Question

Do you love Beats headphones, True Religion jeans, and UGG shoes? These are some of the most popular brands (牌子) around. They are also expensive. But some experts say they are not much better than cheaper brands.

For example, Jim Wilcox works for Consumer Reports. He tested all kinds of headphones. He says that $80 Koss Pro headphones provide basically the same quality and comfort as Beats. So why do people pay twice or even 10 times as much for the hottest brands?

Experts say it's because fashionable, expensive brands send a message. Brands say “I belong” or “I can afford it.”

Some people think that expensive brand names are worth the price. They say that some designer clothes really are top quality and that they last longer than cheaper brands. Some teenagers choose to wear popular brands because these brands make them feel good about themselves.

Alexandra Allam, 17, likes to buy brand-name products. “I'd rather spend the extra money to get something I know I'll be satisfied with,” she says. Her friend Emmy Swan agrees, saying “As long as you can afford it, it seems reasonable to buy what you want.” But not all teenagers agree. “Spending hundreds of dollars for designer sunglasses is stupid and unreasonable,” says Daniel Steinbrecher, 16. “It's fake (假的) happiness.”

People who are against wearing expensive brand names say that many designer brands aren't any better. “It's wasteful to buy things just because they are popular,” says Edmund Williams, 15. “You'll feel better if you buy things because you like them. If you have extra money to spend, it would be better to give it to people in need.”

1.The example of Jim's report wants to tell us _____.

A. popular brands make people comfortable

B. Koss Pro headphones are better than Beats

C. the hottest brands are of the highest quality

D. lesser-known brands may offer the same quality as name brands

2.According to experts, people choose the hottest brands probably _____.

A. to show off

B. for their better quality

C. for their better designs

D. to belong to a special group

3.What does Edmund think of expensive brands?

A. They are not worth the price.

B. They make him feel confident.

C. They need to improve their quality.

D. They pay too much attention to personal likes.

4.The text is mainly about _____.

A. how to buy things reasonably

B. the competition between brands

C. the different values of teenagers

D. whether expensive brands are worth high prices

Answer

1.D

2.A

3.A

4.D

【解析】

试题分析：文章讨论的是昂贵品牌值不值得问题。

1.

2.

3.

4.

【名师点睛】

议论文解题技巧

我们大家最容易辨认出来的议论文模式是主张---反主张模式。在这一模式中，作者首先提出一种普遍认可的观点或某些人认可的主张或观点，然后进行澄清，说明自己的主张或观点，或者说提出反主张或真实情况议论文的这种结构特点决定了它的主要题型是作者观点态度题，文章主旨题以及推理判断题。只要发现了这种结构特点，解答问题的主要任务就变成了到段落内找答案，基本上不存在任何困难。由此可知，文章主要是讨论昂贵的品牌到底值不值这一话题。基于议论文的文体格式，要一开始就亮出作者观点，我们可以迅速在文章开头就知晓文章主题。

而对于后面的一些细节理解题只需要在原文中定位到具体的句段就可以分析正确答案。一般来说，题目设置顺序和文章顺序相同，我们只要顺着文章顺序来找就可以了，他说，80美元的耳机Koss Pro和Beats提供基本相同的质量和舒适。由此可知消费者们对于品牌了解不够，lesser-known brands may offer the same quality as name brands一些鲜为人知的品牌可以像品牌商品一样提供相同质量的。当然，还需首先通览全文，排除其他部分还讲述了这个例子的可能。

通过研究以上的文章结构特点，我们不难发现，阅读理解中无论任何体裁的文章都遵循着这样一个共同的模式：提出话题(观点或事例)---- 用事例分析原因(或批驳观点)------得出结论。对文章结构特点的把握有助于考生更加自觉地关注文章的开始和结尾，分清观点和事例，从而在考试的阅读理解中准确定位，快速答题。

考点：议论说理类阅读