The iPhone, the iPad, the iPod : each of Apple’s products sounds cool and has become a fad (时尚). Apple has cleverly taken advantage of the power of the letter “i” — and many other brands are following suit. The BBC’s iPlayer — which allows Web users to watch TV programs on the Internet — adopted the title in 2008. A lovely bear — popular in the US and UK — that plays music and video is called “iTeddy”. A slimmed-down version of London’s Independent newspaper came out last week under the name “i”.
In general, single-letter prefixes have been popular since the 1990s, when terms such as e-mail and e-commerce first came into use.
Most “i” products are aimed at young people and considering the major readers of Independent’s “i”, it is no surprise that they’ve selected this fashionable name.
But it’s hard to see what’s so special about the letter “i” . Why not use “a”, “b” or “c” instead? According to Tony Thorne, head of the Language Center at King’s College, London, “i” works because its meaning has become ambiguous. When Apple uses “i”, no one knows whether it means Internet, information, individual or interactive, Thorne told BBC Magazines. “Even when Apple created the iPad, it seems it didn’t have one clear definition ,” he says.
“However, thanks to Apple, the term is now associated with portability (轻便).” adds Thorne.
Clearly the letter “i” also agrees with the idea that the Western World is centered on the individual. Each person believes they have their own needs, and we love personalized products for this reason.
Along with “Google” and “Twitter”, readers of BBC Magazines voted “i” as one of the top 20 words that have come to define the last decade.
But as history shows, fads come and go. From the 1900s to 1990s, products with “2000” in their names became fashionable as the year was associated with all things advanced and modern. However, as we entered the new century, the trend inevitably（不可避免地）disappeared.
1.People use iPlayer to ____________.
A. listen to music B. make a call C. watch TV programs online D. read newspapers
2.We can infer that the Independent’s “ i ” is aimed at _____________.
A. young readers B. old readers C. fashionable women D. engineers
3. Nowadays, the “i” term often reminds people of the products that are ______________.
A. advanced B. portable C. recyclable D. environmentally friendly
4.The author of the passage would probably agree that _______________.
A. “i” products are often of high quality B. all “i” products have something to do with Internet
C. the popularity of “i” products may not last long D. iTeddy is a live bear
Trees are useful to man in three important ways: They provide him with wood and other products; they provide him shade;. and they help to prevent droughts（早灾）and floods.
Unfortunately, in many parts of the world, man has not realized that the third of these services is the most important．In his eagerness to make money from trees, he has cut them down in large numbers, only to find that without them he has lost the best friends he had. And besides, he is usually too careless to plant and look after new trees. So the forests slowly disappear.
This does not only mean that man will have fewer trees. The results are even more serious: for where there are trees, their roots break up soil allowing the rain to sink in and also bind（固定）the soil, thus preventing it from being washed away easily；but where there are no trees, the rain falls on hard ground and flows away, causing floods and carrying away the rich top-soil. When the top-soil is gone, nothing remains but worthless desert.
Two thousand years ago，a rich and powerful country cut down its trees to build warships, with which to gain itself an empire(帝国）．It set up the empire, but, without its trees, its soil became poor and grew weak. When the empire fell to pieces, the home country found itself faced by floods and starvation（饥荒）．
1.The most important service of trees to man is that___________．
A. they give them wood and other products B. they give them shade
C. they help him prevent droughts and floods D. they help him made money
2.In many parts of the world, forests slowly disappear because___________．
A. many trees have been cut down by man B. man has not paid enough attention to planting trees
C. new trees are not looked after properly D. all the above
3.Land becomes desert after all trees are cut down because____________．
A. roots of trees break up the soil B. there are too many rainfalls
C. there are no larger trees to keep rain and protect the top-soil D. strong winds bring a lot of sand
4.The country mentioned in the passage suffered from floods and starvation because________.
A. it set up an empire B. the empire fell to pieces
C. it built too many warships D. it lost its trees
5.Which title best fits the passage?
A. Trees and Man B. How Trees Prevent Droughts and Floods
C. How an Empire Fell D. A Story about Trees.
If you are looking for the place that has everything, there’s only one place to visit, and that’s New York. It’s a whole world in a city.
The World of Theatre: All of New York is a stage. And it begins with Broadway. Where else can you find so many hit(成功) shows in one place? Only in New York.
The World of Music: Spend an evening with Beethoven at Lincoln Centre. Swing to the great jazz of Greenwich Village. Or rock yourself silly at the hottest dance spots found anywhere.
The World of Art: From Rembrandt to Picasso. From Egyptian tombs to Indian teepees. Whatever kind of art you like, you’ll find in New York.
The World of Fine Dining: Whether it’s roast Beijing duck in Chinatown, or the finest French coq au vin found anywhere, there’s a world of great taste waiting for you in New York.
The World of Sights: What other city has a statue of Liberty(自由女神像), a Rocketfeller Centre or a Bronx Zoo? Where else can you take a horse-drawn carriage through Central Park, only in New York.
1.Which of the following programme can a visitor have only in New York?
A. To enjoy Beijing duck. B. To taste the finest French coq au vin.
C. To spend an evening with Beethoven. D. To see the statue of Liberty.
2. From the text we know that ‘Rembrandt’ is most likely the name of a famous _______.
A. singer B. painting C. play D. painter
3.What the writer really wanted to do is to _______.
A. try to persuade readers to pay a visit to New York
B. give readers some information about New York
C. supply readers some wonderful programmes in New York
D. help readers to get a better understanding of New York
There are two types of people in the world. Although they have equal degree of health and wealth and other comforts of life, one becomes happy and the other becomes unhappy. This arises from the different ways in which they consider things, persons, events and the resulting effects upon their minds.
People who are to be happy fix their attention on the convenience of things: the pleasant parts of conversation, the well prepared dishes, the goodness of the wine and the fine weather. They enjoy all the cheerful things．Those who are to be unhappy think and speak only of the opposite things. Therefore, they are continually dissatisfied. By their remarks, they sour the pleasure of society, offend（hurt） many people, and make themselves disagreeable everywhere. If this term of mind was founded in nature, such unhappy persons would be the more to be pitied. The intention of criticizing（批评）and being disliked is perhaps taken up by imitation（模仿）.It grows into a habit, unknown to its possessors. The habit may be strong, but it may be cured when those who have it realize its bad effects on their interests and tastes. I hope this little warning may be of service to them, and help them change this habit.
Although in fact it is chiefly an act of the imagination, it has serious results in life since it brings on deep sorrow and bad luck. Those people offend many others; nobody loves them, and no one treats them with more than the most common politeness and respect. This frequently puts them in bad temper and draws them into arguments. If they aim at getting some advantages in social position or fortune, nobody wishes them success. Nor will anyone start a step or speak a word to favor their hopes. If they bring on themselves public objections, no one will defend or excuse them, and many will join to criticize their wrongdoings. These should change this bad habit and be pleased with what is pleasing, without worrying needlessly about themselves and others. If they do not, it will be good for others to avoid any contact（接触）with them. Otherwise, it can be disagreeable and sometimes very inconvenient, especially when one becomes mixed up in their quarrels.
1.People who are unhappy _______．
A．always consider things differently from others
B．usually are affected by the results of certain things
C．usually misunderstand what others think or say
D．always discover the unpleasant side of certain things
2.We can conclude from the passage that _______．
A．we should pity all such unhappy people
B．such unhappy people are dangerous to social life
C．people can get rid of the habit of unhappiness
D．unhappy people can not understand happy persons
3. If such unhappy persons insist on keeping the habit, the author suggests that people should ____．
A．prevent any communication with them B．show no respect and politeness to them
C．persuade them to recognize the bad effects D．quarrel with them until they realize the mistakes
4. In this passage, the writer mainly _______．
A．describes two types of people
B．laughs at the unhappy people
C．suggests the unhappy people should get rid of the habits of unhappiness
D．tells people how to be happy in life
Once upon a time, there was a man who was so famous that everyone
in his country knew him.
One day, the famous man was sitting in a restaurant with his
sister. “It must be great to be famous.
Everyone tries to please you, and you can do whatever you want to,” said his sister. “It’s quite the opposite sometimes, in fact. Because I’m famous, I can’t do what I want to,” he denied. “But look, we’re sitting at the best table and eating the best food. We couldn’t sit here and eat this if you weren’t famous,” said his sister. “I’ll show you what I mean,” said he.
The next day, the famous man picked up his sister and took her to
another country. “I’m not at all famous here,” he said. “Let’s see how we get on.” Soon they found a restaurant, but it was very busy, so they had
to queue. “This wouldn’t have happened if you were famous,” said his sister, but the famous man just smiled.
When they finally got a table, it took the waiter years to bring
what they ordered. And the food supposed to be hot was cold, and the food
supposed to be cold was hot! Eventually, the famous man couldn’t stand any more and asked to see the manager. “This food is awful. We had to wait an hour for a seat, and the
service is also very poor. Look, even my spoon is dirty!”
Showing his horribly yellow teeth, the manager, smiling, said, “Well, that’s just bad luck for you.”
“Don’t you know who I am?” asked the famous man.
“I’ve no idea,” replied the manager.
So the famous man and his sister ran away, without paying.
1.What’s the attitude of the man’s sister toward famous people?
A. Indifferent. B. Envious. C. Curious. D.
Annoyed.
2.The famous man took his sister to another country to ________.
A. see how famous he was there B.
enjoy the delicious food there
C. enjoy the beautiful views there D. see
what would happen if no one knew him
3. In fact, the famous man thought that being famous ________.
A. was a thing worth taking pride in B. could bring him all
he needed
C. was not all great with everything D. would enable him to
travel abroad
4.The passage is written mainly ________.
A. to describe famous people’s life
B. to explain the importance of being famous
C. to show how to deal with problems in a restaurant
D. to show that famous people are watched more
Every person has some unforgettable experiences in his life .Some will remain in his heart as instructive stories to his life. I believe that we often tell ourselves the stories in order to keep our sanity(通情达理). These stories stay inside ourselves.
Many of the stories that I have kept inside myself are in the 36 of lessons that have taught me something about life. These lessons are 37 to carry with me. They require no outside 38 to store them in. No one can 39 me of them. They 40 their freshness without having to be renewed. And I can offer them to others without 41 them myself.
I remember there is a lesson which is about a little girl who was 42 from a serious disease. Her only chance of 43 was to have a blood transfusion(输血) 44 her five-year-old brother. The doctor asked the little boy 45 he would be willing to give his 46 to his sister. He took a 47 breath and said he would do it if it would save her life.
As the transfusion took place, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled as he watched the color 48 to her cheeks. Then his 49 disappeared. He looked up at the doctor and asked in a trembling 50 . “Will I start to 51 right away?”
Being so 52 , the lovely little boy had 53 the doctor. He thought he was going to die after he gave blood to his sister.
This was my lesson in “ 54 ”. I learned that a candle loses 55 by lighting another candle.
1.A. cost B. form C. use D. number
2.A. difficult B. interesting C. harmful D. easy
3.A. space B. computer C. container D. ground
4.A. remind B. rob C. warn D. inform
5.A. remain B. lead C. value D. develop
6.A. damaging B. destroying C. stealing D. losing
7. A. hearing B. dead C. suffering D. free
8.A. recovery B. worsening C. treat D. respond
9.A. toward B. of C. from D. to
10. A. which B. if C. when D. how
11.A. blood B. life C. time D. health
12.A. slow B. deep C. short D. quick
13. A. review B. replace C. reduce D. return
14.A. courage B. smile C. breath D. color
15.A. voice B. body C. condition D. state
16.A. die B. disappear C. hesitate D. leave
17.A. foolish B. ridiculous C. young D. handsome
18. A. misunderstood B. worried C. hated D. liked
19.A. asking B. receiving C. crying D. giving
20. A. anything B. nothing C. something D. everything
