单选题 In the last ten years, the Internet has opened up incredible amounts of information to ordinary citizens. But using the Internet can he 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 While tools like Google allow some structured search, much of the data from such searches is outdated or of questionable value.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 he 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. For many, it finally realizes the original concept of World Wide Web creator Tim Berners-Lee — an online environment where people not only browse content, but freely and actively exchange information.
The Wikipedia project was started by Jimmy Wales, head of Internet startup Bomis.com, after his original project for a volunteer, hut 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, and in April 2004, it exceeded 250,000 articles in English and 600,000 articles in 50 other languages. 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 600 most heavily visited websites on the internet.

单选题 The author called Wikipedia ‘people’s encyclopedia’ because
[A] it is accessible to all the passersby. [B] it can be edited by everyone.
[C] it is run by ordinary people. [D] it is built to the taste of common citizens.

单选题 What’s the goal of Wikipedia according to the passage?
[A] To create a people’s encyclopedia that is free to share and copy.
[B] To produce a credible and authoritative reference tool.
[C] To create an online environment where people freely exchange information.
[D] To create a volunteer, but strictly controlled, free encyclopedia.

单选题 The word “languish” (Line 4, Para. 4) is closest in meaning to
[A] wither. [B] abort. [C] lose vigor. [D] lose appeal.

单选题 According to the text, Jimmy Wales initiated Wikipedia project in order to
[A] create a people’s encyclopedia, [B] produce huge amounts of articles.
[C] make available resources useful again, [D] promote a wiki website.

单选题 Which of the following is true about Wikipedia?
[A] It has once run into trouble.
[B] There existed disaster and chaos in the beginning.
[C] Many articles of it are outdated or of questionable value.
[D] It has been a great success from the beginning.