2015年自考学位英语考试阅读理解经典例题6

For more than eight years Achim and I have lived aboard our sail boat Pangaea. Because we are linked to the wider world by a radio modem, our location has become irrelevant when it comes to keeping in touch, making us part of a new breed of world travelers: tech-nomads（技术流浪人）.

Some traditional sailors avoid the use of communications technology on board.“If you're going to be so tied to civilization,”they ask,“why leave it at all?”But I'm not a hermit（隐士）. Connectivity has yet to make a romantic South Seas sunset less special to us.

Going wireless was an evolutionary process. In 1993, before our first Atlantic crossing, high tech meant rowing to land with our laptop computer and finding Europe's southernmost telephone booth（电话亭）in the Canary Islands to send a fax. Locals on the island of Hierro stuck their noses into the telephone booth, wideeyed, watching us perform our electronic magic. By 1998 we could remain at our chart table while sending and receiving e-mail. That same year, we took the link a step further and created the first radio-updated Website, Pangaea.

When I transmit our daily location update via e-mail to our friends and family members, I imagine them sinking pins in wall maps all over the world. If they stopped hearing from us, they would forward our last position to search-and-rescue authorities. During our first“wired”voyage, Pangaea had some engine trouble, and we had to make a choice between Haiti, Cuba and Jamaica for an emergency repair. Readers, who were“virtually”on board with us, offered advice regarding repair facilities.

The Internet serves as an emotional lifeline when we are far away from land. The connection we feel with family, friends and other Web-site readers helps keep up our spirits and makes the adventure more manageable. We look forward to the day when we can share more of the far reaches of this wonderful planet with anyone who cares to sail with us virtually.

1.We can infer from the second paragraph that some traditional sailors _________.

A. lack communications technology to keep in touch with the outside world

B. avoid the use of communications tools in order to get away from civilization

C. think they will get lost because they don't have communications technology on board

D. feel it less romantic if they use communications technology on board

Best Answer:B

详解：B)。推理题。根据文章第二段可知，一些传统意义上的水手避免使用现代的交流技术，进而作者又指出，既然与现代文明息息相关(you are tied to civilization)，为什么要弃之呢?若是弃之不用，那也就表明想要远离文明。由此可推出选项B)应为正确答案。事实上，从上下文看，这儿说的“communications technology”指的是“网络技术”。所谓“传统意义上的水手”，用以代指“那些不使用网络技术的人”。第一段中作者提及的“lived aboard our sail boat Pangaea”并非真正意义上的航行，而是借助于一只radio modem(上网用的调制解调器)，在网络这个虚拟的世界里，尽情地遨游于世界各地。全文在一开始就营造了一个虚拟的网上遨游的氛围。正确理解这一部分对下文的理解至关重要。

2.What does the author mean by saying“Connectivity has yet to make a romantic South Seas sunset less special to us” (Line 3, Para 2)?

A. Being linked to the outside world does not make our adventure less romantic.

B. Being linked to the outside world, we feel less romantic watching the sunset on the South Seas.

C. Being connected with the outside world helps to make our journey more romantic.

D. Connectivity saves us the trouble of going to the South Seas to enjoy a romantic sunset.

Best Answer:A

详解：A)。推理判断题。首先要正确理解题目中的“connectivity”一词的上下文意思。在这儿指的是“网上冲浪，上网”。原句表面意思是：“通过上网游历，浪漫的南海落日对我们不再显得那么特殊”。言下之意是，网上观赏南海的落日如同身临其境，一样的亲切，一样的浪漫。据此可推知选项A)应为正确答案。

3.How does the author now keep in touch with friends when at sea?

A. By making telephone calls from time to time.

B. By sending and receiving e-mail on board their boat.

C. By sending faxes with their laptop computer.

D. By creating a radio-updated Website on the Internet.

Best Answer:D

详解：D)。细节题。根据文章第三段的最后一句“That same year, we took the link a step further and created the first radioupdated Website, Pangaea.”，不难判断出选项D)应为正确答案。

4.What did the author and her husband do when Pangaea had some engine trouble?

A. They went to Haiti, Cuba and Jamaica for emergency repairs.

B. They sought advice from their friends and relatives at home.

C. They read advice offered on the Internet about repair facilities.

D. They appealed to search—and-rescue authorities for help.

Best Answer:C

详解：C)。细节题。根据文章第四段最后部分可知，当他们的网络引擎出现故障时，通过互联网求助，readers通过虚拟的网络(virtually)发送advice,提出修理建议的。文中提及的海地、古巴或牙买加等地均是虚拟的网上地点，并非真的去这些地点。由此可知选项C)应为正确答案。

5.We can infer from the passage that _________.

A. the Internet makes it more romantic to travel to the far reaches of the earth

B. the Internet makes it unnecessary for family and friends to gather together

C. easy access to the Internet will get more people interested in sea voyages

D. we can virtually share in sea voyagers’experiences in the far corners of the world

Best Answer:D

详解：D)。推理题。根据文章的最后一段可知不论我们身在何方，网络是一个连接情感的纽带。意思是：通过网络我们可以随时传递情感进行交流。并且作者在文章最后还表达了愿与任何人分享这一遨游网络的感受。由此可推出选项D)应为正确答案。