D
HONG KONG — In China, the smartphone battle used to be Samsung versus Apple. But not any more .
Over the summer, a Chinese company, Xiaomi, took the No. 1 position in China’s competitive market and became the world’s third-largest phone maker in the process.
Founded in 2010 , Xiaomi was late to the game. But a clever social media strategy and a business plan that emphasized selling services that work on the phone helped Xiaomi build frenzied support from young and trendy Chinese.
With people in China expected to buy 500 million smart phones in 2015 — more than three times as many as will be sold in the United States, Xiaomi is likely to remain its place as one of the most powerful phone makers in the world’s most important market.
Now the company’s founders, who include the Chinese entrepreneur Lei Jun and the former Google executive Lin Bin, hope that status will help them take their brand globally.
Why Xiaomi gained such great success ? The reason partially lies in its fans’ participation. “Xiaomi fans have a high level of organization,” said Li Nan, vice president of the rival Meizu, “They love Xiaomi. It’s a form of idolatry.”
Han Yu, a 24-year-old studying for his master’s degree, is one of those idolaters. He, with tens of thousands of others, helps Xiaomi test its user interface by looking for bugs and offering suggestions. Much of his personal life revolves around Xiaomi. He said he was honored when his suggestion to create a private photo folder was adopted on phones by Xiaomi.
“I really enjoy the sense of participation,” Mr. Han said.
For all its success, Xiaomi’s biggest challenge looms outside China. In 2013, the company hired Hugo Barra, an old friend of Mr. Lin’s from Google, to lead the company’s international expansion. “I would put China No. 1, India two, Indonesia three, then hopefully follow with Brazil and Russia,” he said. “The developed countries with tightly controlled carrier networks are not in the top five.” The countries Lin identifies all have large populations who still have not bought their first smartphone, meaning Xiaomi has a chance.
The passage mainly tells us ______.
| A．the competition between Xiaomi and Meizu |
| B．the cooperation between Xiaomi and Samsung |
| C．the battle among Smart phone Companies |
| D．the development and success of Xiaomi |
What helped Xiaomi win the support of young and trendy Chinese?
| A．Its low price. |
| B．Its social media strategy and business plan |
| C．Its fashionable design. |
| D．Its international promotion |
Who takes charge of expanding Xiaomi’s market abroad?
| A．Hugo Barra | B．Li Nan | C．Lei Jun | D．Lei Jun |
The example of Han Yu is used to ________.
| A．tell readers that the youth like to show off |
| B．prove Han Yu is very intelligent |
| C．show Xiaomi fans’ participation and devotion |
| D．introduce the designer of photo folder |
Why Xiaomi chooses less developed countries as targeted markets?
| A．Because Xiaomi doesn’t have to pay taxes. |
| B．Because more smartphone may be sold there. |
| C．Because Xiaomi was invited to develop there. |
| D．Because the young people there love Xiaomi. |
CLASSIC TOURS — COACH BREAK INFORMATION
Luggage
We ask you to keep luggage down to one medium-sized suitcase per person, but a small suitcase can also be taken on board the coach.
Seat Allocation(分配)
Requests for particular seats can be made on most coach breaks when booking, but since allocations are made on a first come, first serve basic, early booking is advisable. When booking are made with us you will be offered the best seats that are available on the coach at that time.
Travel Documents
When you have paid your deposit we will send to you all the necessary documents and labels, so that you receive them in good time before the coach break departure date.
Special Diets
If you require a special diet you must inform us at the time of booking with a copy of the diet. This will be informed to the hotel or hotels on your coach break. Certain coach breaks the hotels used are tourist class and while offering value for money within the price range, they may not have the full facilities to cope with special diets.
Accommodation(住宿)
Many of our coach breaks now include, within the price, accommodation with private facilities, and this will be shown on the coach break page. Other coach breaks have a limited number of rooms with private facilities which can be reserved and guaranteed at the time of booking—the additional charge shown in the price panel will be added to your account.
On any coach break there are only a limited number of single rooms. When a single room is available it may be charged more and this will be shown on the brochure page.
Entertainment
Some of our hotels arrange additional entertainment which include music, dancing, films, etc. The presence of the entertainment is at the discretion of(听凭…处理) the hotel and therefore not guaranteed and could be withdrawn if there is a lack of demand or insufficient numbers in the hotel. If you want to sit at the front of the coach, you should ________.
| A．ask when you get on the coach |
| B．arrive early on the departure date |
| C．book your seat well in advance |
| D．avoid traveling at peak times |
It may be necessary to pay extra for _________.
| A．single rooms | B．the best seat |
| C．additional luggage | D．entertainment |
With every booking Classic Tours guarantees you will be able to ___________.
| A．request high quality meals. |
| B．take hand luggage on the coach. |
| C．have a bathroom to yourself. |
| D．see a film if you want to. |
When 7-year-old Warren Buffett said, “I will be the richest man one day,” his friends made fun of his “daydreaming”. But ever since then the little boy has set about learning how to make money by selling drinks, delivering newspaper and buying stocks. The American had already earned $9,000 (equal to $90,000 today) by the time he graduated from the high school.
And this month the 78-year-old, who earned his fortune by making a lot of sound investment in the stock market, took the place of Microsoft founder, Bill Gates, as the world’s richest man. Gates’ worth declined $1.5 billion to $55.5 billion in 33 days after the recent financial storm, according to Forbes Magazine.
Buffett, the only son of a stockbroker, was ready to think outside the box to develop his business from a very early age. At 8, he went to golf courses collecting and selling the used balls. At 11 when he sold soda pop door-to-door with a friend, the pair collected lids on streets to judge which flavor was the most popular.
As a paper boy during high school, Buffett delivered two competitor papers, so that even when customers canceled one of the subscriptions (订阅) , he could still make a profit from the other. With his paper delivery savings, Buffett bought 162,000 square meters of farmland and collected rent. Young Buffett stepped into the stock market at 11 but earned only $5. The experience taught him one of the virtues（优点）in investing patience.
After graduating from university, Buffett started his venture with stocks with his childhood earnings and money from friends. He researched the stocks and just bought those of solid companies that were undervalued and inexpensive at the time. By sticking to companies such as American Express and Coca-Cola, Buffett has become rich.
“Learning is important to Buffett’s success. He is a learning machine who can spend his entire day reading. He keeps learning from books, street smarts and investigation, from both success and failure. In this way, he over achieved his aptitude (能力),” said Charlie Munger, his longtime business partner.The passage is mainly about_____.
| A．why Buffett took the place of Bill Gates as the world’s richest man |
| B．what effect Buffett’s childhood experiences have on his success |
| C．how Buffett earned his fortune and achieve his aptitude |
| D．what Buffett dreamt about when he was a child |
How did Buffett behave at the stock market?
| A．He will buy the stock whose price is lower than its value. |
| B．He often prefers some inexpensive stocks. |
| C．He always borrows money from his friends to buy stocks. |
| D．He will sell the stock if its price doesn’t go up. |
Which is the main factor that determines Buffett’s success?
| A．His desire to learn. |
| B．His family background. |
| C．His education. |
| D．His cooperation with his partner. |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．Buffett is an immediate success in the stock market |
| B．Buffett and Gates are business partners. |
| C．His father helped him a lot in his business. |
| D．Buffett has a good sense of business. |
We lived in a very quiet neighborhood. One evening I heard a loud crash in the street. Earlier that evening my wife had asked me to go to the store to get some soft drinks. It seemed like this would be a good time to let my teenage daughter Holly practice her driving, so I sent her to the store in my truck.
At dinner my son talked about how much he liked my truck. I enjoyed having it, but I said: "Guy, my heart is not set on that truck. I like it but it is just metal and won’t last forever. Never set your heart on anything that won’t last."
After hearing the loud noise, the whole family ran outside. My son shouted: "Dad! Dad, Holly crashed your truck."
My heart sank and my mind was flooded with conflicting thoughts. Was anyone hurt? Who else was involved? As I ran to the door, I heard a voice in my heart say: "Here is a chance to show Holly what you really love. She’ll never forget it."
The accident had occurred in my own driveway. Holly had crashed my truck into our other vehicle, the family van (搬运车). In her inexperience, she had confused the brakes and the gas pedal. Holly was unhurt physically, but when I reached her, she was crying and saying: "Oh, Dad, I’m sorry. I know how much you love this truck." I held her in my arms as she cried.
Later that week a friend stopped by and asked what had happened to my truck. I told her the whole story. Her eyes moistened (湿润) and she said: "That happened to me when I was a girl. I borrowed my dad’s car and ran into a log that had fallen across the road. I ruined the car. When I got home my Dad knocked me to the ground and began to kick me."
Over 40 years later, she still felt the pain of that night.
I remember how sad Holly was and how I comforted her. One day, when Holly thinks back on her life, I want her to know what really matters in my life. How did the crash happen?
| A．The van was parked in the wrong place that evening. |
| B．Holly stepped on the gas pedal instead of the brakes. |
| C．The brakes of the truck didn’t work properly. |
| D．Holly was too careless and young to drive a truck. |
Why didn’t the writer punish Holly?
| A．He was so rich that he didn’t care about losing one truck. |
| B．He thought there was no point punishing her after the accident. |
| C．He believed the truck was made of metal and of poor quality. |
| D．He wanted Holly to know he loved her more than any possessions. |
What does the underlined sentence mean?
| A．She still suffered physical pain. |
| B．She felt guilty of damaging the car. |
| C．It left a deep wound on her soul. |
| D．She was not forgiven by her Dad. |
Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
| A．What really matters? |
| B．Better to forgive and forget |
| C．Who is to blame? |
| D．Accidents will happen |
Someday a stranger will read your e-mail without your permission or scan the website you’ve visited or perhaps someone will casually glance through your credit card purchases or cell phone bills to find out your shopping calling habits
In fact, it’s likely that some of these things have already happened to you. Who would watch you without your permission? It might be a spouse, a girlfriend, a marketing company, a boss, a cop or a criminal. Whoever it is, they will see you in a way you never intended to be seen.
Psychologists tell us boundaries are healthy, that it’s important to reveal yourself partly to friends, family and lovers at appropriate times. But few boundaries remain. The digital bread crumbs you leave everywhere make it easy for strangers to know who you are, where you are and what you like. In some cases, a simple Google search can reveal what you think. Like it or not, increasingly we live in a world where you simply cannot keep a secret.
The key question is: Does that matter?
For many Americans, the answer apparently is “no”.
When opinion polls ask Americans about privacy, most say they are concerned about losing it. 60 percent of respondents say they feel their privacy is “slipping away, and that bothers me”.
But people say one thing and do another. Only a small number of Americans change any behavior in an effort to preserve their privacy. Few people turn down a discount at tollbooths to avoid using the EZ-Pass system that can track automobile movements. Privacy economist Acquisti has run a series of tests that reveal people will give up personal information like social security numbers just to get their hands on a 50-cents-off coupon. But privacy does matter－at least sometimes. It’s like health: when you have it, you don’t notice it. Only when it’s gone do you wish you’d done more to protect it.What would psychologists advise on the relationships between friends?
| A．Friends should open their hearts to each other. |
| B．Friends should always be faithful to each other. |
| C．There should be a distance even between friends. |
| D．There should be fewer arguments between friends. |
Why does the author say “we live in a world where you simply cannot keep a secret”?
| A．Modern society has finally developed into an open society. |
| B．People leave traces around when using modern technology. |
| C．There are always people who are curious about others’ affairs. |
| D．Many search engines profit by revealing people’s identities. |
According to the passage, privacy is like health in that _____.
| A．people will make every effort to keep it |
| B．its importance is hardly understood |
| C．It is something that can easily be lost |
| D．people don’t value it until they lose it |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Value your health. |
| B．Treasure your privacy. |
| C．Boundaries are important between friends. |
| D．The information age has its own shortcomings. |
Attractions in Wisconsin
Wisconsin Historical Museum
30 N. Carroll Street on Madison’s Capital Square
Discover Wisconsin’s history and culture on four floors of exhibits. Open for public program.
Admission is free.
Open Tuesday through Saturday, 9:00am---4:00pm.
( 608 ) 264-6555 www.wisconsinhistory.org/museum
Swiss Historical Village
612 Seventh Ave., New Glares
The Swiss Historical Village offers a delightful look at pioneer life in America’s heartland.14 buildings in the village give a full picture of every day life in the nineteenth-century Midwest.
Tue.---Fri., May 1st ---October 31st , 10:00am---4:00pm. Admission is $20
( 608 ) 527-2317 www.swisshistoricalvillage.com
Artisan Gallery & Creamery Cafe`
6858 Paoli Rd., Paoli WI
One of the largest collections of fine arts and crafts in Wisconsin. Over 5000 sq. ft. of exhibition space in a historical creamery. While visiting enjoy a wonderful prepared lunch at our cafe` overlooking the Sugar River. Just minutes from Madison!
Gallery open Tue.—Sun.,10:00am—5:00 pm
Cafe` open Wed.—Sat, 11:00 am—3:00 pm
Sun. brunch with wine, 10:00---3:00 pm
( 608 ) 845-6600 www.artisangal.com
Christopher Columbus Museum
239 Whitney St., Columbus
World-class exhibit ---2000 quality souvenirs marking Chicago’s 1893 World Columbus Exhibition. Tour buses are always welcome.
Open daily, 8:15 am—4:00 pm
( 608 ) 623-1992 www.columbusantiquemall.comWhere can you go for a visit on Monday?
| A．Wisconsin Historical Museum | B．Swiss Historical Village |
| C．Artisan Gallery & Creamery Cafe` | D．Christopher Columbus Museum |
Where can visitors have lunch?
| A．At Wisconsin Historical Museum | B．At Swiss Historical Village |
| C．At Artisan Gallery & Creamery Cafe` | D．At Christopher Columbus Museum |
We can learn from the text that_________.
| A．Swiss Historical Village is open for half a year. |
| B．Christopher Columbus Museum overlooks a river. |
| C．Tickets are needed for Wisconsin Historical Museum |
| D．Artisan Gallery & Creamery Cafe are open daily for 4 hours. |
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