Question

The iPhone, the iPad: each of Apple’s products sounds cool and has become a fad(一時的風(fēng)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(簡裝本) of London’s Independent newspaper was started last week under the name “i”.

In general, single-letter prefixes(前綴) have been popular since the 1990s, when terms such as e-mail and e-commerce(電子商務(wù)) first came into use.

Most “i” products are targeted at （針對）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（定義）,” he says.

“However, thanks to Apple, the term is now connected with portability (輕便) .”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 ten years.

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.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 designed for _________.

A. young readers B. old readers

C. fashionable women D. engineers

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

A. popular B. uncertain

C. clear D. unique

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

A. portable B. environmentally friendly

C. advanced D. recyclable

5.The writer wants to express 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

1.C

2.A

3.B

4.A

5.D

【解析】

試題分析：本文是一則說明文。蘋果公司推出的一系列帶有i前綴的產(chǎn)品銷售得異�；鸨�，但你知道為什么用字母i嗎？本文就解釋了取名的相關(guān)知識。

1.C 細(xì)節(jié)理解題 根據(jù)第一段的“The BBC’s iPlayer --- which allows Web users to watch TV programs on the Internet”可知人們用它觀看網(wǎng)絡(luò)電視節(jié)目，C項表述符合文意，故選C。

2.A細(xì)節(jié)理解題 根據(jù)第三段的內(nèi)容可判斷Independent's “i”主要針對的讀者群是年輕人，A項表述符合；B、C、D三項在文中沒有提及，故選A。

3.B 詞義猜測題 根據(jù)第四段最后兩句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（定義）,” he says.可推斷出ambiguous意為“不明確的，模棱兩可的”，與certain意義相近，故選B。

4.A 細(xì)節(jié)理解題 A輕便的，可攜帶的；B環(huán)保的；C先進的，發(fā)達的；D 可循環(huán)利用的。根據(jù)第五段的“However, thanks to Apple, the term is now associated with portability”可知帶有i前綴的產(chǎn)品通常與“輕便”聯(lián)系在一起，故選A。

5.5】D推理判斷題 根據(jù)最后一段第一句“But as history shows, people grow tired of fads”和最后一句“However, as we entered the new century, the fashion disappeared.”以及本段中的例子可知，作者認(rèn)為帶有i前綴的產(chǎn)品的盛行也不會維持太長的時間。D項表述符合文意，故選D。

考點：考查科技類短文閱讀