15.The iPhone,the iPad and the iPod.Each of Apple's products sounds cool and has become a fashion.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 chosen 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,Mr.Thorne told BBC Magazines,"Even when Apple created the iPad,it seems it didn't have one clear definition."
"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 they love personalized products for this reason.
Along with"Google"and"Twitter",readers of BBC Magazines voted"i"as one of the top 20words that have come to define the last decade.
But as history shows,fashions 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 disappeared.
12.People use the iPlayer toD.
A.listen to music
B.make a call
C.read newspapers
D.watch TV programs online
13.From the passage,we know that the Independent's"i"is aimed atB.
A.old readers
B.young readers
C.fashionable women
D.engineers
14.Nowadays,the"i"term often reminds people of the products which areA.
A.portable
B.a(chǎn)dvanced
C.recyclable
D.environmentally friendly
15.The author of the passage would probably agree thatC.
A."i"products are often of high quality
B.a(chǎn)ll"i"products have something to do with Internet
C.the popularity of"i"products may not last long
D.the iTeddy is a live bear.
分析 本文為說(shuō)明文.蘋果公司推出的帶有i前綴的產(chǎn)品銷售得異常火爆,你知道為什么嗎?本文就介紹了這方面的取名知識(shí).
解答 12--15 DBAC
12 D 細(xì)節(jié)理解題.根據(jù)第一段3,4行The BBC's iPlayer-which allows Web usersto watch TV programs on the Internet-adopted the title in 2008.可知,人們用這種工具在網(wǎng)上看電視節(jié)目,故D正確.
13 B 推理判斷題.根據(jù)文章第三段Most"i"products are aimed at young people and considering the major readers of TheIndependent's"i",it's no surprise that they've selected this fashionablename.可知,這樣的產(chǎn)品主要的目標(biāo)人群就是年輕人,故B正確.
14 A 細(xì)節(jié)理解題.根據(jù)第五段的However,thanks to Apple,the term is now associated with portability(輕便)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項(xiàng).
15 C 推理判斷題.根據(jù)最后一段第一句But ashistory shows,people grow tired of ads以及后面的例子可推知,人們對(duì)于時(shí)尚的品味是不斷變化的,所以作者認(rèn)為帶有i前綴的產(chǎn)品的盛行也維持不了太長(zhǎng)的時(shí)間.故選C.
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