8．One evening in February 2007，a student named Paula Ceely brought her car to a stop on a remote road 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 was parked across a railway line．Seconds 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 he GPS （導航儀）．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．
Who is to blame here？Rick Stevenson，who tells Ceely's story in his book When Machines Fail Us，points the 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 keyboards．
The problem with his argument in the book is that it's not clear why he only focuses on 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 singalling system．Or maybe someone has studied the relative dangers and worked out that there really is something specific wrong with the GPS equipment．But Stevenson doesn't say．
It's a problem that runs through the book．In a section on cars，Stevenson gives an account 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 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 amusing and complex．It is shaped by economics and psychology and the cultures we live in．Somewhere in the mix of those forces there may be a way for 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．
41．What did Paula Ceely think was the cause of her accident？D
A．She was not familiar with the road．
B．It was dark and raining heavily then．
C．The railway workers failed to give the signal．
D．Her GPS device didn't tell her about the crossing．
42．The phrase"near miss"（Paragraph 2）can best be replaced byC．
A．close hit B．heavy loss C．narrow escape D．big mistake
43．Which of the following would Rick Stevenson most probably agree with？B
A．Modern technology is what we can't live without．
B．Digital technology often falls short of our expectation．
C．Digital devices are more reliable than they used to be．
D．GPS error is not the only cause for Ceely's accident．
44．In the writer's opinion，Stevenson's argument isA．
A．one-sided B．reasonable C．puzzling D．well-based
45．What is the real concern of the writer of this article？B
A．The major causes of traffic accidents and car thefts．
B．The relationship between human and technology．
C．The shortcomings of digital devices we use．
D．The human unawareness of technical problems．
分析 文章講述了一個因為導航儀出錯誤而引起的事故，告訴大家現代化的儀器也會出問題．隨著時代的發展，科技越來越先進，人類也越來越依賴科技，但有時候科技也會給人們帶來麻煩和誤導．人類對于很多技術并不是完全了解，需要加強學習．
解答 41．答案：D．細節理解題．根據文章第二段第一句"…because she blamed it on her GPS device"可知，她認為是GPS導航儀的緣故，故選D．
42．答案：C．詞義猜測題．根據文章第一段中最后一句"Seconds later，she watched the train drag her car almost a kilometre down the railway tracks．"火車拖著她的車差點進入鐵軌了．可知，她屬于九死一生，near miss與C項narrow escape表示"九死一生，死里逃生"意思相同，故選C．
43．答案：B．推理判斷題．根據第三段和第四段，特別是第三段第二句"We put our faith in digital device，he says，but our digital helpers are too often not up to the job．"可知，Richard Stevenson認為我們把信仰關注在數碼設備上，但是往往，他們卻不合我們的心意，所以數碼技術常常沒有達到我們的期望．詞眼"expectation"和"faith"相關，故選B．
44．答案：A．推理判斷題．由文章第四段第一句"The problem with his argument in the book is that it's not…"可推知，Richard Stevenson 的觀點是片面的，故應選A．
45．答案：B．主旨大意題．由全文倒數第二段第一句"The game between humans and their smart devices is amusing and complex"和最后一段第一句"If there is such a way，it should involve more than…"可知，作者認為人類與高科技設備之間的關系很復雜，意在告訴我們作者真正的態度是關注科技與人類的關系，故選B．
點評 本題型考查了對文章段落或某一板塊的理解概括能力．先閱讀問題，然后帶著問題，再讀全文，找出答題所需要的依據，完成閱讀．在詞義與句義理解的基礎上，結合上下文總結歸納某一段或幾段的大意，對于把握文章主旨，分析全文結構都是至關重要的．
