If you live in a city, then it's easy to take internet connectivity for granted, but in more rural areas，it is a different story. Connectivity is uneven. As of 2018, the last time figures were published, seven per cent of rural households could not access broadband faster than lOmbps，despite the average speed in cities being 52mbps. Around the wcrld, there are still huge areas of territory, from deserts to oceans, that the internet is still yet to reach.
But the urban/rural divide could be set to disappear over the next few years thanks to rocket company Spacex and an astonishingly ambitious project called Starlink. The aim is to use thousands of satellites in orbit above our heads to deliver broadband-comparable internet speeds to literally everywhere on Earth, with no need for expensive wires, transmitters or other infrastructure on the ground. Claims have been made that it could reach speeds of up to lGbps, which is 20 times faster than what most British homes receive today.
Spacex will need to launch thousands of satellites to fully complete the network over the Earth. At present, there are only around 2,000 or so other satellites in Lower Earth Orbit in total. So if Starlink's ambitions are realised, it could double or triple the number of satellites in orbit. So far, just over 700 have been successfully launched by the company and the first internet connections using the system are already being tested.
It is likely that over the next few years, Starlink could begin to offer ground-station satellite receivers that will connect to' the satellites and then, in turn. you could connect your computer or phone to that However, not everyone loves Starlink. There is one drawback to having so many satellites in orbit around the Earth : they risk making life a lot more difficult for astronomers
Ultimately though, for all of the protestations, it is surely unavoidable that Starlink, will become an essential part of Earth's telecommunications backbone. The obvious usefulness of such a network 'would be just too exciting for governments, businesses ,and individuals to resist. The urban/rural digital divide will no longer exist.
【小题1】The word "uneven" in Para. 1 is closest in meaning to .| A．various | B．slow |
| C．accessible | D．unbalanced |
| A．To launch satellites in orbit over our head. |
| B．To use satellites to deliver internet connection to almost the whole world. |
| C．To reach speeds of up to 1Gbps. |
| D．To offer ground-station satellite receivers. |
| A．Skeptical. | B．Favorable. |
| C．Disapproving. | D．Ambiguous. |
| A．Spacex has launched l,400 satellites in orbit. |
| B．We can have phones directly connect to the satellites now |
| C．All people don't love Starlink. |
| D．Governments, businesses and individuals resist such a network. |
