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 to 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.
(   ) 【小题1】. People use iPlayer to        .

A．“i” products are often of a high quality

B．the popularity of “i” products may not last long

C．the letter “b” replaces letter “i” to name the products

D．iTeddy is a live bear

The iPhone, the iPad, the iPod : each of Apple’s products sounds cool and has become a fad (时尚). 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 came out last week under the name “i”.
In general, single-letter prefixes have been popular since the 1990s, when terms such as e-mail and e-commerce first came into use.
Most “i” products are aimed at young people and considering the major readers of Independent’s “i”, it is 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 iPad, 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 “Twitter”, 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, fads come and go. 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（不可避免地）disappeared.
【小题1】People use iPlayer to ____________.

The dog that gave us the most trouble was a beagle (猎兔犬) named Murphy．As far as I’m concerned, the first thing he did wrong was to turn into a beagle．I had seen him bounding around on the other side of a pet-shop window, and I went in and asked the man, “How much is that adorable fox terrier (小猎狗) in the window?” Did he say “That adorable fox terrier is a beagle”? No, he said, “Ten dollars, lady.” Now, I don’t mean to say one word against beagles．They have rights just like other people．But it is a bit of a shock when you bring home a small ball of fluff (绒毛) in a shoebox, and three weeks later it’s as long as the sofa．
Murphy was the first dog I ever trained personally, and I was delighted at the enthusiasm with which he took to the newspaper．It was some time later that we discovered, to our horror, that—like so many dogs—he had grasped the letter but not the spirit of the thing．Until the very end of his days he felt a real sense of duty whenever he saw a newspaper—any newspaper—and it didn’t matter where it was．I can’t bring myself to go into the details, except to mention that we were finally forced to keep all the papers in the bottom of the icebox．
He had another habit that used to leave us open to a certain amount of criticism from our friends．He never climbed up on beds or chairs or sofas．But he always sat on top of the piano．In the beginning we used to try to pull him off．But after a few noisy fights in which he knocked a picture off the wall, scratched the piano, and smashed a lamp, we just gave in—only to discover that he hopped up and down as skillfully as a ballet dancer．
Nowadays if I go anywhere, I just ask if they have a dog．If they do, I say, “Maybe I’d better keep away from it—I have bad allergy.” This sometimes annoys the host．But it works．It really works.
56．The writer uses a hyperbole (夸张) in Paragraph 1 to suggest that the dog grew  _____________.
A．surprisingly lovable B．comfortable in the house
C．too fierce to tolerate D．larger than expected
57．Which sentence shows the author’s inability to train Murphy?
A．I had seen him bounding around on the other side of a pet-shop window.
B．We were finally forced to keep all the papers in the bottom of the icebox.
C．He never climbed up on beds or chairs.
D．Nowadays if I go anywhere, I just ask if they have a dog．
58．What can you infer from the second paragraph?
A．The writer tried to train Murphy to fetch newspapers but in vain.
B．Like other dogs, Murphy hated newspapers.
C．Murphy learned to help the writer clean the papers.
D．Murphy liked fetching letters rather than newspapers.
59．Which can be the best title of the passage?
A．Murphy—My Favorite Dog    B．Murphy—An Adorable Dog
C．Murphy Gave Me Trouble      D．Murphy Turned Into A Beagle

The iPhone, the iPad: each of Apple’s products sounds cool and has become a fad (一度时髦的风尚). 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 the UK — that plays music and video is called “iTeddy”. A slimmed-down version of The Independent newspaper was launched last week under the name “i”.

In general, single-letter prefixes have been popular since the 1990s, when terms such as e-mail and e-commerce first came into use.

Most “i” products are aimed at young people and considering the major readers of The 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, former 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 BBCMagazines. “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 BBCMagazines 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 unavoidably 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 aimed at _________.

A．young readers                         B．old readers

C．fashionable women                      D．engineers

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 a living bear

C．the letter “b” replaces the letter “i” to name the products

D．the popularity of “i” products may not last long

Yesterday was my stepmother’s birthday. I haven’t been home for a long time, so I wanted to stop by the house to  36  her on this special day. I have been  37  
on a low income so I was afraid that I couldn’t afford the long  38 . Gas is so expensive nowadays!  39 , I filled my tank with gas and set off.  
I  40  at a shopping mall and found a present. It was the  41  gift and I knew she would love it.  42  when I got to the cashier, my card was 43  !
I didn’t have enough money to  44  the gift!
So I thought about the 45  for a few minutes. I could put it back and get something  46 , but I knew there was 47  else in the store she would have liked as much. So, I transferred some money from my saving account and was able to buy the gift. It took a  48  part of my savings but I wanted her to have something special.
It turned out that she loved the gift and I  49  that even though I had spent almost all my money, my stepmother  50  the best. I was glad I gave her the best I could.
Before I  51  my parents’ house, my dad took me to one side and, with our secret handshake, he gave me some money. I hadn’t  52  anything to him about my financial  53  , but I guessed my dad just knew. When I got to the car, I saw the  54  he gave me was three times what I had spent on the gas and the gift! It shows that doing the right thing always comes with great  55  .