1、大学英语四级改革适用（阅读）模拟试卷 216及答案与解析 Section B 0 Are we ready for the library of the future? A) Librarians today will tell you their job is not so much to take care of books but to give people access to information in all forms. Since librarians, like so many people, believe that the entire universe of comm
2、erce, communication and information is moving to digital form, they are on a reform to give people access to the Internet to prevent them from becoming second-class citizens in an all-digital world. Something funny happened on the road to the digital library of the future, though. Far from becoming
3、keepers of the keys to the Grand Database of Universal Knowledge, todays librarians are increasingly finding themselves in an unexpected, overloaded role: They have become the general publics last-resort providers of tech support. B) It wasnt supposed to be this way. Todays libraries offer a variety
4、 of media and social-cultural events they are “blended libraries,“ to use a term created by Kathleen Imhoff, assistant director of the Broward County Library of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. At the newly remodeled San Francisco Public Library, the computers are prominently displayed in the center of the
5、 library building while the books are all but hidden on the periphery (外围 ). Imhoff s own library has word processing and other types of software for visitors to use, Internet access, audio CDs, videotapes, concerts, lectures, books and periodicals in three forms (print, microfiche and digital). Man
6、y libraries have found that this kind of “blending“ is hugely popular in their communities, and librarians explain the changes in their institutions roles by pointing to the public demand for these new services. But other trends are at work, too. C) For some time, libraries have been automating thei
7、r back-end, behind-the-desk functions for reasons of cost and convenience, just like any other business. Now, the computers have moved out from behind librarians desks and onto the floor where the visitors are. This means that, suddenly, library-goers will have to know how to use those computers. Th
8、is sounds reasonable enough until you take a close look Unfortunately, the same technology that cuts costs and relieves librarians of work behind the scenes increases it for the public and for the librarians at the front desk who have to help the public figure out how to use the technology. The unha
9、ppy result: People are simply not finding the information they seek D) If you are just coming to the library to read a book for pleasure and you know what a card catalog is and you have some basic computer skills, then you are going to be OK, But if you are trying to find some specific information s
10、ay, whether software in the classroom helps kids learn better or the causes of lung cancer or the basic procedure for doing a cost-benefit analysis of computer systems (three topics I have actually tried to look up in the San Francisco library) then youre in trouble. E) To begin with, library visito
11、rs must now be able to type, to use a mouse and a menu and to understand the various types of computer interfaces (terminal text, windows and browsers). Its also nice if you know 17 different ways to quit a program, which electronic databases you should look in for what kinds of information, the gra
12、mmar necessary to define your search and the Library of Congress controlled vocabulary. After I had been to the new San Francisco library three times, I started keeping a folder of instructions on how to do a keyword search, since I would forget between visits. F) Probably 50% of the population has
13、never used a computer, fewer know how to type and almost nobody knows anything about electronic databases or searching grammar. As a result, the public library is now engaged in a massive attempt to teach computer literacy to the entire country. Some librarians compare it to the adult literacy progr
14、ams the library also sponsors, but this is on a far larger scale and less closely tied to the librarys traditional mission. The response at each library system has been different. Some libraries actually give courses in word processing, accounting program and so on. But even at libraries where the s
15、taff has resisted becoming computer trainers, they are still forced to devote significant resources to the problem. G) Such has been the case in San Francisco, where people with disabilities can sign up to use the voice-recognition program Dragon Dictate but only if they can prove they already know
16、how to use the software. The librarians have neither the time nor the peculiar skill (nor the time to develop the skill) to teach it to them. At the reference desks, librarians try not to spend a lot of time teaching people the basics of how to use the computer, but sometimes its unavoidable. “We tr
17、y to get them started,“ says business librarian John Kenney. “We let them do as much as they can on their own and they come get us. Its certainly a big problem.“ H) The San Francisco library offers classes on its own electronic catalog, commercial periodical indexes and the Internet twice a week as
18、well as occasional lectures about the Internet. Although it seems odd to me that people now need to take a two-hour class before they can use the library, the classes are always full. But despite the excellent teachers, two hours is simply not enough to meet the needs of the students, many of whom h
19、ave never used a computer before in their lives and many of whom simply cant type. When I took the class one Tuesday, the man sitting next to me said he has used the librarys computer catalog many times, but he keeps making typing mistakes without knowing it. This unexpectedly throws him into the wr
20、ong screens and he doesnt know how to get back. On the floor, he repeatedly has to ask a librarian for help. I) “Providing technology does not mean people can use the technology,“ says Marc Webb, a San Francisco librarian and one of the teachers. “Half the voters are still trying to read English.“ T
21、he library has also had to deal with the practical difficulties of making its catalog accessible via the Internet, a new service many libraries are starting to offer. “Its absolutely overwhelming,“ Webb says. “Everyone is getting to us with multiple transports, theyre all using different software, t
22、hey have Winsock or Telnet set up differently, and suddenly the library is forced to become a hardware and software help desk. When youre trying to tell someone over the telephone how to set up Winsock through AOL when this is the first time theyve ever used a computer, its very difficult.“ 1 Comput
23、ers are more prominently displayed than books in San Francisco Public Library. 2 Libraries have been automating their back-end, behind-the-desk functions in consideration of cost and convenience. 3 Recently, many libraries are trying to provide the visitors with a new service: making their catalogs
24、accessible via the Internet. 4 As 50% of the population may have never used a computer, the public library now has been engaged in computer literacy programs. 5 In todays libraries, the librarians are playing an unexpected role as a provider of tech support for the public. 6 Library visitors have to
25、 know how to type and use a mouse if they want to seek information in the modern library. 7 If you have some basic knowledge of card catalogue and computer skills, you will be able to read a book for pleasure. 8 The San Francisco library regularly provides classes on computers skills and the Interne
26、t. 9 Blended libraries are hugely popular in communities at the present time. 10 Dragon Dictate is the software which is used to help the disabled in library use. 10 Here comes the e-book revolution A) At what temperature do electronic books catch fire? Were going to find out sometime this year. E-b
27、ook sales are about to ignite. On Monday, A is expected to unveil a new version of its Kindle reader. It will probably be a lot better and a little cheaper than the first version. But the real news already broke this week: A company spokesman announced that Amazon plans to offer Kindle books on Cell
28、 Phones. This news countered Googles announcement that the 1.5 million public domain books available on its Google Book Search offering will soon be available (free, of course) via a new Cell Phone application. B) I believe that Cell Phones will quickly outpace the dedicated e-book readers, includin
29、g the Kindle, as the platform of choice for e-book readers. Leading the pack? The iPhone, ironically. Its worth noting that A sold more Kindles (at least 500,000) in its first year of sales than Apple sold iPods in its first year (378,000). Apple may not understand the value of e-books, but iPhone u
30、sers will embrace them anyway. The reason is simple: The iPhone has a huge, high-quality screen. And its user base includes millions of people who love to do everything on their iPhones, including reading, which theyre already doing with online content. I (and others) have been predicting for some t
31、ime that Apple will ship a killer tablet at some point. This device, I believe, will have the iPhone user interface and a super high-quality screen. It will be ideal for reading e-books as well. C) Just because e-books are available on better (the new Kindle) and more (all Cell Phones) devices doesn
32、t mean people will read them. But mark my words, read them they will. Six trends will conspire (共同促成 ) over the next year to drive e-book reading to levels that will surprise just about everybody. D) The economy is in the tank, and people are looking to cut costs any way they can. An Amazon Kindle p
33、ays for itself after the purchase of 20 or 30 books, then starts paying dividends. You save big on books, magazines and newspapers. These savings will grow even more attractive as the recession deepens. E) Interest in protecting the environment just keeps growing and growing. The idea of getting a d
34、aily newspaper or a weekly or monthly magazine on paper seems incredibly wasteful to the point of decadence. Environmental consciousness will drive e-book acceptance. F) The book publishing industry is one of the most backward, musty, out-of-date businesses in our economy. While every other kind of
35、information moves at the speed of light, the process of publishing a book is like something from the Middle Ages. For authors, it can take months to even find a literary agent willing to represent their work. Then the agent takes months to find a publisher. Then it takes ages for the publishing comp
36、any to get the book out there. People are already circumventing (设法回避 ) all this by self-publishing. The self-publishing industry is the only area of paper-book publishing thats thriving right now. Soon enough, a huge number of authors are finally going to get fed up with the publishing industry and
37、 just self-publish electronically. Theyll hire their own freelance editors, and do the marketing themselves. The publication of a finished manuscript will take minutes, rather than months. G) Old-school thinkers in the publishing industry will lament (悲叹 ) the slap-dash nature of self-published e-bo
38、oks, and sniff that books are no longer published with the quality and care that they used to. (Never mind that book publishers abandoned high standards years ago in previous cost-cutting initiatives.) The world will pass them by as the book industry undergoes the same transition that happened with
39、the media and blogs. First, the media didnt understand blogs. Then they invalidated them. Then they accepted them. And now blogs are where the credibility is. Every columnist and reporter has a blog, and now major TV news programs are built around the opinions of blog-gers. A similar transformation
40、will take place about the credibility of self-published and electronic books. H) Like the move from silent pictures to “talkies,“ the transition to electronic publishing will prove fatal to laggards. Those aggressively pursuing and developing e-books will rise to take control of the publishing indus
41、try. Part of this revolution will happen in e-book marketing. The new generation of e-book publishers will leverage social media, contextual advertising and other innovations. For anyone who spends time online, specific e-book titles will increasingly be advertised and marketed and integrated into o
42、ther content. E-books, now mostly invisible, will soon be everywhere. I) The shift from print to electronic will change the nature of the book itself. Many books will be shorter. Theyll be more timely and culturally relevant. Theyll be more colorfully and engagingly written. And theyll go after youn
43、g readers like nothing before. As in Japan, this will spark a new cultural phenomenon of young people not just reading, but also writing novels and other book types on their mobile devices. The idea that “people dont read anymore,“ especially young people, will be revealed as false. Young people tod
44、ay read more, and write a lot more, than any generation in history. To date, theyve been unexcited about books, magazines and newspapers because they grew up with social networking and social media. Once books are electronic, relevant and social, too, theyll start reading and writing books like craz
45、y. J) And, finally, the newspaper industry is dying. The old method of physically delivering blog entries on dead tree pulp is out-of-date. Its very simple. Newspapers that embrace e-books will survive. Those that dont, wont. If youd like to get a stark view of the relative economics of electronic v
46、s. paper newspapers, check out a blog post on the Silicon Valley Insider. The blog did the math and determined that the New York Times could buy every single subscriber an Amazon Kindle e-book reader, and it would still cost them half as much as it will cost them to send paper newspapers for just on
47、e year. After decades of false starts, the e-book revolution is finally upon us. By this time next year, e-books will be totally mainstream. 11 Young people will be keen on reading and writing books when books are electronic, relevant and social. 12 In the self-publishing industry, the marketing of
48、a book is done by the author. 13 The credibility of blogs used to be not accepted by the media. 14 It is said that a newspaper will survive only when it incorporates with e-books. 15 The price of an Amazon Kindle is as much as an amount money of 20 or 30 books. 16 It was breaking news that Amazon an
49、nounced it planned to offer Kindle books on cell phones. 17 Given environmental protection, a newspaper published on paper becomes wasteful. 18 At present, the book publishing industry is in a backward state. 19 It is believed that Cell Phones will become the dominant e-book reader platform, outpacing the Kindle. 20 The publishing industry will soon be taken control by those who aggressively pursue and develop e-books. 20 Artificial Intelligence (AI) A) We often dont notice it, but artificial intelligence (AI) is all around
