The iPhone, the iPad, the iPod : each of Apple’s products sounds cool and has become a fad (時尚). 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 (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 “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.
【小題1】People use iPlayer to ____________.

The iPhone, the iPad, the iPod, each of apple's products sounds cool and has become a pad (一時的風尚). 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 （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 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.

1.

 We can infer that the Independent’s “i”is aimed at _______.

   A. young readers     B. old readers      C. fashionable women            D. engineers

2.

下面是一篇關于BBC 廣播電臺中BBC Kids Pre-school這個欄目下的一些具體小節(jié)目的介紹，請閱讀下列應用文和相關信息，并按照要求匹配信息。
首先請閱讀下列應用文：
BBC Kids Pre-school
Pre-School programs air Monday - Friday from 6:00 a.m to 12 p.m ET
A. Theodore Tugboat
Theodore Tugboat is a cheery tugboat (拖船) featured in this award-winning animated maritime series (海洋動畫系列). Living in the magical Big Harbor, Theodore (the friendliest tugboat in the world) works for the Great Ocean and Salvage Company fleet with his friends.
B. Postman Pat
Everyone’s favorite postman, Postman Pat and his faithful companion, Jess the Cat, are back in a completely new series packed full of humor, excitement and adventure. These all new adventures see the nation's favorite postman doing much more than just delivering post! From snowboarding to managing a pop band and even making his very own Hollywood movie, Pat is a 21st century hero indeed!
C. Pingu
Pingu is a charming young penguin (企鵝) who spends his time playing with friends and family—always up to playing tricks and getting himself into funny situations in his own sub-zero world.
D. Tweenies
Tweenies is an entertaining and informative (給予知識的) pre-school series in which the characters experience all the joys and challenges of three to five year olds. Through songs, rhymes, games, stories, puzzles and creative play, the Tweenies encourage young children to wonder, explore, enjoy and develop a range of life skills that will promote confidence (增強自信心) before they start school.
E. Fimbles
This U.K. pre-school hit follows three curious creatures as they start a never-ending path of discovery, exploration and entertainment. Revolving around (以……為中心) three special creatures living in a magical valley, Fimbles is full of the surprise, wonder and stimulation (刺激) that children experience when discovering new things. Each new "find" is a drive for play, invention and storytelling within the program.
F. Teletubbies
The four colorful Teletubbies play in Teletubbyland. They take part in fun, infant-pleasing activities such as rolling on the ground, laughing, running about, and watching real children on the televisions on their bellies. This children's program, starring Tinky Winky, Dipsy, Laa-Laa and Po is now watched by young children in 113 countries and is translated into 45 languages.
請閱讀下面五個小孩的相關信息，然后為他們選擇適合個人口味的少兒欄目。
【小題1】Mike, aged four, is a naughty (淘氣的) boy, which is known to all. But sometimes he will also keep silent, especially when it’s time for Laa-Laa and Po because he has considered the two characters as his idols (偶像).
【小題2】 Joseph is only five years old but he has known a lot about Antarctic (南極). His father is a scientist who has been to Antarctic for several times. Each time he returns, his father will tell Joseph something there. So he is very interested in a special seabird there.
【小題3】 Anna, aged four, dreams of becoming a hero, because of which she likes any kind of hero. But as for heroes, she has her own standards, that is, humorousness and adventurousness.
【小題4】 Ian, aged 4, likes ocean life very much and dreams of travelling around the world by boat. Therefore, any life connected with ocean or boats will always attract him a lot.
【小題5】Susan, aged 5, likes reading stories, singing songs and reading poems. In her class, she is known as a star in every way. In her daily life, she likes any program that can help her develop some skills.

E
BBC News (May 11, 2008) —Edinburgh Zoo plans to bring a pair of giant pandas from China to Scotland. Representatives from Edinburgh Zoo have recently returned from China. They signed a letter of intent (意向書) there, making a promise to bring giant pandas to the Zoo.
It has been suggested that the pair of giant pandas should be on loan (暫借) to the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) for 10 years. The pair of giant pandas would give birth to babies during that time. Edinburgh Zoo would be the eighth zoo in the Western world to care for the species if the project goes ahead.
Zoo chiefs said that looking after the endangered animals could benefit conservation. David Windmill, chief of RZSS, said, "Working with giant pandas means so much more to us than introducing a new species to our collection. It is an opportunity to work on a global level with other conservationists to gain a better understanding of the giant pandas, the threats they face, and what we can do to ensure their survival."
At present, there are only around 1,500 giant pandas in the wild. RZSS has been working on the project for almost a year, hoping to have giant pandas at Edinburgh Zoo by 2009, the year of the society’s centenary (一百周年紀念日). Mr. Windmill said that the project has received strong support from the UK and Scottish Governments. He also said that this must continue if the Zoo is to reach an agreement with the Chinese. As part of the agreement with the Chinese Government, Edinburgh Zoo will work together with Chinese scientists on research projects benefiting conservation in the wild.
RZSS will also provide money to support giant panda conservation projects in the wild. Giant pandas live in mountainous regions in central China and almost mainly feed on bamboo, which makes up 99% of what they eat.
57. What do we know from the first two paragraphs?
A. China will give a pair of giant pandas to Edinburgh Zoo.
B. Representatives from Edinburgh Zoo have been to China.
C. The Scottish Government has signed a letter of intent with China.
D. Edinburgh Zoo is the first Western zoo to have giant pandas.
58. According to the text, RZSS may be ___________.
A. a company that deals with international business
B. an organization that researches endangered animals
C. a government department in charge of Western issues
D. an activity having something to do with animals
59. We can know from the text that _____________.
A. David Windmill is Edinburgh Zoo’s chief
B. the number of giant pandas in the wild is still unknown
C. RZSS will celebrate its centenary in 2009
D. RZSS knows the threats the giant pandas face well
60. What’s the main idea of the text?
A. Edinburgh Zoo expects giant pandas from China.
B. Edinburgh Zoo does research into giant pandas.
C. Scotland supports giant panda conservation.
D. Giant pandas live happily in central China.

The iPhone, the iPad: each of Apple’s products sounds cool and has become a fad(一時的風尚). 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(前綴) 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 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 said.

“However, thanks to Apple, the term is now linked with portability.” added 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.

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.The underlined word “ambiguous” means “________”.

A．popular           B．uncertain          C．definite           D．unique

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

A．portable                              B．environmentally friendly

C．a(chǎn)dvanced                             D．recyclable

5.The writer suggests that ________.

A．“i” products are often of high quality

B．iTeddy is a live bear

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

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