D
It’s hard to be the bearer of bad news，but most of IKEA’s print and digital fascinating shots of picturesque rooms and products are fake．Those beautiful，“natural-looking” photos of gorgeous rooms and kitchens are mostly the work of computer magic，adjusted and corrected until they’re picture-perfect．
Martin Enthed，IT manager for IKEA’s in-house communications agency，revealed，“In 2012，12 per cent of its product and concept images was CGI-rendered，increasing to 25 per cent in 2013．Since then，that percentage of rendered images appearing in the company’s catalogue and online has tripled．75 per cent of the furniture company’s product images today are created by computers．”
It’s a move that first caught the attention of photographers and graphic designers a few years back when the furniture giant announced it would cancel photoshoots in favor of computer-generated imagery(CGI)．
Enthed said IKEA began shifting equipment in 2009 when company officials called in his team and said they weren’t pleased with some previous photos and CG images．
“So we looked at all the images they said weren’t good and the two of three they said were great，and the ones they didn’t like were photography and the good ones were all CG，”Enthed said．“Now we only talk about a good or bad image - not what technique created it．”
It’s a not-so-secret strategy used by top companies specializing in home and furniture design，though many consumers remain oblivious．
The company claims the shift is another way to reduce its environmental footprint，saying constructing digital files produces less waste．It also helps the home furnishing empire’s pocketbooks．
What directly led IKEA to adopt CGI on a larger scale?
| A．The convenience of high technology． |
| B．Company officials’ reaction to works． |
| C．The change in the concept of management |
| D．Development of environmental awareness． |
According to the passage，the advantage of the shift is that IKEA can 。
| A．expand into another field |
| B．increase its financial benefits |
| C．win more support of consumers |
| D．produce more furniture of high quality |
The underlined word “oblivious” in paragraph 6 means “ ”．
| A．unaware | B．calm |
| C．conservative | D．disturbed |
It can be concluded from the passage that ．
| A．IKEA should be punished because of fake photos |
| B．IKEA set a good example as the furniture giant |
| C．IKEA adjusted strategies to answer its need |
| D．IKEA has a pioneering spirit in promotion |
Dear Friend,
The recent success of children's books has made the general public aware (意识到) that there's a huge market out there.
And there's a growing need for new writers trained to create the $3 billion worth of children's books bought each year, plus stories and articles needed by over 650 publishers of magazines for children and teenagers.
Who are these needed writers? They're ordinary folks like you and me.
But am I good enough?
I was once where you might be now. My thoughts of writing had been pushed down by self-doubt, and I didn't know where to turn for help.
Then, I accepted a free offer from the Institute to test my writing aptitude(潜能), and it turned out to be the inspiration (灵感) I needed.
The promise that paid off
The Institute made the same promise to me that they will make to you, if you show basic writing ability:
You will complete at least one manuscript(手稿) suitable to hand in to a publisher by the time you finish our course.
I really didn't expect any publication before I finished the course, but that happened. I sold three stories. And I soon discovered that was not unusual at the Institute.
Since graduation, I have authored 34 nationally published children's books and over 300 stories and articles.
Sincerely,
Kristi Holl, Instructor
Institute of Children's LiteratureThe underlined word “folks” probably means ________.
| A．people | B．writers |
| C．students | D．friends |
From the first three paragraphs, we learn that________.
| A．children's books are usually bestsellers |
| B．publishers are making $3 billion each year |
| C．magazines for teenagers have drawn public attention |
| D．there is a growing need for writers of children's books |
When finishing the course, you are promised to________.
| A．be a successful publisher |
| B．become a confident editor |
| C．finish one work for publication |
| D．get one story or article published |
Many teenagers feel that the most important people in their lives are their friends. They believe that their family members, especially their parents, don’t know them as well as their friends do. In large families, it is often for brothers and sisters to fight with each other and then they can only go to their friends for advice. It is very important for teenagers to have one good friend or many friends. Even when they are not with their friends, they usually spend a lot of time talking among themselves on the phone. This communication is very important in children’s growing up, because friends can discuss something difficult to say to their family members.
However, parents often try to choose their children’s friends for them. Some parents may even stop their children from meeting their good friends. The question of “choice” is an interesting one. Have you ever thought of the following questions?
Who choose your friends?
Do you choose your friends or your friends choose you?
Have you got a good friend your parents don’t like?
Your answers are welcome.Many teenagers think their _______ know them better than their parents do.
| A．friends | B．teachers |
| C．brothers and sisters | D．classmates |
When teenagers stay alone, the usual way of communication is to _________.
| A．talk with their friends by letter |
| B．talk with their parents face to face |
| C．have a discussion with their family |
| D．talk with their friends on the phone |
Which of the following sentences is TRUE?
| A．All parents like friends their children choose. |
| B．In all families, children can choose their friends. |
| C．It’s very important for teenagers to have friends. |
| D．All parents allow their children to meet their friends. |
You may know the English letters A, B and C. But do you know there are people called ABC? You may like eating bananas. But did you know there is such a thing as a “banana person”? How strange! Are these people from “another earth”? No. They are just Chinese people like you and me.
ABC means American-born Chinese. An ABC is a Chinese, but was born in the United States. Sometimes, people call an ABC a “banana person”. A banana is yellow outside and white inside. So, when a person is a banana, he or she is white inside-thinking like a Westerner and yellow outside-looking like a Chinese.
Do you know why? Usually, ABCs know little about China or the Chinese language. Some of them don’t speak Chinese. Also, they are not interested in Chinese politics.
But if ABCs cannot speak Chinese, can we still call them Chinese people? Yes, of course. They are Chinese. They are overseas (海外的) Chinese. These people may be citizens(公民) of another country like the US, Canada or Singapore. But they have Chinese blood. Their parents, grandparents or even great-grandparents were from China. They all have black eyes and black hair. But they are not Chinese citizens. They are not people of the People’s Republic of China. For example, we all know the famous scientist C. N. Yang (杨振宁). He got the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1957. Chinese people love him. But he is an American citizen.“ABC” in this text stands for “_______”.
| A．three English letters | B．a kind of banana |
| C．Chinese born in America | D．Americans born in China |
Chinese in Western countries are called “banana persons” because __________.
| A．their bodies are white inside but yellow outside |
| B．they think like Westerners but look like Chinese |
| C．they were born in China but go to study in America |
| D．they are Chinese who look like bananas |
C. N. Yang is mentioned here to show that ________.
A. American Chinese are great
B. we love American Chinese
C. Chinese people can win Nobel Prizes
D. American Chinese are not Chinese citizensThis text is mainly about _________.
A. different kinds of bananas
B. overseas Chinese
C. the Nobel Prize
D. the life story of C. N. Yang
To get cash out in the 21st century, you won’t need a bank card, a PIN or even have to move a finger. You will simply have to look the cash machine straight in the eye, declares National Cash Registers, a multinational company that makes automated teller machines, or ATMs. NCR has shown its first example machine that is believed to be the future of banking. Instead of asking you for your PIN on a screen, the Super Teller-Stella for short, asks you orally through a loudspeaker to look straight ahead while an infrared camera turns to your head, then your eye, and finally takes an infrared photograph of your iris . For identification purposes, an iris picture is better than a fingerprint, with around 256 noticeable characteristics compared with 40 for fingerprints. This means that the chances of someone else being recognized in your place is about 1 in 1020. Once you’ve been identified, Stella greets you by name and says: “Would you like cash or a statement?” An infrared port allows the machine to send a bank statement straight to your pocket computer.What does this passage mainly talk about?
| A．A new type of cash machine |
| B．A new medical instrument |
| C．A new type of talking machine |
| D．National Cash Register |
What is this new machine called?
| A．PIN | B．ATM | C．Stella | D．NCR |
When you want to get cash out in the 21st century, you will _______.
| A．need a bank card |
| B．have to put in your PIN |
| C．move your finger |
| D．just look directly at the teller machine |
“Choo, Choo!” Here comes the Chunnel train. Get aboard if you want to learn more about this underground transportation system. This is an unusual form of transportation, because it is a tunnel that trains travel through and not an actual form of transportation.
The Chunnel is actually the English nickname for the Channel Tunnel. In French, it is called le tunnel sous la Manche. It is a rail tunnel beneath the English Channel at the Straits of Dover. It connects Cheriton in Kent, England with Sangatte in northern France. It is the second longest rail tunnel in the world.
Did you know that the British and the French had a race whi1e they were building the Chunnel? The race was to see who could get to the middle of the tunnel first. The British won by a little bit. It took 15,000 workers over seven years to dig the tunnel. The tunnel was finished in 1994.
The completed Chunnel cost about $ 21 billion. But it all paid off, because it became very popular, very quick. Millions of people use it. Now it is getting even more popular.
There are three complete tunnels in the Chunnel. The two outside ones are the passenger trains. The small inner one is a guidance train. The guidance train is not used for transportation. Each track is exactly parallel to each other.
There are four different train systems in the Chunnel. The Eurostar is a high speed passenger service that connects London, Paris, Brussels, and Lille. The Eurotunnel shuttle is a rail ferry service. These shuttles carry cars. These are railcars that allow drivers to drive their vehicles on and off. There are also two Eurotunnel goods service trains.
Now you know more about the Chunnel. Everybody off, this is the last stop.The Channel Tunnel connects ______ with _______.
| A．Dover; Kent | B．London; Paris |
| C．Cheriton; Sangatte | D．Lille; Brussels |
Which of the following shows the structure of the tunnels in the Chunnel?
The Eurotunnel shuttle is intended to carry _________.
| A．passengers |
| B．goods |
| C．drivers and their vehicles |
| D．staff members of the Chunnel |
The text can most probably be __________.
| A．found in a textbook | B．broadcast on a train |
| C．read in a magazine | D．heard in a railway station |
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