Question

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.

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.We can infer that the Independent’s “i” is designed for _________.

A. old readers    B. young readers

C. fashionable women    D. engineers

2.The underlined word “ambiguous” means “__________”.

A. Popular    B. clear

C. uncertain    D. unique

3.Nowadays, the “i” term often reminds people of the products which are __________.

A. portable    B. environmentally friendly

C. advanced    D. recyclable

4.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

Answer

1.B

2.C

3.A

4.D

【解析】

本文为说明文。一般来说，单字母前缀自1990年代第一次开始使用以来一直受欢迎，如e-mail(电子邮件)和e-commerce(电子商务)。苹果公司推出的带有i­前缀的产品销售得异常火爆，你知道为什么吗？本文就介绍了这方面的取名知识。

1.B推理判断题。根据第三段的内容可判断大部分“I”开头的产品主要针对的读者群是年轻人。故选A。

2.C词义推测题。根据第四段最后两句，Thorne对BBC杂志说，当苹果使用“i”时，没有人知道它是否意味着互联网、信息、个人或互动。“即使苹果创造了iPod,似乎没有一个明确的定义”他说。可以判断ambiguous是“不明确的，模棱两可的”意思。故选B。

3.A细节理解题。根据第五段的However, thanks to Apple, the term is now associated with portability(轻便),可知带有i­前缀的产品通常与轻便联系在一起。portable 轻便的； environmentally friendly环保的; advanced 先进的;recyclable可回收的。故选A项。

4.D推理判断题。根据最后一段第一句But as history shows, people grow tired of ads以及后面的例子可推知作者认为带有i­前缀的产品的盛行也维持不了太长的时间。故选D。