As Apple tries to maintain its growth and success in China, the world's largest smart-phone market is becoming even more critical. Apple's shares(股份) fell sharply as the company's earnings for the holiday quarter through December disappointed investors.
The sales of the iPhone, which include both the iPhone 5 and older models, came in at the low end of analysts' expectations, while the company's income plan for the second quarter was below analysts' forecasts, though Apple is known to give conservative (保守的) forecasts.
Som'6 analysts have said that for Apple to regain its growth, the company.needs a more aggressive strategy for markets, or more specifically for China, where the market for smart phones has been expanding more rapidly than anywhere else. In China, demand is particularly great for inexpensive phones that run on Android(安卓) operating system, sold by many Chinese phone makers as well as South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co.
But Apple says it's already enjoying strong growth in China. "We saw big growth in iPhones,"Chief Executive Tim Cook said. He said that the company has been quickly expanding its sales channels in China, including the number of Apple stores. "This isn't nearly what we need, we're not even close to that, but we're making great progress. " he said.
In China, a big missing piece for Apple is China Mobile Ltd. , the biggest local telecom carrier that doesn't yet sell the iPhone. Earlier this month, Mr. Cook met China Mobile Chairman Xi Guohua in Beijing and discussed cooperation, stirring hopes that the world's largest mobile carrier may soon start offering the iPhone.
Earlier this month, the Wall Street Journal reported that Apple is working on a lower-end iPhone that could launch as early as this year. But one possible challenge for Apple in China is that low-pricod Android-based phones are getting better in terms of quality. A report from CLSA in late November showed that many smart-phones sold at about 1,000 yuan ( $160) came with higher-reso-lution screens, better cameras and more powerful processors than phones at that price did a year earlier.Apple's shares dropped sharply because in December__
| A．the iPhone wasn't popular in China |
| B．its product quality was widely criticized |
| C．the earnings for the holiday quarter was disappointing |
| D．the investors were not satisfied with Apple's management |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．Apple tends to offer a lower sales forecast. |
| B．China Mobile Ltd began to team up with Apple. |
| C．Cook is pessimistic about what Apple did in China. |
| D．Apple didn't take measures to develop Chinese market. |
The author uses the report from CLSA to prove
| A．their prices are actually lower than a year earlier |
| B．Apple in China has ability to deal with any problem |
| C．low-ended Android-based phones are progressing fast |
| D．the promotion of lower-end iPhone will face a challenge |
The main purpose of the passage is to show the readers __
| A．Apple.'s high popularity in China |
| B．the challenge Apple faces in China |
| C．the approaching failure Apple will suffer in China |
| D．Apple's aggressive strategy in its market expansion |
第三部分阅读理解（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项。
A
The iPad, a new e-tablet gadget will take online activities truly mobile. It will allow you to read the news in bed, play multiplayer game on any surface, check a recipe in a busy kitchen or view a large-scale Google map.
It will declare a new age of online media production, taking newspapers and magazines down the new stage. Online versions can now become truly interactive. The editor of Time magazine Richard Stengel said, “The iPad will transform the way journalism works. It will become a new way of storytelling”.
Perhaps most important to the masses, it is a traditional computer but so convenient to use. There are no cords(电线), and it’s totally mobile. You press a button and it comes on in seconds. To add a program, you just download it from the Internet. There is no file directory, so you won’t be confused with file locations.
Since almost everyone uses a computer in the office or at school, the need for the traditional desktop model at home is disappearing. Slate Magazine’s Farhad Manjoo calls the iPad the perfect alternative to the full home computer system.
However, opinions are summarized as a simple statement: If you are a tech-head you will hate it, if you are everyone else you will love it. It’s “laughably absurd” on one blog and a “magical revolution” on another.
This first version of the iPad lacks many basic features. Tech-heads dislike the device not because of what it offers, but because of what it doesn’t offer. It doesn’t have flash or a camera. It can’t access many of the world’s mobile applications, and it has a very restricted APPLE store. Based on purely technological grounds, the iPad is said to lack more than it gives.
But if you are not part of the technologically well-versed, and you love the iPod and iPhone, “this device is for you,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO.
But no matter how you feel about the iPad, as a tech-head or an everyman, there’s no arguing with its appeal. Love it or hate it, the iPad sold over 600,000 units on its opening weekend, surpassing(超过) the iPhone’s record sales in 2007.
It’s uncertain how long it will take to hit the tech markets here in China, but when it does, expect the iPad fashion to continue. Apple predicts it will sell over 7.1 million units in the first year. Maybe not magical, and definitely not absurd, but if the iPad follows in the footsteps of the iPhone and iPod, you could be reading this newspaper on it in the near future.
56. Which of the following is NOT the reason why people think the iPad a “magical revolution”?
A. The iPad will make online activities truly mobile.
B. The iPad will predict a new age of online media production.
C. The iPad is sure to take the place of the full home computer system.
D. The iPad can make many world’s mobile applications accessible.
57. Which of the following statements is false according to the passage?
A. Unlike those traditional computers, the iPad can save you much trouble.
B. The iPad set up a new record sale when it first came onto the market.
C. The iPad will probably hold a big share in the tech market in China.
D. The iPad depends on cords to download a program from the Internet quickly.
58. What technological problem do experts think the iPad has?
A. The iPad is lacking in what other computers can offer.
B. People might misunderstand its magical features.
C. Reporters and journalists don’t have to efficiently with the help of the iPad.
D. Compared with the iPhone and iPod, iPad might confuse the users more easily
59. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
A. Why do People Love the iPadB. The Popularity of the iPad
C. Loving and Hating the iPad D. A Magical Revolution
E
Climate has been a major driver of armed conflict in Africa, research shows—and future warming is likely to increase the number of deaths from war. US researchers found that across the continent, conflict was about 50% more likely in unusually warm years.
Writing in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), they suggest conflict arises when the food supply is not enough in warm conditions. Climatic factors have been mentioned as a reason for several recent conflicts. One is the fighting in Darfur in Sudan that has killed 200,000 people and forced two million more from their homes. Previous research has shown an association between lack of rain and conflict, but this is thought to be the first clear evidence of a temperature link.
The researchers used databases of temperatures across sub-Saharan Africa for the period between 1981 and 2002, and looked for connections between above average warmth and civil conflict in the same country that left at least 1,000 people dead. "Studies show that crop output in the region is really sensitive to small shifts in temperature, even of half a degree or so," research leader Marshall Burke, from the University of California at Berkeley, told BBC News.
"Our findings provide strong motivation to increase investments in African adaptation to climate change by such steps as developing crop varieties less sensitive to extreme heat and promoting insurance plans to help protect farmers from negative effects of the hotter climate," said Dr Burke. "If the argument is that the trend towards rising temperatures will increase conflict, then we need to do something around climate change, but more fundamentally we need to resolve the conflicts in the first place."
If the sub-Saharan climate continues to warm and little is done to help its countries better adapt to high temperatures, the human costs are likely to be unimaginable. If temperatures rise across the continent as computer models project, future conflicts are likely to become more common, researchers suggest. Their study shows an increase of about 50% over the next 20 years.
When projections of social trends such as population increase and economic development were included in their model of a future Africa, temperature rise still emerged as a likely major cause of increasing armed conflict. At next month's UN climate summit (峰会) in Copenhagen, governments are due to debate how much money to put into helping African countries prepare for and adapt to negative effects of climate change.
57．According to the passage, which of the following is one of the reasons for the fighting in Darfur in Sudan?
A．Shortage of drinking water. B．Racial discrimination.
C．Rising temperature. D．Demand for planting land.
58．What can we know from the research done by the US researchers?
A．There is no close relation between rainfall and conflict.
B．Temperature greatly affects crop production in sub-Saharan Africa.
C．Temperature will rise by about 50% in Africa over the next two decades.
D．With world cooperation, conflicts in Africa will be reduced by half 20 years later.
59．What can be inferred from the passage?
A．Something must be done to help sub-Saharan countries with better adaptation to climate change to avoid disaster.
B．Conflicts in sub-Saharan countries are sure to be on the rise in future.
C．Temperature in sub-Saharan countries will rise at a faster speed.
D．High temperatures will make sub-Saharan countries unfit to live in.
60．What's the best title for this passage?
A．World cooperation against African conflict
B．Africa's sufferings from climate change
C．Food shortages lead to African conflict
D．Climate drives African conflict
D
Around half of all teenagers in the UK are putting themselves at risk of food poisoning because they don't wash their hands before eating or after visiting the toilet, a new survey indicates, To coincide with National Food Safety Week, researchers from the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) conducted a survey of over 500 people aged between 11 and 19 about their hygiene and eating habits. Their survey showed that 57 percent of teenagers admitted to not always washing their hands after visiting the toilet or before lunch at school. Of these, over two-thirds ate lunch, such as sandwiches or a burger, with their hands.
Furthermore, 40 percent of those who do wash their hands do not always use soap. And 75 percent said they dry their hands on their clothes when in a hurry—damp hands spread around 1,000 times more germs (病菌) than dry ones. Excuses that teenagers gave for not washing their hands ranged from not having enough time (24 percent) to dirty and unhygienic facilities (26 percent) and forgetfulness (22 percent).
Food safety expert Hugh Pennington, professor of Microbiology at Aberdeen University, said, "The best news about food safety is that one doesn't have to be a rocket scientist to do it properly. The had news is that even a simple and obvious thing like hand washing—which protects incredibly well—is seen by many people as good health theory, but not actually put into practice."
Martin Paterson, deputy director general of the FDF, said that teens' hygiene habits before eating were a recipe for disaster, adding that although most know how food poisoning could occur, the majority do not take simple measures to prevent it. "Of course teenagers don't want to be overprotected," he said, "but with up to 5.5 million cases of food poisoning a year, we clearly need to keep informing people of simple food hygiene messages in fun and imaginative ways, to remind people of all ages how they can continue to enjoy their food safely."
53．The author implies that it is important to dry hands because .
A．some students dry their hands on their clothes
B．wet hands can cause students to catch cold
C．damp hands are more likely to spread germs
D．damp hands take 1,000 times longer to dry
54．By saying "one doesn't have to be a rocket scientist to do it properly" (Para. 3), Hugh Pennington means "____".
A．it isn't necessary to go to outer space to practice food safety
B．practicing food safety isn't as important as space exploration
C．it's not a must to practice food safety
D．practicing food safety isn't terribly difficult
55．Educated about food poisoning, most teenagers .
A．still get food poisoning at least once a year
B．still fail to take simple measures to avoid it
C．are able to avoid food poisoning
D．are concerned about their food safety
56．What is the main message conveyed in the text?
A．Many UK teenagers are at risk of food poisoning.
B．Food poisoning in the UK is on the rise.
C．Drying hands after washing is important.
D．British schools need to improve their sanitation levels.
C
Still want a laptop? That was so yesterday. Get ready for the next stage in the personal computer revolution: It's the ultrathin (超薄的), cheap netbook.
According to a New York Times report last week, personal computers are about to go through their biggest change since the rise of the laptop. By the end of the year, consumers are likely to see laptops the size of thin paperback books that can run all day on a single charge and are equipped with touch screens or slide-out keyboards. The netbook is a kind of portable computer with learner functions for online surfing and basic computing activities, for example, word processing. To cut the cost and weight, they usually have a low-powered processor, small screen, narrow keyboard, and no ODD.
Currently, some of the devices look more like a toy than a full-feature computer. That's because most of the netbooks sold today run on an Intel chip called Atom. This is a lower-power version of the company's standard laptop chip, so they have trouble running demanding software like games and photo-editing programs.
This year, a group of companies who make cheap, power-saving chips used in cell phones are applying that expert skill to PCs. That means they will break Atom's netbook dominance (统治地位) and reduce the size while letting it run complicated programs.
The big winner in the rise of netbooks will be the consumer. AT&T announced last week that customers in Atlanta, Georgia, US, could get a netbook for just $50 (342 yuan) if they signed up for an Internet service plan. This trend will soon spread to Asia, according to industry experts.
University campuses are a major target of Shanzhai netbooks—uncopyrighted (无版权的) domestic copies of foreign brands. These products are usually sold at less than 2,000 yuan. But industry insiders suggest students not use these nameless products because many of them don't provide good after-safes services.
49．The following are all advantages of netbooks EXCEPT that .
A．people can easily edit photographs with them
B．they cost less than other personal computers
C．they are very thin and easy to carry
D．they save power
50．Why are students advised not to use Shanzhai netbooks?
A．Because they are of poor quality.
B．Because they are not easy to operate.
C．Because they will soon be out of date.
D．Because they lack good after-sales services.
51．What can be inferred from the passage?
A．Laptops are becoming more and more popular.
B．University students seldom buy Shanzhai netbooks.
C．Shanzhai netbooks are sold better than those of famous foreign brands.
D．Atom's netbooks make up the largest part of the sales of portable computers at present.
52．What is the general idea of this passage?
A．Shanzhai netbooks are taking control of laptop market.
B．Netbooks have advantages over laptops in everything.
C．Netbooks are becoming the trend of personal computers.
D．Most of the netbooks sold today run on an Intel chip called Atom.
B
Jobs for abroad students in Shanghai
Ad No. 37120
Posted Nov. 23, 2009 10:44 by castellari
We are an Italian company engaged in high leveled Italian coffee and coffee machines. Now, we have a program which requires involving of foreign students in Shanghai.
This is a job about selling our products online in the office to individuals or offices or any place where there's a need for coffee. You're required to work only at weekends. We'll offer you a favorable payment. For those who're interested, please contact Ava.
Reply to: zhangaihui@live. cn Tel: 61212021
Office assistant needed (Full-time)
Ad No. 40944
Posted Nov. 23, 2009 10:55 by roybivExpire
UK Accessories Brand is looking for a new talented person to develop with the company. You must be able to speak a little English and understand emails written in English. Please send your personal information with expected salary to us.
Contact: Josie
Reply to: info@josiechenrange. com Tel: 63573038
Teaching in China
Ad No. 40894
Posted Nov. 23, 2009 09:23 by Sh shifter
We have contacted most schools all over China and agreed to introduce many good foreign teachers to the schools. This is one of the best positions because you can work in different cities of China at different times.
Position: Oral English teachers (Full-time)
Salary: 8,000 RMB~10,000 RMB per month
Working 1oad: 20~22 hours per week
Apartment: Free fully furnished single accommodation, equipped with telephone, TV, air conditioner, fridge and so on.
Teacher's qualification: BA/BS/TESL and having teaching experience is preferred.
Contact: Foreign Affairs Manager, International Department
Address: No. 9 Jiefang road, Wuhan, Hubei
Te1: 86(0)2782300522
Email : teachinglanguage2009@gmail. com
Logistics (后勤) manager needed in Shanghai
Ad No. 41055
Posted Nov. 23, 2009 17:01 by jobtrans
We want to find 2 full-time logistics managers for our forwarding company.
Requirements:
(1) Female; (2) Bachelor's degree or above; (3) 3-year working experience required.
For more information, please visit our website: http: / /www. jobtrans. cn
Tel: 62875341
45．What do these advertisements have in common?
A．They all employ only applicants with work experience.
B．The employment agencies are all based in Shanghai.
C．They are all posted on the same day.
D．They are all for China-based foreign companies.
46．Miss Green wants to find a part-time job, which telephone number should she dial?
A．63573038. B．61212021.
C．86(0)2782300522. D．62875341.
47．Li Ming has just finished high school, which position might suit him?
A．Salesman in the Italian company.
B．A logistics manager.
C．An oral English teacher.
D．Office assistant in UK Accessories Brand.
48．Your American friend Mr Smith wants to find a job in China which offers a flexible workplace, you may recommend him to .
A．write to teachinglanguage2009@gmail. com
B．visit http: / /www. jobtrans. cn
C．write to zhangaihui@live. cn
D．write to info@josiechenrange. Corn