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 Dyson vacuum（真空）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 and fashion 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 was more important than what it did．

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 cleaners? Mr. Dyson may believe that people buy these machines because of the graphs showing their superior suction(喝酒), but most vacuum cleaners do a good job; the main reason people pay extra for a Dyson is because it is a vacuum cleaner with a trendy 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．

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. hadn't great appeal for serious industrial designs

D. wasn't loyal to its original purpose of learning

2.Speaking of clothing, the underlined word "latter" refers to ．

A. affording protection

B. indicating one's identity

C. making someone beautiful

D. providing warmth

3.What is the author's opinion in Paragraph 4?

A. A product with convenient packaging sells well．

B. The majority of consumers prefer to buy branded goods．

C. Emotion contributes much to the development of advertising industry．

D. Most similarly priced products are of a comparable standard．

4.The author believes that people buy the Dyson vacuum cleaner because ．

A. it has a fashionable range

B. it has very good suction

C. it sells well around the world

D. it is invented by James Dyson

5.What is the author's attitude towards the form of a product?

A. Optimistic B. Skeptical

C. Objective D. Disapproving

When I left home for college, I sought to escape the limited world of farmers, small towns, and country life. I long for the excitement of the city, for the fast pace that rural life lacked, for adventure beyond the horizon. I dreamed of exploring the city, living within a new culture and landscape, and becoming part of the pulse of an urban jungle.

Yet some of my best times were driving home, leaving the city behind and slipping back into the valley. As city life disappeared and traffic thinned, I could see the faces of the other drivers relax. Then, around a bend in the highway, the grassland of the valley would come into being, offering a view of gentle rolling hills. The land seemed permanent. I felt as if I had stepped back in time.

I took comfort in the stability of the valley. Driving through small farm communities, I imagined the founding families still rooted in their grand homes, generations working the same lands, neighbors remaining neighbors for generations. I allowed familiar farmhouse landmarks to guide me.

Close to home, I often turned off the main highway and took a different, getting familiar farms again and testing my memory. Friends lived in those houses. I had eaten meals and spent time there; I had worked on some of these farms, lending a hand during a peak harvest, helping a family friend for a day or two. The houses and lands looked the same, and I could picture the gentle faces and hear familiar voices as if little had been changed. As I eased into our driveway I’d return to old ways, becoming a son once again, a child on the family farm. My feelings were honest and real. How I longed for a land where life stood still and my memories could be relived. When I left the farm for college, I could only return as visitor to the valley, a traveler looking for home.

Now the farm is once again my true home. I live in that farmhouse and work the permanent lands. My world may seem unchanged to casual observers, but they are wrong. I know this: if there’s a constant on these farms, it’s the constant of change.

The good observer will recognize the differences. A farmer replants an orchard (果園) with a new variety of peaches. Irrigation is added to block of old grapes, so I imagine the vineyard has a new owner. Occasionally the changes are clearly evident, like a FOR SALE sign. But I need to read the small print in order to make sure that a bank has taken possession of the farm. Most of the changes contain two stories. One is the physical change of the farm, the other involves the people on that land, the human story behind the change.

I’ve been back on the farm for a decade and still haven’t heard all the stories behind the changes around me. But once I add my stories to the landscape, I can call this place my home, a home that continues to evolve and changes as I add more and more of my stories.

A poet returns to the valley and says, “Little has changed in the valley, and how closed-minded you all are!” He comments about the lack of interest in sports, social and environmental issues in the poverty and inequality of our life. He was born and raised here, so he might have the right to criticize and lecture us. Yet he speaks for many who think they know the valley. How differently would others think of us if they knew the stories of a grape harvest in a wet year or a peach without a home?

1.What made the writer relax as he drove from the city to the country?

A. The land seemed familiar to him.

B. The traffic moved more slowly.

C. He could see for miles and miles.

D. The people he passed seemed to be calmer.

2.When he was in college, why was the writer sad when he returned to his family home?

A. He remembered how hard he used to work.

B. He recognized the old housed and land.

C. He realized that he was only a visitor.

D. He remembered his next door neighbors.

3.Which of the following most likely indicates that there is a sad human story behind a physical change on the farm?

A. A new variety of peach is being planted.

B. A piece of land is being sold by a bank.

C. Irrigation is being added to a grape operation.

D. A farm is being sold to a large corporation.

4.The fact that most upsets the writer with the poet is that________.

A. the poet thinks that the folk people are backward

B. the poet’s criticism and comments are not objective

C. the poet says that little has changed in the valley

D. the poet prefers to live in the urban area

I used to be the messiest person alive．Over the years, through watching others and by trial and error, I have finally found ways to come up with plans, organize them and follow through with them．

Make an outline of everything you need to have and do to make your plan happen．Make a list of all of the steps that need to be accomplished and think about what needs to be done．

Detail everything thoroughly and read over it so you can start coming up with some mental solutions of how to carry out your plans．

You should ensure that if for some reason way one doesn’t work, you have way two and way three to lean back on．Therefore, different ways are needed at hand．It’s just a matter of being organized．Chances are that there is always more than one way of doing things, and chances are that if one of those ways doesn’t work, one of the other ones will．

Committing yourself to finishing at least part if not all of your plan at once is also necessary．It will show that you not only have initiative to get things rolling, but that you are interested in the results obtained with making the move to get everything done．

If you make a commitment to finish before a specific time, make sure that you carry that out, and be sure to do everything in the way you said you would, within the time-frame you set for yourself．

Don’t try to tackle more things all at a time．All that does is delay your progress, distract you and make you lose your interest, motivation and energy．

Carrying out an effective plan requires being as organized as possible．You will only achieve this by sticking to the order of the plan and not deviating or trying to do more at a time．

Last but not least, you should never abandon things mid-project．It will only annoy everyone around you including yourself．Unfinished plans are a waste of time, energy and, in some cases, even money．

So, don’t be afraid of organization．The older we get, the more necessary it becomes to have the skills to follow through with confidence and to be able to carry through plans in an organized and manageable way．It pays to be organized, after all．

單詞拼寫(xiě)（共10小題，每小題1分，共10分）

Driving a car ____ (非法) without a license, Sun yang was taken to the police station, facing a severe punishment.

Although once suffering a terrible childhood, the ___ (收養(yǎng)) child is now living a happy life with his loving parents.

Human life would just become a crop to be h ___ or a product for sale.

With reference to this plan, while different opinions came up at the meeting, supporters were in the m ____ .

Having ___ (確認(rèn)) that the conference is to held this weekend, we must make full preparations now.

We grew up in a “planned system”, the c___________ of which is that China's students, after many years working hard, eventually become unwanted people in society.

Australia’s small population taken into c ___ , its outstanding performance in the 2010 Shanghai World Expo was really amazing.

He talked for several minutes, but there was a ______ (技術(shù)的) problem, and no one in the audience could hear him.

Many businesses are just concentrating on making ___ (利潤(rùn)) rather than protecting the environment

After several months’ disorder of the country, the president was facing a hard time he had _______________(履行) his duty.

最近，你班同學(xué)進(jìn)行了一次關(guān)于中學(xué)生要不要參加社會(huì)實(shí)踐的討論，請(qǐng)你根據(jù)下表所提供的信息，給寫(xiě)一篇短文，客觀地介紹情況并談?wù)勛约旱挠^點(diǎn)和理由。

注意：1．字?jǐn)?shù)：120左右 2. 開(kāi)頭已給出(不計(jì)入字?jǐn)?shù))

3. 社會(huì)實(shí)踐 social practice

Recently our class has had a heated discussion about whether middle school students should do social practice.

—Have you heard of the terrorist attack at Tian’anmen Square in which 5 people were killed and 40 injured?

—Yes, ______ news came as ______ great shock to me.

A. the；a B. the；the

C. a；a D. a；the

She hung up the receiver. This means she______.

A. let it hang B. didn’t put it back

C. held it D. put it back in its place.

—Do you know the headmaster well?

—Not really, just a nodding ______.

A. acquaintance B. Administration

C. consequence D. consideration

—I’m sure Andrew will come out first in this speech competition.

—I think so. He ______ for it for months.

A. is preparing B. has been preparing

C. had been preparing D. was preparing

The experts have given some practical advice ______ the problems that most people are concerned about in food safety.

A. in charge of B. in honor of

C. in favor of D. in regard to