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 (导航) 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】

试题分析：本文叙述了全球定位系统是许多国家日常驾驶的一部分，这些星载系统为人们到达想去的地方提供方向。然而它也有缺点，也会造成麻烦。通过举例最后说明要更好地使用GPS需要司机，乘客和GPS系统的共同协作。

1.标题归纳题。根据“But they can also cause a lot of problems, sending you to the wrong place or leave you completely lost.”及后面对于全球定位系统经常出现的问题的讲述，总结出选A。

2.词义猜测题。根据“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.”可知驾驶人输错了地址，而GPS没有纠正这个错误，所以又把他们带回了原地。故选B。

3.细节理解题。根据““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的缺点包括屏幕小，过时的地图和指令发出时间的不准确。不此题选D。

4.细节理解题。根据第六段“Barry Brown says this goes against a common belief that GPS systems are for passive drivers who lack navigational (导航) skills.”可知人们普遍认为GPS适合没有方向感的驾驶者。故选C。

考点：科普类短文阅读。