1995年Passage 3

　　In such a changing, complex society formerly simple solutions to informational needs become complicated. Many of life' s problems which were solved by asking family members, friends or colleagues are beyond the capability of the extended family to resolve. Where to turn for expert information and how to determine which expert advice to accept are questions facing many people today.

　　In addition to this, there is the growing mobility of people since World War Ⅱ. As families move away from their stable community, their friends of many years, their extended family relationships, the informal flow of information is cut off, and with it the confidence that information will be available when needed and will be trustworthy and reliable. The almost unconscious flow of information about the simplest aspects of living can be cut off. Thus, things once learned subconsciously through the casual communications of the extended family must be consciously learned.

　　Adding to societal changes today is an enormous stockpile of information. The individual now has more information available than any generation, and the task of finding that one piece of information relevant to his or her specific problem is complicated , time-consuming and sometimes even overwhelming .

　　Coupled with the growing quantity of information is the development of technologies which enable the storage and delivery of more information with greater speed to more locations than has ever been possible before. Computer technology makes it possible to store vast amounts of data in machine-readable files, and to program computers to locate specific information. Telecommunications developments enable the sending of messages via television, radio, and very shortly, electronic mail to bombard people with multitudes of messages. Satellites have extended the power of communications to report events at the instant of occurrence. Expertise can be shared world wide through teleconferencing, and problems in dispute can be settled without the participants leaving their homes and/or jobs to travel to a distant conference site. Technology has facilitated the sharing of information and the storage and delivery of information, thus making more information available to more people.

　　In this world of change and complexity, the need for information is of greatest importance. Those people who have accurate, reliable up-to-date information to solve the day-to-day problems, the critical problems of their business, social and family life, will survive and succeed. "Knowledge is power" may well be the truest saying and access to information may be the most critical requirement of all people.

59. The word "it" (line 3, para. 2) most probably refers to__.
[A] the lack of stable communities
[B] the breakdown of informal information channels
[C] the increased mobility of families
[D] the growing number of people moving from place to place

[答案] B

[解題思路]

　　本題中"it"這個詞所在的句子為原文第二段的第二句話"As families move away from their stable community, their friends of many years, their extended family relationships, the informal flow of information is cut off, and with it the confidence that information will be available when needed and will be trustworthy and reliable" 由于很多家庭搬出了原來那個穩定的社區，由此離開了多年的朋友、并脫離了家族的聯系，其非正式的信息交流就被中斷了，因此他們也需要時就可以獲得可靠信息的信心也隨之失去了），"with it"可見"it"指代的是之前所闡述的內容，即"the informal flow of information is cut off"，即"非正式的信息交流"，可見對應的正確答案為B選項。其他三個選項的相關內容也都有出現在第二段，但均不是"it"指代的內容。

[題目譯文]

"it"這個詞（第二段第三行）最有可能指的是           。
[A] 缺少穩定的團體
[B] 非正式信息渠道的崩潰
[C] 家庭流動性的提高
[D] 更多的人們從一個地方搬到另一個地方