D
HONG KONG — In China, the smartphone battle used to be Samsung versus Apple. But not any more .
Over the summer, a Chinese company, Xiaomi, took the No. 1 position in China’s competitive market and became the world’s third-largest phone maker in the process.
Founded in 2010 , Xiaomi was late to the game. But a clever social media strategy and a business plan that emphasized selling services that work on the phone helped Xiaomi build frenzied support from young and trendy Chinese.
With people in China expected to buy 500 million smart phones in 2015 — more than three times as many as will be sold in the United States, Xiaomi is likely to remain its place as one of the most powerful phone makers in the world’s most important market.
Now the company’s founders, who include the Chinese entrepreneur Lei Jun and the former Google executive Lin Bin, hope that status will help them take their brand globally.
Why Xiaomi gained such great success ? The reason partially lies in its fans’ participation. “Xiaomi fans have a high level of organization,” said Li Nan, vice president of the rival Meizu, “They love Xiaomi. It’s a form of idolatry.”
Han Yu, a 24-year-old studying for his master’s degree, is one of those idolaters. He, with tens of thousands of others, helps Xiaomi test its user interface by looking for bugs and offering suggestions. Much of his personal life revolves around Xiaomi. He said he was honored when his suggestion to create a private photo folder was adopted on phones by Xiaomi.
“I really enjoy the sense of participation,” Mr. Han said.
For all its success, Xiaomi’s biggest challenge looms outside China. In 2013, the company hired Hugo Barra, an old friend of Mr. Lin’s from Google, to lead the company’s international expansion. “I would put China No. 1, India two, Indonesia three, then hopefully follow with Brazil and Russia,” he said. “The developed countries with tightly controlled carrier networks are not in the top five.” The countries Lin identifies all have large populations who still have not bought their first smartphone, meaning Xiaomi has a chance.
The passage mainly tells us ______.
| A．the competition between Xiaomi and Meizu |
| B．the cooperation between Xiaomi and Samsung |
| C．the battle among Smart phone Companies |
| D．the development and success of Xiaomi |
What helped Xiaomi win the support of young and trendy Chinese?
| A．Its low price. |
| B．Its social media strategy and business plan |
| C．Its fashionable design. |
| D．Its international promotion |
Who takes charge of expanding Xiaomi’s market abroad?
| A．Hugo Barra | B．Li Nan | C．Lei Jun | D．Lei Jun |
The example of Han Yu is used to ________.
| A．tell readers that the youth like to show off |
| B．prove Han Yu is very intelligent |
| C．show Xiaomi fans’ participation and devotion |
| D．introduce the designer of photo folder |
Why Xiaomi chooses less developed countries as targeted markets?
| A．Because Xiaomi doesn’t have to pay taxes. |
| B．Because more smartphone may be sold there. |
| C．Because Xiaomi was invited to develop there. |
| D．Because the young people there love Xiaomi. |
What makes a person a scientist? Does he have ways or tools of learning that are different from those of others? The answer is “no”. It is not the tools a scientist uses but how he uses these tools that makes him a scientist. You will probably agree that knowing how to use a power is important to a carpenter. You will probably agree, too, 
that knowing how to investigate(调查),how to discover information, is important to everyone. The scientist, however, goes one step further, he must be sure that he has a reasonable answer to his questions and that his answer can be confirmed by other persons. He also works to fit the answers he gets to many questions into a large set of ideas about how the world works.
The scientist’s knowledge must be exact. There is no room for half right or right just half the time. He must be as nearly right as the conditions permit. What works under one s
et of conditions at one time must work under the same conditions at other times. If the conditions are different, any changes the scientist observes in a demonstration must be explained by the changes in the conditions. This is one reason that investigations are important in science. Albert Einstein, who developed the theory of relativity, arrived at this theory through mathematics. The accuracy of his mathematics was later tested through investigations, Einstein’s ideas were shown to be correct. A scientist uses many tools for measurements. Then the measurements are used to make mathematical calculations that may test his investigations.
1．What makes a scientist according to the passage?
A. The tools he uses. B. His ways of learning.
C. The way he uses his tools. D. The various tools he use
2．“The scientist, however, goes one step further,” the author says this to show________.
A. the importance of information
B. the importance of thinking
C. the difference between scientists and ordinary people
D. the difference between carpenters and people with other jobs.
3．A sound scientific theory should be one that________ .
A. does not only work under one set of conditions at one time, but also works under the same conditions at other times
B. leaves no room for improvement
C. does not allow any change even under different conditions
D. can be used for many purposes
4．What is the main idea of the passage?
A. Scientists are different from ordinary people.
B. The theory of relativity.
C. Exactness is the core（核心）of science.
D. Exactness and way of using tools are the keys to the making of a scientist.
Schedules, as the 21st century people know, simply did not exist in the 17th and 18th centuries. We are upset if a plane arrives an hour late. Our ancestors weren’t upset if an April ship didn’t show up until June. They began to worry in July and were often happy when it showed up in August. When a long-distance ship finally did get to the port, the whole city became busy and excited. Businessmen hurried down to check the goods they had ordered. The ship would probably stay in port for at least three days, often a week, to take on businessmen, give the sailors a rest, find out about the latest news, weather conditions, and so on.
Travel time could only be approximate. One never knew when the winds would be good. So even though “average sailing time” was given, time could change considerably, shortening the voyage by up to 25% or putting it off by up to 500% or more! The average run from England to Boston was about a month and a half, but there were also voyages of three months. One voyage in 1640 lasted six months!
Travel time is not the same in both directions, due to the winds and currents. This is especially true in the Caribbean, where winds are from the southeast the entire year. Ships sailing west across the Atlantic spend longer than ships sailing east, and the contrary winds can prevent a ship from actually making it to the harbor even if it gets close. One ship was held off the North Carolina coast for 17 days before being able to land!
1. What can we learn from the first paragraph?
A. No sailor was allowed to have fun when the ship reached land.
B. People in ancient times didn’t care about other people’s safety.
C. The ship would leave for a voyage when all of the preparations were made.
D. A long-distance ship would create a lot of excitement in the place where it landed.
2. According to the passage, travel time can’t be fixed due to ___________ .
A. the people at the port B. average sailing time
C. the changeable climate D. the businessmen and the sailors
3. The underlined word “cu
rrents” in the third paragraph means __________ .
A. the movement of water B. the movement of winds
C. direction of the traveling ship D. travel time of ships
Here is a poster on a middle school website. Read the website poste
r.
Going, Going, Gone!
The Haynes Middle School Parent-Teacher Organization invites you to attend our latest fund-raiser, the Fourth Annual Haynes School Auction (拍卖)!
Saturday, May 10
6:00 p.m. ~ 11:00 p.m.
In the school hall
6:00 p.m.~ 6:30 p.m.: All items for auction are previewed.
6:30 p.m.~ 7:00 p.m.: Silent auction begins.
7:00 p.m.~ 7:30 p.m.: Highest bidders (出价人) from silent auction are determined.
7:30 p.m.~ 11:00 p.m.: Main auction begins.
Items (物品) up for bid in the silent auction vary in value from $ 5.00 to $ 30.00.
Items up for bid in the main auction include the following:
●Airline tickets to a place of your choice
●Weekend getaways at first-class hotels
●Season tickets to the Chicago Bears football game
●$ 50 gift tickets to local gift shops, restaurants, and salons
Don’t miss the boat! Book your tickets today.
Last year, tickets were sold out in five days!
Tickets are sold on a first-come, first-served basis.
$ 15.00 per person
All the money from the auction will be given to the Haynes School computer lab.
1．Which of the following is NOT mentioned as being up for bid at the auction?
A. A movie pass to the local cinema.
B. A weekend stay at a hotel.
C. A ticket to a restaurant.
D. Airline tickets.
2．The more items that are given or bought for auction, ________.
A. the less money that will be charged for the tickets to the auction
B. the more money that can be raised to support the computer lab
C. the faster the ticket will be sold to the auction
D. the higher the value that will be placed on the items in the silent auction
3．Which of the following is most likely to happen at the year’s auction?
A. The airline tickets will receive higher bids than any other item.
B. All items up for bid will be sold for at least twice their value.
C. More money will be raised this year than in any other year before.
D. Tickets for the event will be sold out in less than one week.
4．The phrase “first-come, first-served” tells you that ________.
A. people can buy the tickets on the first day only
B. the person who is the first to arrive will receive a ticket at no charge
C. food and drinks will be served at the auction
D. tickets are sold in the order of who arrives first to buy them
第三部分阅读理解（共20小题，每小题2分, 满分40分）
第一节（共15小题，每小题2分，满分30分）
阅读下列短文，从每篇短文后所给各题的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Growing up in Philadelphia, Lieberman started cooking with his stay-at-home dad when he was seven. His food-loving family had two kitchens, and he quickly learned what was the best way to bake his cakes. Lieberman improved his kitchen skills greatly during a year abroad before college, learning from a cook in Italy and studying local specialties(特色菜) in Germany, Spain, and France.
At Yale, he was known for throwing dinner parties, single-handedly frying and baking while mixing drinks for dozens of friends. Just for fun, he and some friends decided to tape a show named campus cuisine about his cooking. Lieberman was a real college student showing his classmates how to do things like making drinks out of dining-hall fruit. That helped the show become very popular among the students. They would stop Lieberman after classes to ask for his advice on cooking. Tapes of the show were passed around, with which his name went beyond the school and finally to the Food Network.
Food Network producer Flay hopes the young cook will find a place on the network television. He says Lieberman’s charisma (魅力) is key. “Food TV isn’t about food anymore,” says Flay. “It’s about your personality and finding a way to keep people’s eyeballs on your show.”
But Lieberman isn’t putting all his eggs in one basket. After taping the first season of the new show, Lieberman was back in his own small kitchen preparing sandwiches. An airline company was looking for someone to come up with a tasteful, inexpensive and easy-to-make menu to serve on its flights. Lieberman got the job.
1. We can learn from the text that Lieberman’s family_______.
A. have relatives in Europe B. love cooking at home
C. often hold parties D. own a restaurant
2. The Food Network got to know Lieberman_________
A. at one of his parities B. from his teachers
C. through his taped show D. on a television program
3. Why did the airline company give Lieberman the job?
A. He could prepare meals in a small kitchen.
B. He was famous for his shows on Food TV.
C. He was good at using eggs to make sandwiches.
D. He could cook cheap, delicious and simple meals
4. What can we learn about Lieberman from the text?
A. He is clever but lonely. B. He is friendly and active.
C. He enjoys traveling around. D. He often changes his menus.
How would you like an easy way to earn $2,500? All you have to do is to sit around and wait for your meals. There’s a catch, however. You have to stay in a chicken cage with a stranger for a whole week. There are no books or television or radio for amusement. You can’t leave until the week is up. And a camera will be recording your every move.
Two people actually took the job. The idea came from Rob Thompson, a video artist. He wanted to make a film about the way animals are treated. His goal was to raise people’s awareness of the living conditions of animals that are raised for food. He decided to pay $5,000 out of his own savings to two people who were willing to live like chickens for a week.
To Rob’s surprise, quite a few people answered his advertisement. He had interviews and selected Eric, a 24-year-old restaurant worker, and Pam, a 27-year-old chemist. The plan was for them to spend seven days together in a chicken cage that was six feet long and three feet wide. A camera would record their experience, which would take place in an art museum.
The week was long and difficult. They slept on a hard wooden floor. They couldn’t stand up without banging their heads. They ate vegetables and drink water from a garden hose-pipe(橡胶软管). Their only privacy was a toilet surrounded by a curtain. There were no sinks, mirrors, or toothbrushes in the cage. Their only inspiration was the two framed checks that hung on the wall outside the cage. Visitors who came here were warned, “Do not feed the humans.”
Finally it was over, and Pam and Eric came out of the cage. They had survived the week, and they each had a $2,500 check in their hands. When Rob Thompson opened the cage, Eric came out, changed into clean clothes, and ate a chocolate bar right away. “It’s great for me to be able to stand up.” he said. Pam just changed her clothes and left.
After a week of visitors and reporters watching her, she didn’t want to talk to anyone.
1.What kind of person is Rob Thompson?
A. He is curious about people’s personal life B.He is kind—hearted to animals
C.He dislike people around D. He likes to help poor 
people
2. The underlined word “catch”(in Paragraph 1) probably means _______.
A. unsolved problem B. surprising wonder
C. unbelievable condition D. hidden difficulty
3. What made it the most difficult for the two to stay in the cage?
A. That they had nothing for amusement.
B. That they couldn’t lie down to sleep in the cage.
C. That they had to do almost everything under others’ very eyes.
D. That they didn’t have meat to eat.
4. What would be the best title for this passage?
A. An Easy Way to Earn $2,500 B. Do Not Feed Humans
C. Living Like a Chicken D. Getting Along Well Anyway