摘要:The driver was $100 for speeding his car on the expressway. A. scolded B. fined C. punished D. beaten

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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 .
【小题1】
What did Paula Ceely think was the cause of her accident?           

A.Shewasnotfamiliarwiththeroad.
B.Itwasdarkandrainingheavilythen.
C.The railway works failed to give the signal.
D.Her GPS device didn’t tell her about the crossing
【小题2】
The phrase”near miss” (paragraph 2 ) can best be replaced by _______.    
A.closebitB.heavylossC.narrow escapeD.bigmistake
【小题3】
Which of the following would Rick Stevenson most probably agree with?          
A.Moderntechnologyiswhatwe can’tlivewithout.
B.Digitaltechnologyoftenfalls shortofoutexpectation.
C.Digitaldevicesaremore reliablethantheyusedtobe.
D.GPSerrorisnottheonly causeforCelery’saccident.
【小题4】
In the writer’s opinion, Stevenson’s argument is________.
A.one-sidedB.reasonableC.puzzlingD.well-based
【小题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.Theshortcomingsofdigital devicesweuse.
D.Thehuman unawarenessoftechnicalproblems.

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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.

 

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To hitch-hike successfully in any country you must be able to do two things: attract attention and at the same time convince the driver at a glance that you do not intend to rob or murder him. To fulfill the first requirement you must have some mark to distinguish you at once from all other hikers. A serviceman, for instance, should wear his uniform, a student his scarf. In a foreign country an unmistakable indication of your own nationality will also arrest a driver’s attention.

When I hitch-hiked 9,500 miles across the United States and back recently I wore a well-tailored suit, a bowler hat and a trench coat, and carried a pencil-thin rolled black umbrella. My suitcase was decorated with British flags. Having plenty of luggage, moreover, I was not likely to be suspected of being a dangerous lunatic(精神病患者). I then had to get across to the driver the idea that I was a real traveler, and needed to get somewhere cheaply.

But even with careful preparation, you must not assume that the task will be easy. You should be prepared to wait a little, for there are drivers who confess to a fierce prejudice against, (not to say hatred of), hitch-hikers, and would no more pick up a hiker than march from Aldermaston to London. In America, my average wait was half-an-hour, and my longest two hours, but I have heard of people waiting all day; they probably took less pains to make themselves easy to notice.

Nor must you assume that all the drivers who stop for you are nice, normal people. On one occasion I found myself driving with two boys of about nineteen who turned out to be on the run from the police, and were hoping to use me as an alibi. There are also lesser(较小的) risks: you may find yourself in the car of a Fascist fanatic, a Mormon missionary(传教士), or just a bad driver. You cannot tell, of course until you are in the car. But you soon learn the art of the quick excuse that gets you out again.w(w w.ks&5 u.c*o m

If the hitch-hiker in the U.S. will remember that he is seeking the willingness of drivers to give him a free ride, and is prepared to give in exchange entertainment and company, and not go to sleep, he will come across the remarkable, almost legendary, hospitality of American of the West. It will also help if he can drive—I think that I drove myself about 4,500 of those 9,500 miles I hitch-hiked in the States.

A hitch-hiking serviceman should wear his uniform       .

    A. so as not to look too unusual

    B. to attract attention

    C. to show he is on duty

    D. to put the driver at ease

In paragraph 3, we learn that the writer      .

A. has sometimes failed to hitch a ride

B. has marched from Aldermaston to London

C. has always been successful in hitching a ride

D. has had to wait for long hours for a ridew(w w.ks&5 u.c*o m

The main idea of Paragraph 4 is that       .

A. it is dangerous to be in a car with strangers

B. hitch-hiking may turn out to be risky sometimes

C. a hitch-hiker must also learn the art of quick excuse

D hitch-hikers might come across bad drivers

In the last paragraph, the writer mainly wants to tell us that a hitchhiker should      .

A. not talk to the driver too much

B. fall asleep to make it a peaceful ride

C. try to make himself pleasant and entertaining

D. seek the willingness of drivers

A suitable title for the passage would be      .

A. “The Art of Hitch-hiking”

B. “An Englishman’s View of the U.S.”

C. “An English Hitch-hiker”

     D. “The joys and Dangers of hitch-hiking

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