Telecommunications is just one of the means by which people communicate and, as such, we need to look at telecommunications and any other communications technologies within the wider context of human communication activity. Early findings show that many people are uneasy and even fearful of information technology by avoiding it or by using it in minimal ways.
To obtain this type of data we have spent time with individuals, watching how they communicate where they get confused, what they dont understand and the many mistakes they make. You can do this type of research yourself in an informal way. Just watch someone at the desk next to you trying to use a phone or trying to fill in a form. What you will quickly notice about people on the phone is that they use very few of the buttons available on the keypad, and they get quite anxious if they have to use any buttons outside their normal ones. Most will not use the instruction book, and those that do will not necessarily have a rewarding experience. Watch someone fill out a form--a good meaty one such as an application form or a tax form--and you will see a similar pattern of distressed behavior.
The simple fact we can all observe from how people use these ordinary instruments of everyday communication is how messy, uncertain and confusing the experience can be. Now multiply these individual close encounters of the communicative kind to take account of the full range you may experience in a single day, from getting up in the morning until you go to bed at night and the world takes on a slightly different appearance.
Even watching television which for many provides an antidote to the daily confusion is itself fraught with a kind of low level confusion. For example, if you ring people up five minutes after the evening news has finished and ask them what the news was about, many cannot remember, and those who do remember get some of it wrong.
One of the reasons why this obvious confusion gone unnoticed is because communication is a word we associate with success, and therefore we expect the process to work effectively most of the time. To suggest otherwise is to challenge one of our societys most deeply held beliefs.
57. How do scientists know many people are uneasy about information technology?
A) By asking people to answer questions orally.
B) By asking people to fill in various question forms.
C) By making people use instruments of everyday communication.
D) By watching people using information technology.
58. Which of the following about reading the instruction book is TRUE?
A) Those who read it benefit a great deal.
B) Generally, it is poorly written.
C) Generally, it is too long to read.
D) Most people do not refer themselves to it.
59. The writer includes the example of watching TV in Paragraph 4 for the purpose of ______.
A) illustrating that watching TV itself is a source of low-level confusion
B) recommending that watching TV is an antidote to removing confusion
C) indicating that TV viewers cannot remember all its programs
D) supporting the view that all people poor and rich, enjoy watching TV
60. What does the last paragraph want to indicate?
A) The kinds of confusion gone unnoticed.
B) What makes some confusion go unnoticed.
C) The contents of confusion gone unnoticed.
D) The people with some confusion gone unnoticed.
61. What conclusion about new technology can you obtain from this passage?
A) It takes time to get familiar with new technology.
B) New technology is developing rapidly.
C) Not everybody likes new technology.
D) People take a positive attitude toward new technology.
参考答案与解析：
57--61 DDABD
57.细节题。文章第二段提到To obtain this type of data we have spent time with individuals，watching how they communicate where they get confused，what they dont understand and the many mistakes they make.只要观察他们就可以获得数据。作者接着举例：Just watch someone at the desk next to you trying to use a phone or trying to fill in a form.可以观察他们如何使用电话，如何填写表格。因此，选项D通过观察人们如何使用信息技术了解人们对信息技术的态度是正确答案。
58.细节题。由第二段倒数第二句Most will not use the instruction book，and those that do will not necessarily have a rewarding experience.可知大多数人都不看说明书，那些看说明书的人电不一定能得到有益的帮助。因此正确答案为D项。
59.细节题。由第四段段首主题句Even watching television which for many provides an antidote to the daily confusion is itself fraught with a kind of low level confusion.可知哪怕是看电视被很多人看作是消除日常信息混乱的方法，其本身也充斥着一种程度较低的信息混乱。紧接着作者以看电视资讯为例，指出人们看电视也不能获得准确全面的信息。可见，此例是为了阐释段首主题句的。因此正确答案为A项。
60.细节推断题。最后一段作者指出这种明显的信息混乱没有引起人们注意的原因是人们总把communication和成功联系在一起。人们总是期待这个过程是成功的，否则就是挑战人们所深信不疑的信念。可见最后一段是在分析原因，正确答案为B项。
61.推断题。最后一段作者提到人们总是把新技术和成功相联系。人们期待这个过程成功，对此深信不疑。由此可见，尽管有混乱和迷惑，人们对新技术的态度是积极的、客观的。故正确答案为D项。