题目内容
Global Positioning Systems are now a part of everyday driving in many countries. These satellite based systems provide turn-by-turn directions to help people get to where they want to go . But, they can also cause a lot of problems, send you to the wrong place or leave you completely lost. Many times, the driver is to blame. Sometimes a GPS error is responsible. Most often , says Barry Brown, an expert in human computer inter action, it is a combination of the two.
We spoke to Mr Brown by Skype (网络电话软件).He told us about an incident involving a friend who had flown to an airport in the eastern United States. There he borrowed a GPS equipped car to use during his stay .Barry Brown:“And they just put in an address and then set off to their destination. And , then it wasn’t until they were driving for thirty minutes that they realized they actually put in a destination back on the West Coast where they lived. They actually put their home address in . So again, the GPS is kind of ‘garbage in garbage out’”.
Mr Brown says this a common human error. But, he says, what makes the problem worse has to do with some of the shortcomings, or failures, of GPS equipment. Barry Brown:“One problem with a lot of the GPS units is they have a very small screen and they just tell you the next turn . Because they just give you the next turn, sometimes that means that it is not really giving you the overview that you would need to know that it’s going to the wrong place.”
Barry Brown once worked on a project with Eric Laurier from the University of Edinburgh. The two men studied the effects of GPS devices on driving by placing cameras in people’s cars. They wrote a paper based on their research. It is called “The Normal, Natural Troubles of Driving with GPS”. It lists several areas where GPS systems can cause confusion for drivers. These include maps that are outdated, incorrect or difficult to understand . They also include timing issues (时机问题)related to when GPS commands are given.
Barry Brown says to make GPS systems better we need a better understanding of how drivers, passengers and GPS systems work together.
72．In Paragraph 2, Mr Brown mentioned his friend in the conversation to .
A．build up his own reputation B．laugh at his stupid friend
C．describe an example of human error D．prove the GPS system is only garbage
73．What is the disadvantage of small screens in GPS equipment according to the text?
A．They make drivers tired easily.] B．They are harmful to eyes.
C．They just provide the next turn. D．They often break down suddenly.
74．With which of the following statements would Barry Brown most likely agree?
A．GPS units are to blame for most GPS service failures.
B．Drivers, GPS systems and passengers should unite to improve GPS systems.
C．Cameras are urgently needed to help improve GPS systems.
D．We should introduce higher standards for the driving license.
75．What would be the best title for the text?
A．GPS equipment in driving : to be deserted or improved?
B．Driving with GPS can be difficult
C．Driving without GPS should be much more convenient
D．Driving errors can be caused by small screens.
CCBB
阅读快车系列答案An increase in students applying to study economics (经济学) at university is being attributed to （归因于）the global economic crisis (危机) awakening a public thirst for knowledge about how the financial system works.
Applications for degree courses beginning this autumn were up by 15% this January, according to UCAS, the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service. A spokesman for the Royal Economic Society said applications to do economics at A-level were also up.
Professor John Beath, the president of the society and a leading lecture at St Andrews University, said his first-year lectures which are open to students from all departments—were drawing crowds of 400, rather than the usual 250.
“There are a large number of students who are not economics majors, who would like to learn something about it. One of the things I have done this year is to relate my teaching to contemporary events in a way that one hasn’t traditionally done. ” He added.
University applications rose 70% last year. But there were rises above average in several subjects. Nursing saw a 15% jump, with people’s renewed interest in careers in the pubic sector（部门）, which are seen as more secure in economic crisis.
A recent study showed almost two thirds of parents believed schools should do more to teach pupils about financial matters, and almost half said their children had asked them what was going on, although a minority of parents felt they did not understand it themselves well enough to explain.
Zack Hocking, the head of Child Trust Funds, said: “It’s possible that one good thing to arise from the downturn will be a generation that’s financially wiser and better equipped (使…有能力) to manage their money through times of economic uncertainty.”
【小题1】Professor John Beath’s lectures are .
| A．given in a traditional way |
| B．connected with the present situation |
| C．open to both students and their parents |
| D．warmly received by economics |
| A．greater stability | B．higher pay |
| C．fewer applications | D．better reputation |
| A．economics should be the focus of school teaching |
| B．more students should be admitted to universities |
| C．the teaching of financial matters should be strengthened. |
| D．children should solve financial problems themselves |
| A．wiser in money management |
| B．have access to better equipment |
| C．confident about their future careers |
| D．get jobs in Child Trust Funds |
| A．Universities have received more applications. |
| B．Economics is attracting an increasing number of students |
| C．college students benefit a lot from economic uncertainty |
| D．parents are concerned with children’s subject selection. |
, cetaceans that rely on polar, icy waters for their home and food resources are likely to be greatly affected by the reduction of sea ice cover.
. From the passage, we can learn that whales mainly feed on ______.