Question

4．Do you ever wish for a little more time to do everything you need to do？Well，on July 1 you'll be getting it--but only one more second．
  On July 1 at exactly 7：59：59 a．m．Beijing time （or on June 30 at 23：59：59 UTC，Coordinated Universal Time），the world's atomic（原子的） clocks will pause for a single second，or，more precisely，change to the unusual time of 7：59：60，according to theverge．com．The addition of a leap second（闰秒），announced by the Paris Observatory，is to keep our clocks in time with the slowing of Earth's rotation（旋转） and astronomical time as measured by the sun．
   Just one extra second could cause big problems and affect the way computers and websites work，however．When the last leap second was added back in 2012，more than a few websites had some trouble．As reported by Phys．org，popular sites like the community website Reddit crashed when the leap second was added．
  For Reddit，the problem was eventually found to be with a Linux system that got confused when it checked the network time and found an extra second．
  Speaking to Wired about the problem back in 2012，Linux creator Linus Torvalds commented："Almost every time we have a leap second，we find something．It's really annoying，because it's code （代码）that is almost never used，and thus not tested by users under their normal conditions．"
  Companies have had to think of their own solutions，and Google's"leap smear"may be the best-known example．As company engineer Christopher Pascoe explains in a blog post，companies usually try to fix the problem by turning back the clocks by one second at the end of the day so that they play that second again．
  However，Pascoe believes this creates problems．He asked："What happens？Does e-mail that comes in during that second get stored correctly？"
  Google has a solution：Cut the extra second into milliseconds and then put these tiny amounts of time into the system throughout the day．"This means that when it became time to add an extra second at midnight，"says Pascoe．"Our clocks have already taken into account over the course of the day．"
  For many companies without Google's money，however，the leap second will likely still cause some crashes．Don't worry，though-at least it won't last long!

51．Why do we need to add a leap second？C
A．The world's atomic clocks are set to do so．
B．To keep in time with the world's computers．
C．To keep atomic clocks in time with the slowing of Earth's rotation．
D．To record the changes to astronomical time．
52．What happened to the website Reddit when the leap second was added in 2012？D
A．It crashed because of a virus attack．
B．Its network time added two extra seconds．
C．All of the code in its Linux system went wrong．
D．One of its software systems got confused and the site broke down．
53．What does the underlined word"something"refer to in the 5^th paragraph？A
A．The code not working properly．
B．The extra second．
C．The problem．
D．Normal conditions．
54．How do companies usually deal with the problem of the extra second？C
A．By shutting down computers at the end of the day．
B．By stopping receiving emails that come in during that second．
C．By turning the clocks back by one second at the end of the day．
D．By cutting the extra second into milliseconds throughout  the day．
55．What's Christopher Pascoe's attitude toward Google's solution to the problem？C
A．Unfavorable   
B．Doubtful  
C．Approving  
D．Cautious．

Answer 1

分析 文章讲述了闰秒是由于地球自转的变慢性引起的，为了和由太阳测量的天文时间一致而增加的一秒，它对电脑和网站工作的影响以及现有的一些解决方法．

解答 51．C  细节理解题．根据The addition of a leap second（闰秒），announced by the Paris Observatory，is to keep our clocks in the time with the slowing of Earth's rotation（旋转） and astronomical time as measured by the sun．可知闰秒是由于地球自转的变慢引起的，为了和由太阳测量的天文时间一致而增加的一秒．故选C．
52．D  细节理解题．根据第三段最后一句和the problem was eventually found to be with a Linux system that got confused when it checked the network time and found an extra second．可知闰秒发生时，网站崩溃，运行系统混乱．故选D．
53．A  推理判断题．根据we find something．It's really annoying，because it's code （代码）that is almost never used，and thus not tested by users under their normal conditions．可知something是指代后文的出现一些从没使用过和测试过的代码，即代码不正常地工作．故选A．
54．C  细节理解题．根据companies usually try to fix the problem by turning back the clocks by one second at the end of the day so that they play that second again．可知是在一天结束时将时钟往回调一秒．故选C．
55．C   推理判断题．根据．"This means that when it became time to add an extra second at midnight，"says Pascoe．"Our clocks have already taken into account over the course of the day．"午夜时分多一秒时，时钟已经在白天将这一秒考虑在内了，可知Pascoe认同这个方法．故选C．

点评 本文是新闻报道类阅读理解．做这类题材阅读理解时要求考生对文章通读一遍，做题时结合原文和题目有针对性的找出相关语句进行仔细分析，结合选项选出正确答案．推理判断题也是要在抓住关键句子的基础上合理的分析才能得出正确答案，切忌胡乱猜测，一定要做到有理有据．