The iPhone, the iPad, the iPod : each of Apple’s products sounds cool and has become a fad (时尚). Apple has cleverly taken advantage of the power of the letter “i” — and many other brands are following suit. The BBC’s iPlayer — which allows Web users to watch TV programs on the Internet — adopted the title in 2008. A lovely bear — popular in the US and UK — that plays music and video is called “iTeddy”. A slimmed-down version of London’s Independent newspaper came out last week under the name “i”.
In general, single-letter prefixes have been popular since the 1990s, when terms such as e-mail and e-commerce first came into use.
Most “i” products are aimed at young people and considering the major readers of Independent’s “i”, it is no surprise that they’ve selected this fashionable name.
But it’s hard to see what’s so special about the letter “i” . Why not use “a”, “b” or “c” instead? According to Tony Thorne, head of the Language Center at King’s College, London, “i” works because its meaning has become ambiguous. When Apple uses “i”, no one knows whether it means Internet, information, individual or interactive, Thorne told BBC Magazines. “Even when Apple created the iPad, it seems it didn’t have one clear definition ,” he says.
“However, thanks to Apple, the term is now associated with portability (轻便).” adds Thorne.
Clearly the letter “i” also agrees with the idea that the Western World is centered on the individual. Each person believes they have their own needs, and we love personalized products for this reason.
Along with “Google” and “Twitter”, readers of BBC Magazines voted “i” as one of the top 20 words that have come to define the last decade.
But as history shows, fads come and go. From the 1900s to 1990s, products with “2000” in their names became fashionable as the year was associated with all things advanced and modern. However, as we entered the new century, the trend inevitably（不可避免地）disappeared.
【小题1】People use iPlayer to ____________.

We have got a general idea of how our new flat will be decorated, but nothing ______ at the moment.

A. ambiguous             B. ambitious      C. concrete                          D. permanent

Dogs can be worried and pessimistic just like people, researchers report in a new study in Current Biology. And they aren’t talking about basset hounds (短脚猎狗): those dogs just look as if they expect the worst.

What the scientists say is that dogs that exhibit anxiety when left home alone by their owners may have bigger problems — they may be in a permanent bad mood.

This pessimistic outlook may not otherwise be easily apparent in a dog’s other characteristics, like running speed or learning ability, the study reports.

Dogs are similar to humans in the role that emotional state plays in decision making, said Michael Mendel, a veterinary scientist at the University of Bristol and the study’s lead author. The study’s researchers looked at 24 dogs in shelters in Britain.

They placed the dogs in isolated settings and observed their reactions — many barked, jumped on furniture and scratched at the door.

Then they placed bowls in two rooms. One bowl contained food, while another was empty. After training the dogs to understand that bowls can sometimes be empty, and sometimes full, they began to place bowls in ambiguous locations.

Dogs that quickly raced to the locations were more optimistic, and in search of food. Those that did not were deemed pessimistic.

The more separation anxiety a dog expressed while in isolation, the more likely the dog was to have a pessimistic reaction, the researchers found.

The study carries an important message for dog owners, Dr. Mendel said.

Dogs that express serious anxiety when alone may need treatment, as it could be a sign of unhappiness and instability.

This passage can be classified as _________.

     A. an advertisement                                   B. a feature story

C. a news report                                        D. a book review

In the study, many dogs barked, jumped and scratched because __________.

       A. they couldn’t find the bowl with food in it

       B. they were left alone

       C. they needed to be treated

       D. they wanted to be active and optimistic

According to Dr. Mendel, which statement is true?

       A. Like humans, dogs are good at decision making.

       B. Dog owners should train dogs to find food.

       C. Emotional state works sometimes when humans make decision.

       D. Dogs can always find the bowl with food quickly.

What can we learn from the passage?

       A. Dogs will be optimistic as long as they are left alone.

       B. Dogs must be in a permanent bad mood when their owners left.

       C. Dogs that express anxiety don’t need treatment.

       D. Dogs may easily show their pessimistic outlook in learning ability.

When an emergency situation occurs, observers are more likely to take action if there are few or no other witnesses. This phenomenon is referred to as the bystander （旁观者）effect．

The bystander effect is also called the Genovese effect, which is named after Catherine “Kitty" Genovese, a young woman who was cruelly murdered on March 13, 1964. Early in the morning, 28-year-old Genovese was returning home from work. As she approached her apartment entrance, she was attacked and stabbed（刺）by a man later identified as Winston Moseley. Despite Genovese's repeated cries for help, none of people in the nearby apartment building who heard her cries called police for help. The attack first began at 3:20, but it was not until 3:50 that someone first contacted police．

Many psychologists were set thinking by the incident, as well as most Americans. As the conclusion, the bystander effect came out and later proved by a series of studies and experiments.

There are two major factors that contribute to the bystander effect. First, the presence of other people creates a division of responsibility. Because there are other observers, individuals do not feel as much pressure to take action, since the responsibility to take action is thought to be shared among all of those present. The second reason is the need to behave in correct and socially acceptable ways. When other observers fail to react, individuals often take this as a signal that a response is not needed or not appropriate.

Other researchers have found that onlookers are less likely to take action if the situation is ambiguous. In the case of Kitty Genovese, many of the 38 witnesses reported that they believed that they were witnessing a "lovers' quarrel", and did not realize that the young woman was actually being murdered．

1.. The bystander effect is also called the Genovese effect because   a woman surnamed Genovese．  

      A. it somehow caused the murder of   

      B. its discovery resulted from the murder of

      C. it was actually discovered by     

      D. it always makes people think of

2.. Genovese was murdered          .     ．  

      A. while she was going out                B. in her apartment

      C. halfway home                       D. near her apartment

3.. Which can NOT have been a possible reason for the neighbors NOT offering Genovese help?

A. They believed in the bystander effect．               

      B. They thought someone else might help her．

      C. They didn't think they should help．  

      D. They didn't think she needed help．

4.. Before deciding to offer help, observers may           , according to the psychologists． 

      A. wait for sort of a signal     

      B. hesitate and estimate the risk of getting hurt

      C. want to be sure it's appropriate to react 

      D. wonder if the victim is worth helping

5.. The article seems to suggest that, if there had been         observers, Genovese might not have been murdered．   

    A. no              B. fewer                C. more             D. braver

The iPhone, the iPad: each of Apple’s products sounds cool and has become a fad(一时的风尚). Apple has cleverly taken advantage of the power of the letter “i” – and many other brands are following suit. The BBC’s iPlayer – which allows Web users to watch TV programs on the Internet –adopted the title in 2008. A lovely bear – popular in the US and UK – that plays music and video is called “iTeddy”. A slimmed-down version of London’s Independent newspaper was launched last week under the name “i”.
In general, single-letter prefixes(前缀) have been popular since the 1990s, when terms such as e-mail and e-commerce first came into use. Most “i” products are targeted at young people and considering the major readers of Independent’s “i”, it’s no surprise that they’ve selected this fashionable name.
But it’s hard to see what’s so special about the letter “i”. Why not use “a”, “b”, or “c” instead? According to Tony Thorne, head of the Language Center at King’s College, London, “i” works because its meaning has become ambiguous. When Apple uses “i”, no one knows whether it means Internet, information, individual or interactive, Thorne told BBC Magazines. “Even when Apple created the iPod, it seems it didn’t have one clear definition,” he said.
“However, thanks to Apple, the term is now linked with portability.” added Thorne.
Clearly the letter “i” also agrees with the idea that the Western World is centered on the individual. Each person believes they have their own needs, and we love personalized products for this reason.
Along with “Google” and “blog”, readers of BBC Magazines voted “i” as one of the top 20 words that have come to define the last decade.
But as history shows, people grow tired of fads. From the 1900s to 1990s, products with “2000” in their names became fashionable as the year was associated with all things advanced and modern. However, as we entered the new century, the trend inevitably disappeared.
【小题1】People use iPlayer to ________.