"The creation of the PC is the best thing that ever happened," said Bill Gates at a conference on "digital dividends" in 2000. He even wondered if it might be possible to make computers for the poor in countries without an electric power grid. The answer is yes, and things are going even further. Villagers in a remote region of Laos that has neither electricity nor telephone connections are being wired up to the Internet.

　　Lee Thorn, the head of the Jhai Foundation, an American-Lao organisation, has been working for nearly five years in the Hin Heup district. The foundation has helped villagers build schools, install wells and organise a weaving co-operative. But those villagers told Mr Thorn that what they needed most was access to the Internet. To have any hope of meeting that need, in an environment which is both physically harsh and far removed from technical support, Mr Thorn realised that a robust computer was the first requirement.

　　He therefore turned to engineers working with the Jhai Foundation, who devised a machine that has no moving, and few delicate, parts. Instead of a hard disk, the Jhai PC relies on flash-memory chips to store its data. Its screen is a liquid-crystal display, rather than an energy-guzzling glass cathode-ray tube--an exception to the rule that the components used are old-fashioned, and therefore cheap. (No Pentiums, for example, just a 486-type processor.) Mr Thorn estimates that, built in quantity, each Jhai PC would cost around $400. Furthermore, because of its simplicity, a Jhai PC can be powered by a car battery charged with bicycle cranks--thus removing the need for a connection to the grid.

　　Wireless Internet cards connect each Jhai PC to a solar-powered hilltop relay station which then passes the signals on to a computer in town that is connected to both the Lao phone system (for local calls) and to the Internet. Meanwhile, the Linux-based software that will run the computers is in the final stages of being "localised" into Lao by a group of expatriates in America.

　　One thing that the new network will allow villagers to do is decide whether it is worth going to market. Phon Hong, the local market town, is 30km away, so it is worth knowing the price of rice before you set off to sell some there. Links farther afield may allow decisions about growing crops for foreign markets to be taken more sensibly--and help with bargaining when these are sold. And there is also the pleasure of using Internet telephony to talk to relatives who have gone to the capital, Vientiane, or even abroad.

　　If it works, the Jhai PC and its associated network could be a widespread success. So far, the foundation has had expressions of interest from groups working in Peru, Chile and South Africa. The prototype should be operational in Laos this December and it, or something very much like it, may soon be bridging the digital divide elsewhere as well.

1. The author begins his article with Bill Gate’s words to________.
　　[A] show the great prospect of the PC in improving people’s life
　　[B] catch people’s attention to the importance of the PC
　　[C] reveal a project that creates miracle
　　[D] prove the PC can do things even beyond imagination

2. From the second paragraph, we learn that_____________.
　　[A] villagers are isolated from the outside world
　　[B] Lee’s work is to improve the life of people living in the countryside
　　[C] the harsh environment keeps Lee from doing better job
　　[D] engineers have moved to far-away towns due to the poverty of the villages

3. Which of the following is NOT a feature of Jhai PC?
　　[A] delicateness
　　[B] practicality
　　[C] simplicity
　　[D] low cost

4. Which of the following statements is true according to the text?
　　[A] The Jhai PC has no expensive parts.
　　[B] The Jhai PC is powered by solar energy.
　　[C] The project has gained support from non-resident Laotians.
　　[D] The software that runs the Jhai PC is a local product.

5. We can draw a conclusion from the text that___________.
　　[A] Mr. Thorn’s project may produce a far-reaching influence
　　[B] the Jhai PC is revolutionizing the PC industry
　　[C] South Africa is as poor as Laos
　　[D] digital divide is something caused by pc and network

　　答案：ABACA

　　篇章剖析

　　本篇文章是一篇说明文，介绍了一个让老挝偏远地区的村民可以不借助电网而使用互联网的项目。第一段引用比尔·盖茨的话引出了个人电脑创造的另一个奇迹：在老挝的一个既不通电也不通电话的偏僻地区，村民们现在可以登陆互联网了。第二段介绍了这个项目的起因。第三段介绍了这个项目所使用的电脑的情况。第四段介绍了这种电脑如何得以无线上网。第五段介绍了这个新网络可能给村民带来得好处。最后一段对这一项目目前的发展状况及其影响进行了简单介绍。

　　词汇注释

　　dividend[5dIvIdend] n. 股息, 红利, 额外津贴

　　grid[^rId] n. 高压输电网

　　Laos[5lauz] n. 老挝（东南亚国家）

　　co-operative n. 合作社

　　robust[rE5bQst] adj. 坚固的, 耐用的

　　flash-memory n. 闪存

　　chip[tFip] n. 芯片

　　liquid-crystal display n. 液晶显示器

　　guzzle[5^Qzl] v. 大量消耗

　　cathode-ray tube n. 阴极射线管

　　processor[5prEusesE] n. 处理器

　　crank[krANk] n. 曲柄

　　localize[5lEJkElaIz] v. 使)局部化,(使)地方化

　　expatriate[eks5pAtrieit] n. 移居国外的人

　　far afield 远方, 远处

　　telephony[ti5lefEni] n. 电话

　　Vientiane[vjen5tjAn] n. 万象[老挝首都]

　　prototype[5prEutEtaip] n. 原型；模型

　　难句突破

　　1. Its screen is a liquid-crystal display, rather than an energy-guzzling glass cathode-ray tube--an exception to the rule that the components used are old-fashioned, and therefore cheap.

　　主体句式：Its screen is a liquid-crystal display

　　结构分析：“rather than”这个连词引导了一个比较状语，意为“胜于”，在两个进行比较时，否定其后者，肯定其前者，此外这一句中还含有一个带有同位语从句的插入语。

　　句子译文：它的屏幕是一个液晶显示器，而不是耗电的玻璃纯屏显示器---这打破了使用过时廉价组件的原则。

　　2. Wireless Internet cards connect each Jhai PC to a solar-powered hilltop relay station which then passes the signals on to a computer in town that is connected to both the Lao phone system (for local calls) and to the Internet.

　　主体句式：Wireless Internet cards connect each Jhai Pc to a relay station

　　结构分析：本句是一个复杂句，包含两个定语从句，一个由which引导的修饰relay station，另外一个由that引导修饰computer。

　　句子译文：无线网卡将每一台Jhai的电脑和一个山顶的太阳能中转站连接在一起，通过这个中转站，信号被传送到镇上的一台连接老挝电话系统（用于本地电话）