1997/02（追試）
The world is full at modern technological “conveniences” and everyone is expected to understand how to use them. Some people, however, are not so clever at dealing with them as they should be. I am one of these.
Our television set has a remote control. With it we can easily change channels or adjust the volume. This spares us the extra effort of walking across the roam, which may be a great help if we have already walked a mile or so for exercise that day. But even a remote control can be a problem for people like me.
One night the face of the quiz show host suddenly looked unhealthily pale. My wife said, it’s the TV set. Why don’t you fix it?” in response to my blank stare, she told me to open the little door on the remote control. Behind this were buttons for adjusting the color, the contrast, and so on. I tried various adjustments and almost lost the picture entirely. Then my wife, merely by pressing the buttons a couple of times, brought back the host’s health completely. It made me sick. I didn’t even know the little door was there.
When I first tried to use a cash machine in a bank, I had an unpleasant experience. I managed to position my card in the right place without too much trouble. Then I was instructed to punch in my secret number. I had chosen a number which was familiar to me so that I would always know what it was. Now, however, I couldn’t remember it or where I could find it. I just had to try and produce the right number from memory. I knew my chances of success were no better than being appointed head of NASA, but I tried anyway.
My first shot was 5352. The machine said I had made a mistake and should try again. So I tried 3255. The machine wasn’t any happier. Then I tried 2535. Still the machine was not satisfied, so I reached in to take out my card. Before I was able to, a razor-sharp door suddenly dropped and nearly cut off the fingers of my right hand. On the display panel I read: WE’LL CONTACT YOU LATER. “You came close enough to contacting me then,” I replied, loud enough for the customers behind me to appreciate my humor.
When I returned to the parking lot, I happened to notice that the license plate number on my car was 60A3552. So that was it. How forgetful of me, especially as I had been writing it down all the time when checking in at motels!
Last July I bought two smoke alarms. I put one of them in the kitchen close to the oven, and the other in the bedroom. The one in the bedroom, after doing nothing for several months, became bored one night and began to make a high-pitched sound every minute or two. rye slept through many disturbances, but after a couple of hours of this awful beeping noise I got up and cleverly, I thought, changed the noisy one for the quiet one in the kitchen. At exactly 3:10 a.m., this one too began to beep even louder, and I threw both of them outside with the trash. The next day I bought two new ones,
Two days later, a friend of mine remarked casually that one of his smoke alarms had begun to beep to let him know that its battery was weak. Upon hearing this. I dashed home, but the trash had already been collected.
- What was the problem when the author and his wife were watching TV one night?
① The author didn’t know how to use the remote control properly.
② The author’s wife thought that the author watched too many quiz programs on TV.
③ The quiz show host suddenly became ill during the broadcast.
④ They were unable to a4isl the TV picture correctly. - What happened when the author used a cash machine?
① He forgot his number and gave it correctly only at the third attempt.
② His bank card was returned to him damaged.
③ The machine didn’t work properly and injured him.
④ The machine kept his card because he gave the wrong number. - What did the author do after he left the bank?
① He contacted the motel where he was staying to check his number.
② He noticed he had forgotten his card and went hack to get it.
③ He spoke to some other customers about his amusing experience.
④ He went to his car and by chance found his secret number there. - What did the author think about his first two smoke alarms?
① He thought their batteries were not powerful enough.
② He thought their warning sound was not loud enough.
③ He thought they didn’t work well and should be replaced.
④ He thought they were suitable only for the kitchen. - How does the author probably feel about modern machines?
① He doesn’t mind them because his wife understands how to operate them.
② He has gradually got used to them and recognizes their advantages.
③ He is eager to have many modern conveniences in his house.
④ He is uneasy with them because they tend to make him appear foolish.
