Question

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, sending 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, it is a combination of the two.

         Barry Brown is with the Mobile Life Centre in Stockholm, Sweden. The center studies human-computer interaction, or HCI, especially communications involving wireless devices. We spoke to Mr. Brown by Skype. 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 plugged 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 had 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 is 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 many 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 formerly served as a professor with the University of California, San Diego. While there, he 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.”

         Barry Brown: “One of the things that struck us, perhaps the most important thing was that you have to know what you’re doing when you use a GPS. There are these new skills that people have developed. There are these new competencies that you need to have to be able to use a GPS because they sometimes go wrong.” Barry Brown says this goes against a common belief that GPS systems are for passive drivers who lack navigational (導航) skills.

         “The Normal, Natural Troubles of Driving with GPS” 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 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.

1.What is the best title for this passage?

A. Is GPS system reliable to use?                         B. What is the use of GPS?

C. How to make the most of GPS?                 D. Blame! GPS or Passengers?

2.What is the implication of the underlined part?

A. GPS is just a garbage device.

B. GPS will not correct human errors.

C. GPS adjusts your wrong destination.

D. GPS is just as smart as human beings.

3.Which is NOT mentioned as a GPS shortcoming in the passage?

A. Small screen.         B. Timing of commands.    

C. Outdated maps.     D. Dear cameras GPS uses.

4.According to the passage, people commonly believe that ___________.

A. you have to know where to go when using GPS

B. you need to have new competencies to use GPS well

C. GPS is proper for drivers with little sense of direction

D. GPS is fit for people having good understanding of maps

 

Answer 1

【答案】

 

1.A

2.B

3.D

4.C

【解析】

試題分析：本文敘述了全球定位系統(tǒng)是許多國家日常駕駛的一部分，這些星載系統(tǒng)為人們到達想去的地方提供方向。然而它也有缺點，也會造成麻煩。通過舉例最后說明要更好地使用GPS需要司機，乘客和GPS系統(tǒng)的共同協(xié)作。

1.標題歸納題。根據(jù)“But they can also cause a lot of problems, sending you to the wrong place or leave you completely lost.”及后面對于全球定位系統(tǒng)經(jīng)常出現(xiàn)的問題的講述，總結(jié)出選A。

2.詞義猜測題。根據(jù)“And, then it wasn’t until they were driving for thirty minutes that they realized they had put in a destination back on the West Coast where they lived. They actually put their home address in.”可知駕駛?cè)溯斿e了地址，而GPS沒有糾正這個錯誤，所以又把他們帶回了原地。故選B。

3.細節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)““One problem with many GPS units is they have a very small screen……”和“These include maps that are outdated, incorrect or difficult to understand. They also include timing issues related to when GPS commands are given.”可知GPS的缺點包括屏幕小，過時的地圖和指令發(fā)出時間的不準確。不此題選D。

4.細節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)第六段“Barry Brown says this goes against a common belief that GPS systems are for passive drivers who lack navigational (導航) skills.”可知人們普遍認為GPS適合沒有方向感的駕駛者。故選C。

考點：科普類短文閱讀。