Global Positioning Systems(全球定位系统)are now a part of everyday driving in many countries.These satellite­based systems provide turn­by­turn directions to help people get to where they want to go.However，they can also cause a lot of problems，send you to the wrong place or leave you completely lost.Many times，the driver is to blame.Sometimes a GPS error is responsible.Most often，says Barry Brown，it is a combination of the two.
　　Barry Brown is with the Mobile Life Centre in Stockholm，Sweden.He told us about an incident involving a friend who had flown to an airport in the eastern United States.There he borrowed a GPS­equipped car to use during his stay.Mr Brown says，“They just plugged in an address and then set off to their destination.And，then it wasn’t until they were driving for thirty minutes that they realized they actually put in a destination back on the West Coast where they lived.They actually put their home address in.So again，the GPS is kind of‘garbage in garbage out’.”
　　Mr Brown says this is a common human error，but what makes the problem worse has to do with some of the shortcomings，or failures，of GPS equipment.He says，“One problem with a lot of the GPS units is they have a very small screen and they just tell you the next turn.Because they just give you the next turn，sometimes that means that it is not really giving you the overview that you would need to know that it’s going to the wrong place.”
　　Mr Brown says，“One of the things that struck us，perhaps the most important thing was that you have to know what you’re doing when you use a GPS.There are these new skills that people have developed.There are these new competencies(资格)that you need to have to be able to use a GPS because they sometimes go wrong.This goes against a common belief that GPS systems are for passive drivers who lack navigational skills.”
　　Barry Brown says to make GPS systems better we need a better understanding of how drivers，passengers and GPS systems work together.
　　1、What’s the main idea of the text?
　　A.GPS systems are helpful for drivers.
　　B.Driving with GPS can be difficult to navigate(导航).
　　C.Drivers should understand how GPS systems work.
　　D.Drivers should learn to use GPS systems correctly.
　　参考答案：B。
　　参考解析：主旨大意题。根据文章第一段第三句“However，they can also cause a lot of problems，send you to the wrong place or leave you completely lost.”的开篇点题和对全文的整体理解可推知，答案B“开车用GPS导航系统有时候也很难导航”最能概括文章大意。
　　2、According to Barry Brow，in most cases，________are blame for the problems.
　　A.human errors
　　B.GPS errors
　　C.errors caused by both drivers and GPS
　　D.errors caused by putting in a wrong address
　　参考答案：C
　　参考解析：细节理解题。根据文章第一段最后一句“Most often，says Barry Brown，it is a combination of the two.”可知，答案C符合文意。
　　3、Which of the followings is one of the shortcomings of GPS equipment?
　　A.It just tells the driver to turn once at a time.
　　B.It gives the driver the overview.
　　C.Its screen is too small to be seen clearly.
　　D.It is only suitable for passive drivers.
　　参考答案：A
　　参考解析：细节理解题。根据文章第三段第二句“He says，‘One problem with a lot of the GPS units is they have a very small screen and they just tell you the next turn.’”可知，答案A符合文意。
　　4、It can be inferred from the second paragraph that________.
　　A.it’s impossible to drive from the east to the west in the US
　　B.Barry Brown’s friend went to Stockholm，Sweden by plane
　　C.given wrong instructions，the GPS will produce wrong results
　　D.GPS systems are for passive drivers who lack navigational skills
　　参考答案：C
　　参考解析：推理判断题。根据文章第二段最后两句“They actually puy their home address in.So again，the GPS is kind of‘garbage in garbage out’.”和对全段的整体理解可知，答案C“给错误的指令，导航系统就会产生错误的结果”符合文意。
　　5、The example of Barry Brown’s friend is used to show that________.
　　A.GPS is nothing but garbage
　　B.GPS is still not accurate enough
　　C.it is difficult for drivers to use GPS equipment
　　D.sometimes drivers are responsible for the problem
　　参考答案：D
　　参考解析：推理判断题。根据文章第二段倒数第二句“They actually put their home address in.”可知，这次走错方向是由于人的疏忽导致的，不是GPS系统的原因，故答案D正确。
　　参考译文：
　　全球定位系统现在已经成为许多国家日常驾驶的一部分。这些基于卫星的系统提供了一个循环往复的方向，帮助人们到达他们想去的地方。然而，它们也会造成很多问题，把你送到错误的地方，或者让你完全迷路。很多时候，司机是罪魁祸首。有时，一个全球定位系统会让你陷入困境。罗尔负责。巴里·布朗说，大多数情况下，这是两者的结合。
　　巴里·布朗在瑞典斯德哥尔摩的移动生活中心工作。他告诉我们一件事，那件事涉及一位朋友，他曾飞往美国东部的一个机场。在那里，他借了一辆装有GPS的车在逗留期间使用。布朗先生说：“他们刚接通一个地址，然后出发前往目的地。直到他们开了30分钟的车，意识到他们实际上把目的地放回了他们居住的西海岸。他们实际上把他们的家庭地址放进去了。所以，GPS又是一种“垃圾进垃圾出”。
　　布朗先生说，这是一个常见的人为错误，但使问题更严重的是GPS设备的一些缺点或故障。他说：“许多GPS设备的一个问题是它们的屏幕非常小，它们只告诉你下一个转弯。因为它们只给你下一个转弯，有时这意味着它是并没有给你一个你需要知道它会去错地方的概述。”
　　布朗先生说：“最让我们震惊的事情之一，也许是最重要的事情，就是当你使用GPS时，你必须知道你在做什么。人们已经培养了这些新的技能。你需要这些新的能力（资格），必须能够使用GPS，因为它们有时会出错。这与一个普通的n相信GPS系统适用于缺乏导航技能的被动驾驶员。”
　　巴里布朗说，为了使GPS系统更好，我们需要更好地了解驾驶员、乘客和GPS系统如何协同工作。