Passage Two
Questions 51 to 55 are based on the following passage.
The car has reshaped our cities.It seems to offer autonomy for everyone.There is something almost delightful in the detachment from reality of advertisements showing mass-produced cars marketed as symbols of individuality and of freedom when most of their lives will be spent making short journeys on choked roads.
For all the fuss made about top speeds,cornering ability and acceleration,the most useful gadgets on a modern car are those which work when you're going very slowly:parking sensors, sound systems,and navigation apps which will show a way around upcoming traffic jams.This seems to be one of the few areas where the benefit of sharing personal information comes straight back to the sharer:because these apps know where almost all the users are,and how fast they are moving almost all the time,they can spot traffic congestion(堵塞)very quickly and suggest ways round it.
The problem comes when everyone is using a navigation app which tells them to avoid everyone else using the same gadget.Traffic jams often appear where no one has enough information to avoid them.When a lucky few have access to the knowledge,they will benefit greatly.But when everyone has perfect information,traffic jams simply spread onto the side roads that seem to offer a way round them.
This new congestion teaches us two things.The first is that the promises of technology will never be realised as fully as we hope;they will be limited by their unforeseen and unintended consequences.Siting in a more comfortable car in a different traffic jam is pleasant but hardly the liberation that once seemed to be promised.The second is that self-organisation will not get us where we want to go.The efforts of millions of drivers to get ahead do not miraculously produce a situation in which everyone does better than before,but one in which almost everyone does rather worse. central control and collective organisation can produce smoother and fairer outcomes,though even that much is never guaranteed.
Similar limits can be foreseen for the much greater advances promised by self-driving cars.Last week,one operated by the taxi company Uber struck and killed a woman pushing her bicycle across a wide road in Arizona.This was the first recorded death involving a car which was supposed to be fully autonomous.Experts have said that it suggests a “catastrophic failure”of technology.
Increasingly,even Silicon Valley has to acknowledge the costs of the intoxicating (令人陶醉的) hurry that characterises its culture.What traffic teaches us is that reckless and uncontrolled change is as likely to harm us as it is to benefit us,and that thoughtful regulation is necessary for a better future.
51.What does the author say about car advertisements?
A)They portray drivers who enjoy speed on the road.
B)They present a false picture of the autonomy cars provide.
C)They pursue individuality and originality in design concept.
D)They overestimate the potential market of autonomous cars.
52.What does the author imply about the various gadgets on cars?
A)They can help to alleviate traffic jams.
B)Most of them are as effective as advertised.
C)Only some can be put to use under current traffic conditions.
D)They are constantly upgraded to make driving easier and safer.
53.What does the author say about the use of navigation apps?
A)It is likely to create traffic jams in other places.
B)It helps a great deal in easing traffic congestion.
C)It sharply reduces the incidence of traffic accidents.
D)It benefits those who are learning to drive.
54.What does the author say about technology?
A)Its consequences are usually difficult to assess.
B)It seldom delivers all the benefits as promised.
C)It depends on the required knowledge for application.
D)Its benefits are guaranteed by collective wisdom.
55.What key message does the author try to convey in the passage?
A)The consequences of technological innovation need not be exaggerated.
B)There is always a price to pay to develop technology for a better world.
C)Technological innovation should be properly regulated.
D)The culture of Silicon Valley ought not to be emulated.
答案解析 ：
51. B由题干中的关键词"car advertisements"定位到首段，首段提到"There is something almost delightful in the detachment from reality of advertisements showing mass-produced cars marketed as symbols of individuality and of freedom..."，即汽车广告将批量生产的汽车宣传为个性和自由的象征，这与现实脱节，因此作者认为汽车广告呈现了汽车提供自主性的虚假画面，所以选B。
52. C 由题干中的关键词"gadgets on cars"定位到第二段，该段提到"the most useful gadgets on a modern car are those which work when you're going very slowly..."，即现代汽车上最有用的设备是在车速很慢时使用的设备，暗示在当前交通条件下，只有部分设备能派上用场，所以选C。
53. A 由题干中的关键词"navigation apps"定位到第三段，该段提到"But when everyone has perfect information, traffic jams simply spread onto the side roads that seem to offer a way round them."，即当每个人都使用导航应用时，交通堵塞会转移到看似可以绕行的支路上，说明导航应用可能会在其他地方造成交通堵塞，所以选A。
54. B由题干中的关键词"technology"定位到第四段，该段提到"The first is that the promises of technology will never be realised as fully as we hope; they will be limited by their unforeseen and unintended consequences."，即技术带来的好处永远不会像我们希望的那样完全实现，它们会受到不可预见和无意后果的限制，所以选B。
55. C 由题干中的关键词"key message"定位到末段，末段提到"What traffic teaches us is that reckless and uncontrolled change is as likely to harm us as it is to benefit us, and that thoughtful regulation is necessary for a better future."，即交通告诉我们，轻率而无控制的变化既可能带来好处也可能带来伤害，为了更好的未来，需要进行深思熟虑的监管，所以作者试图传达的关键信息是技术创新应该得到适当的监管，选C。
