阅读理解
In the last ten years, the Internet has opened up incredible amounts of information to ordinary citizens. But using the Internet can be like walking into a library where the books are all lying on the floor in piles. While tools like Google allow some structured search, much of the data from such searches is outdated or of questionable value. Some web enthusiasts have taken up the task of organizing information through a democratic means that only the Internet allows: an encyclopedia of the people, by the people, and completely free to copy and distribute.
This people''s encyclopedia'' of the Web ( a free site called Wikipedia) has provided a unique solution by inviting individuals to participate in the process of rationalizing and updating web content. At the heart of this movement are wikis, web sites that allow users to directly edit any web page with one click of the mouse.
Wikipedia (the largest example of these collaborative efforts) is a functioning, user-contributed online encyclopedia that has become a popular and highly regarded reference in just three years of existence. The goal of Wikipedia was to create an encyclopedia that could be shared and copied freely while encouraging people to change and improve the content. Each and every article has an " Edit this page" button, allowing anyone, even anonymous passersby, to add or delete any content on the page. It seems like a recipe for disaster and chaos, but it has produced surprisingly credible content that has been evaluated and revised by the thousands of international visitors to the site.
The Wikipedia project was started by Jimmy Wales, head of Internet startup bomis. com, after his original project for a volunteer, but strictly controlled, free encyclopedia ran out of money and resources after two years. Editors with PhD degrees were at the helm of the project then, but it produced only a few hundred articles. Not wanting the content to languish, Wales placed the pages on a wiki website in January 2001 and invited any Internet visitors to edit or add to the collection.
The site became a runaway success in the first year and gained a loyal following, generating over 20,000 articles and spawning over a dozen language translations. After two years, it had 100, 000 articles. Over 2,000 new articles are added each day across all the various languages. And according to website rankings at alexa. com, it has become more popular than traditional online encyclopedias such as britannica. com and is one of the top 200 most heavily visited websites on the internet.
单选题
The author called Wikipedia people''s encyclopedia because it________
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】本题是一个推断题，要求考生判断文中用语的含义。解答这种推断题要对段落乃至全文的相关细节阅读比较仔细。 A．能让所有路过的人都进入。错误，虽然可以从文中退出这一暗含假设，但是，这并不是作者把它称作“大众百科全书”的真正原因。 B．能够被所有人编辑。正确。注意后面紧跟着的谓语部分“has provided a unique solution by inviting individuals to participate in the process of rationalizing and updating web content． At the heart of this movement are wikis，web sites that allow users to directly edit any web page with one click of the mouse”做出了说明。 C．由普通人运作。错误。理由同A。 D．设计得适合大众口味。错误，文中没有提及。
单选题
The word " languish " in paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to ________
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】本题是一个词义理解题，给出一个超纲或者多义的词，要求考生理解该词在上下文中的意思和作用。解答这种推断题要求考生能够联系上下文语境，分析具体句子：“Not wanting the content to languish，Wales placed the pages on a wiki website in January 2001 and invited any Internet visitors to edit or add to the collection”为了不让内容( )，Wales在网站上设计了一个网页邀请所有的英特网访问者来编辑或添加那里的收藏”。 A．放弃。错误，代人后发现主语明显不合适。 B．流产。正确，languish有萎缩之意，在这里指“停止”，abort可以引申为此意。 C．减少。错误，文中原句没有涉及数量的概念。 D．沉没。错误，把这个意思代入原句后比较牵强。
单选题
Which can be inferred form the passage about Wikipedia?