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.People use iPlayer to _________.
| A．listen to music | B．make a call | C．read newspapers | D．watch TV programs online |
We can infer that The Independent’s “i” is aimed at _________.
| A．engineers | B．old readers | C．fashionable women | D． young readers |
Nowadays, the “i” term often reminds people of the products which are _________.
| A．environmentally friendly | B．easy to carry | C．advanced | D．recyclable |
The writer suggests that _________.
| A．“i” products are often of high quality |
| B．iTeddy is a living bear |
| C．the popularity of “i” products may not last long |
| D．the letter “b” replaces the letter “i” to name the products |
Have you ever dreamed of visiting a planet in the Milky Way (银河系)? While the trip sounds exciting, it would take years and years to reach your destination. So in the future, bedtime for astronauts may be more than a few hours of regular shut eyes. They would have to sleep for years.
European researchers are now conducting hibernation experiments. The study may help them understand whether humans could ever sleep through the years it would take for a spaceflight to distant planets. "If there was an effective technology, it could make deepspace travel a reality," said Mark Ayre of the European Space Agency last month.
What seems like a science fiction is not completely unlikely. Researchers have been able to use chemicals to put living cells into a sleeplike state where they don’t age. They have now moved on to the small, nonhibernating mammals like rats.
A major challenge is the fact that cells can be very simple systems, whereas body organs are far more complex. "It’s like moving from a simple Apple computer to a supercomputer," said Marco Biggiogera, a hibernation researcher at Italy’s University of Pavia. Just like bears and frogs, the hibernation of human beings would cause a person’s metabolism (新陈代谢) to lower so they would need less energy.
Medical research, however, is just half of a spaceflight hibernation system. There is a challenge of designing a suitable protective shelter. Such a shelter would provide the proper environment for hibernation, such as the proper temperature. It would also have to monitor life functions and serve the physiological needs of the hibernator.
According to Ayre, the sixperson Human Outer Planets Exploration Mission (使命) to Jupiter’s moon (木星的卫星) Callisto, could be an opportunity to use human hibernation. The mission aims to send six persons on a fiveyear flight to Callisto, where they will spend 30 days, in 2045.According to the article, the hibernation research _______.
| A．is just an idea |
| B．is always a science fiction |
| C．has already finished successfully |
| D．has made some progress |
In a hibernating state, a person needs ________.
| A．less sleep | B．more food |
| C．less energy | D．more movement |
The first try of the hibernation technologythe sixperson Human Outer Planets Exploration Mission to Jupiter’s moon Callisto.
| A．will be | B．has been planned for |
| C．is certain to be | D．may be |
What is the best title of the article?
| A．Hibernation study for space travel |
| B．Welcome to our space travel |
| C．To hibernate, to live longer |
| D．Welcome to the Milky Way |
Whether it is Mozart or Miley，your choice of music could determine whether you will perform well al your work．
A new study suggests that listening to music in the office improves the speed and accuracy of tasks such as data entry，proof reading and problem solving．
In an office-based experiment，88 pet cent of participants were found to produce their most accurate work when listening to music．
The study also found that 81 per cent completed their fastest work when music was played．
And it matters what type of music you listen to．For instance，if you’re doing your tax returns，then classical music is the most effective as it improves maths skills．
Listening to Jessie J or Justin Bieber could also improve your speed，with 58 per cent of participants completing data entry tasks faster while listening to pop songs．
During proof-reading，dance music，such as David Guetta，had the biggest positive impact with participants increasing their speed by 20 per cent compared to tests undertaken with no music at a11．
Dance music also had a positive effect on spell-checking with a 75 per cent pass rate compared to 68 percent when no music was played al a11．
The research，undertaken by Brighton-based Mindlab International，suggests that silent offices may be the least productive．
“The music experiment showed that when listening to music，nine out of 10 people performed better，”said Dr．David Lewis．Chairman of Mindlab International．
“Proper music enables people to quickly process and keep information，regulate their behaviors，make good choices，solve problems，plan and adjust to changing mental demands，”a senior investigator of Mindlab International explains．
“While many schools are cutting music programs and spending more and more time on test preparation，our findings suggest that musical training may actually help to set up children for a better academic future．”added D r．David Lewis．What does the passage mainly talk about?
| A．The positive relationship between music and efficiency． |
| B．The speed and accuracy of problem-solving tasks． |
| C．The comparison of different kinds of music． |
| D．The experiment on productivity of office staff. |
According to the passage，we can conclude that______．
| A．different kinds of music lead to the same effect |
| B．silent offices can make people perform better |
| C．listening to proper music can improve efficiency in office |
| D．more tests prepare children for a better academic future |
What is the author’s attitude towards school music programs?
| A．Respectful． | B．Doubtful． |
| C．Tolerant． | D．Supportive． |
While most teenagers were studying to get into a top university，one 19-year-old was starring in his first movie，Blue Gate Crossing．It was a film about love on campus and it was well received in Taiwan．Many say it was this film that put Bolin Chen in position for his later glittering career in show business．
In fact．it was not until he played a troubled young man in the movie Buddha Mountain three years ago that he regained his passion for acting．
While being called a“youth idol”may seem like a compliment，it is a title that Chen has tried to shake off．He believes that “a youth idol means you simply rely on your appearance，not your acting talent”．
The most important thing for Chen now is to take more initiative(主动性）as an actor．“To me，an actor is like a chess piece，waiting for producers and directors to put him somewhere they want him to be．”Chen，29，told NetEase．“But I want to be the game player．”He even took his ambition a step further，setting tip his own production company．
But just when Chen started to locus on off-screen work，his life on screen took another turn．He won the title of Best Leading Actor at the 2012 Golden Bell Awards on Oct 26 for his role in hit TV drama In Time with You．When asked why he accepted the part，which is another “youth idol”role．he told Yangcheng Evening News：“I played it for my grandfather．He tells everyone around that I am an actor．but I used to play in movies，not TV series．Now he is in the hospital．I hope that he can watch my performances by simply turning on the TV．”
Chen is a veteran(老手)in the entertainment world，but unlike many stars，he hasn’t led a luxurious(奢华的)life．He doesn’t even have a car but walks，rides a bike or takes a taxi whenever he goes out．He doesn’t have a house，either．“Everyone will eventually find some place to live anyway，why bother to buy property (地产)?”he asked Taiwan magazine Business Today．
What does Bolin Chen think of his title“youth idol”?
| A．He likes it very much． |
| B．He thinks it a compliment． |
| C．He wants to get rid of it. |
| D．He is not worthy of it． |
Bolin Chen’s words in Para 4 suggest that he______．
| A．1ikes to play games such as chess |
| B．wants to take an active part in producing his films |
| C．cannot get along well with some directors |
| D．thinks producers are more important in making a film |
Bolin Chen played a part in the TV drama In Time with You because he_____．
| A．failed in off-screen work |
| B．had become a“youth idol” |
| C．wanted to delight his grandfather |
| D．wanted to succeed in the new field |
The main idea of the last paragraph is that Bolin Chen____．
| A．is a veteran in the entertainment world |
| B．hasn’t made much money from his work |
| C．doesn’t like the entertainment world |
| D．prefers a different lifestyle from most stars |
Friendly doctors are“bad for their patients’health”，researchers have warned as a new study revealed two thirds of young doctors struggle to be truthful with patients they like．
Blurring(使…模糊)the lines between social and professional relationships can affect the level of care offered and prevent patients from being honest about important side effects．
“Doctors should avoid adding patients as friends on Facebook，they should not hug or allow patients to call them by their first names”．regulators have warned．“Those who break the boundaries will face some punishment．”
It comes as a survey of 338 oncologists(肿瘤科医生)under the age of 40，found 59 per cent said they found it difficult to tell the truth to those patients they liked．Sixty per cent of respondents said if doctors felt too close to their patients，it could prevent them from making objective decisions about a person’s care．
Lesley Fallowfield，of Brighton and Sussex Medical Schoo1．said：“Oncology is a profession that can be enormously rewarding but is filled with many challenges．Young oncologists have to master dealing with anxious patients who are facing a life-threatening disease；conveying the true prognosis(预后)；discussing the complexity of modern treatments；and explaining the unavailability of some drugs，the side-effects of treatment，and likely treatment aims．”
But she said，“Those doctors who have entered the profession in the age of the ‘Internet world’are more likely to fall victim to blurring the professional boundaries with patients．
She said：“The difficulty，if you hug and kiss patients，if you allow them to call you by your first name，is that quickly the relationship can become confused as a social one rather than a professional one．Doctors become confused，‘I really like this person，how can I bear to tell them that they’re going to die?’They find it more difficult to be objective．”Why are ffiendl3，doctors bad for their patients’health?
| A．They don’t like to cheat patients． |
| B．They are not good at treating patients． |
| C．They find it not easier to be objective to the patients． |
| D．They seldom blur the relationship with patients. |
What should doctors do according to the regulations?
| A．Add patients as friends on Facebook． |
| B．Have close connection with patients in life． |
| C．Always be cold to patients． |
| D．Keep a proper distance to patients． |
Which opinion will Lesley Fallowfield agree with?
| A．Oncology is a rewarding profession without challenges． |
| B．The Internet makes it easier for young doctors to break the boundaries． |
| C．It’s not the duty of doctors to deal with patients’anxiety． |
| D．Becoming friends with patients will help them recover soon． |
Young oncologists will face the following challenges except_____________．
| A．dealing with a lot of life-threatening diseases |
| B．discussing difficulties of treatment with patients |
| C．explaining the reason for the lack of some medicine |
| D．informing patients of the possible results of the treatment |
At least 3 people are dead in the Philippines now that Typhoon Hagupit has landed．
The typhoon，which hit the eastern Philippines over the weekend，has blown down trees and sent more than 650-thousand people into shelters before weakening．
“There were very strong winds last night．The roof was beginning to move，and rain was getting inside the room，”said a villager．
The storm hit with gusts(强凤)of over 100- miles per hour．
And while the storm has slowed considerably，from the Super Typhoon level it had last week，Hagupit still remains strong enough to create more damage．
Christopher Perez is a local weather forecaster．
“we are continuing to expect bad weather and rough ocean waves．Threats of possible flash floods and landslides(泥石流)as well as possible storm waves occurring in coastal areas．”
Hagupit is expected to roll into the South China Sea tomorrow．
It’s currently going a westward toward the southern tip of Vietnam，meaning it's unlikely to affect China．
Hagupit’s strength in the Philippines is much less severe than Typhoon Haiyan，which rolled through the country last year．
Haiyan’s tsunami-like storm waves and killer winds left thousands of people dead and leveled entire villages．
The central Philippines is still trying to recover from last year’s massive storm．
It can be inferred from the passage that the Typhoon Hagupit is_______．
| A．getting stronger |
| B．weakening |
| C．going to affect China soon |
| D．more destructive than Haiyan |
The under lined part “leveled entire villages”probably means______.
| A．destroyed all the buildings in the villages |
| B．were of the same sea level as the villages |
| C．killed all the villagers in the villages |
| D．blown down all the trees in the villages |
Which of the following suffered most when Haiyan rolled over?
| A．The eastern Philippines． |
| B．The southern tip of Vietnam． |
| C．The South China Sea． |
| D．The central Philippines． |
What do we know about Haiyan from the news?
| A．It caused less severe damage than Hagupit． |
| B．It also rolled over Vietnam and China． |
| C．It brought about a lot of deaths． |
| D．It damaged the roofs of all the houses． |