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．ruins an industry dramatically |
| B．starts a revolution of an industry |
| 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．Acceptable． | B．Disappointing． | C．Unquestionable． | D．Convincing． |
Visitors to Britain may find the best place to sample local culture is in a traditional pub．But these friendly pubs can be dangerous places of potential gaffes（失礼）for the newcomers．
A team of researchers have discovered some of the unknown customs of British pubs - starting with the difficulty of getting a drink．Most pubs have no waiters - you have to go to the bar to buy drinks．A group of Italian youths waiting 45 minutes before they realized they would have to fetch their own．This may sound inconvenient, but there is a hidden purpose．
Pub culture is designed to promote sociability（社交）in a society known for its reserve．Standing at the bar for service allows you to chat with others waiting to be served．The bar counter is possibly the only site in the British Isles in which friendly conversation with strangers is considered entirely suitable and really quite normal behavior．“If you haven’t been to a pub, you haven’t been to Britain．” This tip can be found in a booklet, Passport to the Pub: The Tourists’ Guide to Pub Etiquette, a customers’ rule of conduct for those wanting to sample “a central part of British life and culture”．
The trouble is that if you do not follow the local rules, the experience may fall flat．For example, if you are in a big group, it is best if only one or two people go to buy the drinks．Nothing annoys the regular customers and bar staff more than a group of strangers blocking all access to the bar while they chat and hesitate about what to order．The underlined word “sample” in the first paragraph probably means “________”．
| A．taste | B．experience |
| C．test | D．record |
The culture of pub in Britain is so developed to ________．
| A．encourage people to communicate with each other |
| B．encourage more people to consume drinks |
| C．attract more tourists to the pubs |
| D．form its own character of culture |
If you don’t follow the local rules in a pub, ________．
| A．you won’t buy good local drinks |
| B．you may annoy the regular customers and bar staff |
| C．you may fail to feel the local culture |
| D．you might get into a dangerous place |
What may be the best title for the passage?
| A．Self-service Pubs in Britain |
| B．British Local Pubs: Special Chat Places |
| C．Local Pub Culture in Britain |
| D．Manners in British Local Pubs |
Car sharing is another way to drive green that’s gaining in popularity, especially in urban areas．People who may not drive every day but still want a car to run errands （差事）or drive on weekends benefit most from car sharing．Car sharing is usually run by a service like Zipcar, though there are non-profit （非营利的）and informal car sharing services．Members pay a monthly fee and have access to an entire fleet of cars when they need one．The cars are parked in fixed spots around the city, so members only need to make a reservation, and then go to the pickup spot．
Car sharing has major environmental benefits because it reduces the number of cars on the road．Members don’t drive just because they are in a car．They plan trips, and if they don’t need a car, they don’t use one．Still, a car is available to them if they need to make a big trip to the grocery store, pick someone up at the airport or if they want to go to the beach for the day．Members also benefit by having access to a car without any of the headaches of ownership．They usually don’t have to pay for the gas, insurance or maintenance （保养）, and the monthly membership fee is less than a typical car payment．So if you really want to go green but aren’t ready to totally give up a car yet, car sharing may be the way to go．
If you still need to get around, but want to go even greener than sharing a car, share a bus!The author intends to tell us that car sharing ________．
| A．has become the most popular way to go to work |
| B．has become the best way to cut living costs |
| C．is becoming more and more popular in cities |
| D．is becoming popular both in urban and rural （乡村的）areas |
We can conclude from the passage that _________．
| A．Zipear can’t help you if you are running urgent errands |
| B．Zipcar, different from other services, aims green driving with no profit |
| C．Zipcar is a company supplying car sharing service for a monthly payment |
| D．Zipcar is a company providing formal car sharing free |
The second paragraph mainly tells us _________．
| A．why people will share a car |
| B．why car sharing benefits the environment |
| C．why car sharing is cheaper than owning a car |
| D．why a car is available to members |
Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage?
| A．Car sharing has become a new trend （趋势）． |
| B．Car sharing can save you the headaches of ownership． |
| C．Bus sharing is even greener than car sharing． |
| D．Zipcar is the largest company offering car sharing services． |
A man was on the side of the road hitchhiking（搭便车）on a very dark night in the middle of a terrible rainstorm, with no cars on the road．The storm was so strong that the man could hardly see a few feet ahead of him．Suddenly, he saw a car come towards him and stop．The man, without thinking about it, got in the car and closed the door and only then did he realize that there was nobody behind the steering wheel（方向盘）!
The car started to move very slowly．The man looked at the road and saw a curve （拐弯处）coming his way．Terrified, he started to pray, begging for his life．He had not come out of shock when, just before the car hit the curve, a hand suddenly appeared through the window and moved the wheel．The man, paralyzed with fear, watched how the hand appeared every time the car was drawing near a curve．Finally, although terrified, the man managed to open the door and jump out of the spooky car．Without looking back, the man ran through the storm all the way to the nearest town．In a state of complete horror, the man walked into a nearby bar and asked for two glasses of Scotch whisky．
Then, still shaking with fright, he started telling everybody in the bar about the horrible experience he just went through in the spooky car．Everyone in the bar listened in silence and became frightened, with hair standing on end, when they realized the man was telling the truth because he was crying and he was certainly not drunk!
About half an hour later, two other young men walked into the same bar and one said to the other, “Hey, there’s a stupid man who jumped into the car while we were pushing it!”When the car was first drawing near a curve, the man ________．
| A．felt very curious | B．was extremely frightened |
| C．cried for help | D．remained as calm as possible |
According to the passage, what made the man’s experience believable?
| A．His reasonable behavior． | B．His vivid description． |
| C．His plain appearance． | D．His honest attitude． |
We can infer from the passage that ________．
| A．it is unsafe for people to take a free ride |
| B．the man was telling a lie to his listeners |
| C．the car probably broke down on the way |
| D．the two young men were familiar with the man |
Read the passage carefully．Then answer the questions or complete the statements in the fewest possible words.
Most people look forward to retirement as a time when they can finally take up activities that they never had the time or energy to pursue before．But some recent studies on people in their golden years are disturbing: they suggest that retirees are more likely to suffer from depression and possibly higher rates of other diseases such as heart disease and high blood pressure．That’s why a new study of French workers is welcome news.
Led by Hugo Westland, a professor of psychology at Stockholm University, the study of more than 14,000 workers found lower rates of depression and fatigue (疲劳) in people after they got tired while they were still employed.
The scientists followed the employees of the French national gas and electric company for 14 years．They found in the year immediately after retirement, the volunteers reported 40% fewer depressive symptoms than they had in the year before their retirement．The researchers also found an 81% drop in reports of both mental and physical fatigue over the same time period.
Clearly, said Westerlund, much of these decrease in physical and mental fatigue can be traced back to relief from the stresses of work．The decline in depressive symptoms suggests that retirement may be having a positive mental effect, too, which may have a lot to do with the generous pensions (养老金) that French workers enjoy．Most retirees in that country still benefit from about 80% of their yearly salaries.
“The economic or financial situation in retirement is very important,” Westerlund says．“We don’t know if the decrease in fatigue and depressive symptoms is because of the removal of something bad while in work or the addition of something good while in retirement．But no matter the reason, if life in retirement is not comfortable, then we won’t see the improvements we did.”
However, in European nations like France, governments are considering changes to pension plans, which may affect retirees’ health after they leave their jobs－with less of a financial safety net, workers may no longer seem so mentally and physically happy to be out of work．
(Note: Answer the questions or complete the statements in NO MORE THAN EIGHT WORDS.)According to some recent studies, retired people may have depression and higher rates of other diseases like __________.
Westerlund’s group found that in the year just after the retirement most retired French workers felt much less tired both __________.
What does the word “improvements” in paragraph 5 refer to?
Retirement may make people happier with __________.
Directions: Read the following text and choose the most suitable heading from A-F for each paragraph．There is one extra heading which you do not need.
| A．Causes of overusing fluoride |
B．Negative effects of fluoride |
| C．Safe use of fluoride |
D．The expert’s background information |
| E．No need to worry about fluoride poisoning |
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| F．Solutions to improper use of fluoride |
I have heard that fluoride can help stop dental decay, but I recently read that it is poisonous．Which of these is true? How can children use fluoride safely?
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This question is answered by Dr Marcia M．Rich who practises general dentistry in Newholt．She is also a lecturer at the University and a writer for the monthly magazine Your Dentist Cares．
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My answer to the first question is to stress that fluoride works well and is safe when users follow instructions．Young children have a tendency t
o swallow toothpaste, which is why they should only have a tiny amount of fluoride toothpaste on their toothbrush．If this simple measure is taken, parents can be confident that children will be protected against tooth decay, and come to no harm.
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Almost all medicines have an adverse effect－or even be deadly－if they are not taken as directed．So you are right－fluoride can be poisonous if it is swallowed in very large quantities．It is for the reason that fluoride supplements can only be obtained on prescription from the doctor or dentist．Please be assured that fluoride overdoses are rare－in fact, I have never heard of any fatal incidents related to fluoride poisoning.
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Scientific studies have shown that fluoride can help to prevent cavities as long as it is used correctly．If fluoride is abused, there is a risk of illness or even deaths in extreme cases．If a deadly amount of fluoride is taken, immediate first-aid could save a life．A person who has swallowed a large amount of fluoride will probably start vomiting．If not, the patient should be given milk or antacid and taken to the nearest hospital for emergency treatment.
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Taking too much fluoride while teeth are growing can lead to a condition called dental fluorosis．The most likely cause is the swallowing of fluoride toothpastes by young children．It can also be caused by inappropriate use of fluoride drop or other fluoride supplements, for example when fluoride is already is already present in drinking water．
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