AAAGH! The Generation 90s is coming!

Wearing earphones, using complex Net language and constantly text messaging friends, the Gen-90s following the Gen-80s begin to make their world debut (初次登台).

Each generation or age group has its own symbols and lifestyle. Read on and judge for yourselves if you fit the Gen-90s group.                

Earphones

These little devices seem to grow on the heads of the Gen-90s. They might lead to MP3, MP4 or MP101 players, giving these young people a plugged-in, cool and perhaps self-addicted look, of course, life is not always music to the ears.      

Martian language

They have created their own code-like online language. It’s a mixture of English, Japanese and Chinese that perhaps only Martians can understand. This is an imaginative generation, though they need to be careful to keep it out of their term papers.                 

Self-Portrait

Saying “cheese” to their own digital cameras is usual for this generation. A little bit of narcissism (自恋) never hurts anyone. It helps them reflect a little on their own lives.But be aware of the risks of posting private photos online.

Text-messaging

They can type their mobile phones as fast as they can speak. This is a generation that respects efficiency. However, oral communication is important and will never go out of style.

According to the passage, if you belong to the Gen-90s , you will _______ .

       A. just appreciate yourself and ignore others’ strengths.

       B. have your own symbols and lifestyle.

       C. have the same symbols and lifestyle of the Gen-80s.

       D. like music and dance very much.

According to the text, the writer will choose ______ as a good example to the Gen-90.

       A. Li Hua likes music and always wearing iPod

       B. Zhang Chao is not only an imaginative boy but do everything efficiently.

       C. Lily is a shy girl and she doesn’t like making friends.

       D. Fangfang likes being taken photos and often posting them on line.

According to this passage, which is FALSE?

       A. Not all teens are cautious about posting photos. 

       B. They type their mobile phones so fast that it can catch the speed of speaking.

C. The Gen-90s have a preference for some music players, and even regard them as a   necessary part of life.

       D. They don’t use the cool and complex online language in formal writing.

The main idea of the passage is about________.

       A. the Gen-90s’ happy life

       B. the difference between the Gen-80s and the Gen-90s

       C. the Gen-90s’ unique lifestyle and some practical warnings

       D. the similarities between the Gen-80s and the Gen-90s

Why are we addicted to upgrades? According to Donald Norman, American author of the book The Design of Everyday Things, “planned obsolescence”(计划性报废) is the trick behind the upgrading culture of today’s consumer electronics industry.
The New York Times cited Norman last month, saying that electronics manufactures strategically release new upgrades periodically, both for hardware and software, so that customers on every level feel the need to buy the newest version.
“This is an old-time trick– they’re not inventing anything new,” he said.
Thomas Wensma, a Dutch designer, despises the “planned obsolescence” of companies, as recently reported by UK-based The Guardian.
Wensma said this is a wasteful system through which companies – many of them producing personal electronics – release shoddy products simply because “they know that, in six months or a year, they’ll put out a new one”.
But the new psychology of consumers is part of this system, as Wensma said to the newspaper: “We now want something new, something pretty, the next shiny thing.”
____________________
“It’s to the damage of the consumer and the environment,” as the New York Times quoted Norman. “But perhaps to the betterment of the stockholder.”
In its most recent fiscal(财务的) year, Apple’s profit margin was more than 21 percent, reported the Los Angeles Times. At Hewlett-Packard, the world’s biggest PC manufacturer, it was only 7 percent.
“Steven Jobs pushed the principle of ‘planned obsolescence’ to new heights,” the newspaper commented on the company’s profits and marketing strategy. “Apple’s annual upgrades of its products generate sales of millions of units as owners of one year’s MacBook or iPhone line up to buy the newest version, even when the changes are incremental.”
Peer pressure
As to Li Jijia, the need for upgrading his smart phone comes mainly from friends and classmates. When the majority of friends are switching to the latest devices, he worries about feeling left out.
“Some apps and games require better hardware to run,” said Li. “If you don’t join in, you lose part of the connection to your friends.”
【小题1】Donald Norman believes that electronics makers strategically release new upgrades periodically because __________.

A.customers need the latest versionB.technology is developing so fast
C.they want to invent something newD.they can make a lot of money
【小题2】Thomas Wensma’s attitude to the “planned obsolescence” is __________.
A.positiveB.negativeC.indifferentD.neutral
【小题3】What subtitle can best fit into the blank in the text?
A.Huge profitsB.Apple’s principle
C.Environmental damageD.Marketing strategy
【小题4】The writer takes the example of Li Jijia to show that __________.
A.the new psychology of consumers is also to blame for the wasteful system
B.young people are always fond of something new, pretty and shiny
C.if you don’t upgrade your smart phone, you will lose contact with your friends
D.needs of consumers help to promote the development of electronics industry

Happy birthday

The China Nation Opera (CNO)will give a concert to celebrate its 50th birthday.

Different generations of CNO vocalists(歌手), like Li Guangxi, Yao Hong and Ma Mei, will present the concert which will feature both songs from famous Chinese operas like “The White-haired GM “and “The Hundredth Bride”, as well as, arias (咏叹调) of such Western opera classics as “Madame Butterfly”, “La Traviata” and “Rigoletto”.

Time/date : 7:30 pm, September 7, 8

Location : Tianqiao Theatre

Tel : 6551-4787, 8315-6170

Tickets : 60—50 yuan (US $7.2-60.2)

Folk music

A concert will be held to feature some recently-composed traditional Chinese music works.

The concert, given by the Folk Orchestra of the China Opera and Ballet Theatre, will include such pieces as “Memory of Childhood”, “Memorial Ceremony for God” and “Wine Song”.

Time/date : 7:30 pm, September 13

Location: Concert hall at the National Library of China

Tel: 6848-5462, 6841-9220

Tickets : 30-200 yuan (US $ 3.6—24.1)

Moon music

A concert of traditional Chinese music will be given on the eve of the Moon Festival which falls on September 21st this year.

The concert will feature a number of famous pieces centered on this theme of the moon, such as “Moonlight”, “Spring Night on a Moonlit River” and “Lofty Mountain and Flowing River.”

A number of established traditional Chinese music performers, like Zhou Yaokun and Fan Weiqing, will play solos(独奏)as well as collaborate(合奏)with the folk music orchestra.

Time/ date: 7:30 pm, September 21st

Location: Grand Theatre of the Cultural Palace of Nationalities

Tel: 6606-8888, 6606-9999

1. If you want to buy tickets for listening to the music “Memory of Childhood”, you will dial       .

 

A. 6551-4787

B. 6848-5462

C. 8315-6170

D. 6606-9999

2. “Madame Butterfly” is       .      

 

A. a Chinese opera

B. a song

C. a piece of music

D. a Western opera

3. The passage will most probably appear in the column “      ”of a newspaper.   

 

A. Animals

B. People

C. Entertainment

D. Sports

 

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