Consumer electronics once again topped the list of the most wanted gifts this holiday season. “Seventy-six percent of consumers who plan to buy holiday gifts say that they will spend money buying at least one technology product; definitely a solid vote of confidence for technology.” Steve Koenig is with the Consumer Electronics Association. He says the group’s latest research also shows that Americans this year are spending more on technology products.
“Here in 2012, $252 on average–the technology spend for consumers this year.” From tablet computers to smart phones, American shoppers have been lining up to get the newest and coolest electronic devices on the market. There are more choices today than ever before. “It’s kind of hard to make a decision.”
Tablet computers are one of the best-selling products this year. Brian Tong is Senior Editor of CNET.com. The website reports on tech news and examines the latest electronic products. He says the Apple iPad Mini is one of the most popular tablets. Its starting price is $329. One of Apple’s biggest competitors is the Google Nexus 7. It starts at $199.
“The hardware inside is more powerful than what’s in the iPad Mini, but also it offers you a lot of things like maps that work better than Apple’s maps.” Brian Tong says there is one reason why people may like the iPad Mini more than the Nexus 7. “If you just want to read books and surf the Internet, you don’t really need to get an iPad Mini, but if you want the largest group of apps that’s where the iPad and Apple’s ecosystem shines the most.”
Elman Chacon is with the electronics store Best Buy. He says another hot product this season is smart cameras. They connect to the Internet through Wi-Fi. This makes it easy for users to email or upload photographs directly from the camera. “You can literally take a picture, upload it into your Facebook in a matter of seconds. These things are pretty cool because they do a lot of things.”
Streaming media boxes also connect to the Internet. People are able to watch web content such as movies and YouTube videos on their televisions. Another popular item is wireless speaker systems. The newest ones work with any device that has Bluetooth technology, including smart phones, laptops and tablets.
With the growing popularity of Internet shopping, many consumers will visit a store first to look at a product, and then go online to find it at a lower price. Stores like Best Buy understand that and they want to stay competitive.
“We have something called the perfect match promise which means if you buy a certain device and you find it cheaper within 30 days we’ll go ahead and price match that for you.” Elman Chacon said.According to Brain Tong, ________.
| A．the Apple’s iPad Mini is more suitable for enthusiastic readers |
| B．the hardware in iPad Mini is more advanced than that in Nexus 7 |
| C．iPad Mini is more eco-friendly |
| D．Nexus 7 has fewer apps than iPad Mini |
If you’ve discovered that a certain device you bought at Best Buy is more expensive than one at another store, ________.
| A．you are sure to get double the amount you paid |
| B．the store will return the price differences |
| C．you can return the device and get your money back |
| D．the store will lower the price within 30 days |
Which of the following would be the best gift for a cab driver?
| A．Smart cameras. | B．Streaming media boxes. |
| C．Tablet computers. | D．Wireless speaker systems. |
What is true about the smart cameras ?
| A．To show the varieties of products |
| B．The smart cameras are more powerful. |
| C．It can make the users upload their photographs easily . |
| D．The smart cameras makes it more convenient to go on Internet . |
From the passage , we can infer _______ .
| A．Electronics have become one of the biggest consumer industries in the US. |
| B．There are many electronics in the United States . |
| C．The US becomes the Number One electronics consumers . |
| D．We can buy much cheaper products in US . |
I once had my Chinese MBA students brainstorming on “two-hour business plans”. I separated them into six groups and gave them an example: a restaurant chain. The more original their idea, the better, I said. Finally, five of the six groups presented plans for restaurant chains. The sixth proposed a catering(餐饮) service. Though I admitted the time limit had been difficult, I expressed my disappointment.
My students were middle managers, financial analysts and financiers from state-owned enterprises and global companies. They were not without talent or opinions, but they had been shaped by an educational system that rarely stressed or rewarded critical thinking or inventiveness. The scene I just described came in different forms during my two years’ teaching at the school. Papers were often copied from the Web and the Harvard Business Review. Case study debates were written up and just memorized. Students frequently said that copying is a superior business strategy, better than inventing and creating.
In China, every product you can imagine has been made and sold. But so few well-developed marketing and management minds have been raised that it will be a long time before most people in the world can name a Chinese brand.
With this problem in mind, partnerships with institutions like Yale and MIT have been established. And then there’s the “thousand-talent scheme”: this new government program is intended to improve technological modernization by attracting top foreign-trained scientists to the mainland with big money. But there are worries about China’s research environment. It's hardly known for producing independent thinking and openness, and even big salary offers may not be attractive enough to overcome this.
At last, for China, becoming a major world creator is not just about setting up partnerships with top Western universities. Nor is it about gathering a group of well-educated people and telling them to think creatively. It’s about establishing a rich learning environment for young minds. It’s not that simple.Which of the following scenes is NOT considered as lack of creation?
| A．Papers were often downloaded from the Internet. |
| B．Students often said that copying is a preferable business strategy. |
| C．Case study debates were written up as well as recited. |
| D．Students combine knowledge and critical thoughts to solve a problem. |
The underlined word “scheme” in the forth paragraph means .
| A．timetable | B．theme | C．project | D．policy |
We can infer from the passage that ___________.
| A．China can make and sell any product all over the world |
| B．high pay may not solve the problem of China’s research environment |
| C．cooperation with institutions has been set up to make a Chinese brand |
| D．the new government program are aimed at encouraging imagination |
Which is the best title of the passage?
| A．Look for a New Way of Learning | B．Reward Creative Thinking |
| C．How to Become a Creator | D．Establish a Technical Environment |
Health, Wellness and the Politics of Food
9:00—9:45 a.m. Blue Tent
Panelists (成员)：Jami Bernard, David Kamp, Marion Nestle and Peter Singer.
Hosted by Denise Grady, science writer for The New York Times.
How does what we eat not only affect our bodies, but also the world？The food and nutrition experts debate the role that the diet plays in both personal and global health, and present a look at food politics.
Sports Writing：For the Love of the Game
9:50—10:35 a.m. Blue Tent
Panelists：Christine Brennan, Ira Rosen, Joe Wallace and Joe Drape.
Hosted by William C.Rhoden, sports writer for The New York Times.
Whether catching that key moment of victory or defeat, or covering breaking news, sports writers are anything but audience. Listen as some professionals discuss the special experience in reporting of sports news.
The Art of the Review
11:15—12:00 a.m. Green Tent
Panelists: John Freeman, Barry Gewen, David Orr, Celia McGee and Jennifer Schuessler.
Hosted by Sam Tanenhaus, editor for The New York Times Book Review. How much of an effect does the book review have on book sales？Join this group of critics(评论家) as they discuss the reality of book review and bestseller lists, and how they choose books for review.
New York Writers, New York Stories
3:00—3:45 p.m.Green Tent
Panelists: Cindy Adams, Richard Cohen, Ric Klass and Lauren Redniss.
Hosted by Clyde Haberman, columnist (专栏作家) for the City Section of The New York Times.
Join this inspiring group of New York－centric writers as they talk about why New York is a gold mine of ideas for their work.If you are free in the afternoon, you can attend_______.
| A．The Art of the Review |
| B．New York Writers, New York Stories |
| C．Health, Wellness and the Politics of Food |
| D．Sports Writing: For the Love of the Game |
Sam Tanenhaus is in charge of ________.
| A．The Art of the Review |
| B．Health, Wellness and the Politics of Food |
| C．New York Writers, New York Stories |
D．Sports Writin g：For the Love of the Game |
All the four activities above _______.
| A．are about writing | B．will last 45 minutes each |
| C．can be attended freely | D．will attract many readers |
We can learn from the text that________.
| A．sports writers are a type of audience |
| B．the New York Times is popular |
| C．Denise Grady will discuss politics |
| D．book reviews may affect book sales |
Will Nanfang University of Science and Technology in Shenzhen announce a new beginning for China’s higher education reform? It’s too early to answer. But its presence is challenging the Ministry of Education. Even without the approval of the ministry it seems that the school is determined to move forward and enroll 50 students, so-called child prodigies(奇才), to begin classes on March l, 2011.On graduating in 2015, these students will receive a diploma unauthorized by the Ministry of Education-unlike the students of their age from the state-run universities.
The school is committed to modeling itself on Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, but if the government will not approve the school, the situation could cause a lot of trouble for those 50 students if they want to do graduate studies at other higher learning institutions. Other schools could turn their applications down for their unauthorized diplomas.
The difficulties, however, have not frightened students and their parents away. On Dec.18, 2010 more than 1,000 students and their parents visited Nanfang University of Science and Technology for interviews.
Private investment marks the school out from other higher learning institutions in the nation. Not a penny comes from the government. So the government will have no voice in how the school will be run.
The Ministry of Education has published a comprehensive plan for education reform and development between 2011 and 2020.The goal is to make China’s higher education internationally competitive. To accomplish this goal, the government should have the courage to let the educators who have big ideas try them out. The ministry should have applauded the independence the school in Shenzhen has shown and encouraged more to do likewise.
Education reform in China has reached a new and crucial stage. Nanfang University of Science and Technology has a long way to go to prove itself competitive rather than a diploma mill.Over 1,000 students and parents visited the school because .
| A．they believe that the school will have a bright future |
| B．they believe the government is sure to approve the school |
| C．the school models itself on Hong Kong University successfully |
| D．they will never do graduate studies at other higher learning institutions |
The trouble the students in the school may have is that .
| A．the government will have no voice in the school |
| B．they won’t receive any diploma when graduating from the school |
| C．other schools are unlikely to accept their diploma from the school |
| D．they will not learn how to be competitive |
What does the author think of Nanfang University of Science and Technology?
| A．It is another kind of diploma mill. | |
| B．It’s impossible for the school to be competitive. | |
C．It will never get the approval from the Ministry of Education. |
D．Its independence from the government may benefit the education reform. |
What is the best title of the passage?
| A．University of New Style. | B．China’s Education Reform. |
| C．Modeling Hong Kong University. | D．Authorized or Not? |
He's an old cobbler （修鞋匠） with a shop in the Marais, a historic area in Paris．When I took him my shoes, he at first told me: "I haven't time．Take them to the other fellow on the main street; he'll fix them for you right away．"
But I'd had my eye on his shop for a long time. Just looking at his bench loaded with tools and pieces of leather, I knew he was a skilled craftsman (手艺人). "No," I replied, "The other fellow can't do it well."
"The other fellow" was one of those shopkeepers who fix shoes and make keys "while-U-wait" -- without knowing much about mending shoes or making keys. They work carelessly, and when they have finished sewing back a sandal strap (鞋带) ,you might as well just throw away the pair.
My man saw I wouldn't give in, and he smiled. He wiped his hands on his blue apron (围裙), looked at my shoes, had me write my name on one shoe with a piece of chalk and said, "Come back in a week."
I was about to leave when he took a pair of soft leather boot off a shelf.
"See what I can do " he said with pride. "Only three of us in Paris can do this kind of work."
When I got back out into the street, the world seemed brand-new to me. He was something out of an ancient legend, an old craftsman with his way of speaking familiarly, his pride in his craft.
These are times when nothing is important but the bottom line, when you can do things any old way as long as it "pays", when, in short, people look on work as a path to ever-increasing consumption (消费) rather than a way to realize their own abilities. In such a period,it is a rare comfort to find a cobbler who gets his greatest satisfaction from pride in a job well done.Which of the following is true about the old cobbler?
| A．He was equipped with the best repairing tools. |
| B．He was the only cobbler in the Marais. |
| C．He was proud of his skills. |
| D．He was a native Parisian. |
The sentence "He was something out of an ancient legend." ( paragraph 7 ) implies that .
| A．nowadays you can hardly find anyone like him |
| B．it was difficult to communicate with this man |
| C．the man was very strange |
| D．the man was too old |
According to the author, many people work just to .
| A．realize their abilities | B．gain happiness |
| C．make money | D．gain respect |
This story wants to tell us that .
| A．craftsmen make a lot of money | B．whatever you do, do it well |
| C．craftsmen need self-respect | D．people are born equal |
For the person keeping a journal, whatever he experiences and wants to hold he can write down. But to get it down on paper begins another adventure. For he has to focus on what he has experienced, and to be able to say what, in fact, the experience is. What of it is new? What of it is remarkable because of associations in the memory it stirs up? It is a good or bad thing to have happened? And why, specifically? The questions multiply (增多) themselves quickly. As one tries to find the words that best represent this discovery, the experience becomes even clearer in its shape and meaning.
Beyond the value of the journal as record, there is the value of the discipline it teaches. The journalist begins to pay closer attention to what happened to and around himself. He develops and sharpens his skills of observation. He learns the usefulness of languages as a means of representing what he sees, and gains skill and certainty in the expression of his experiences. To have given up one’s experience to words is to have begun marking out the limits and potential of its meaning. In the journal that meaning is developed and clarified (澄清、阐明) to oneself. When the intention of the development of that meaning is the consideration of another reader, the method of the journal redirects itself and it becomes the essay.According to the author, keeping a journal is good for ________.
| A．observation and expression |
| B．certainty and discipline |
| C．experience and adventure |
| D．consideration and development |
By keeping a journal, one can ________.
| A．develop the usefulness of language |
| B．develop his memory |
| C．clarify the consideration to everyone |
| D．have a thorough understanding of his experience |
Which of the following statements is NOT correct?
| A．The journalist can express what has happened. |
| B．A journal can serve as a record of the past happening. |
| C．The journalist must be able to observe closely. |
| D．Writing helps develop the consideration of others. |
The passage is mainly about ________.
| A．how to write a journal |
| B．the expressions of a journal |
| C．the values of keeping a journal |
| D．how to solve the problems in a journal |
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