5．What are you going to do today？Perhaps you'll email your friends，watch a DVD or listen to your MP3 player．It's likely that sometime soon you're going to surf the Net．Today，we take new technology for granted （視…為當然），so you may be surprised to learn that 50% of the people in the world have still never even used a telephone!
There is a huge gap between those who have access （訪問） to new technology and those who don't．It is called the‘Digital Divide'．The truth is that fewer than 17% of the people in the world can actually use the Internet．
To go online，you need a computer，the right software，a phone line，a modem and a subscription （訂閱費） to an Internet service provider．These aren't cheap and a lot of people，especially in poor countries，just can't afford them．
Then，there's the language barrier．Four-fifths of all websites are in English and many people around the world cannot even read or write in their own language，let alone （更談不上） a foreign language．If people can't read，it will be hard to teach them how to use a computer．
The technology gap also exists simply because many people do not understand how technology can help them．They have an old-fashioned way of thinking and cannot imagine the difference that technology will make to their lives．
Education is the key．Governments，IT industries and educational institutions （機構(gòu)） should work together to educate people and train them，and at the same time introduce local languages into computer usage．When we bridge the digital divide，then everyone will have equal opportunities and the power that technology brings．
Facts
●Only 3.6% of nearly a billion people in Africa have Internet access．
●0.1% of these have broadband．
●Almost 70% of the people in North America have Internet access．
●Only 10% of the people in Asia have Internet access．
●Africa，parts of Asia，South America and the Middle East are the least connected．
56．What is NOT the cause of the"digital divide"？D
A．Being poor．B．Language barrier．
C．Old-fashioned way of thinking．D．Local languages．
57．Which of the following is the closest in meaning to the underlined word"barrier"？A
A．difficulty B．change C．mistake D．development
58．What is the most important way to bridge the"digital divide"？B
A．Giving money to the poor． B．Education．
C．Language teaching． D．Technology support．
59．Why does the writer give us the"Facts"at the end of the passage？A
A．To support the topic of the passage．
B．To show the gap between America，Africa and Asia．
C．To introduce information technology to readers．
D．To show that few people in Africa have Internet access．
60．What's the best title of the passage？C．
A．New Technology B．Information Gap
C．Digital Divide D．Internet Service．
