考研英語閱讀理解精讀100篇【信息技術(shù)類】

考研英語閱讀理解精讀100篇unit36
Unit 36
"The creation of the PC is the best thing that ever happened," said Bill Gates at a conference on "digital dividends" in 2000. He even wondered if it might be possible to make computers for the poor in countries without an electric power grid. The answer is yes, and things are going even further. Villagers in a remote region of Laos that has neither electricity nor telephone connections are being wired up to the Internet.
 
Lee Thorn, the head of the Jhai Foundation, an American-Lao organisation, has been working for nearly five years in the Hin Heup district. The foundation has helped villagers build schools, install wells and organise a weaving co-operative. But those villagers told Mr Thorn that what they needed most was access to the Internet. To have any hope of meeting that need, in an environment which is both physically harsh and far removed from technical support, Mr Thorn realised that a robust computer was the first requirement.
 
He therefore turned to engineers working with the Jhai Foundation, who devised a machine that has no moving, and few delicate, parts. Instead of a hard disk, the Jhai PC relies on flash-memory chips to store its data. Its screen is a liquid-crystal display, rather than an energy-guzzling glass cathode-ray tube--an exception to the rule that the components used are old-fashioned, and therefore cheap. (No Pentiums, for example, just a 486-type processor.) Mr Thorn estimates that, built in quantity, each Jhai PC would cost around $400. Furthermore, because of its simplicity, a Jhai PC can be powered by a car battery charged with bicycle cranks--thus removing the need for a connection to the grid.
 
Wireless Internet cards connect each Jhai PC to a solar-powered hilltop relay station which then passes the signals on to a computer in town that is connected to both the Lao phone system (for local calls) and to the Internet. Meanwhile, the Linux-based software that will run the computers is in the final stages of being "localised" into Lao by a group of expatriates in America.
 
One thing that the new network will allow villagers to do is decide whether it is worth going to market. Phon Hong, the local market town, is 30km away, so it is worth knowing the price of rice before you set off to sell some there. Links farther afield may allow decisions about growing crops for foreign markets to be taken more sensibly--and help with bargaining when these are sold. And there is also the pleasure of using Internet telephony to talk to relatives who have gone to the capital, Vientiane, or even abroad.
 
If it works, the Jhai PC and its associated network could be a widespread success. So far, the foundation has had expressions of interest from groups working in Peru, Chile and South Africa. The prototype should be operational in Laos this December and it, or something very much like it, may soon be bridging the digital divide elsewhere as well.
 
注（1）：本文選自Economist；9/28/2002, p76, 2/3p, 1c；
注（2）：本文習題命題模仿對象2003年真題text 2第1題（1），2002年真題text 4地1、2題（2，4），text 3第4題（5），1998年真題text 2第4題（3）；
 
1.       The author begins his article with Bill Gate’s words to________.
 
[A] show the great prospect of the PC in improving people’s life
[B] catch people’s attention to the importance of the PC
[C] reveal a project that creates miracle
[D] prove the PC can do things even beyond imagination
 
2.       From the second paragraph, we learn that_____________.
 
[A] villagers are isolated from the outside world
[B] Lee’s work is to improve the life of people living in the countryside
[C] the harsh environment keeps Lee from doing better job
[D] engineers have moved to far-away towns due to the poverty of the villages
 
3.       Which of the following is NOT a feature of Jhai PC?
 
[A] delicateness
[B] practicality
[C] simplicity
[D] low cost
 
4.       Which of the following statements is true according to the text?
 
[A] The Jhai PC has no expensive parts. 
[B] The Jhai PC is powered by solar energy.
[C] The project has gained support from non-resident Laotians.  
[D] The software that runs the Jhai PC is a local product.
 
5.       We can draw a conclusion from the text that___________.
 
[A] Mr. Thorn’s project may produce a far-reaching influence
[B] the Jhai PC is revolutionizing the PC industry
[C] South Africa is as poor as Laos
[D] digital divide is something caused by pc and network
 
答案：ABACA
 
篇章剖析
本篇文章是一篇說明文，介紹了一個讓老撾偏遠地區(qū)的村民可以不借助電網(wǎng)而使用互聯(lián)網(wǎng)的項目。第一段引用比爾•蓋茨的話引出了個人電腦創(chuàng)造的另一個奇跡：在老撾的一個既不通電也不通電話的偏僻地區(qū)，村民們現(xiàn)在可以登陸互聯(lián)網(wǎng)了。第二段介紹了這個項目的起因。第三段介紹了這個項目所使用的電腦的情況。第四段介紹了這種電腦如何得以無線上網(wǎng)。第五段介紹了這個新網(wǎng)絡可能給村民帶來得好處。最后一段對這一項目目前的發(fā)展狀況及其影響進行了簡單介紹。
 
詞匯注釋
dividend[] n. 股息, 紅利, 額外津貼
grid[] n. 高壓輸電網(wǎng)
Laos[] n. 老撾（東南亞國家）
co-operative  n. 合作社
robust[] adj. 堅固的, 耐用的
flash-memory  n. 閃存
chip[] n. 芯片
liquid-crystal display  n. 液晶顯示器
guzzle[] v. 大量消耗
cathode-ray tube  n. 陰極射線管
processor[] n. 處理器
crank[] n. 曲柄
localize[] v. 使)局部化,(使)地方化
expatriate[] n. 移居國外的人
far afield  遠方, 遠處
telephony[] n. 電話
Vientiane[] n. 萬象[老撾首都]
prototype[] n. 原型；模型
 
難句突破
1. Its screen is a liquid-crystal display, rather than an energy-guzzling glass cathode-ray tube--an exception to the rule that the components used are old-fashioned, and therefore cheap.
主體句式：Its screen is a liquid-crystal display
結(jié)構(gòu)分析：“rather than”這個連詞引導了一個比較狀語，意為“勝于”，在兩個進行比較時，否定其后者，肯定其前者，此外這一句中還含有一個帶有同位語從句的插入語。
句子譯文：它的屏幕是一個液晶顯示器，而不是耗電的玻璃純屏顯示器---這打破了使用過時廉價組件的原則。
2. Wireless Internet cards connect each Jhai PC to a solar-powered hilltop relay station which then passes the signals on to a computer in town that is connected to both the Lao phone system (for local calls) and to the Internet.
主體句式：Wireless Internet cards connect each Jhai Pc to a relay station
結(jié)構(gòu)分析：本句是一個復雜句，包含兩個定語從句，一個由which引導的修飾relay station，另外一個由that引導修飾computer。
句子譯文：無線網(wǎng)卡將每一臺Jhai的電腦和一個山頂?shù)奶�陽能中轉(zhuǎn)站連接在一起，通過這個中轉(zhuǎn)站，信號被傳送到鎮(zhèn)上的一臺連接老撾電話系統(tǒng)（用于本地電話）和互聯(lián)網(wǎng)的電腦。
 
題目分析
1. 答案為A，屬推理判斷題。本文介紹了一個使老撾偏僻地區(qū)的村民可以不借助電話網(wǎng)和電網(wǎng)登錄國際互聯(lián)網(wǎng)的項目。文中對該項目的緣起，項目實施的過程以及該項目能給村民帶來的好處進行了全面的介紹。以蓋茨對個人電腦的溢美之詞來開始，是為了讓人們認識到電腦在改善人們生活方面的巨大前景。
2. 答案為B，屬事實細節(jié)題。根據(jù)文章第二段，Lee在該地區(qū)工作五年來為該地區(qū)作了很多工作，比如建學校，打井，組織合作社等。這些工作無疑是為了改善人們的生活。
3. 答案為A，屬事實細節(jié)題。從文章第二段最后一句話“Mr. Thorn realized that a robust computer was the first requirement”可以看出該項目需要的是一種非�！皉obust”的電腦。robust的本意是“結(jié)實的，強健的”，在此轉(zhuǎn)義為“耐用的，不易壞的”。文章第三段提到這種電腦時說它內(nèi)部可移動的，“delicate”的部件很少�！癲elicate”的意思除了“精致的”以外，還有“脆弱的”意思，可見這臺電腦是屬于結(jié)實耐用不易壞的那種。
4. 答案為C，屬事實細節(jié)題。文章第四段最后一行提到，該項目電腦的運行軟件正在由一些移居美國的老撾人進行本地化的工作�？梢娺@一項目得到了非常住居民的支持。
5. 答案為A，屬推理判斷題。文章最后一段第一句話就說，這一項目也許會取得巨大成功。繼而講到了其他發(fā)展中國家也表現(xiàn)出對這一項目的興趣。最后一句說，這一項目及其類似項目可以填平各地的數(shù)字鴻溝。可見，這一項目也許會產(chǎn)生深遠的影響。
 
參考譯文
“個人電腦是有史以來最好的發(fā)明創(chuàng)造，”比爾•蓋茨在2000年的一個“數(shù)字化附加利益”會議上如此說道。他甚至想知道有沒有可能為那些不通電的國家的窮人制造計算機。答案是肯定的，而且甚至還不僅于此。在老撾的一個既不通電也不通電話的偏僻地區(qū)，村民們現(xiàn)在可以登陸互聯(lián)網(wǎng)了。
 
桑李是一個美國-老撾組織“Jhai基金會”的負責人，他在Hin Heup地區(qū)已經(jīng)工作了將近五年。該基金會幫助村民們興建了學校，打了井，還組織了一個編織合作社。但那些村民告訴桑先生他們最需要的是上網(wǎng)。為了在這樣一個條件惡劣，遠離技術(shù)支持的環(huán)境里找到一點滿足這種需求的希望，桑先生意識到一臺好用的電腦是當務之急。
 
因此他向“Jhai基金會”的技術(shù)人員求助，由他們發(fā)明了一臺沒有活動部件，也沒有多少精致部件的電腦。Jhai電腦沒有硬盤，而是依靠閃存芯片存儲資料。它的屏幕是一個液晶顯示器，而不是耗電的玻璃純屏顯示器---這打破了使用過時廉價組件（比如，處理器不是奔騰系列，而只是486類型）的原則。桑先生估計如果大量生產(chǎn)的話，每臺Jhai電腦的成本大概是400美元左右。此外，由于設計簡單，Jhai電腦還可以用借助自行車曲柄充電的汽車電池來提供電源---這樣就不必連接電網(wǎng)了。
 
無線網(wǎng)卡將每一臺Jhai的電腦和一個山頂?shù)奶�陽能中轉(zhuǎn)站連接在一起，通過這個中轉(zhuǎn)站，信號被傳送到鎮(zhèn)上的一臺連接老撾電話系統(tǒng)（用于本地電話）和互聯(lián)網(wǎng)的電腦。與此同時，基于Linux系統(tǒng)的電腦運行軟件也正處于用老撾語“本地化”的最后階段，從事這一項工作的是一群移居美國的老撾人。
 
村民們用這個新網(wǎng)絡可做的一件事情就是決定要不要走向市場。Phon Hong是當?shù)氐募��?zhèn)，距離村子有30公里，因此到集鎮(zhèn)上去賣大米之前了解一下米價還是有用的。如果能和更遠的地方相連，那么人們就可以更加理智地對待為國外市場種植莊稼的決定---而且這種聯(lián)通還有助于在銷售的時候討價還價。此外，人們還可以享受到使用網(wǎng)絡電話和在首都萬象甚至國外的親人通話的快樂。
 
如果這種電腦能用的話，Jhai電腦及其相關(guān)網(wǎng)絡將取得巨大的成功。目前，秘魯，智利和南非的一些團體已經(jīng)向基金會表示了他們的興趣。今年12月，第一臺這種電腦即將在老撾投入使用，它和與之類似的電腦將很快把其它地方的數(shù)字鴻溝也填平。

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