The iPhone, the iPad: each of Apple’s products sounds cool and has become a fad (一度时髦的风尚). 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 the UK — that plays music and video is called “iTeddy”. A slimmed-down version of The Independent newspaper was launched 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 The Independent’s “i”, it’s 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, former 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 BBCMagazines. “Even when Apple created the iPod, 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 “blog”, readers of BBCMagazines voted “i” as one of the top 20 words that have come to define the last decade.
But as history shows, people grow tired of fads. 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 unavoidably 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 which are _________.
A．portable B．environmentally friendly
C．advanced D．recyclable
4.The writer suggests that _________.
A．“i” products are often of high quality
B．iTeddy is a living bear
C．the letter “b” replaces the letter “i” to name the products
D．the popularity of “i” products may not last long
In Canada and the United States, there is a new group of children called “satellite kids”, who live in one place but whose parents live in another place.
Asians are immigrating (移民) to Canada and the United States in larger numbers than ever before. Most Asians immigrate because they believe that they can give their children a better education in the West. In Asia, especially in China, Japan, and Korea, it is difficult to go to university. Students must first pass the strict national examination. However, in Canada and the United States, it is easy to go to university, and anyone who wants to go can go. As a result, Asian parents decide to leave their countries so that their children can go to university.
The problem is that when Asians arrive, they discover that finding a job and making money are more difficult in the West than in the East. Also, they find that they are very lonely, and that they miss their homes. For these two reasons, most Asian parents decide to go back to work while their children study in the West. Therefore, these children become “satellite kids”, and most of their parents do not know how sad it is to be a “satellite kid”.
Only until now are Canadians and Americans discovering the “satellite kid” problem. Because these children do not speak English and because their parents are not there to take care of them, they are often absent from school. To be a “satellite kid” means to grow up in a country where you know you are different and where you cannot make friends because you do not speak English well. Also, it means to grow up lonely, because your parents are elsewhere. What these “satellite kids” will probably say to their parents is that it’s better to have parents around than to have a university education.
1.Some Asian parents send their kids abroad because ________.
A．they hope their children may easily find a job there
B．the kids may not be accepted by universities in their own countries
C．all foreign universities are better than the ones in their own countries
D．the kids want to improve their English and make foreign friends
2.“Satellite kids” refer to Asian kids ________.
A．without parents B．living abroad alone
C．with university education D．speaking no English
3.Some Asian immigrant children become “satellite kids” because their parents ________.
A．want to leave their own country B．want them to go to university
C．return to their countries to work D．want them to be independent
4.What is the main idea of the passage?
A．Parents want better education for their kids.
B．Parents feel lonely and miss their families.
C．Canadians and Americans begin to notice the “satellite kids” problem.
D．Kids in foreign countries alone are badly in need of care from family.
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Animal training refers to teaching animals specific responses to specific conditions or stimuli (刺激). Training may be for the purpose of companionship, detection, protection, entertainment or all of the above. |
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An animal trainer may use various forms of reinforcement (强化) or punishment to condition an animal’s responses. Some animal trainers may have a knowledge of the principles of behavior analysis and operant conditioning (操作性条件反射), but there are many ways to train animals and as a general rule no legal requirements or certifications are required. |
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Training chickens has become a way for trainers of other animals (primarily dogs) to perfect their training technique. Bob Bailey, former director of Animal Behavior Enterprises and the IQ Zoo, teaches chicken training courses where trainers teach chickens to tell different shapes, to successfully pass through a way with obstacles (障碍) and to chain behaviors together. Chicken training is done using operant conditioning, using a clicker and chicken feed for reinforcement. |
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Fish can also be trained. For example, a goldfish may swim toward its owner and follow him as he walks through the room, but will not follow anyone else. The fish may swim up and down signaling the owner to turn on its aquarium light when it is off, and it will skim the surface until its owner feeds it. Pet goldfish have also been taught to perform more difficult tasks, such as doing the limbo (a kind of dance) and pushing a very small soccer ball into a net. |
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Among all animals, they are the third cleverest after monkeys and dolphins. Scientists think the training of pigs is easier than the training of dogs and cats. Pigs have a very good sense of smell. They can find things nearby or faraway. They can also help the police to find out drugs at an airport or at a train station. |
1.The aim of training animals is to _________.
A．detect objects for people B．keep people company
C．protect or entertain people D．all of the above
2.Which is True according to the passage?
A．Most people teach animals general responses to general conditions.
B．Training animals requires some certifications.
C．Training chickens is a way to improve the trainers’ skills.
D．Chickens can be trained to help the police to find out drugs.
3.According to the passage, a fish can _________.
A．be trained to follow anyone
B．turn on its aquarium light when it is off
C．signal its owner to feed it
D．take part in a football game in the field
4.Scientists think the training of pigs is easier because _________.
A．pigs do not bite like dogs
B．pigs are smart animals
C．pigs have a good sense of hearing
D．pigs can help find out drugs at an airport
New York, the city that never sleeps, fell silent last week—schools were closed; bus and subway services were stopped; flights were canceled, and even the stock market closed for the first time since 1985. All the disorder was caused by one thing, the arrival of hurricane Sandy.
This big storm landed on Oct 29 on the US east coast and brought damaging winds, flooding, blackouts (停电) and heavy snow.
Sandy is one of the largest storms that have ever hit the US, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. By the afternoon of Nov1 (Beijing time), about 140 deaths were caused by the storm as it traveled across the Caribbean islands and into the US.
Unlike most hurricanes that happen during summer, Sandy was strengthened not only by warm ocean water, but also by the cold air coming from the northwest. Sandy’s power grew because of the difference in masses between the warm and wet air and cool and dry air. It became a kind of “super-storm”, the Guardian reported.
The flooding was particularly severe. Scientists said it was because Sandy’s arrival happened together with a full moon, which normally means higher-than-usual tides (潮水).
“The most worrying aspect of Sandy is the high tides,” Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee told Reuters before the storm arrived. “With the full moon on Monday, with Sandy coming up the bay, we’re very concerned about flooding in our low-lying coastal areas.”
Apart from the power of Sandy itself, another reason why her arrival has caused so much damage is that its target area is crowded with big cities such as New York and Philadelphia. These urban areas are home to tens of millions of people. The flood, the snow and the blackout have brought the country’s financial and political centers to a stop.
“The size of this alone, affecting a heavily populated area, is history making.” Said Jeff Masters, a hurricane specialist.
1.The author mentioned the disorder in New York city at the beginning of the article to _______.
A．remind us of the problems people might face when disaster strikes
B．introduce the disastrous influence of hurricane Sandy
C．criticize the poor management of the city by the New York government
D．prove New York suffered most from hurricane Sandy
2.According to the text, hurricane Sandy _______.
A．only got its power from the warm ocean water
B．grew stronger than other hurricanes because of the full moon
C．led to flooding in many cities around the US
D．brought with it strong winds, high tides, blackouts and heavy snowfall
3.From the article, we learn that areas hurricane Sandy targeted _______.
A．were mostly high land
B．were mostly near the sea
C．were far away from important cities
D．were empty as people were evacuated (疏散)
4.What is the main point of the article?
A．To show how a super-storm comes into being.
B．To explain why hurricane Sandy was so destructive.
C．To show that big cities in the US are easily affected by huge hurricanes.
D．To explore the best ways to avoid loss when a hurricane hits.
Creating a Green Campus. You should write at least 120 words following the outline given below:
1. 建设绿色校园很重要；
2. 绿色校园不仅指绿色的环境，还包括校园师生保护环境的文化素养……；
3. 为了建设绿色校园，我们应该……
阅读下列各小题，根据括号内的汉语提示，用句末括号内的英语单词完成句子。
1.Don’t be too rude to your father. Never in his life _______________ in that way up to now. （speak）
不要对你的父亲那么粗鲁，到目前为止还没有人像那样对他说话。
2.When his mother came home from work, he was lying on the sofa, ____________. (absorb)
母亲下班回家的时候，他正躺在沙发上专心致志地看书。
3.________________ different languages and cultures does a lot of good to children. (expose)
接触不同的语言和文化对孩子们大有裨益
4.I think that it is I rather than my sister _______________ for what happened. (blame)
我认为出了事不能怪姐姐而应该怪我。
5.Although house construction _________________, you can find many diverse styles in each country. (vary)
每个国家的建筑结构都不尽相同,然而在每个国家你能发现各式各样的风格。
6.With ____________, the problem that they had worked on for a long time was eventually worked out. (adopt)
由于采取了新方法，他们钻研了很长时间的问题终于解决了。
7.If he hadn’t hesitated for a moment before kicking the ball, he ______ a goal. (score)
要是他在射门前不迟疑，他就进了一球。
8.Have you ever had a case____________ getting the wrong end of the stick? (accuse)
你们有没有这样的情况：别人控告他们说他们的报道完全失真？
9._________________ is that while I am concentrating on my study, my classmates make so much noise. (put)
我不能忍受的是在我全神贯注地学习时，我的同学那么吵闹。
10._____________to you whether I like it or not, because you never listen to me. (difference)
我喜不喜欢对你来说没什么差别，因为你从来就不听我的。
