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 ---used 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(简装本) of London’s Independent newspaper was started 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(电子商务) first came into use.
Most “i” products are targeted at （针对）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（定义）,” he says.
“However, thanks to Apple, the term is now connected 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(十年).
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 connected with all things advanced and modern. However, as we entered the new century, the fashion disappeared.
1.People use iPlayer to __________.
A. listen to music B. make a call
C. watch TV programs online D. read newspapers
2.We can infer that the Independent’s “i” is designed for _________.
A. young readers B. old readers C. fashionable women D. engineers
3.The underlined word “ambiguous” means “__________”.
A. popular B. uncertain C. clear D. unique
4. Nowadays, the “i” term often reminds people of the products which are __________.
A. portable B. environmentally friendly C. advanced D. recyclable
5.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
Not many years ago, a wealthy and rather strange old man named Johnson lived alone in a village in the south of England. He had made a lot of money in trading with foreign countries. When he was seventy-five, he gave 12,000 to the village school to buy land and equipment for a children’s playground.
As a result of his kindness many people came to visit him. Among them was a newspaperman. During their talk，Johnson said that he was seventy-five and expected to live to be a hundred. The newspaperman asked him how he managed to be healthy at seventy—five. Johnson had a sense of humor. He liked whisky and drank some each day. “I have an injection(注射)in my neck each evening.” he told the newspaperman, thinking of his evening glass of whisky. The newspaperman did not understand what Johnson meant. In his newspaper he reported that Johnson was seventy-five and had a daily injection in his neck. Within a week Johnson received thousands of letters from all over Britain asking him for the secret of his daily injection.
1.Johnson became a rich man through _________.
A. doing business. B. making whisky.
C. cheating. D. buying and selling land.
2.The gift of money to the school suggests that Johnson __________.
A. had no children. B. was a strange man.
C. was very fond of children. D. wanted people to know how rich he was.
3.Many people wrote to Johnson to find out __________.
A. what kind of whisky he had. B. how to live longer.
C. how to become wealthy. D. in which part of the neck to have an injection.
4.The newspaperman ____________.
A. should have reported what Johnson had told him.
B. shouldn‘t have asked Johnson what injection he had.
C. was eager to live a long life.
D. should have found out what Johnson really meant.
5.When Johnson said he had an injection in his neck each evening he really meant that ______.
A. he liked drinking a glass of whisky in the evening
B. he needed an injection in the neck.
C. a daily injection in the evening would make him sleep well.
D. there was something wrong with his neck
A lady wanted a birthday gift from her husband. For many months she had liked a beautiful , and knowing her husband could it, she told him that was all she wanted. On the morning of the , her husband told her how he was to have such a good wife, and how much he loved her. He her a beautiful gift package (纸盒). She opened it and a Bible. , she raised her voice and said to her husband, “With all your money, you give me a Bible?” She was so that she left him.
Many years passed and the lady was very in business. She owned two large companies. She her husband was very old, and thought perhaps she should go to him. But before she could, she a letter telling her that he had died, and gave all of his possessions (财产) to her. She needed to come back and things.
When she arrived at his house, sadness her heart. She saw the still new , just as she had left it years before. With , she opened it and began to turn the pages. A ring from the Bible to the floor and a could be seen. She picked it up and found it was the ring she wanted in those days. And on the card was the date of her birth, and the words “LOVE U ALWAYS”.
your gift is not packaged the way you want it, it’s because it is better packaged the way it is! Always appreciate little things; they usually lead you to bigger things! The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched for they must be felt with the .
1.A. watch B. ring C. coat D. box
2.A. afford B. like C. design D. guess
3.A. holiday B. performance C. birthday D. meeting
4.A. proud B. kind C. sorry D. brave
5.A. lent B. asked C. gave D. moved
6.A. carried B. found C. missed D. held
7.A. Politely B. Lightly C. Patiently D. Angrily
8.A. calm B. upset C. grateful D. careless
9.A. failing B. lonely C. successful D. poor
10.A. wondered B. hoped C. realized D. explained
11.A. visit B. understand C. catch D. help
12.A. passed B. wrote C. sent D. received
13.A. take care of B. pay for C. look for D. give away
14.A. covered B. broke C. left D. filled
15.A. car B. Bible C. letter D. table
16.A. smiles B. laughter C. tears D. interests
17.A. hid B. dropped C. disappeared D. made
18.A. book B. pen C. flower D. card
19.A. If B. But C. Although D. So
20.A. hand B. eye C. face D. heart
They are broading the bridge to _____the flow of traffic.
A.put off B.speed up C. turn on D. work out
With a local guide _____the way,they had no trouble _____out of the forest.
A.leading；walk B.led；walk C.leading；walking D.leads；walking
Being afraid of making mistakes,the little boy ____answer his teacher’s question.
A.does dare B.doesn’t dare to C.daren’t D.not dare to
