Question

In the computer age, most of us take a broadband（寬帶）Internet connection for granted. Whether cable or mobile broadband, today’s connections are many times faster than those in the early days. Videos play smoothly, complex websites load quickly, and files（檔案文件）download much faster than ten years ago. And the files are much bigger too.

There’s a catch, of course: You have to live near enough to a major city to get broadband Internet. If you don’t, it’s slow dial-up access for you. And for those living really far out, there may be no Internet access at all.

Technology experts often talk about the “last mile” problem, which refers to the difficulty of bringing Internet access to remote locations. In cities and suburbs（郊區）, it’s relatively easy to provide access for everyone. It is much more difficult to deliver access to those living far from cities, especially in developing countries. Internet service providers, for their part, have been reluctant to provide access to sparsely (稀疏地) populated areas. The handful of Internet users they would reach wouldn’t cover the expense.

But every year, technological advancements allow of more and more Internet users. Most broadband connections today run over existing cable TV and telephone lines although these technologies aren’t available everywhere.

Some companies have delivered the Internet over standard power lines. Advancements in cheaper, more efficient fiber optics cables (光纖電纜) promise to bring extremely fast Internet connections to more users.

Still, the “last mile” problem remains hard to deal with. There will always be somewhere that doesn’t have an affordable broadband connection. But someday that might not matter. If the rapid progress in cell phone technology is any indication (跡象), it may not be too long before an Internet connection simply follows you wherever you go.

1.The underlined part “a catch” (in Paragraph 2) probably means “_____”.

A．a rare challenge                        B．a desirable plan

C．an efficient device                      D．a hidden problem

2.What can we know from the third paragraph?

A．Internet connection has not been popular in most cities.

B．Internet service providers care about rural（農村的）customers.

C．Computer is popular in developing countries.

D．It is hard to bring Internet access to users in remote areas.

3.Paragraph 4 mainly tells us that technological advancements _____.

A．make TV and telephone available everywhere

B．bring great change to people’s everyday life

C．make it possible for more people to use the Internet

D．bring faster Internet connections to users

4.What may eventually settle the “last mile” problem?

A．The broadband connection’s getting faster.

B．More and more Internet users.

C．more and more Internet connections.

D．The rapid progress in cell phone technology.

 

Answer 1

【答案】

1.D

2.D

3.C

4.D

【解析】

試題分析：文章介紹雖然現在網絡很普及，但是偏遠地區，就會很難獲得網絡。這個問題可以通過手機技術來解決。

1.猜詞題：從第二段的句子：You have to live near enough to a major city to get broadband Internet. If you don’t, it’s slow dial-up access for you. And for those living really far out, there may be no Internet access at all.可知如果住在偏遠地區，就會很難獲得網絡，這是個隱藏的問題。選D

2.細節題：從第三段的句子：Technology experts often talk about the “last mile” problem, which refers to the difficulty of bringing Internet access to remote locations. 偏遠地區很難獲得網絡，選D

3.細節題：從第四段的句子：But every year, technological advancements allow of more and more Internet users.可知科技使人們使用網絡成為可能。選 C

4.細節題：從最后一段的句子：If the rapid progress in cell phone technology is any indication (跡象), it may not be too long before an Internet connection simply follows you wherever you go.可知這個問題可以通過手機技術來解決。選D

考點：考查科普類短文

點評：本文考查細節題為主，細節題可以在文章中直接找到與答案有關的信息?或是其變體。搜查信息在閱讀中非常重要它包括理解作者在敘述某事時使用的具體事實、數據、圖表等細節信息。在一篇短文里大部分篇幅都屬于這類圍繞主體展開的細節。做這類題一般采用尋讀法?即先讀題，然后帶著問題快速閱讀短文，找出與問題有關的詞語或句子，再對相關部分進行分析對比，找出答案。