—Is he coming?
—I'm not sure．He may be late or,____, he may not come at all．
| A．at present | B．at least | C．worse still | D．for a while |
Why Doesn’t Anybody Copy Apple?
Apple’s products are the envy of the world. They have been spectacularly successful and are widely imitated, if not copied. The minute Apple crystallizes a product, everyone knows how to compete. This idea that the basis of competition is set by Apple and then the race is on to climb the path of improvement is unquestionable. When Apple releases a product that defines a category or dramatically changes the structure of an industry, it becomes obvious what needs to be built. But what I wonder is why everyone wants to copy Apple’s products but nobody wants to copy being Apple?
I can think of two reasons. Firstly, Apple is not worth copying because it’s not successful; secondly, Apple’s success cannot be copied because it is a magical process.
There is a great deal of evidence for the first hypothesis. The idea of Apple being successful is not something reflected in its stock price. Being valued lower than the average company in the S&P（标准普尔）500 indicates that to whatever degree Apple was successful in the past, it’s not seen by the vast majority of observers as successful in the future. Why should one bother copying Apple if it results in being punished with a low valuation? If one works really hard at innovation and then that innovation becomes commoditized（商品化）very quickly, why should one bother?
When innovation practitioners are asked what makes Apple successful,the answers regarding the cause of this success border on the mythical.The climax of this hypothesis is the “chief-sorcerer”theory of success which places one magician,like Steve Jobs,in charge of casting all the right spells（符咒）
What about Apple’s own opinion of what makes it tick? Tim Cook refers to a great team and integration of hardware, software and services as unique Apple advantages. It’s a better explanation. Integration is something that can take a long time, but it is possible with great effort. A few companies are starting to make moves in that direction, but efforts are half-hearted. There is no “move the Earth” panic to become an integrated company from Samsung, Google or Microsoft.
My own suspicion is that Apple is more aware of what makes it special than it lets out. However, as Tim points out, it’s not a formula. It’s complex, it’s subtle, but it’s not magic. It’s a process that requires a degree of faith and courage. When a new product of Apple comes out, often it ______.
| A．starts a revolution of an industry |
| B．ruins an industry dramatically |
| C．puts itself in an unbeatable position |
| D．is soon overtaken by imitated products |
According to the passage, other companies don’t “copy being Apple” because ______.
| A．Apple is not a successful company |
| B．they have no access to relevant resources |
| C．it’s hard to find a magician like Steve Jobs |
| D．being Apple takes more than time and efforts |
We can infer from Para.5 that ______.
| A．other companies are dedicated to integration |
| B．Apple itself is fully aware of its unique advantages |
| C．Apple will hold the leading position in this industry |
| D．other companies don’t have a great team as Apple does |
What does the author think of Tim Cook’s statement?
| A．Doubtful | B．Acceptable |
| C．Unbelievable | D．Disappointing |
Chinese writer Mo Yan’s Nobel Prize for Literature might ignite an explosion of global interest in Chinese literature and lead to more titles translated into English, European experts say.
“Hopefully, the award means more people will read Chinese literature and more works will get translated,” says Michel Hocks, professor of the Languages and Cultures of China and Inner Asia from University of London. “Many very good Chinese writers have been accepted globally for a long time already. Mo Yan is probably the most translated Chinese writer alive, with at least five of his novels made available in English over the past 20 years.”
Jonathan Ruppin,web editor of bookseller Foyles,says Mo’s win coincides with growing interest in Chinese literature and recognizes the talents of a distinctive and visionary（富于幻想的）writer.We are very excited by the fact that English translations of more of his books should now become available,”Ruppin says.He made the comment after Mo became the first Chinese citizen to win the Nobel Prize for Literature in it’s century-long history.
As East-West cultural exchange has been booming, Chinese literature has been attracting growing attention in recent years. Hocks explains, “It’s mainly because there are many more opportunities for Chinese writers to visit other countries, to publish their works outside China and to interact with readers abroad. At the same time, more and more people globally are learning Chinese and taking an interest in the Chinese language and culture.”
University of Oxford lecturer in modern Chinese literature Margaret Hillenbrand says, “The obvious reason for the growing global presence of Chinese literature is the growing global presence of China itself. People have come to realize that there is a serious knowledge deficit between China and its international counterparts — in particular, China knows incomparably more about Europe and America than the other way round — and reading Chinese literature is an effective, simple means of solving that gap.”The underlined word “ignite” in Paragraph 1 probably means “________”.
| A．start out | B．set off | C．burn up | D．appeal to |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．In the past, no Chinese writers were accepted outside China. |
| B．Chinese literature has spread with the development of China. |
| C．The Nobel Prize for Literature has a history of hundreds of years. |
| D．Foreigners know about China mainly by reading Mo Yan’s works. |
Chinese literature has been attracting growing attention mainly because __________.
| A．the Chinese government attaches great importance to literature |
| B．Chinese writers have been writing more and more books in English |
| C．the Chinese language has become the most widely used language in the world |
| D．the cultural communication between China and western countries has developed |
How do you understand the underlined sentence in the last paragraph?
| A．China knows more about Europe and America than before. |
| B．Compared with America, China knows more about Europe. |
| C．China, Europe and America know one another more than before. |
| D．China knows more about Europe and America than they know about China. |
Last summer a tornado hit a small town nearby. I saw in the local newspaper a picture of a young woman a little boy and a younger 36 standing in front of a totally destroyed house eyes wide open with 37 .I noticed their clothing 38 closely matched ours. This would be a good opportunity to teach my children to help those less 39.
I 40 their situation to my seven-year-old twins, Brad and Martin, and 41 the boys to donate some of their less favorite toys. My little daughter, Meghan, 42 quietly when the boys piled up the old toys. After a while, Meghan walked up 43 Lucy, her much-loved doll, 44 tightly to her chest. She put her round little 45 into Lucy’s, giving her a final kiss, and then laid her 46 on top of the others. “Oh, honey,” I said，“you don’t have to give Lucy. You love her so much. ”
Meghan nodded, trying to 47 her tears. “Lucy makes me happy, Mummy. Maybe she’ll make that little girl happy, too. ”
The boys watched in surprise 48 their baby sister placed Lucy in the 49 . While I stared at Meghan, reflecting upon my donation, they went, without a word, to their room and both 50 with their valued items. Martin hesitated 51 , then looked over at Meghan and put his model car next to Lucy. Amazed, I removed my old 52 from the box, and 53 it with a new one I had bought the week before, hoping the young woman would 54 it as much.
Anyone can give away what they no longer need, but true generosity is giving what you 55 . I, who had meant to teach, was taught.
A．man B．woman C．girl D．boy
A．pity B．fear C．anger D．sympathy
A．brands B．colors C．prices D．sizes
A．optimistic B．fortunate C．thankful D．wealthy
A．explained B．announced C．demonstrated D．translated
A．allowed B．commanded C．requested D．encouraged
A．watched B．behaved C．counted D．waited
A．to B．by C．with D．for
A．tied B．hung C．hugged D．grasped
A．eyes B．ears C．head D．face
A．gently B．swiftly C．painfully D．gratefully
A．keep out B．take off C．burst into D．hold back
A．before B．as C．after D．once
A．box B．car C．room D．picture
A．played B．dealt C．returned D．disappeared
A．angrily B．briefly C．eagerly D．merely
A．jacket B．item C．newspaper D．doll
A．balanced B．replaced C．mixed D．compared
A．love B．keep C．wear D．wash
A．buy B．intend C．need D．dislike
--- Do you think you will be able to finish your writing by five o’clock today?
--- __________. I’ll be busy with experiments all day.
| A．Not a chance | B．Not a little | C．Not to mention it | D．No wonder |
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