2016年高考第二轮复习英语（广东版）专题升级训练卷十三阅读综合训练卷（五）(附答案)_高考复习指南

2016年高考第二轮复习英语（广东版）专题升级训练卷十三阅读综合训练卷（五）(附答案)

　　In the computer age，a broadband Internet connection is very popular now.Whether cable or mobile broadband，today's connections are many times faster than those in the early days.Videos play smoothly，complex websites load quickly，and files download much faster than ten years ago.And the files are much bigger，too.

　　But there's still a_catch:_You have to live near enough to a major city to get broadband Internet.If you don't，there's slow dialup access for you.And for those living really far out，there may be no Internet access at all.

　　Technology experts often talk about the “last mile” problem，which refers to the difficulty of bringing Internet access to remote areas.In cities and suburbs，it's relatively easy to provide access for everyone.It is much more difficult to deliver access to those living far from cities，especially in developing countries.Internet service providers，for their part，have been unwilling to provide access to sparsely（稀少地）populated areas.The handful of Internet users they would reach wouldn't cover the expense.

　　But every year，technological advancements allow of more and more Internet users.Most broadband connections today run over existing cable TV and telephone lines although these technologies aren't available everywhere.

　　Some companies have delivered the Internet over standard power lines.Advancements in cheaper，more efficient fiber optics cables（光纤电缆）promise to bring extremely fast Internet connections to more users.Still，the “last mile” problem remains hard to deal with.There will always be somewhere that doesn't have an affordable broadband connection.But someday that might not matter.If the rapid progress in cell phone technology is any indication，it may not be too long before an Internet connection simply follows you wherever you go.