Does style really sell? How can the appearance of a product be more important than what it does? The battle between form and function rose again when James Dyson, British inventor of the Dvson vacuum cleaner that has sold in millions around the world, resigned as chairman of London's Design Museum. It is widely believed that Mr. Dyson felt that the museum put too much stress on style at the expense of serious industrial design.
Mr. Dyson accused the museum of not keeping true to itself. He may be right, but these days, museums everywhere can no longer afford to be unique centers of scholarship and learning. Among competition for sponsorship, they must use exhibitions of populist culture, nice cafes and shops or, best of all, a new building by Frank Gehry to increase visitor numbers.
On the one hand, some producers can be too old-fashioned and too concerned with the importance of product engineering and the functionality of their goods. On the other hand, there are those who believe that how a product looks is more important. Design is indeed a broad term, involving both function and form. Typically, in any given product area, it changes from the former to the latter.  Clothing is a good example. But surely you would have to be a very shallow person to think something's appearance is more important than what it does.
Today nearly all goods at any given price point do much the same job. So almost the  only way producers can differentiate their products from those of their competitors is to create some sort of emotional connection with the consumer, which could be through the visual appeal of the product or its packaging, or the imagery(意象) created by advertising. And what of the Dyson vacuum cleaner? Mr. Dyson may believe that people buy these machines because of the graphs showing their superior suction, but most vacuum cleaners do a good job; the main reason people pay extra for a Dyson is that it is a vacuum cleaner with a fashionable  brand. With its inside workings exposed, it is a bit like a Richard Rogers building with all its pipes shown in bright colors on the outside instead of being hidden inside. Functional it may be, but it is a bit of a trick, too.
小題1:Mr. Dyson left the Design Museum because he thought the museum     .
A．didn't increase the number of visitors
B．couldn't provide scholarships for learners
C．wasn't loyal to its original purpose of learning
D．didn't have great appeal for serious industrial design
小題2:What can we learn from Paragraph 4 ?
A．A product with convenient packaging sells well.
B．The majority of consumers prefer to buy branded goods.
C．Most similarly priced products are of a comparable standard.
D．Emotion contributes much to the development of advertising industry.
小題3:The author believes that people buy the Dyson vacuum cleaner because      .
A．it has very good suctionB．it is fashionable
C．it sells well around the worldD．it is invented by James Dyson
小題4:What is the author's attitude towards the form of a product?
A．Optimistic.B．Doubtful.
C．Disapproving.D．Objective.

小題1:C
小題2:C
小題3:B
小題4:D  

試題分析：文章介紹現(xiàn)在的設(shè)計者和廠家更在乎產(chǎn)品的包裝形式和品牌效應(yīng)，但是產(chǎn)品的功能都是差不多的。
小題1:細(xì)節(jié)題：從第一段的句子：It is widely believed that Mr. Dyson felt that the museum put too much stress on style at the expense of serious industrial design. 可知Mr. Dyson離開了博物館因?yàn)樗J(rèn)為它沒有忠實(shí)于最初的學(xué)習(xí)的目的，選C
小題2:細(xì)節(jié)題：從第四段的句子：Today nearly all goods at any given price point do much the same job.可知大部分相似價格的產(chǎn)品會有可比較的水平的，選C
小題3:細(xì)節(jié)題：從第四段的句子：but most vacuum cleaners do a good job; the main reason people pay extra for a Dyson is that it is a vacuum cleaner with a fashionable  brand. 可知人們購買Dyson vacuum cleaner因?yàn)樗軙r尚，選B
小題4:寫作態(tài)度題：從第三段的句子：On the one hand, some producers can be too old-fashioned and too concerned with the importance of product engineering and the functionality of their goods. On the other hand, there are those who believe that how a product looks is more important. 可知作者對產(chǎn)品形式的分析是客觀的，選D  
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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

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Those whose mothers are still living often wear a pink or red rose or carnation(康乃馨)， while those whose mothers are dead wear a white one.
The idea of a day for mothers was first given by Miss Anna Jarvis of Philadelphia. As a result of her hard work, the celebration of the first American Mother’s Day was held in Philadelphia(費(fèi)城） on May 10, 1908. Soon the holiday became popular all over the country and around the world.
In China, people do the same on the day for mothers. And, in some cities, people sometimes ask a song to be broadcast(廣播) for his or her mother only. This might cost a little money for some of them, but, as it is said, “Love is invaluable.”
On May 8, 1999, just the day before the Mother’s Day that year, a Chinese mother was killed in criminal bombing(罪惡轟炸). Her name is Shao Yanhuan, a heroic mother. All the Chinese will remember her forever.
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A．is a holiday for mothers
B．is celebrated in the United Stated only
C．falls on May 10 every year
D．was given by Miss Anna Jarvis
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A．send some flowers to their mothers.
B．wear a pink or red rose or carnation
C．wear a white flower
D．send gifts of love to their mothers
小題4: the underlined word “invaluable” means “   ”.
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A．Shao Yunhuan is a heroic mother.
B．A Chinese mother is the same as an American mother.
C．The bombing cannot get away with the crime (難逃罪責(zé)).
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