“ONLY A COKE WILL DO”
“We don’t necessarily believe that new advertising, which might make consumers feel better about the Coke brand or better about the ads themselves, will actually result in consumers consuming more of the product,” Morgan Stanley’s Bill Pecoriello wrote in a research note the day after the investor meeting. But Coke is optimistic it can regain its old magic, and is banking on a new slogan: “Welcome to the Coke side of life.”
BREAKTHROUGH HIT?
With PepsiCo about to surpass Coke as the beverage king on Wall Street – Pepsi’s market capitalization has soared in recent years to $97.9 billion, putting it less than a billion dollars behind its rival(对手) – the heat is on Coke. It’s set to launch a new marketing campaign in March, 2006. And having taken a quick look at Coke’s investor presentation on Dec. 7 in New York, my sense is that Coke may be moving in the right direction.
Given the continued shift by consumers away from soda – Coke’s stronghold – and into alternative beverages like juice, tea and water, Coke badly needs a breakthrough hit. And given that shift away from soda, some analysts wonder whether even the catchiest new ads will be enough to put the fizz back into Coke.
SAME OLD, UPDATED.
The new flavors of PowerAde sports drink will probably enable Coke to continue stealing market share from PepsiCo’s Gatorade brand. And Coke is getting a little more creative with packaging, including new, aluminum bottles of Coke that will be sold in nightclubs, and an 8.4-ounce “100 calorie” version of its flagship Coke that will appeal to women who want fewer calories and will like the fact that the small can will fit in their purse. I doubt whether other new products will be successful, including a new coffee-flavored soda called Coke-Cola Blak that I tried. Think carbonated coffee. But I’m not sure if the product, which Coke is pitching as an afternoon pick-me-up for the 35-and-over set, is going to pull people away from their afternoon Frappucino fix. And my opinion is that Vault, an orange-flavored energy drink, will have just as much trouble unseating Mountain Dew among teens as did Coke’s last attempt, a product called Surge.
If there is one concern I have about the fresh offerings Coke plans to launch this year, it appears that many of them are simply new brands, not new products.
68.According to the passage, we can know that ____.
A. Coke mainly depends on new products recently
B. nowadays Coke is comparatively less popular
C. PepsiCo has taken the place of Coke
D. Coke has few new brands
69.The underlined word “soared” means ____.
A. achieved B. dropped C. increased D. failed
70.When the middle-aged people feel tired, what would they prefer to drink in order to continue their work?
A. Vault. B. Surge. C. Coke-Cola Blak D. Frappucino.
71.What is the best title of the passage?
A. Troubles in Coke Company
B. Varieties of New Products
C. The Importance of New Advertisements
D. The Relationship Between Coke and Pepsi
For the last couple of weeks, I had been stuck in front of my computer working on a project that was very important to me. My every waking hour was consumed by the project and although I imagined that I would feel happy after completing parts of the project, I was confused to find that instead, I was feeling rather depressed. I tried a range of methods to help cheer myself up. I had a relaxing bath, cooked a delicious meal to enjoy with my family and even watched a lighthearted movie, but to no avail. It was only when I turned to meditation for a solution that the answer came to me: turn to nature!
The very next day, I grabbed my camera and a bottle of water and set off to spend a few hours walking in a nature reserve, even though it was pouring with rain. Within a couple of minutes I felt alive again. To be honest, I felt like a young school girl again and had to stop myself from hopping along the path singing, "I'm singing in the rain", a song I used to sing when I was a child. I think as adults we often try too hard to control our inner children and as a result we restrain our own spirits, which only leads to depression and stress.
Interestingly, it has been shown that people who spend 40 minutes walking in a nature reserve have a drop in their blood pressure levels, but this does not happen when they spend a similar amount of time walking in a busy city centre.
If you feel a little low in spirit and know that you have spent too much time indoors, relax completely, remove your shoes and let your inner child come out and play.The author walked in a nature reserve in the rain in order to__________.
| A．take photos | B．find a solution to the project |
| C．hop along the path | D．cheer herself up |
The underlined part "to no avail" in Paragraph 1 probably means " __________.".
| A．unsuccessful | B．unrelated | C．uninteresting | D．unexpected |
In the author's opinion, __________.
| A．a bath can make people relaxed |
| B．depression is usually caused by hard work |
| C．walking in a busy city centre harms people's health |
| D．adults should express their inner feelings freely |
The last paragraph mainly serves as a(n) __________.
| A．explanation | B．suggestion | C．introduction | D．reminder |
A mathematician who goes mad is not a subject most directors consider commercially attractive, but then Ron Howard isn’t among most directors, despite an impressive list of credits, a Beautiful Mind is his most successful work to date, combining psychological drama with a moving love story to produce a film that is as interesting as it is entertaining.
The Oscar winning Russel Crowe has put himself in line for further honors with his acting John Nash, the Nobel Prize-winning mathematician troubled by schizophrenia(神经分裂症). A Beautiful Mind pictures Nash as an unusual hero, not just because of his academic achievements, but also because of the courage he displays while battling his illness.
In 1947, Nash was one of many great young minds at Princeton. “To find a truly original idea is the only way to distinguish myself.” The proud and determined student declared. His exploration of such an idea afforded him little time for the normal socializing. His shyness and straightforward approach brought him few friends.
After finally hitting on a revolutionary new idea, Nash’s career took off and his reputation was secured. He balanced research work with teaching, which is where he met the bright and beautiful student Alicia (Jennifer Connelly). Things in his life were going well when his talent for code breaking brought him to the attention of the military who employed him during the early stages of the cold war with Russia. However, the stress of his work made Nash’s illness develop.
Crowe’s performance is perfect. He and Connelly ignite (make something exciting) the film’s passionate love story and Connelly’s wonderful performance makes the audience moved by Alicia, whose courage, strength and faith in her husband are the primary reasons for his recovery.The passage is most probably _____.
| A．a book review | B．a movie review |
| C．a movie poster | D．an advertisement |
Which can replace the underlined phrase “hit on” in the fourth paragraph?
| A．put up with | B．come on |
| C．put on | D．come up with |
Which of the following statements is not true?
| A．John Nash did not go mad totally. |
| B．Ron Howard is an outstanding director. |
| C．The stress of the academic work caused Nash’s illness. |
| D．Nash didn’t have many friends. |
We can infer form the text that _____.
| A．without Alicia, John Nash would not have recovered from schizophrenia. |
| B．John Nash gave up his career when troubled by schizophrenia. |
| C．Russell Crowe won another Oscar Award after this movie. |
| D．John Nash volunteered to serve in the army. |
By far the most common difficulty in study is simple failure to get down to regular concentrated work. This difficulty is much greater for those who do not work to a plan and have no regular routine of study. Many students muddle along , doing a bit of this subject or that, as the mood takes them, or letting their set work pile up until the last possible moment.
Few students work to a set timetable. They say that if they did work out a timetable for themselves they would not keep to it, or would have to change it frequently, since they can never predict from one day to the next what their activities will be.
No doubt some students take much more kindly to a regular routine than others. There are many who shy away from a self-controlled weekly timetable, and dislike being tied down to a fixed program of work. Many able students state that they work in cycles. When they become interested in a topic they work on it attentively for three or four days at a time. On other days they avoid work completely. It has to be admitted that we do not fully understand the motivation to work. Most people over 25 years of age have become used to a work routine, and the majority of really productive workers set aside regular hours for the more important areas of their work. The “ tough-minded ” school of workers doesn’t fully accept the idea that good work can only be done naturally, under the influence of inspiration.
Those who believe that they need only work and study as the fit takes them have a mistaken belief either in their own talent or in the value of “ freedom ”. Freedom from control and discipline leads to unhappiness rather than to “ self-expression ” or “ personality development ”. Our society insists on regular habits, timekeeping and punctuality ( being on time ), and whether we like it or not, if we mean to make our way in society, we have to meet its demands.The most widespread problem in applying oneself to study is __________ .
| A．changing from one subject to another |
| B．the failure to keep to a set timetable of work |
| C．the unwillingness to work out a systematic plan |
| D．working on a subject only when one feels like it |
Which of the following is TRUE ?
| A．Many students are not interested in using a self-controlled timetable . |
| B．Many students don’t like being told to study to a fixed timetable . |
| C．Most people over 25 years of age don’t work to a set timetable . |
| D．Tough-minded people agree that good work is done naturally . |
The underlined part “ as the fit takes them ” means __________ .
| A．when they have the energy | B．when they are in the mood |
| C．when they feel fit | D．when they find conditions suitable |
A suitable title for the passage might be __________ .
| A．Attitudes to Study | B．A Study Plan |
| C．The Difficulties of Studying | D．Study and Self-discipline |
You may not pay much attention to your daily elevator ride. Many of us use a lift several times during the day without really thinking about it. But Lee Gray, PhD, of the University of North Carolina, US, has made it his business to examine this overlooked form of public transport. He is known as the “Elevator Guy”.
“The lift becomes this interesting social space where etiquette (礼仪) is sort of odd (奇怪的),” Gray told the BBC. “The elevators are socially very interesting but often very awkward places.”
We walk in and usually turn around to face the door. If someone else comes in, we may have to move. And here, according to Gray, liftusers unthinkingly go through a set pattern of movements. He told the BBC what he had observed.
He explained that when you are the only one inside a lift, you can do whatever you want – it’s your own little box.
If there are two of you, you go into different corners, standing diagonally (对角线地) across from each other to create distance.
When a third person enters, you will unconsciously form a triangle. And when there is a fourth person it becomes a square, with someone in every corner. A fifth person is probably going to have to stand in the middle.
New entrants to the lift will need to size up the situation when the doors slide open and then act decisively. Once in, for most people the rule is simple – look down, or look at your phone.
Why are we so awkward in lifts?
“You don’t have enough space,” Professor Babette Renneberg, a clinical psychologist at the Free University of Berlin, told the BBC. “Usually when we meet other people we have about an arm’s length of distance between us. And that’s not possible in most elevators.”
In such a small, enclosed space it becomes very important to act in a way that cannot be understood as threatening or odd. “The easiest way to do this is to avoid eye contact,” she said.According to Gray, when people enter an elevator, they usually _____.
| A．turn around and greet one another |
| B．look around or examine their phone |
| C．make eye contact with those in the elevator |
| D．try to keep a distance from other people |
Which of the following describes how people usually stand when there are at least two
people in an elevator? 
According to the article, people feel awkward in lifts because of _____.
| A．someone’s odd behaviors | B．a lack of space |
| C．their unfamiliarity with one another | D．their eye contact with one another |
What’s the passage mainly about _____.
| A．Bad manners in the elevator |
| B．Some unwritten rules of elevator etiquette |
| C．An interesting but awkward elevator ride |
| D．The strange behaviors in the elevator |
Eight Things a Burglar Won’t Tell You
Should you spend your money on a home security system? A look inside a burglar’s(夜盗) mind might help you decide.
1. Of course I look familiar. I was here just last week cleaning your carpets, painting your shutters, or delivering your new refrigerator.
2. Hey, thanks for letting me use the bathroom when I was working in your yard last week. While I was in your home, I unlatched(拔下插销) the back window to make my return a little easier.
3. To you, leaving that window open just a crack during the day is a way to let in a little fresh air. To me, it’s an invitation which I am more than happy to accept.
4. If it snows while you’re out of town, get a neighbor to create car and foot tracks into the house, or it will be a dead giveaway. By the way, loud dogs and nosy neighbors are the two things I hate most.
5. It’s raining, you’re fumbling with your umbrella, and you forget to lock your door---understandable. But understand this: I don’t take a day off because of bad weather.
6. Do you really think I won’t look in your sock drawer? I always check dresser drawers, the bedside table, and the medicine cabinet(柜子). Here’s a helpful hint: I almost never go into kids’ rooms.
7. You’re right: I won’t have enough time to break into that safe where you keep your valuables. But if it’s not fastened, I’ll take it with me.
8. Avoid announcing your vacation on your Facebook.com page. It’s easier than you think to look up your address.Money and valuables might be the safest if kept in your______.
| A．kids’ room | B．sock drawer |
| C．medicine cabinet | D．safe |
The underlined words “a dead giveaway” here may probably be something that______.
| A．throws away useless things at home |
| B．warns a burglar that someone is dead |
| C．tells a burglar the truth |
| D．frightens a burglar away |
We can draw a conclusion from the text that______.
| A．burglars seldom steal in bad weather |
| B．if you do housework yourself, you’ll stay away from burglars |
| C．you yourself are sometimes to blame for a theft |
| D．you can always count on your neighbors when you are out |
The main purpose of the article is to _____.
| A．summarize when burglars steal most frequently |
| B．encourage people to spend money on home security systems |
| C．explain why burglars take up stealing |
| D．teach people how to protect their homes |
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