Celebrity (名人) has become one of the most important representatives of popular culture. Fans used to be crazy about a specific film, but now the public tends to base its consumption (消费) on the interest of celebrity attached to any given product. Besides, fashion magazines have almost abandoned (given up) the practice of putting models on the cover because they don’t sell nearly as well as famous faces. As a result, celebrities have realized their unbelievably powerful market potential, moving from advertising for others’ products to developing their own.
Celebrity clothing lines aren’t a completely new phenomenon, but in the past they were typically aimed at the ordinary consumers, and limited to a few TV actresses. Today they’re started by first-class stars whose products enjoy equal fame with some world top brands. The most successful start-ups have been those by celebrities with specific personal style. As celebrities become more and more experienced at the market, they expand their production scale rapidly, covering almost all the products of daily life.
However, for every success story, there’s a related warning tale of a celebrity who overvalued his consumer appeal. No matter how famous the product’s origin is, if it fails to impress consumers with its own qualities it begins to resemble an exercise in self-promotional marketing. And once the initial (最初的) attention dies down, consumer interest might fade, loyalty returning to tried-and-true labels.
Today, celebrities face even more severe embarrassment. The pop-cultural circle might be bigger than ever, but its rate of turnover has speeded up as well. Each misstep threatens to reduce a celebrity’s shelf life, and the same newspaper or magazine that once brought him fame has no problem picking him to pieces when the opportunity appears. Still, the ego’s（自我的）potential for expansion is limitless. Having already achieved great wealth and public recognition, many celebrities see fashion as the next frontier to be conquered. As the saying goes, success and failure always go hand in hand. Their success as designers might last only a short time, but fashion—like celebrity—has always been temporary. Fashion magazines today .
| A．seldom put models on the cover |
| B．no longer put models on the cover |
| C．need not worry about celebrities’ market potential |
| D．judge the market potential of every celebrity correctly |
A change in the consumer market can be found today that .
| A．price rather than brand name is more concerned |
| B．producers prefer models to celebrities for advertisements |
| C．producers prefer TV actresses to film stars for advertisements |
| D．quality rather than the outside of products is more concerned |
The underlined sentence in paragraph 4 indicates that any wrong step will possibly .
| A．decrease the popularity of a celebrity and the sales of his products |
| B．damage the image of a celebrity in the eyes of the general public |
| C．cut short the artistic career of a celebrity in show business |
| D．influence the price of a celebrity’s products |
The passage is mainly about .
| A．celebrity and personal style | B．celebrity and markets potential |
| C．celebrity and fashion design | D．celebrity and clothing industry |
parents usually go to malls to find new school supplies for their children. One of the most important things to get during this time is the backpack. Most students choose to bring a backpack because it allows them to have both hands free. This makes the bag less likely to hinder (妨碍)other activities that the person carrying it may be doing at the same time. Here are the ways parents can choose the perfect backpack for school.
How many books will children be carrying to school? How many notebooks should be inside the bag? Parents should know these details before buying a bag for their children. Each situation requires a different bag so it pays to ask children about the expected load.
Do children need special storage for the bag? If they will be carrying a laptop computer inside the new backpack，make sure that parents get a model that’s designed specifically for laptop use. This will protect the computer from bumps and falls that might damage the device if it had less protection.
Are children going to use the bag for a long time? If they want to use a bag for a long time，parents will be better off investing in a good brand that is known for quality. Parents may have to pay extra cash to get the top of the line and the best backpack in the market. Count the pockets. Backpacks usually come with a lot of pockets，and generally，the more pockets，the better. This allows children to organize their things，like pens and pencils inside small pockets.
Picking the perfect school backpack is all about getting the sweet compromise (折中）between form，function and price. Remember to choose the best fit for children’s needs.Why do most students like bringing a backpack?
| A．Because it looks beautiful. |
| B．Because it’s a duty for them to bring it. |
| C．Because they can put all the books into it. |
| D．Because it helps them do other activities freely. |
What does the second paragraph mainly talk about?
| A．Parents should find out how many books their children have. |
| B．Parents must ask teachers for help before buying a backpack. |
| C．Parents should know the weight of things that will go inside the backpack. |
| D．Parents must ask their children’s requirements when buying a backpack. |
The underlined word “bumps” in the third paragraph is closest in meaning to“ ”.
| A．knocks | B．jumps | C．stands | D．beats |
Which of the following can we know from the text?
| A．Picking a backpack is very easy to do. |
| B．It’s better for children to have a backpack that has more pockets. |
| C．The backpacks that have a good brand are more popular with children. |
| D．Parents always feel worried when buying a backpack for their children. |
Like lots of other girls and boys，when Lisa Cao was a kid，she used to watch the Olympics. “I always wanted to be good at sport and I found athletic potential in my body”， the New York City citizen tells her friends. But there was no sport available so she took up piano lessons. Then，at the age of 15，she decided to drop the lessons and put her athletic potential to the test with running. At age 18，Lisa Cao ran her first-ever marathon in New York City. And now，the 27-year-old has 54 marathons 26. miles) and ultramarathons (100 miles) under her belt.
What does it take to be an ultramarathoner? A lot of devotion，even when difficulties occur sometimes. “Making time for running is really hard when life is so busy，” she says. “There’s a big work-life balance that I have to keep. I have to wake up earlier on the weekends. And oh，the potential for excuses! With NYC’s wild winters as of late，it’s easy to blame the weather，roll over in bed and put off a solid run. I have a fix for this，though，” she says. “Cute clothes. With the horrible weather， I bought cute clothes as motivation to run and actually wear them. ”
While she’s training during low season in the winter，Lisa Cao tries to run a “base” of 20 to 30 miles per week to stay prepared. During high season in the spring and summer，she’ll run around 30 to 40 miles，but she also gets a lot of quality miles from her races.When did Lisa Cao run her first marathon?
| A．At the age of 27. |
| B．When she was 15 years old. |
| C．Three years after she began running. |
| D．Nine years after she dropped her piano lessons. |
What made Lisa Cao have the desire of joining in sports?
| A．Being different from other kids of her age. |
| B．Wanting to join in the Olympics. |
| C．Having no interest in piano lessons. |
| D．Having athletic potential. |
Why does Lisa Cao buy beautiful clothes in terrible weather?
| A．To have a better sleep. |
| B．To motivate herself to keep running. |
| C．To protect herself from any harm. |
| D．To save time for further training. |
Where is the text probably taken from?
| A．A sport website |
| B．A science book. |
| C．A college poster |
| D．A football magazine. |
Pure Yoga (菩尔瑜伽）is devoted to serving the yoga community in Asia and beyond，offering a wide variety of classes such as Hatha Yoga，Hot Yoga，Yin Yoga Vinyasa，etc. Our yoga classes are offered and taught by nearly 200 professional yoga teachers. Private Yoga is also available for learners of all levels. Pure Yoga constantly invites world-known teachers to lead guest teacher workshops.
Class Booking
Class bookings can be made 2 days in advance of the class. It is important that you book your class in advance since some classes are more heavily attended than others.
We also limit our class sizes so that they are not overcrowded. If a class you wish to take is full, we will place you on the wait list and inform you of an opening as soon as possible. To create the best experience for yourself and others，please follow these guidelines：
No talking
The yoga studio is a silent room. Please do not talk while in the studio and studio corridors(走廊).
No eating
Do not eat in the studio.
No shoes
Remove your shoes before entering the practice rooms. Keep your shoes in your locker (寄存柜).Shoe lockers are also available for rental.
No mobile phones
Turn your mobile phones off or to “vibrate”（震动）mode. Do not take phones into the practice rooms.
Personal Belongings
Daily lockers are not for overnight use. Locks from any daily lockers that are kept overnight will be cut.Who will teach general learners yoga?
| A．favorite yoga teacher. |
| B．professional yoga teacher. |
| C．world-known yoga teacher. |
| D．private yoga teacher. |
When should you book your class?
| A．One month ahead of time. |
| B．Two months ahead of time. |
| C．Two days ahead of time. |
| D．One day ahead of time. |
In the practicing room，you can .
A.keep your shoes in the locker
B.wear any shoes you like
eat some snacks if you are hungry
C.talk with your friends on the phone
On a cool November afternoon in Fleming Island, Florida, Melissa Hawkinson, 41, was driving her five-year-old twins home from school when she saw a sudden splash in Doctors Lake just ahead. What was that? She thought. As she drove up to the scene, she saw a half-submerged car sinking about 30 yards offshore. “It was going down pretty quickly,” Hawkinson recalls. She stopped the car near the boat ramp and ran toward the water. Water is going to be cold, she thought.
She took off her vest and leather boots, got into the icy water, and swam to the car, where she found Cameron Dorsey, five, trapped into his car as the swirling water rose around him.
Hawkinson tried to open the door, but it was locked. So she pushed and pulled hard on the partially open window until she could reach through and unlock the door. She pulled the boy free, swam to shore, and handed him off to onlookers who were only watching them on a dock. The driver, the boy’s suicidal father, swam back to land on his own. Afterward, Hawkinson sat on the shore wrapped in a blanket. “For ten or 15 minutes, I couldn’t stop shaking,” she said.
There’s nothing visibly extraordinary about Melissa Hawkinson, an energetic stay-at-home mom with brown hair and a sweet smile. Yet something made her different from the dockside onlookers that day. Why do some people act quickly, willing to take a risk for a stranger? What makes them run toward danger rather than away from it? Hawkinson, the Granite Mountain Hotshots (能手，高手)---19 of whom lost their life this past summer in Arizona--- every hero who puts his or her life on the line to save another: what makes them brave?
Moreover, can bravery be learned, or is it a quality with which you are born? The answer is complex. Bravery taps the mind, brain and heart. It comes from instinct, training and sympathy. Today, neurologists, psychologists and other researchers are studying bravery, trying to uncover the mystery.It can be learned from the passage that _______.
| A．Melissa Hawkinson was a 41-year-old nurse |
| B．it was spring when the accident happened |
| C．Melissa Hawkinson was picking up her five-year-old son |
| D．Melissa Hawkinson was kind and courageous. |
What conclusion can we draw from the third paragraph?
| A．Not everyone was ready to risk saving the five-year-old boy.. |
| B．The father committed suicide because of the divorce. |
| C．The father was saved in the end by Melissa Hawkinson. |
| D．No one else was available except Melissa Hawkinson. |
How does the writer find other people on the dockside?
| A．Warm and ready to help | B．Thoughtful |
| C．Kind of cold-blooded | D．Not skillful at swimming |
What is the writer’s purpose of writing this passage?
| A．To set us thinking what makes people brave. |
| B．To call on us to learn from such people as Hawkinson. |
| C．To remind people of risk while saving others. |
| D．To show people bravery can be learned. |
You may not be aware, but digital currency (货币) is a big part of the Internet world. QQ Coins can buy you accessories (配饰) for your QQ images. More importantly, a new digital currency, Bitcoin, is bringing the world’s commerce online.
If you’re traveling, you can spend Bitcoins at restaurants and hotels listed at BitcoinTravel.com. In China, Bitcoins can be used to buy goods at about 134 online shops on Taobao. And at a café named 2nd Place in Beijing, you can even buy fresh coffee with Bitcoins.
So what makes Bitcoin so attractive to investors?
First of all, the Bitcoin system is not controlled by anyone. One central authority cannot make policies to change the value of Bitcoins. The fixed amount of Bitcoins also means they cannot lose value through inflation(通货膨胀), as all forms of paper money have done over time.
In addition, accounts in the Bitcoin system are anonymous and transparent. Users can set up an account easily and track every Bitcoin. All of these features seem to make Bitcoins immune(有免疫力的) from loss, but that is not entirely true.
“The value of Bitcoins can vary wildly as no central government makes the price of them steady. If the value drops suddenly, investors cannot get any compensation(赔偿),” Zhao Qingming, a senior researcher at China Construction Bank, told China Economic Weekly. And Bitcoins, unlike company shares, are not backed by any tangible funds, which also adds to their risk.
While China will not recognize the digital currency anytime soon, Xinhua said, lawmakers and officials at a hearing on Nov. 18 in the US made positive comments about Bitcoin.
Ben Bernanke, outgoing chairman of the Federal Reserve, told the Washington Post that “these types of creations, such as Bitcoin… may hold long-term promise, particularly if its system promote a faster, more secure and more efficient payment system.”Bitcoin is ______.
A. actually exactly like QQ Coins
B. only used online
C. a new currency used both online and in real life
D a country’s new digital currency.We can use Bitcoin to buy the following things except ______.
| A．online goods |
| B．goods at 134 online shops on Taobao |
| C．books in physical shops |
| D．coffee at a café named 2nd Place |
What is the disadvantage of Bitcoin?
| A．the value of it can rise and fall wildly. |
| B．It cannot lose value through inflation. |
| C．Every bitcoin in your account can be followed. |
| D．It can even be used at some specific restaurants and hotels. |