Micro-blog is no longer simply a platform for self-expression, gossip and networking, as it is becoming an increasingly fierce battlefield for businesses wanting to promote their products and services.
Over the last year, micro-blogging has become wildly popular in China, with some 65 million China based micro-blog accounts registered(注册登记)by the end of 2010 and the number is growing by more than 10 million each month, according to Data Center of the China Internet(DCCI).
At present, China's largest web portal Sina claims to have 5,000 company micro-blog users, including Starbucks, Channel, and IKEA. On the micro-blog pages of the companies, visitors can not only view advertisements, but also see consumer feedback(反馈)and even commentaries on hot social issues.
E-commerce(电子商务)expert Lu Bowang says micro-blogging has opened a whole new dimension of marketing. Through micro-blogs, companies can quickly grasp the attention of potential consumers and interact with them on a regular basis so to develop a friendly link with consumers, Lu said.
An Internet surfer nicknamed Xiaoben posted on his micro-blog page that he enjoyed drinking Puer tea, and within 10 minutes, a micro-blogger who owned an online shop selling Puer tea recommended his shop to Xiaoben. “It is a little bit like magic. I just make a wish, and then I get a micro-blog response.”
However, with more and more people micro-blogging to make money, experts warn that marketing via micro-blog could be a double-edged sword.
Huang Heshui, professor from Xiamen University says micro-blogging is highly personal and private, and that too many advertising messages can annoy micro-blog users leading them to dislike certain brands.
Further, a brand can be as easily damaged as established through micro-blogging, as consumers' negative feedback about a certain product or company can be very quickly spread in the micro-blog community, Huang added.
The micro-blog managers should set up some rules and regulation to supervise micro-blog marketing, and at the same time, business organizations need to strengthen self-discipline(自律)and try to build up an honesty-based business culture, e-commerce expert Lu Bowang suggested.
1.What can we infer from the first two paragraphs?
A. Most people in China plan to use micro-blog.
B. Businessmen use micro-blog to promote their products.
C. Micro-blog used to be a platform for self-expression, gossip and networking.
D. The number of registered accounts will reach 95, 000,000 by the end of March 2011.
2.Names like Starbucks, Channel, and IKEA are mentioned to__________ .
A. show the importance of micro-blog
B. show the development of E-commerce
C. prove that consumers are the most important
D. prove that advertisements are everywhere
3.From the example of Xiaoben, we can know__________ .
A. people don't use their real names when surfing the Internet
B. pure tea is quite precious
C. if one makes a wish on the Internet, he will indeed realize it
D. micro-blog is very convenient in our daily life
4.What can we infer from what Huang Heshui said in the passage?
A. It is not a good idea to advertise products in the micro-blog community
B. Bad comments about a product or a company matter most.
C. The micro-blog has its advantages and disadvantages.
D. Using the micro-blog to set up your brand is much easier.
The medical world is gradually realizing that the quality of the environment in hospitals may play an important role in helping patients to get better.
As part of nationwide effort in Britain to bring art out of the museum and into public places, some of the country’s best artists have been called in to change older hospitals and to soften the hard edges of modern buildings.
Of the 2,500 national health service hospitals in Britain, almost 100 now have very valuable collections of present art in passages (走廊), waiting areas and treatment rooms.
These recent movements first started by one artist, Peter Senior, who set up his studio at a Manchester hospital in northeastern England during the early 1970s. He felt the artist had lost his place in modern society, and that art should be enjoyed by a wider audience. A common hospital waiting room might have as many as 5,000 visitors each week. What a better place to hold regular exhibition of art! Senior held the first exhibition of his own paintings in the outpatients waiting area of the Manchester Royal Hospital in 1975. Believed to be Britain’s first hospital artist, Senior was so much in demand that a team of six young art school graduates soon joined him.
The effect is surprising. Now in the passages and waiting rooms, the visitor experiences a full view of fresh colors, playful images and restful courtyards.
The quality of the environment may reduce the need for expensive drugs when a patient is recovering from illness. A study has shown that patients who had a view onto garden needed half the number of strong painkillers compared with patients who had no view at all or only a brick wall to look at.
1.According to the passage, "to soften the hard edges of modern buildings" means ___________.
A. to pull down hospital buildings
B. to decorate hospitals with art collections
C. to improve the quality of treatment in hospitals
D. to make the corners of hospital buildings round
2.According to Peter Senior, _______.
A. art is losing its audience in modern society
B. art galleries should be changed into hospitals
C. patients should be encouraged to learn painting
D. art should be encouraged in British hospitals
3.After the improvement of the hospital environment, patients may _______.
A. no longer need drugs in their recovery
B. no longer depend wholly on expensive drugs
C. need good-quality drugs in their recovery
D. use more pain killers in their recovery
4.The fact that six young art school graduates joined Peter shows that _____.
A. Peter's enterprise is developing greatly
B. Peter Senior enjoys great popularity
C. they are talented hospital artists
D. the role of hospital environment is being recognized
When I was a little girl, I remember that when my dad was repairing something, he would ask me to hold the hammer, so we would have time for a conversation with each other. I never saw my dad drinking or taking a night out. All he did after work was taking care of his family.
I grew up and left home for college and since then, my dad had been calling me every Sunday morning. And when I bought a house several years later, my dad painted it by himself in the fierce summer heat. All he asked was to talk to him, but I was to busy in those days.
Four years ago, my dad visited me. He spent many hours putting together a swing for my daughter. He asked me to have a talk with him, but I had to prepare for a trip that weekend.
One Sunday morning we had a telephone talk as usual. I noticed that my dad had forgotten some things that we discussed lately. I was in a hurry, so our conversation was short. Several hours later that day I received a call. My father was in the hospital. Immediately I bought a plane ticket and on my way I was thinking about all the occasions I missed to have a talk with my dad. By the time I arrived at the hospital, my father had passed away. Now it was he who did not have time for a conversation with me. I realized how little I knew about my dad, his deepest thoughts and his dreams.
After his death I learned much more about him and even more about myself. All he ever wanted was my time. And now he has all my attention every single day.
1.When the author was a little girl, she .
A. liked playing on the swing
B. often talked with her father
C. was good at repairing things
D. learned to take care of her family
2.When at college, the author .
A. received a call from her father every Sunday morning
B. phoned her father every Sunday morning
C. asked her father to call her every Sunday
D. asked her father to talk with her
3.Why did the author fail to have a talk with her father four years ago?
A. She had got tired of talking with him.
B. She was busy painting her house.
C. Her daughter asked her to play.
D. She was busy planning a trip.
4.When did the author begin to regret missing the talks with her father?
A. After her father's sudden death.
B. Many years after her father's death.
C. On her way to the hospital to see her father.
D. As soon as she got the news that her father was ill.
Sharon, Aged 22
The most important thing to keep in mind when going into high school is to be yourself. Besides, I don't know what your middle school was like, but high school teachers will not care about things such as how much homework you already have in one night. It's best to just learn to deal with things and manage your time wisely so you can achieve everything you need to.
Frank, Aged 21
I think almost every kid feels both nervous and excited before their first day. You will probably love it. I know I did. You should join some sports or activities that will make your high school experience more enjoyable. Good luck!
Eddie, Aged 20
When I started high school， I was really nervous too, especially since I had been homeschooled all through middle school and didn't really know anyone. I suppose the best advice would be to just relax. The first couple of days can be a little bit hard, but things will become easier before you know it.
David, Aged 19
I'm not going to lie. The first day is kind of frightening (令人恐惧的). But you'll get used to it. Don't be afraid of anyone; upperclassmen will pick on you more if you let them know you're afraid. Just take it easy. Making some friends and staying with them will greatly help you get used to high school quickly. After the first week， it's really not bad at all. Don't worry.
1.What can we infer from Sharon about high school?
A. Teachers are quite strict.
B. Students often stay up at night.
C. Teachers provide little care for students.
D. Students should make good use of their time.
2.How did Eddie feel on his first day of high school?
A. Excited. B. Bored.
C. Worried. D. Relaxed.
3.Who mentions the importance of friends?
A. Frank. B. David.
C. Sharon. D. Eddie.
听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1.When was Gucci started?
A. In1921. B. In1925. C. In1953.
2.Who was the second head of Gucci?
A. Rodolfo. B. Ugo. C. Aldo
3.How much did the company lose in 1991?
A. S50 million. B. S60 million. C. S90 million.
4.What do we know about Maurizio?
A. He didn’t get along with Guccio.
B. He wasn’t a successful businessman.
C. He wasn’t a member of the Gucci family.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.Why did the man come to America?
A. To study. B. To work. C. To travel.
2.Why does the man speak good English?
A. He has stayed in America for a long time.
B. He attended an international school.
C. He learned it from his father.
3.Where is the man from?
A. Beijing. B. Chengdu. C. Shanghai.
4.What’s the probable relationship between the speakers?
A. Friends. B. Relatives. C. Classmates.
