题目内容
When you have a question about something, where do you go? For many people the answer is simple as they can go online to a search engine like Google or Yahoo. But what about people in rural or underdeveloped areas who may have no way to get on the Internet?
A business and international development professor in California, Rose Shuman, found an answer for them: Question Box. Question Box is a service that provides answers---free of charge--- for people who cannot search the Internet directly. The users of Questions Box might be those who might not be able to read, or simply have no access to the Internet.
Question Box began three years ago in India. People used a metal call box with a push-to-talk button to connect a live operator. Rose Schuman explained,” You just need to push a big green button on the box which will connect you directly to our operators who are sitting in front of computers, and speak your language. 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 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, “It is very efficient (效率高的). Rather than try to bring a lot of difficulties to them and expect them to spend a lot of time to learn how to use the Internet, the idea was to make a technology that even Grandma could use.”
In April 2009, Question Box was introduced to Uganda. Forty community workers with mobile phones connected villagers to call center operators in Kampala. The community workers went around telling people about the service. They wore T-shirts that said “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 could quickly search the database for answers.
1. The best title for the passage is __________.
A. Question Box ----taking the place of the Internet
B. Needing an answer? ----asking Question Box
C. Question Box ----A great invention in the world
D. Rose Shuman----- A professor helping the poor
2. In Rose Schuman’s opinion, the greatest advantage of Question Box is that______.
A. It is the most advanced in the world
B. It is more convenient to carry.
C. It is much easier to use
D. it saves much more energy
3.The underlined word “them” in the fourth paragraph refers to______.
A. the users B. the operators
C. the researchers D. Question Box workers
4.What can we know from the passage?
A. Question Box costs the users much less than the Internet.
B. Question Box operators can look for information in any language.
C. Question Box is more efficient in solving problems in underdeveloped areas.
D. Question Box can work without the help of the Internet in Uganda.
BCAC
【解析】略
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. |
