For those who are tired doing the laundry, Samsung has found an answer: a washing machine that can tell you when your laundry is done via a smartphone app(application).
Strange though it may seem — “my wife already does that” was a common response among attendees viewing the device when it was introduced at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) this week — Samsung is just one of many appliance makers racing to install (安装) a large number of internet-connected features in machines in an effort to make them “smart”.
Last year, it was a refrigerator that tweeted. This year, it’s Wi-Fi-enabled laundry machines and fridges that can tell you when your groceries are going bad.
The washers and dryers, available starting in the spring, connect to any smartphone through a downloadable application. The phone can then be used as a remote control, so the machines can be turned on and off while their owners is at work or on the bus.
Samsung says it’s not just something new — the app connection actually has some practical uses.
“If you started to dry clothes in the morning and forgot to take them out, you can go to your phone and restart your dryer for the time when come home, so your clothes are refreshed and ready to go,” said spokesperson Amy Schmidt.
The company also says that with electricity rate(电价)varying depending on the time of day, more control over when the machines are used can help save money.
Perhaps, but what they will probably really accomplish is what all good technologies do —enable laziness. Rather than getting up to check on whether the laundry is done, users will instead monitor it on their phones while watching TV.
【小题1】What can be inferred from the common response of the attendees at the CES?

A.The machine will be a big success.
B.their wives like doing the laundry.
C.The machine is unrelated to their life.
D.This kind of technology is familiar to them.
【小题2】What can we learn about the new laundry machines?
A.They can tell you when your clothes need washing
B.They can be controlled with a smartphone
C.They are difficult to operate
D.They are sold at a low price
【小题3】We can conclude form Samsung’s statements that ___________.
A.the app connection makes life easier
B.it is better to dry clothes in the morning
C.smartphone can shorten the drying time
D.we should refresh clothes back at home
【小题4】What is the main idea of the last paragraph?
A.The laundry should be frequently checked
B.Lazy people like using such machines
C.Good technologies also cause problems
D.Television may help do the laundry.


B
The resounding film Avatar has been very popular in the UK and around the world, becoming the fastest film ever to earn $1bn(7bn yuan) in ticket sales.  
But as well as being an entertaining feast for the eyes, the sci-fi epic(叙事诗)also introduces the audience to a brand new language invented especially for the film.
The movie is set on an alien planet called Pandora which is inhabited by many strange species. The most humanoid of the planet’s inhabitants are the Na’vi, and it is the struggle between the Na’vi  and human invader that forms the main story of the film.
The film has been released in 2D and 3D versions.
In order to add a sense of reality to his vision of an alien race the film’s director James Cameron asked a professor of language form the University of Southern California to invent a language for the Na’vi.
Professor Paul Frommer worked with James Cameron for four years to build upon the original 30 words or so that the director had already come up with for the language.
According to Professor Frommer, the most important aspect of the Na’  vi language was that it could be pronounced.
“This is an alien language but obviously it has to be spoken by human actors,” Professor Frommer told the BBC, “it has to be sounds that human beings are comfortable producing.”
The language currently has around 1,000 words but Professor Frommer hopes to expand it in possible sequels(续集)to the film and in video games.
The professor hopes that one day his creation will have a high level of the Klingon alien language from the Star Trek films.
“There’s a translation of Hamlet into Klingon,” says Professor Frommer.
“If anything happened like this with Na’vi I’d be delight.”
60. The underlined word “resounding” in Paragraph 1 mean_________.
A. later   B. scientific    C. hit      D. surprising
61. Which of the following is Right according to the passage?
A. A kind of new language was invented especially for the film
B. The film Avatar is as good as a film as the Star Trek
C. The creation in Alien Language is different from that in human beings.
D. Avatar is one of an excellent films invented by Pandora.
62. The most challenging part in the creation of the language is_________.
A. that Professor Frommer needs to create 1,000 words for the film Avatar by himself.
B. that the language is based on that of the Alien planet called Pandora
C. that James Cameron introduces a new style of language to the audience
D. that an Alien language is created to be spoken by human beings.
63. We can infer from the passage that_________.
A. the film Avatar has been released in 2D and 3D versions.
B. the most important aspect of the Na’vi language was that it could be pronounced.
C. Professor Paul Frommer believe his language creation in the film Avatar is very successful.
D. Professor Paul Frommer worked with James Cameron for four years for a sense of reality of the film.


BEIJING—Apple Inc. is one step closer to beginning sales of iPad2 tablet computers with cellular  network compatibility (兼容) for the first time in the Chinese mainland, where the consumer-electronics giant is in the midst of an aggressive expansion.
According to China’s Telecommunication Equipment Certification Center, a device by Apple with third-generation high-speed wireless data capabilities was issued the network access license needed for the company to begin official sales in China.The device, listed under model number “A1396”, is compatible with the 3G standard WCDMA, and would work with the cellular network operated by Apple’s local iPhone partner, China Unicom (Hong Kong) Ltd.
China Unicom declined  to comment.
Apple already offers the 3G iPad2 in Hong Kong through its partners, but currently only offers Wi-Fi versions of the device in the Chinese mainland.Still, consumers in China, which according to research firm IDC surpassed  the US as the world’s largest PC market in the second quarter, have been purchasing 3G tablets through unofficial channels.
Separately, Apple spokeswoman Carolyn Wu said Sept 6 that the company’s first Hong Kong store, set to open this quarter, will be located in the city’s central shopping and business district in the International Finance Center’s upscale (高档的) IFC mall, a commercial center and sightseeing spot along the city’s waterfront.Wu also said that Apple is planning a new store in Shanghai later this quarter, which will be its biggest store in China.She declined to give more details or to comment on the 3G iPad2.
Apple currently has four full-service Apple stores in the mainland, which receive the most traffic of any Apple stores in the world.The company otherwise relies on resellers to get its products into the market.
The new stores reflect Apple’s confidence in rising demand for its products such as smart phones and tablet computers.Sales in the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan helped boost (增长) the company’s third-quarter results, newly appointed Chief Executive Tim Cook said in July.China revenue (收益) surged (激增) six-fold to about $3.8 billion during the three months ended June 25.
“This has been a substantial (重大) opportunity for Apple and I firmly believe that we’re just scratching the surface right now,” Cook said at the time, referring to strong sales in China.“I see an incredible opportunity for Apple there.”
From China Daily 2011-09-08
【小题1】According to the news, which of the following statements is true?

A.WCDMA is not the only 3G standard in the world.
B.Apple Inc. sells its products in the market of the Chinese mainland all by its own stores.
C.The consumers in China can only get iPad2 of Wi-Fi versions.
D.Chinese mainland is the second largest PC market in this year’s second quarter.
【小题2】Which one of the following phrases can replace the underlined word in paragraph 1?
A.in the interests of B.in the front of
C.in the process ofD.in the case of
【小题3】How many full-service Apple stores in China?
A.4B.6C.8D.Unknown
【小题4】What’s the probable meaning of “six-fold” in the last but one paragraph?
A.six timesB.one-six C.60 percentD.2times
【小题5】By saying “we’re just scratching the surface right now”, Cook means ________.
A.they don’t know much about China’s market
B.they will sell more products and gain more profit in China
C.they need to obtain more permission from China’s government
D.they ignored the rural market in China

"Gangnam Style" by singer Psy from Korea, is a popular song, but its extraordinary global success is really the result of its music video, which is a great piece of genius. On September 22nd, Guinness World Records listed "Gangnam Style" as the most-liked video in the history of YouTube. It's been performed at West Point (West-Point Style), and Google's CEO, has done the "Gangnam Style" horse dance at the company's office in Seoul. Even Samsung is trying to make Psy the new model for the latest type of fridge.

     The song's global popularity is such that the vast majority of people who enjoy it don't speak Korean, and have no idea what it is about. That's fine --- part of what makes "Gangnam Style" so fun is, like international pop music, the difficulty in understanding it. When we sing along, "Hey, sexy lady", we don't really know what we're singing about.

     The joy of incomprehensibleness is familiar to anyone who loves pop music from elsewhere. Anthony Lane, in his 2010 review of the Eurovision Song Contest, Only Mr. God Knows Why, used "Eurovision English" as one of its chief pleasures. It's "a complex tongue, spoken nowhere else, which raises the heartfelt poetry (???) but absolute nonsense to a level of what sci-fi writers could only have dreamed. " In similar ways, "Gangnam Style" is just an over-the-top video where a fat man does a funny dance and sings repetitive words that don't make sense to most of us.

     But on the other, the magic of the song also lies in its funny dance, which reflects not just cultural morals specific to Korea, but cultural values easily recognizable to western viewers. This song's words may be in Korean, but its scenes are in clear American. The dance moves are simple enough to copy.

     Nonsense, in other words, forces us to let down our guards. It makes us relax, and asks us to let in all sorts of feelings from which, otherwise, we might distance ourselves. "Gangnam Style" happens to be so interesting because of its incomprehensibleness.

1.Some complex languages are used in pop music because _______.

A. singers regard it as one of the chief pleasures at the concert

B. they make the music hard to understand but poetic and attractive

C. the music can sound more pleasant and beautiful to the audience

D. people like listening to the music which makes special sense to them

2.What is true about the popularity of "Gangnam Style"?

A. It was considered as the most popular video on the Internet.

B. It makes people amused and removes their emotional guards.

C. Its dance only reflects cultural and morals specific to Korea.

D. Psy, its singer, has been the new model for Samsung         .

3.What does the underlined word "incomprehensibleness" mean in Paragraph 3?

A. Being interesting to listen to.       B. Being simple enough to copy.

C. Being complex and repetitive.       D. Being difficult to understand.

4.The text is mainly about ________.

A. how "Gangnam Style" becomes popular among the youths

B. why "Gangnam Style" is popular even if few people understand it

C. how Psy gains worldwide success through his talent and hard work

D. what emotions and cultural morals Psy wants to convey with his song

 

B

The resounding film Avatar has been very popular in the UK and around the world, becoming the fastest film ever to earn $1bn(7bn yuan) in ticket sales.  

But as well as being an entertaining feast for the eyes, the sci-fi epic(叙事诗)also introduces the audience to a brand new language invented especially for the film.

The movie is set on an alien planet called Pandora which is inhabited by many strange species. The most humanoid of the planet’s inhabitants are the Na’vi, and it is the struggle between the Na’vi  and human invader that forms the main story of the film.

The film has been released in 2D and 3D versions.

In order to add a sense of reality to his vision of an alien race the film’s director James Cameron asked a professor of language form the University of Southern California to invent a language for the Na’vi.

Professor Paul Frommer worked with James Cameron for four years to build upon the original 30 words or so that the director had already come up with for the language.

According to Professor Frommer, the most important aspect of the Na’  vi language was that it could be pronounced.

“This is an alien language but obviously it has to be spoken by human actors,” Professor Frommer told the BBC, “it has to be sounds that human beings are comfortable producing.”

The language currently has around 1,000 words but Professor Frommer hopes to expand it in possible sequels(续集)to the film and in video games.

The professor hopes that one day his creation will have a high level of the Klingon alien language from the Star Trek films.

“There’s a translation of Hamlet into Klingon,” says Professor Frommer.

“If anything happened like this with Na’vi I’d be delight.”

60. The underlined word “resounding” in Paragraph 1 mean_________.

A. later   B. scientific    C. hit      D. surprising

61. Which of the following is Right according to the passage?

A. A kind of new language was invented especially for the film

B. The film Avatar is as good as a film as the Star Trek

C. The creation in Alien Language is different from that in human beings.

D. Avatar is one of an excellent films invented by Pandora.

62. The most challenging part in the creation of the language is_________.

A. that Professor Frommer needs to create 1,000 words for the film Avatar by himself.

B. that the language is based on that of the Alien planet called Pandora

C. that James Cameron introduces a new style of language to the audience

D. that an Alien language is created to be spoken by human beings.

63. We can infer from the passage that_________.

A. the film Avatar has been released in 2D and 3D versions.

B. the most important aspect of the Na’vi language was that it could be pronounced.

C. Professor Paul Frommer believe his language creation in the film Avatar is very successful.

D. Professor Paul Frommer worked with James Cameron for four years for a sense of reality of the film.

 

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