in Kampala. The community workers go around telling people about the service. They wear T-shirts that say “Ask Me.”
But Internet service in Uganda proved slow and undependable. So Question Box teamed up with a local technology company to store information on a local server. That way, the researchers in Kampala can quickly search the database for answers when users ask about current events and many other subjects.
Rose Shuman continued, “When was Mahatma Gandhi born and how long is the Nile River? What's the tallest mountain? The funniest one I think we got was, 'Did the pyramids ever move to another place?', which we found pretty funny. But we did look it up, and they haven't moved.”
1. According to the passage, “Question Box” is a service intended to________.
A．help improve the living standard of the people in poor areas
B．promote the computer technology
C．provide answers to the people without the Internet
D．enrich the local people’s life
2. Which of the following is TRUE about Question Box according to the passage?
A．Uganda is the original place where the service started.
B．Some modern technologies have been used for improving the service.
C．Question Box won’t be able to work if there is no electrical power.
D．It was impossible for a grandma to use Question Box.
3. We can learn from the passage that in Uganda ______.
A．forty call center operators helped make Question Box known to villagers
B．it was very convenient for villagers to have access to Internet service
C．users are very interested in current events
D．a local technology company cooperate with Question Box
4. What can be inferred from the last paragraph?
A．All the questions asked by people are pretty funny.
B．Workers of Question Box know the answer for any question.
C．Question Box always tries to answer the question, no matter how strange.
D．Those who asked questions wanted to make progress in their studies.
5. What attitude does the writer hold towards “Question Box” according to the passage?
A．Indefinite. B．Negative. C．Supportive. D．Indifferent.
CBDCC
China_is_going_green. In order to reduce air pollution and oilshortages, automobile manufacturers have announced their plans to develop hybrid vehicles (混合燃料汽车) for the Chinese market. Toyota's hybrid car Prius will be ready to drive in China this week. Let's have a look at the new car.
Any vehicle is a hybrid when it combines two or more sources of power. Hybrid cars run off a rechargeable battery and gasoline. Hybrid cars have special engines, which are smaller than traditional gasoline engines. They run at 99 percent of their power when the car is cruising (匀速行驶). A specially designed battery motor provides extra power for running up hills or when extra acceleration is needed.
Step into a Prius, and turn on the engine. The first thing you notice is how much quieter it is than a traditional car. At this point, the car's gasoline engine is dormant (休眠). The electric motor will provide power until the car reaches about 24 km/h. If you stay at a low speed, you are effectively driving an electric car, with no gasoline being used, and no waste gas gives off.
The onboard(车载的) computer makes the decision about when to use a gas engine, when to go electric, and when to use a combination of the two. If you go over 24 km/h, when you step on the gas pedal (油门), you are actually telling the computer how fast you want to go.
The electronic motor recharges automatically using a set of batteries. When driving at high speed, the gasoline engine not only powers the car, but also charges the batteries. Any time you use the brake, the electric motor in the wheels will work like a generator and produce electricity to recharge the batteries. As a consequence, the car's batteries will last for around 200,000 miles.
【小题1】The author writes this passage mainly to________.
| A．teach people how to drive a hybrid car |
| B．introduce a new kind of “green” car |
| C．show how to save their gasoline when driving a car |
| D．announce plans to develop hybrid vehicles for China |
| A．there will be more and more green land in China |
| B．China is still young and lacking experience |
| C．China's new cars are combinations of different green models |
| D．China has started producing environmentally friendly cars |
| A．The hybrid cars reduce air pollution and oilshortages. |
| B．The car's gasoline engine doesn't work until it reaches about 24 km/h. |
| C．This kind of car is completely controlled by an onboard computer. |
| D．A specially designed battery motor provides extra power when needed. |
| A．They are powered by both a rechargeable battery and gasoline. |
| B．They are much quieter than traditional cars. |
| C．They only use 99 percent of their power to run up hills. |
| D．They have smaller engines than traditional gasoline ones. |
