Although his 1-year-old smart-phone still works perfectly, Li Jijia already feels the need to replace it. “There are many better ones available now. It's time to upgrade(更新)my phone.”
Li’s impatience is shared by many. Shortly after the season when new products are released(发布,发售), many consumers feel the urge to upgrade their electronic equipment, even though the ones they have still work just fine.
As consumers’ minds are occupied by Apple’s newly- released products and debate whether the Google tablet is better than the new Amazon Kindle, it might be time to take a step back and ask: “Do we really need the latest upgrades?”
According to Donald Norman, an American author, “planned obsolescence (淘汰)” is the trick behind the upgrading culture of today’s consumer electronics industry.
Electronics producers strategically(战略性地) release new upgrades periodically, both for hardware and software, so that customers on every level feel the need to buy the newest version.
“This is an old-time trick---they’re not inventing anything new,” Norman said. “This is a wasteful system through which companies--many of them producing personal electronics-- release poor-quality products simply because they know that, in six months or a year, they’ll put out a new one.”
But the new psychology of consumers is part of this system, as Norman admitted, “We now want something new, something pretty, the next shiny thing.” In its most recent year, Apple's profit margin(利润) was more than 21 percent. At Hewlett-Packard, the world’s biggest PC maker, it was only 7 percent.
Apple’s annual upgrades of its products create sales of millions of units as owners of one year’s MacBook or iPhone line up to buy the newest version(版本), even when the changes are slight.
As to Li Jijia, the need for upgrading his smart-phone comes mainly from friends and classmates. When they are switching to the latest equipment, he worries about feeling left out.
“Some games require better hardware to run,” said Li. “If you don't join in, you lose part of the connection to your friends.”
1.What’s the author’s attitude towards people’s greed for new products?
A. Supportive. B. Satisfied.
C. Critical. D. Unclear.
2.How do the electronics companies successfully promote their latest products?
A. They make a fool of customers by recycling their old products.
B. They make full use of the “planned obsolescence” strategy.
C. They control the customers’ way of thinking while shopping.
D. They invent new products to attract the youth like Li Jijia.
3.Why is Apple Company interested in producing latest version of its product?
A. To provide customers with better service.
B. To defeat other competitors like Hewlett-Packard.
C. To establish a favorable image of itself among its customers.
D. To make huge profits(利润) out of its business.
4.It can be inferred (推断)from the last two paragraphs that Li Jijia feels the need to replace his smart- phone because of_____.
A. peer pressure B. new psychology
C. life style D. friends' expectation
Earthquake rescue robots have experienced their final tests in Beijing.Their designers say with these robots,rescuers will be able to buy more time to save lives during an earthquake.
This robot looking like a helicopter,is called the detector-bot.It’s about 4 meters long,and it took about 4 years to develop the model.Its main functions are to collect information from the air,and send goods of up to 30 kilos to people trapped by an earthquake.
This robot has a high definition 360 degrees panoramic (全景) camera.It can work day and night and will also be able to send the latest pictures from the quake area.
Dr.Qi Juntong,Chinese Academy of Science,said,“The most important feature of this robot is that it doesn’t need a distant control.We just set the destination (目的地) information on it,and then it takes off,and lands by itself.It flies as high as 3,000 meters,and as fast as 100 kilometers per hour.”
This robot has a different function—it can change as the environment changes.Its main job is to search for any signs of life in places where human rescuers are unable to go.
As well as a detector (探测器) that finds victims and detects poisonous gas,a camera is placed in the 40 centimeters long robot, which can work in the dark.
Another use for the rescuers is the supply bot.With its 10-meter-long pipe,people who are trapped in the ruins,will be able to get supplies including oxygen and liquids.
Experts have said that the robots will enter production,and serve as part of the national earthquake rescue team as soon as next year.
1.According to the passage,this robot_______.
A. is carried by the helicopter
B. weighs about 30 kilos
C. hasn’t been put into production so far.
D. is a machine with a length of 10 meters
2.Dr.Qi Juntong thinks this robot is different from the others mainly because_______.
A. it has more functions
B. it has a unique shape
C. it has more advanced cameras
D. it can work by himself once given the information
3.The underlined word “which” in Paragraph 6 refers to_____.
A. a detector B. a camera
C. a rescuer D. a supply
4.The text is mainly about__________.
A. an introduction to the robot
B. what the robot looks like
C. how the robot is made
D. information about earthquakes
When many people are worried that there are no more heroes in the modem society, two university students who lost their lives to rescue drowning children have shown that heroes still exist.
According to the Inner Mongolia Morning Post, the tragedy occurred on the afternoon of December 14, 2002 when three school students skating on a frozen lake in Qingcheng Park in Hohhot fell through the ice into the freezing water.
More than 20 university students who happened to be near the spot immediately went to the rescue of the children.
Two children were quickly rescued, but the third died. The child’s body was not found for three hours. Two of the rescuers, Liu Ye and Hao Longbiao, also died of cold and exhaustion(筋疲力尽).
The body of Hao who took the lead in jumping into the lake was not found until the next day.
A student who was unwilling to tell his name said he and his classmates from the local college were taking photos at the lake. When they heard the children’s cries for help, they went to the ice hole hand in hand to rescue the children. But the ice kept breaking, causing most of them to fall into the icy water.
Local residents held mourning ceremonies (祭奠仪式) at the lake.
Eight of the students were seriously affected by the freezing water and were being kept in hospital for further observation, but their lives were no longer in danger.
1.The underlined word “occurred” here means_____________.
A. employed B. mixed
C. guided D. happened
2.When the three school students fell into water, the university students were___________.
A. taking photos at the lake B. skating on the ice
C. having a picnic D. walking along the lake
3.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. The university students didn’t think it dangerous to save the drowning children in the lake.
B. Hao Longbiao’s body was found on December 14, 2002.
C. Three students died on the same day in all.
D. Local residents were not brave in face of danger.
4.It can be inferred that _________.
A. people think little of the two university students’ death
B. the ice on the lake wasn’t strong enough to skate on
C. some students regretted for what they had done
D. heroes don’t agree with the steps of modern times
Li Hua is currently studying at Cambridge,UK. She has bought a bicycle and is worried about security. Her friend,Kate,found this article and sent it to her.
Introduction
A lot of crime is against bicycles.About 150,000 bicycles are stolen every year and most are never found.You can prevent this happening by following a few careful steps.
Basic Security
Do not leave your bicycle in out-of-the-way places.Always lock your bicycle when you leave.Secure it to lampposts or trees.Take off smaller parts and take them with you,for example lights and saddles(车座).
Locks
Get a good lock.There are many different types in the shops.Buy one that has been tested against attack.Ask for a recommendation from a bike shop.
Marking
Security marking your bike can act as a deterrent to a thief. It can also help the police find your bicycle.It should be clearly written and include your postcode and your house or flat number.This will provide a simple way to identify your bicycle.
Registration
There are a number of security companies who will help mark your bicycle for you.They will then put your registration number and personal details on their computer database.Then if your bicycle is found it will be easy to contact you.
Finally
Keep a record of the bicycle yourself:its maker,model and registration number.You can even take a photograph of it.This will prove the bicycle belongs to you.
1.Which part of the text gives you information on how to lock up your bicycle when you leave it?
A. Basic Security. B. Marking.
C. Registration. D. Locks.
2.The underlined phrase“act as a deterrent to a thief”means ________.
A. help you recognize your bike
B. help the police find your bicycle
C. stop you worrying about your bike
D. stop someone stealing your bicycle
3.The article advises you to keep a record of your bicycle ________.
A. in the bike shop and your computer
B. by yourself and in a security company
C. in a security company and your university
D. in the police station and a security company
社交网络高度发达的今天，越来越多的人用手机给自己拍照片并分享到互联网上，请就此现象写一篇150词左右的短文，内容包括:
“自拍”现象 | 无处不在，日益流行…… |
流行的原因 | 展示自我，吸引关注…… |
促进交流，增强友谊…… | |
软件众多，方便使用…… | |
你对“自拍”的看法 | ……（至少两点） |
参考词汇:selfie （自拍；自拍照） application （应用软件）
注意:
1. 词数150左右。开头已经写好, 不计入总词数。
2. 作文中不得提及考生所在学校和本人姓名。
“Selfie” has become a well-known term across the globe.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
单词填空。根据所给首字母或汉语意思，用单词的正确形式填空。
1.Please read the i____________ on the bottle of the medicine carefully and pay attention to the amount and the time to take the medicine.
2.C___________ in large quantities, alcohol will do great harm to the liver.
3.An online survey c__________ in January indicated that the public are most concerned about income contribution, social security and corruption.
4.She made fun of people’s shortcomings with s__________ (讽刺的，讥笑的) remarks.
5.Babies of two months old do not appear to be r_________(勉强的，不愿意的) to enter the water.
