When most people think of the word, “brand”, they think of the Nike Swoosh, Ford “blue oval,” McDonalds Golden Arches, or the “State Farm is There” jingle. They know what theywill get with a wellbranded product or service as promised. Think of Volvo, for instance, and your first thoughts are probably something like “well built, comfortable, Swedish” and, most of all, “safety”.
So a brand is a lot more than a logo, icon, or slogan. Catchy as it may sound, it isn’t the “brand” in the true sense—and it certainly isn’t what makes the brand valuable.A company’s brand is a promise. It’s a description of the company’s character. To some extent, it’s a mission; it’s how the company creates and delivers value. Also, it’s the feeling the company conveys to its stakeholders. Successful brands meet various challenges and consistently deliver on their promises, which is how they create brand value.To illustrate it, here are some brand promises from three highly successful, world-wide brands:The NFL: “To be the premier sports and entertainment brand that brings people together, connecting them socially and emotionally like no other.”Coca-Cola: “To inspire moments of optimism and uplift.”VirginAtlantic: “To be genuine, fun, contemporary, and different in everything we do at a reasonable price.”
Interesting. In none of the above cases does the brand promise describe what these companies do or provide. The NFL’s brand promise says nothing about football. Coca-Cola doesn’t talk about providing the best soft drinks in the world. And Virgin Atlantic’s promise goes a lot farther than seating passengers in its aircrafts.
Of course, a promise is nowhere near enough. The promise along with look, personality, time, money, and hard work combined can eventually help to build and maintain great brands and acquire a special patina(光泽) of what I call “me” appeal, showing my personal appetite. Apple has that patina. All of this can lead to sub-brands, like iPhone and iPad which acquire the glory of the parent brand.
Sometimes a brand is memorable because of little things. TD Bank has a special place in their branches for you to deposit all those coins you collect in jars. It is called the Penny Arcade that turns depositing your coins into a fun game in which you can even win prizes. Years ago, Dime Savings Bank in New York had a small dime(十分硬币) carrier. It was given to kids and then they’d fill up its 50 slots (投币口) with a dime in each one and bring it to exchange for a $5 bill.
1.What can we know from the first 2 paragraphs?
A. People tend to believe in top brands because they deliverwhat is promised.
B. Well branded Swedish products are of good quality but more costly than others.
C. Well branded products are faced with great challenges of quality currently.
D. A company shouldn’t care about logos because they can’t make the brand valuable.
2.In the author’s opinion, a brand promise is ___________.
A. thecontract between a company and the people who interact with it
B. the only way to build and maintain a great brand’s value
C. a description of what a company actually does for its consumers
D. an important factor contributing to the success of a brand
3.According to the passage, what isprobably “Virgin Atlantic”?
A. A financial company. B. A high-tech software product.
C. An airline company. D. An entertainment product.
4.What can be inferred from the passage?
A. Buying a certain brand says nothing about the person who buys it.
B. Little things can mean a lot and make a brand memorable.
C. Sub-brands are relatively easy to build and generate huge profits.
D. Dime Savings Bank’s dime carriers are difficult for kids to operate.
Why do some people live to be older than others? You know the standard explanations: keeping a moderate diet, engaging in regular exercise, etc. But what effect does your personality have on your longevity（长寿）? Do some kinds of personalities lead to longer lives? A new study in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society looked at this question by examining the personality characteristics of 246 children of people who had lived to be at least 100.
The study shows that those living the longest are more outgoing, more active and less neurotic (神经质的) than other people. Long-living women are also more likely to be sympathetic and cooperative than women with a normal life span. These findings are in agreement with what you would expect from the evolutionary theory: those who like to make friends and help others can gather enough resources to make it through tough times. Interestingly, however, other characteristics that you might consider advantageous had no impact on whether study participants were likely to live longer. Those who were more self-disciplined, for instance, were no more likely to live to be very old. Also, being open to new ideas had no relationship to long life, which might explain all those bad-tempered old people who are fixed in their ways.
Whether you can successfully change your personality as an adult is the subject of a longstanding psychological debate. But the new paper suggests that if you want long life, you should strive to be as outgoing as possible.
Unfortunately, another recent study shows that your mother’s personality may also help determine your longevity. That study looked at nearly 28,000 Norwegian mothers and found that those moms who were more anxious, depressed and angry were more likely to feed their kids unhealthy diets. Patterns of childhood eating can be hard to break when we’re adults, which may mean that kids of depressed moms end up dying younger. Personality isn’t destiny, and everyone knows that individuals can learn to change. But both studies show that long life isn’t just a matter of your physical health but of your mental health.
1.The aim of the study in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society is____.
A. to investigate the role of exercise in living a long life
B. to find out if one’s lifestyle has any effect on their health
C. to see whether people’s personality affects their life span
D. to examine all the factors contributing to longevity
2.What does the author imply about outgoing and sympathetic people?
A. They are more likely to get over hardship.
B. They are better at negotiating an agreement.
C. They generally appear more resourceful.
D. They have a good understanding of evolution.
3.What finding of the study might prove somewhat out of our expectation？
A. Personality characteristics that prove advantageous actually vary with times.
B. Easy-going people can also live a relatively long life.
C. Readiness to accept new ideas helps one enjoy longevity.
D. Such personality characteristics as self-discipline have no effect on longevity.
4.What can we learn from the findings of the two new studies?
A. Anxiety and depression more often than not cut short one’s life span.
B. Health is in large part related to one’s lifestyle.
C. Personality plays a decisive role in how healthy one is.
D. Longevity results from a combination of mental and physical health.
72 Hours in Beijing
Traveling to China is no longer a luxury for many foreign passport holders. The Chinese government has permitted a 72-hour visa-free policy that offers access to visitors from 53 countries including the US, France and Austria. Let’s start with the capital of China, Beijing. Here’s a pick of the best in Beijing!
Mutianyu Great Wall
Your trip to Beijing isn’t really complete without seeing one of the “New Seven Wonders of the World”, the Great Wall of China. The Mutianyu section of the Great Wall is by far the most well-preserved of all. Taking a one-hour bus ride Mutianyu would be your ideal location for a half day of hiking away from the large crowds in the city. Also the authorities have allowed tourists to paint graffiti on a specific section of the Great Wall since 2014. The Great Wall was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987.
798 Art Zone
This would be on the top of my list! Named after the 798 factory that was built in the 1950s. The art zone is home to various galleries, design studios, art exhibition spaces, fashionable shops and bars. You could easily spend half your day wandering around the complex, feeling the contrast of the present and the past.
Summer Palace
Located in northwestern Beijing, the Summer Palace is by far the city’s most well-preserved royal park. With its huge lake and hilltop views, the palace offers you a pastoral escape into the landscape of traditional Chinese paintings. The Summer Palace was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1998.
Sichuan Provincial Restaurant
While in Beijing, apart from trying the city’s best-known Peking duck the Sichuan provincial restaurant is one of the places where you can enjoy regional delicious food. It offers one of China’s eight great cuisines, Sichuan, which ranges from Mapo tofu to spicy chicken.
1.Which of the following is true about the Mutianyu Great Wall?
A.You can paint graffiti anywhere.
B.You need a half day to get there.
C.It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2014.
D.It is the most well-preserved part of the Great Wall.
2.When was the Summer Palace added to the UNESCO World Heritage List?
A.In1950. B.In 1987. C.In 1998. D.In 2014.
3.Which place is the author’s first choice when visiting Beijing?
A.Mutianyu Great Wall. B.Summer Palace.
C.798 Art Zone. D.Sichuan Provincial Restaurant.
When Lina was awoken by the sound of thunder, she was alone on the island. The air was cool and bullfrogs croaked. It was that brief moment when the summer sun had set but the stars hadn't yet appeared. Lina rubbed her eyes and looked around.
“Hello?” she called. “Celia? Marie”
There was no response.
The moon was rising now, shedding light on the island. They had always called it “Forgotten Island” because no one but they seemed to remember its existence. It wasn’t on any of the maps they could find, and even the forest rangers didn’t know about it. Lina loved that the island, hidden in a heavily-wooded side stream of the river, was a secret between the three friends — her, Celia, and Marie.
But now Lina was here alone, and it was night. Worse still, it was her own fault.
“Come on, Lina, let Marie row the boat.” Celia had said. Marie was two years older than Lina, but she was a hopeless rower. That’s why Lina refused and rowed the boat to the island. The argument that followed the refusal took the usual form. Celia took Marie’s side, as she always did. Lina had exploded and yelled at them to just leave. So they got back in the boat and left.
A bolt of lightning crossed the darkened sky, accompanied by a deafening thunder clap. The storm was here. As the first cold raindrop slid down her neck, Lina’s mind returned to her current problem. She was stuck here by herself. She just hoped she didn’t become as forgotten as the island. The thought of it sent a chill (寒意) down her back.
Suddenly, Lina spotted something in the water. It was a boat, and inside it were Marie, Celia, and Marie's dad, who was steering through the fast flowing waters. As the boat approached, they saw Lina waving and the worried expressions on their faces turned to relief.
In her excitement Lina jumped into the river. Only once she was in the icy water did she remember how fast the water was moving. Luckily a strong arm reached into the water and pulled her out. She smiled weakly at Marie’s dad and, without a word, hugged Celia and Marie. They didn’t seem to mind becoming wet.
1.What can be inferred about the island?
A.It is very near the ocean.
B.It is a popular place for boating.
C.It is surrounded by thick forest.
D.It has never been reached by others.
2.Why did Lina get angry?
A.Marie would not help row the boat.
B.Lina was left alone on the island.
C.Marie didn't know how to row the boat.
D.Celia supported Marie in the disagreement.
3.What caused Lina to feel a chill?
A.Her shame about the unnecessary argument.
B.The first raindrops of the approaching storm.
C.The idea that no one would come to save her.
D.The drop in temperature as the sun went down.
4.Who pulled Lina out of the water?
A.Marie’s father.
B.Lina herself.
C.Marie.
D.CeliA.
Oseola McCarty
Late one Sunday afternoon in September 1999, Oseola McCarty, an elderly cleaning lady passed away in the little wooden frame house where she had lived and worked most of her life. It may seem like an ordinary _______ to an ordinary life, but there was something quite _______ about this woman.
In the summer of 1995, McCarty gave$150,000, most of the money she had saved throughout her life, to the University of Southey Mississippi in her hometown. The _______ was to help other African Americans _______ university.
She had _______ school in the sixth grade to go to work, never married, never had children and never learned to drive because there was never any place in _______she wanted to go. All she ever had was the work which she saw as a _______. Too many other black people in the countryside of Mississippi did not have even that. She had started her savings habit as a young child when she would return from school to clean and iron _______ money which she would then save.
When she retired, she decided that she wanted to use the money to give children of limited means the _______ to go to university. She had wanted to become a nurse, but had to leave school to look afire sick relatives and work. When asked why she had given her life ________ away, she replied, "I'm giving it away so that children won't have to work so hard, like l did. " After news of her donation ________ the media, over 600 donations were ________ to the scholarship fund. One was given by a media senior manager, Ted Turner, who gave a billion dollars.
She didn't want any fuss made over her ________, but the news ________ and she was invited all over the United States to talk to people. ________ she went, people would come up to her to say a few words or to ________ touch her. She met the ordinary and the ________, President Clinton included. In the last few years of her life, before she died of cancer, McCarty was given over 300 awards. She was honored by the United Nations and __________ the Presidential Citizen's Medal. ________ having no real education, she found herself with two honorary doctorates: one from the University of Southern Mississippi and the other from Harvard University. Her generosity was clearly an inspiration to many and proof that true ________ does exist.
1.A.start B.call C.end D.show
2.A.abnormal B.complicated C.common D.exceptional
3.A.time B.case C.rule D.money
4.A.with B.through C.out D.along
5.A.quit B.needed C.opened D.finished
6.A.general B.public C.particular D.advance
7.A.blessing B.praise C.pleasure D.training
8.A.about B.with C.through D.for
9.A.ability B.space C.opportunity D.time
10.A.happiness B.savings C.time D.experience
11.A.ended B.broke C.controlled D.hit
12.A.took B.had C.made D.put
13.A.gift B.dream C.death D.life
14.A.gave off B.got out C.came about D.put away
15.A.Wherever B.Whoever C.Whenever D.Whatever
16.A.often B.just C.only D.almost
17.A.young B.elderly C.famous D.poor
18.A.gave B.exhibited C.refused D.received
19.A.Despite B.Except C.Besides D.Beyond
20.A.wealth B.selflessness C.carefulness D.affection
阅读下列短文，根据短文内容填空。在未给提示词的空白处仅填写 1 个适当的单词，在给出提示词的空白处用括号内所给词的正确形式填空。
I don't like the freezing Northeast winter. So when I had the chance to spend a weekend in Sarasota, Florida, I had my bags 1. (pack) in no time. I 2. (leave) for the land of warmth, 3. (think) of beaches and orange trees. Swimming pools and pink sunsets filled the weekend. But the best part was a 7:00 am visit to the farmer's market there, 4. proved to be worth the early wake-up call.
