The iPhone, the iPad, the iPod, each of apple"s products sounds cool and has bec

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The iPhone, the iPad, the iPod, each of apple"s products sounds cool and has become a pad (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 prefix have been popular since the 1990s，when terms such as e-mail and e-commerce first came into use.
Most “i”products are targeted 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，head of 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 the 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:
We can infer that the Independent’s “i”is aimed at _______.

A．young readers

B．old readers

C．fashionable women

D．engineers

小题2:

答案

小题1:A
小题1:B
小题1:A
小题1:B

解析

略

举一反三

Do you know how to prepare for and survive a major earthquake? According to Department of Conservation scientists, it is important to have the right answer to that question.
How to Be Prepared
Electricity, water, gas and telephones may not be working after an earthquake. The police and fire departments are likely to be tied up. You should be prepared to fend for yourself at least three days,preferably for a week. You’ll need food, water and so on. It’s also a good idea to decide ahead of time how and where your family will reunite if separated during a quake. You might choose an out-of-the-area friend or relative that family members can call to check on you.
________
If you’re indoors, stay there. Get under a desk or table. The kitchen is a particularly dangerous spot. If you’re in an office building, stay away from windows and outside walls and do not use the elevator. If you’re outside, get into the open. Stay clear of buildings, power lines or anything else that could fall on you. If you’re driving, move the car out of traffic and stop. Avoid parking under or on bridges or overpasses.
After an Earthquake
Check for fire. If you smell gas, shut off the main gas valve(阀). If there’s sign of damage to electricial wiring, shut off the power at the control box. If the phone is working, only use it in case of emergency(紧急情况). Avoid driving if possible to keep the streets clear for emergency vehicles. Be careful that things may fall out of cupboards when the door is opened, and also that chimneys can be weakened and fall with just a touch. Listen to the radio for important information and instructions. Remember that aftershocks, sometimes large enough to cause damage in their own right, generally follow large quakes. If you leave home, leave a message telling your friends and family your location.
小题1:
The underlined phrase“tend for’’ in the second paragraph probably means“ ________’’

A．look for

B．take care of

C．be proud of

D．think of

小题2:
Which of the following would be the best subtitle for the third paragraph?

A．Before an Earthquake	B．After Making Preparations
C．While Staying at Home	D．During an Earthquake

小题3:
What should you do when an earthquake happens?

A．You should stay away from the kitchen.

B．You should drive on a bridge.

C．You should turn off the power.

D．You should listen to the radio frequently.

小题4:
What will probably happen after a big earthquake?

A．The local people’s life will return to normal in a week.

B．There will be more earthquakes in a short time.

C．There won’t be any earthquakes in a short time.

D．The local people will stay at home waiting for help.

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Researchers in Britain are driving the environmental movement to a new level. A team from the University of Warwick has built what it calls the world’s first completely environmentally friendly Formula Three racing car.
The car is made mainly of renewable materials, like plants and vegetables. The structure around the car is made from natural plant fibers and potatoes. The steering wheel(方向盘) is made from root vegetables like carrots. The engine uses bio-fuel made from vegetable oil and waste chocolate.
The new racing car is extremely fast. The car has a top speed of two hundred fifteen kilometers an hour. And it can go from zero to ninety-five kilometers an hour in just two and a half seconds. The racing car meets all of the Formula Three racing requirements except for its biodiesel(生物柴油) engine.
Automobile racing is one of the most widely watched sports in the world. But it is also considered one of the least friendly sports to the environment. Racing cars burn a lot of fuel, and create a lot of air pollution. In recent years, the racing industry has taken steps to protect the environment. More racing companies are now producing cars that use less energy. These cars produce less pollutio

n than cars that depend on traditional fuel, like gasoline.
Last month, the new racing car was set to run in its first competitive race at the Formula Three Championship Final at Brands Hatch. It would have been the first biodiesel-powered car to race at Formula Three. Current Formula Three rules let only gasoline-powered car to compete. Officials needed permission from all of the Formula Three racers for the biodiesel-powered car to compete. They were unable to contact one of the drivers, so the new racing car didn’t appear in the event. In test runs, the new racing car was the fifth fastest among the Formula Three race cars. Supporters are hoping to have the fuel problem solved in time to compete in the next season.
小题1:. What’s the second paragraph mainly about?

A．What materials the new racing car is made of.

B．Why researchers built the new racing car.

C．The characteristics of the new racing car.

D．The process of the new racing car being designed.

小题2:.According to the passage, the _________ of the new racing car doesn’t meet the Formula Three racing
requirements.

A．speed

B．appearance

C．weight

D．engine

小题3:. It can be inferred from the passage that __________.

A．the new racing car is the first environmentally friendly car

B．automobile racing could be forbidden in the near future

C．many people like to watch automobile racing

D．the new racing car will be allowed to compete in the next season of Formula Three racing

小题4:. In recent years, racing companies are producing cars that __________.

A．burn more fuel	B．go more quickly
C．produce less pollution	D．cost less money

小题5:.Why didn’t the new racing car compete at the Formula Three Championship Final last month?

A．Because the new racing car still needs testing.

B．Because officials needed each racer’s permission but failed to contact one.

C．Because there’re some technical problems to be solved.

D．Because few drivers think it is fast enough.

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We know the famous ones—the Thomas Edisons and the Alexander Graham Bells —but what about the less famous inventors? What about the people who invented the traffic light and the windshield wiper(雨刮器)？Shouldn’t we know who they are?
Joan Mclean think so. In fact, Mclean, a professor of physics at Mountain University in Range, feels so strongly about this matter that she’s developed a course on the topic. In addition to learning “who” invented “what”, however, Mclean also likes her students to learn the answers to the “why” and ”how” questions. According to Mclean,” When students learn the answers to these questions, they are better prepared to recognize opportunities for inventing and more motivated to give inventing a try.”
So, just what is the story behind the windshield wiper? Well, Mary Anderson came up with the idea in 1902 after a visit to New York City. The day was cold and stormy, but Anderson still wanted to see the sights, so she jumped aboard a streetcar. Noticing that the driver was struggling to see through the snow covering the windshield, she found herself wondering why there couldn’t be a built-in device for cleaning the window. Still wondering about this when she returned home to Birmingham, Alabama, Anderson started drafting out solutions. One of her ideas, a lever(操作杆)on the inside of a vehicle that would control an arm on the outside, became the first windshield wiper.
Today we benefit from countless inventions and innovations，It’s hard to imagine driving without Garrett A. Morgan’s traffic light. It’s equally impossible to picture a world without Katherine J. Blodgett’s innovation that makes glass invisible, Can you picture life without clear windows and eyeglasses?
小题1:By mentioning “traffic light” and “windshield wiper”, the author indicates that countless inventions are .

A．beneficial, because their inventors are famous

B．beneficial, though their inventors are less famous

C．not useful, because their inventors are less famous

D．not useful, though their inventors are famous

小题2:Professor Joan McLean’s course aims to_____.

A．add colour and variety to students’ campus life

B．inform students of the windshield wiper’s invention

C．carry out the requirements by Mountain University

D．prepare students to try their own invention

小题3:Tommy Lee’s invention of the unbreakable umbrella was _________.

A．not eventually accepted by the umbrella producer

B．inspired by the story behind the windshield wiper

C．due to his dream of being caught in a rainstorm

D．not related to Professor Joan McLean’s lectures

小题4:Which 0f the following can best serve as the title of this passage?
A How to Help Students to Sell Their Inventions to Producers?
B How to Design a Built-in Device for Cleaning the Window?
C Shouldn’t We Know Who Invented the Windshield Wiper?
D Shouldn’t We Develop Invention Courses in Universities?

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According to the US government, wind farms off the Pacific coast could produce 900 gig watts of electricity every year. Unfortunately, the water there is far too deep for even the tallest windmills(see picture)to touch bottom. An experiment under way off the coast of Norway, however, could help put them anywhere.
The project, called Hywind, is the world’s first large-scale deepwater wind turbine(涡轮发电机).Although it uses a fairly standard 152-ton,2.3-megawatt turbine, Hywind represents totally new technology. The turbine will be fixed 213 feet above the water on a floating spar(see picture),a technology Hywind’s creator, the Norwegian company StatoilHydro, has developed recently. The steel spar, which is filled with stones and goes 328 feet below the sea surface, will be tied to the ocean floor by three cable(缆索)；these will keep the spar stable and prevent the turbine from moving up and down in the waves. Hywind’s stability(稳定性)in the cold and rough sea would prove that even the deepest corners of the ocean are suitable for wind power. If all goes according to plan, the turbine will start producing electricity six miles off the coast of southwestern Norway as early as September.
To produce electricity on a large scale, a commercial wind farm will have to use bigger turbines than Hywind does, but it’s difficult enough to balance such a large turbine so high on a floating spar in the middle of the ocean. To make that turbine heavier, the whole spar’s to design a new kind of wind turbine, one whose gearbox(变速箱) sits at sea level rather than behind the blades (see picture )
Hywind is a test run, but the benefits for perfecting floating wind-farm technology could be extremely large. Out at sea, the wind is often stronger and steadier than close to shore, where all existing offshore windmills are planted. Deep-sea farms are invisible from land, which helps overcome the windmill-as-eyesore objection. If the technology catches on, it will open up vast areas of the planet’s surface to one of the best low-carbon power sources available.

小题1:The Hywind project uses totally new technology to ensure the stability of _______.

A．the cables which tie the spar to the ocean floor

B．the spar which is floating in deep-sea water

C．the blades driven by strong and steady sea wind

D．the stones filled in the spar below the sea surface

小题2:To balance a bigger turbine high on a flatting spar, a new type of turbine is to be designed with its gearbox sitting ____________.

A．on the sea floor	B．on the spar top
C．at sea level	D．behind the blades

小题3:Wide applications of deepwater wind power technology can ____________.

A．solve the technical problems of deepwater windmills

B．make financial profits by producing more turbines

C．settle the arguments about environmental problems

D．explore low-carbon power resources available at sea

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A recent study of ancient and modern elephants has come up with the unexpected conclusion that the African elephant is divided into two distinct (不同的) species
The discovery was made by researchers at York and Harvard universities when they were examining the genetic relationship between the ancient woolly mammoth and mastodon to modern elephants—the Asian elephant, African forest elephant and African savanna elephant
Once they obtained DNA sequences (序列) from two fossils (化石)，mammoths and mastodons the team compared them with DNA from modern elephants. They found to their amazement that modern forest and savanna elephants are as distinct from each other as Asian elephants and mammoths.
The scientists used detailed genetic analysis to prove that the African savanna elephants and the African forest elephants have been distinct species for several million years. The divergence of the two species took place around the time of the divergence of Asian elephants and woolly mammoths. This result amazed all the scientists.
There has long been debate in the scientific community that the two might be separate species but this is the most convincing scientific evidence so far that they are indeed different species.
Previously, many naturalists believed that African savanna elephants and African forest elephants were two populations of the same species despite the elephants’ significant size differences. The savanna elephant has an average shoulder height of 3.5metres while the forest elephant has an average shoulder height of 2.5metres. The savanna elephant weighs between six and seven tons, roughly double the weight of the forest elephant. But the fact that they look so different does not necessarily mean they are different species. However, the proof lay in the analysis of the DNA.
Alfred Roca, assistant professor in the department of Animal Sciences at the University of Minois, said, “We now have to treat the forest and savanna elephants as two different units for conservation purpose. Since 1950 all African elephants have been conserved as one species. Now that we know the forest and savanna elephants are two very distinct animals, the forest elephant should become a bigger priority (优先)for conservation purpose .”
小题1:One of the fossils studied by the researchers is that of ________.

A．the Asian elephant	B．the forest elephant
C．the savanna elephant	D．the mastodon elephant

小题2:The underlined word “divergence” in paragraph 4means “________”

A．evolution

B．exhibition

C．separation

D．examination

小题3:The researcher’s conclusion was based on a study of the African elephant’s ____________

A．DNA

B．height

C．weight

D．population

小题4: What were Alfred Roca’s words mainly about?

A．The conversation of African elephants.

B．The purpose of studying African elephants

C．The way to divide African elephants into two units

D．The reason for the distinction of African elephants

小题5: Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?

A．Naturalist’s Belief about Elephants.

B．Amazing Experiment about Elephants

C．An Unexpected Finding about Elephants

D．A Long scientific Debate about Elephants

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