The iPhone, the iPad, each of Apple’s products sounds cool and has become a fad (一时的风尚). 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 UK – that plays music and video is called “iTeddy”. A slimmed-down version of London’s Independent newspaper was launched last week under the name “i”.
In general, single-letter prefixes (前缀) have been popular since the 1990s, when terms such as e-mail and e-commerce first came into use.
Most “i” products are targeted at young people and considering the major readers of 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, 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 BBC Magazines. “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 BBC Magazines 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 inevitably disappeared.People use iPlayer to __________.
| A．listen to music | B．make a call |
| C．watch TV programs online | D．read newspapers |
We can infer that the Independent’s “i” is aimed at __________.
| A．young readers | B．old readers |
| C．fashionable women | D．engineers |
The underlined word “ambiguous” means “__________”.
| A．popular | B．uncertain |
| C．definite | D．unique |
Nowadays, the “i” term often reminds people of the products which are __________.
| A．portable | B．environmentally friendly |
| C．advanced | D．recyclable |
The writer suggests that __________.
| A．“i” products are often of high quality |
| B．iTeddy is alive bear |
| C．the letter “b” replaces letter “i” to name the products |
| D．the popularity of “i” products may not last long |
Hank Viscardi was born without legs. He had not legs but stumps(残肢)that could he fitted with a kind of special boots. People stared at him with cruel interest. Children laughed at him and called him ‘Ape Man’ (猿人) because his arms practically dragged on the ground.
Hank went to school like other boys. His grades were good and he needed only eight years to finish his schooling instead of the usual twelve. After graduating from school, he worked his way through college. He swept floors, waited on table, or worked in one of the college offices. During all this busy life, he had been moving around on his stumps. But one day the doctor told him even the stumps were not going to last much longer. He would soon have to use a wheel chair.
Hank felt himself getting cold all over. However, the doctor said there was a chance that he could be fitted with artificial legs (假腿). Finally a leg maker was found and the day came when Hank stood up before the mirror, for the first time he saw himself as he has always wanted to be-a full five feet eight inches tall. By this time he was already 26 years old.
Hank had to learn to use his new legs. Again and again he marched the length of the room, and marched back again. There were times when he fell down on the floor, but he pulled himself up and went back to the endless marching. He went out on the street. He climbed stairs and learned to dance. He built a boat and learned to sail it.
When World War II came, he talked the Red Cross into giving him a job. He took the regular training. He marched and drilled along with the other soldiers. Few knew that he was legless. This was the true story of Hank Viscardi, a man without legs.Children laughed at Hank and called him ‘Ape Man’ because.
| A．he didn’t talk to them |
| B．he kept away from them |
| C．he couldn’t use his arms |
| D．his arms touched the ground while moving |
It can be inferred from the story that five feet eight inches tall is __.
| A．an average height for a fully grown person |
| B．too tall for an average person |
| C．too short for an average person |
| D．good enough for a disabled man |
The sentence “he talked the Red Cross into giving him a job” implies that the Red Cross.
| A．was only glad to give him a job |
| B．give him a job because he was a good soldier |
| C．was not willing to give him a job at first |
| D．gave him a job after he talked to someone whom he knew in the organization |
When Hank marched and drilled along with the other soldiers, he.
| A．took some special training |
| B．did everything the other soldiers did |
| C．did some of the things the other soldiers did |
| D．did most of the things the other soldiers did |
According to the Ministry of Health, 260 million Chinese people have chronic（慢性）diseases, and 85 percent of all deaths in China are caused by such diseases．Among them, cardiovascular（心血管的）disease has bothered more people than any other kind of chronic disease．
According to the WHO（World Health Organization), salt consumption（消耗）, one of the key causes of high blood pressure that can lead to cardiovascular disease, is much higher in China than in other countries．
Douglas Bettcher, the director of the WHO’s Tobacco Free Initiative, says, “The average Chinese person consumes about 12 to 14 grams （of salt) per day, while the suggestion of the WHO is consumption of less than 5 grams per day．High salt consumption is a major cause of cardiovascular disease and high pressure in China．
Changing the way that food is prepared could reduce salt consumption in China．
Another major risk factor in China is smoking．Dr Michael O’Leary, a representative of the WHO, says, “We know already that one million deaths in China are related to smoking, This is an enormous number．It means that we are seeing nearly 3000 deaths a day in China, or two deaths every minute, related to smoking．
According to O’Leary, about 26 percent of men who die from smoking-related diseases in China die before the age of 60．People who can still contribute a great deal, in other words, are dying too young．
China has tried to ban smoking , but more efforts are needed．
More than half of chronic diseases are preventable by changing lifestyles and reducing risks．The four key risk factors are: smoking, diets high in fats, salt and sugar, environments that prevent physical activities, and alcohol consumption．These are the areas on which efforts to make changes need to concentrate．Which of the following is more in China than in other countries?
| A．The amount of salt consumed |
| B．The number of deaths caused by high blood pressure． |
| C．The number of people with cardiovascular disease． |
| D．The number of people with high blood pressure． |
According to the WHO, how much salt should a Chinese person consume?
| A．About 12 to 14 grams per day． |
| B．Less than 5 grams per day． |
| C．About 17 to 19 grams per day． |
| D．About 7 to 9 grams per day． |
Why does O’Leary mention “26 percent of men” in Paragraph 6?
| A．To show China needs to try to ban smoking． |
| B．To show smoking causes the deaths of elderly people． |
| C．To show smoking causes the deaths of too many young people． |
| D．To show the number of smoking-related deaths in China is large． |
What can be inferred from the last paragraph?
| A．There are four causes of chronic diseases． |
| B．The change in lifestyles can prevent some chronic diseases． |
| C．No smoking or alcohol means no chronic diseases． |
| D．If we do physical activities, we will have no chronic diseases． |
We all need friends and we always have．Our ancestors found that gaining the basic necessities of life was easier in a group．It’s estimated that the maximum number of people who lived in early communities of hunter-gatherers was 150．
Friends aren’t bound（受……限制）by blood or family bonds, employment contracts or legal obligations．Our circle of associates includes work colleagues and people we meet at parties, in the pub or on the train to work．Some associates are much more important than our family．We are capable of exchanging an email with these associates, and may have mutual acquaintances with a good number of them, providing common ground．We do things for one another because we want to．Whether writing an answer to a photo put on Facebook, sending a birthday card by post, or making a hospital visit, the efforts we have made for our friends are out of kindness．It is this nature of friendship which requires nothing in return that makes it beneficial and valuable．
Friendships take work, and they need to be nurtured, nourished and maintained．We feel good about helping our friends because we are friends．However, we often lose touch with our friends because of a lack of time and energy．When we are carrying a heavy load at work, involved in a serious relationship or raising children, it’s hard to spare time for friends．In these situations, we need to remind ourselves of what friends are for and why they can be so important in our lives．
In a survey of more than 2,000 married couples aged 55 or older, for both men and women, having friends was the best predictor of being satisfied in marriage — possibly because they were more satisfied with their lives as a result of having friends．
Researchers suggest social relationships are the reason why women live longer than men, Social bonds reduce the risk of disease by reducing blood pressure, cholesterol（胆固醇）and heart rate．A lack of good friends is as harmful to your health as smoking or being overweight．Indeed, people without friends are more likely to die younger．Not only do friendships prolong（延长）our lives, they make us happier too．People who are socially active don’t feel so stressed or feel they can not enjoy anything easily — they also tend to feel better about their lives and who they are．What makes friendship beneficial and valuable?
| A．Its being not bound by blood or family bonds． |
| B．Its being easy to maintain． |
| C．The good we have done to our friends． |
| D．That we make efforts for friends out of kindness． |
What should we do when we have no time for friends?
| A．Quit our jobs． |
| B．Give our friends calls． |
| C．Remind ourselves of what friends are for． |
| D．Turn to our friends for help． |
What can we infer from the survey in the fourth paragraph?
| A．Having friends makes people satisfied in marriage． |
| B．The older people are, the more satisfied they are in marriage． |
| C．Married couples are more satisfied with their lives． |
| D．Married couples are easier to have friends． |
What is the main idea of the last paragraph?
| A．Friendships prolong our lives and make us happy． |
| B．Men should learn to be socially active． |
| C．Women live longer than men． |
| D．Women tend to be less stressed． |
Dolphins call out the specific names of loved ones when they become separated, a study finds．Other than humans, they are the only animals known to do this, according to the study．The big difference with dolphins is that these communications consist of whistles（鸣叫）, not words．
Earlier research found that dolphins have a “signature whistle” that would be somewhat like human shouting, “Hey everybody! I’m an adult healthy male named George, and I mean you no harm．”
The new finding is that dolphins also say the names of certain other dolphins．“Animals produced copies of the same sound when they were separated from a close partner．This supports our belief that dolphins copy another animal’s signature whistle when they want to reunite with that animal,” Stephanie King, who led the study, says．
King and her colleagues collected acoustic（声音的）data from wild dolphins around Sarasota Bay, Florida, from 1984 to 2009．The researchers also studied four adult male dolphins housed at the Seas Aquarium, also in Florida．
Those males are adults that keepers named Calvin, Khyber, Malabar and Ranier, all of whom, as well as all of the wild ones, developed their own signature whistles that served as names in communication with other dolphins．
“A dolphin uses its signature whistle to broadcast its identity and announce its presence．The signature whistles allow animals to identify one another over long distances and allow animals to recognize one another and to join up with each other,” King explains．“Dolphin whistles can be heard up to 20km away, depending on water depth and whistle frequency（频率）．”
The researchers said dolphins copy the signature whistles of loved ones, such as a mother, when the two are separated．These “names” are always used in positive situations, and are only directed toward loved ones．
While researchers are often unwilling to apply the word language to non-human communications, dolphins clearly have a very complex communication system．The underlined word “housed” in Paragraph 4 probably means “_________”．
| A．raised | B．saved | C．discovered | D．hunted |
Which of the following plays a part in whether dolphin whistles can be heard over a distance?
| A．The dolphin’s identity． |
| B．The water temperature |
| C．The whistle frequency． |
| D．The dolphin’s age． |
When do dolphins copy the signature whistles of loved ones?
| A．When there is a fight． |
| B．When their keeper comes． |
| C．When they are apart． |
| D．When they are hungry． |
Where is the passage probably taken from?
| A．A magazine about scientific advances． |
| B．A website about various animals． |
| C．A report on animal acoustics． |
| D．An essay about the relationship between humans and animals． |
The Exterminating Angel
Director: Luis Bunuel
Country/Date : Mexico/1962 （black and white)
Introduction : A party is organized in a high class society house．Many people are drinking and eating．It’s getting late, but nobody is leaving．Even though the door is open, people seem to be locked in the house．They can’t leave either the day or on the following days．So a rescue began．
The Net
Director: Irwin Winkler
Country/Date: U．S．A．/1995
Introduction: Angela Bennettt is a computer programmer who has devoted her life to computers and the Internet．She spends hours and hours in front of the screen．She does everything over the Internet, and she has some close friends in a chat room, though she has never talked to her neighbors．
Kung Fu Panda
Director : Mark Osborne & John Stevenson
Country/Date : U．S．A．/2008
Introduction: The leading character is a panda whose name is Po．He is lazy first but he has a great dream—to be a kung fu master．To make his dream come true, he goes to a faraway temple to learn kung fu from a master．However, one of his brothers, Tai Long wants to become the kung fu master, killing many of his brothers even the master．So Po fights against Tai Long and defeats him, The film is good especially for kids．
Life is Beautiful
Director: Roberto Benigni
Country/Date : Italy/1998
Introduction: In 1939, during World WarⅡ in Italy, Guido, a hopeful man, the main character fell in love with Dora, and they got married．Five years later, their lives changed．Guido and Joshua were taken by the Nazis（纳粹）to a concentration camp and Dora also went there with her husband and son．At that place, Guido tried his best to save his son’s life in a special way．Who is the director of The Net?
| A．Luis Bunuel | B．Irwin Winkler |
| C．Mark Osborne | D．Roberto Benigni |
Which film is black and white?
| A．The Exterminating Angel． | B．The Net． |
| C．Kung Fu Panda． | D．Life is Beautiful． |
Which film is especially fit for kids?
| A．The Exterminating Angel． | B．The Net． |
| C．Kung Fu Panda． | D．Life is Beautiful． |
What can we learn about Life is Beautiful?
| A．It’s about a rescue of people who can’t leave a house． |
| B．The story is set in World WarⅡ． |
| C．It was made in America in 1995． |
| D．The main character is absorbed in computer． |