Telephone, television, radio, telegraph and the Internet all help people communicate with each other. As a result, ideas and news of events spread quickly all over the world. For example, within seconds, people can know the results of an election in another country. An international football match comes into the homes of everyone with a television set. News of a disaster such as an earthquake or a flood can bring help from distant countries within hours. Help is on the way. Because of modern technology like the satellites that travel around the world, information travels fast.
How has this speed of communication changed the world? To many people, the world has become smaller. Of course this does not mean that the world is actually physically smaller. It means that the world seems smaller. Two hundred years ago, communication between the continents took a long time. All news was carried on ships that took weeks or even months to cross the ocean. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, it took six weeks for news from Europe to reach America. This time difference influenced people’s actions. For example, one battle, or fight, in the War of 1812 between England and the United States could have been avoided. A peace agreement had already been signed. Peace was made in England, but the news of peace took six weeks to reach America. During these six weeks, the large and serious Battle of New Orleans was fought. Many people lost their lives after a peace treaty had been signed. They would not have died if news had come in time. In the past, communication took much more time than it does now.
There was a good reason why the world seemed so much larger than it does today.
小題1:According to this passage, ________ is very important to people in a disaster area.
A．transportationB．modern technologyC．latest newsD．a new idea
小題2:From the passage we learn that ________.
A．the world now seems smaller because of faster communication
B．the world is actually smaller today
C．the world is changing its size
D．the distance between England and America has changed since the War of 1812
小題3:Two hundred years ago, news between the continents was carried _____.
A．by telephone and telegraphB．by landC．by airD．by sea
小題4:The New Orleans Battle could have been avoided if the peace agreement had been signed ______.
A．by important peopleB．in 1812C．in AmericaD．in England
