网址：http://m.1010jiajiao.com/timu3_id_2585190[举报]
One evening in February 2007 . a student named Paula Ceely brought her car to a stop on a remote 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 parked across a railway line. Second 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(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.
W ho is to blame here ? Rick Stevenson ,who tells Ceely's story in his book When Machines Fail US, 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 key boards.
The problem with his argument in the book is that it’s not clear why he only focuses 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 CPS equipment. But Stevenson doesn’t say.
It’s a problem that runs through the book. In a section on cars, Stevenson gives an accout 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 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 complex. It is shaped by economics and psychology and the cultures we live in. Somewhere in the mix of those forces there may be way 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 works 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. closebit 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 out expectation.
C. Digital devices are more reliable than they used to be.
D. GPS error is not the only cause for Celery’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 relationship between humans and technology
C. The shortcomings of digital devices we use.
D. The human unawareness of technical problems.
查看习题详情和答案>>
（2011·浙江卷）A
One evening in February 2007 . a student named Paula Ceely brought her car to a stop on a remote 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 parked across a railway line. Second 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(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.
W ho is to blame here ? Rick Stevenson ,who tells Ceely's story in his book When Machines Fail US, 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 key boards.
The problem with his argument in the book is that it’s not clear why he only focuses 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 CPS equipment. But Stevenson doesn’t say.
It’s a problem that runs through the book. In a section on cars, Stevenson gives an accout 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 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 complex. It is shaped by economics and psychology and the cultures we live in. Somewhere in the mix of those forces there may be way 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 .
41 .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 works failed to give the signal.
D. Her GPS device didn’t tell her about the crossing
42.The phrase” near miss” (paragraph 2 ) can best be replaced by _______.
A. close bit B. heavy loss C.narrow escape D. big mistake
43.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 out expectation.
C. Digital devices are more reliable than they used to be.
D. GPS error is not the only cause for Celery’s accident.
44.In the writer’s opinion, Stevenson’s argument is________.
A. one-sided B. reasonable C.puzzling D.well-based
45.What is the real concern of the writer of this article?
A.The major causes of traffic accidents and car thefts.
B.The relationship between humans and technology
C. The shortcomings of digital devices we use.
D. The human unawareness of technical problems.
查看习题详情和答案>>阅读下面对话，掌握其大意，并根据所给首字母的提示，在标有题号的右边横线上写出一个英语单词的完整、正确形式，使对话通顺。（每小题一分，共10分）
A：Excuse me, sir, but I’m writing a report on what people prefer to do on holiday. Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?
B：No, not at all. Please go (76) a_______.
A：How often do you go on holiday?
B：I generally have two weeks’ holiday a year.
A：And what do you prefer to do when you are on holiday?
B：Well, I don’t usually visit my family. We live quite (77) c_____ and I can see them any time. But I do like to visit museums, (78) e__________ if there is a special exhibition on. I don’t like to stay at home, though my parents do. (79)I________, I prefer to get away from the city and just (80) e________ the peace of the country. You know, just sit under a tree, listen to the birds in the morning, or maybe go walking over the hills.
A：Have you ever (81) t_________ abroad?
B：No, I haven’t .It’s too (82) e__________ for me. But my wife loves to visit the coast, so if the (83) w_________ is good we often go swimming in the sea, or maybe just lie on the (84) b________ and bathe in the sun.
A：OK. Well, thank you very much for your time.
B：You are (85) w_________.
单词拼写
1.Usually we can read some a（逸事）_____of famous people in the magazines.
2.He was the only w________（目击者）to that accident.
3.Because of the war, his family had to f_______（逃离） to another country.
4.The river looks very deep. Do you know the d___________ of it.
5.The company will have its a______________ celebration this Saturday.
6.Without t_______（舌头）, we can’t speak, nor can we taste.
7.He was a_______（抛弃） by his cruel parents when born because of his disability
8.The mountains are r____（反射，倒影）in the clear water, forming a pleasant picture.
9.Whenever I go to the West Lake, I’m always stricken by its b__________.
10.A baby is too young to be a________（意识到） of the dangers around it.
查看习题详情和答案>>
单词拼写（共10分）
【小题1】The shot which was i________for the president killed one of his soldiers.
【小题2】It is said that the governor is ill, but the news remains to be c_____.
【小题3】Thirty years have passed but I still remember the s ________ we got lost on a rainy night.
【小题4】The local people are now in charge of Hong Kong, which was once in the charge of The British for one and half a c______.
【小题5】I was about to leave the office w___an unexpected visitor came.
【小题6】With so much noises from the busy traffic in the street, I couldn’t s____down and do my work..
【小题7】The customs that the local people have are different from what we read about on the I________.
【小题8】They couldn’t agree with each other and finally a quarrel b____out between them .
【小题9】No one is sure w______ global warming can be solved in one hundred years.
【小题10】He was in d___ for a long time. How to support his family is a big problem.