If women are mercilessly exploited(剥削) year after year, they have only themselves to blame. Because they tremble at the thought of being seen in public in clothes that are out of fashion, they are always taken advantage of by the designers and the big stores. Clothes which have been worn only a few times have to be put aside because of the change of fashion.

Changing fashions are nothing more than the intentional creation of waste. Many women spend large sums of money each year to replace clothes that have hardly been worn. Women who cannot afford to throw away clothing in this way, waste hours of their time changing their old-fashioned dresses. Skirts are lengthened or shortened; neck-lines are lowered or raised, and so on.

No one can claim that the fashion industry contributes anything really important to society. Fashion designers are rarely concerned with necessary things like warmth, comfort and durability (耐用). They are only interested in outward appearance and they take advantage of the fact that women will put up with any amount of discomfort, as long as they look right. There can hardly be a man who hasn't at some time in his life smiled at the sight of a woman shaking in a thin dress on a winter day, or picking her way through deep snow in high heeled shoes.

When comparing men and women in the matter of fashion, the conclusions to be drawn are obvious. Do the constantly changing fashions of women's clothes, one wonders, reflect basic qualities of inconstancy and instability? Men are too clever to let themselves be cheated by fashion designers. Do their unchanging styles of dress reflect basic qualities of stability and reliability(稳定耐用)? That is for you to decide.

1.Designers and big stores always make money _______.

A. by mercilessly exploiting women workers in the clothing industry

B. because they are capable of predicting new fashions

C. by constantly changing the fashions in women's clothing

D. because they attach great importance to quality in women's clothing

2.To the writer, the fact that women change their old-fashioned dresses is seen as _______.

A. a waste of money B. a waste of time

C. an expression of taste D. an expression of creativity

3.New fashions in clothing are created for _______.

A. the commercial exploitation of women

B. the women's strength of character

C. basic qualities of inconstancy and instability

D. an important contribution to society

Why Doesn't Anybody Copy Apple?
Apple’s products are the envy of the world. They have been amazingly successful and are widely imitated, if not copied. The minute Apple launches a product, everyone knows how to compete．This idea that the basis of competition is set by Apple and then the race is on to climb the path of improvement is unquestionable. When Apple releases a product that defines a category or dramatically changes the structure of an industry, it becomes obvious what needs to be built. But what I wonder is why everyone wants to copy Apple's products but nobody wants to copy being Apple?
I can think of two reasons. Firstly, Apple is not worth copying because it's not successful; secondly, Apple's success cannot be copied because it is a magical process.
There is a great deal of evidence for the first assumption. The idea of Apple being successful is not something reflected in its stock price. Being valued lower than the average company in the S&P（标准普尔）500 indicates that to whatever degree Apple was successful in the past, and it's not seen by the vast majority of observers as successful in the future. Why should one bother copying Apple if it results in being punished with a low valuation? If one works really hard at innovation（革新）and then that innovation becomes commoditized（商品化）very quickly, why should one bother?
When innovation practitioners are asked what makes Apple successful, the answers regarding the cause of this success border on the mythical. The fabulous part of this assumption is the " chief-sorcerer" theory of success which places one magician, like Steve Jobs, in charge of casting all the right spells．
What about Apple's own opinion of what makes it tick? Tim Cook refers to a great team and integration（一体）of hardware, software and services as unique Apple advantages. It's a better explanation. Integration is something that can take a long time, but it is possible with great effort. A few companies are starting to make moves in that direction, but efforts are half-hearted. There is no "move the Earth" feeling to become an integrated company from Samsung, Google or Microsoft.
My own suspicion is that Apple is more aware of what makes it special than it lets out. However, as Tim points out, it's not a formula. It's complex, it's subtle, but it's not magic. It's a process that requires a degree of faith and courage

1.
When a new product of Apple comes out, often it _________
1. A.
  ruins an industry dramatically
2. B.
  puts itself in an unbeatable position
3. C.
  starts a revolution of an industry
4. D.
  is soon overtaken by imitated products
2.
According to the passage, other companies don't "copy being Apple" because_________
1. A.
  Apple is not a successful company
2. B.
  they have no access to relevant resources
3. C.
  it's hard to find a magician like Steve Jobs
4. D.
  being Apple takes more than time and efforts
3.
We can infer from Para. 5 that _________
1. A.
  other companies are dedicated to integration
2. B.
  Apple itself is fully aware of its unique advantages
3. C.
  Apple will hold the leading position in this industry
4. D.
  other companies don't have an extraordinary team as Apple does
4.
What does the author think of Tim Cook's statement?
1. A.
  Neutral
2. B.
  Disappointing
3. C.
  Indifferent
4. D.
  Acceptable

阅读理解

     If this 13year old American boy succeeds in climbing Mount Everest,he has modest ambitions-pick a
small piece of rock from the top as a memento (纪念品) and wear it in a necklace.
     "It is something for myself to say 'this is a rock from the top',"Jordan Romero from California,told
reporters in Kathmandu.He left for the mountain on Sunday.
     If he succeeds,Romero will become the youngest climber to climb the 8,850 meters Everest Summit.
Currently a 16yearold Nepali boy,Temba Tsheri Sherpa,holds the record of being the world's youngest
climber of Mount Everest.
     But Romero,sitting over lunch with his climbing father and stepmother in Kathmandu's tourist district
of   Thamel,said he was not after setting climbing records.
     Romero said Mount Qomolangma,that runs across NepalChina border,was part of his goal to climb
the highest mountains on all seven continents.
     "It is just a goal," he said confidently."If I don't succeed I am okay.I will try again."
     Romero has already climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa and Mount McKinley in Alaska among
others.
     Romero's father Paul said the boy was ready to take on the climb and understood the risk of climbing
the giant mountain.
     "I know it requires a lot of patience.I will remain patient.I want to stay safe and make right choice,"
Romero said of his climb using the northeast ridge (山脊) route on the Chinese side of the mountain.
     Over 4,000 climbers have reached the top of Mount Qomolangma since it was first climbed by New
Zealander Sir Edmund Hillary and Nepal's Tenzing Norgay Sherpa in 1953.Romero said he wanted to
climb the highest mountains in all 50 states in the US next."It does not need to be after Qomolangma and
could be in between."

1. According to the passage,at present________keeps the record of being the world's youngest
    climber of Mount Everest.

A. Jordan Romero
B. Temba Tsheri Sherpa
C. Tenzing Norgay Sherpa
D. Sir Edmund Hillary

2. From the passage we can learn that Romero's goal is________.

A. to break the record of the youngest climber to climb Everest Summit
B. to pick a small piece of rock from the top of Everest Summit
C. to climb the highest mountains on all seven continents
D. to climb the highest mountains in all 50 states in the US

3. We can infer from the passage that________.

A. Romero has made a promise that he must climb up the top of Mount Qomolangma
B. the highest mountain in America is Mount Kilimanjaro
C. Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay Sherpa come from different countries
D. there is no risk climbing Mount Qomolangma

4. The following statements are true EXCEPT________.

A. Romero is to use the northwest ridge route on the Chinese side of the mountain
B. Romero has his patience and understands the risk of climbing the giant mountain
C. Romero has made a safe climbing plan
D. Romero is fond of climbing

阅读理解

     If this 13year old American boy succeeds in climbing Mount Everest, he has modest ambitions-pick a small piece of rock from the top as a memento (纪念品) and wear it in a necklace.
     "It is something for myself to say 'this is a rock from the top', "Jordan Romero from California,
told reporters in Kathmandu.He left for the mountain on Sunday.
     If he succeeds, Romero will become the youngest climber to climb the 8,850 meters Everest
Summit.Currently a 16yearold Nepali boy, Temba Tsheri Sherpa, holds the record of being the
world's youngest climber of Mount Everest.
    But Romero, sitting over lunch with his climbing father and stepmother in Kathmandu's tourist
district of   Thamel, said he was not after setting climbing records.
    Romero said Mount Qomolangma, that runs across NepalChina border, was part of his goal
to climb the highest mountains on all seven continents.
      "It is just a goal, " he said confidently."If I don't succeed I am okay.I will try again."
      Romero has already climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa and Mount McKinley in Alaska among
others.
     Romero's father Paul said the boy was ready to take on the climb and understood the risk of
climbing the giant mountain.
    "I know it requires a lot of patience.I will remain patient.I want to stay safe and make right choice,
" Romero said of his climb using the northeast ridge (山脊) route on the Chinese side of the mountain.
    Over 4,000 climbers have reached the top of Mount Qomolangma since it was first climbed by
New Zealander Sir Edmund Hillary and Nepal's Tenzing Norgay Sherpa in 1953.Romero said he
wanted to climb the highest mountains in all 50 states in the US next."It does not need to be after
Qomolangma and could be in between."

1. According to the passage, at present________keeps the record of being the world's youngest
climber of Mount Everest.

A. Jordan Romero
B. Temba Tsheri Sherpa
C. Tenzing Norgay Sherpa
D. Sir Edmund Hillary

2. From the passage we can learn that Romero's goal is________.

A. to break the record of the youngest climber to climb Everest Summit
B. to pick a small piece of rock from the top of Everest Summit
C. to climb the highest mountains on all seven continents
D. to climb the highest mountains in all 50 states in the US

3. We can infer from the passage that________.

A. Romero has made a promise that he must climb up the top of Mount Qomolangma
B. the highest mountain in America is Mount Kilimanjaro
C. Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay Sherpa come from different countries
D. there is no risk climbing Mount Qomolangma

4. The following statements are true EXCEPT________.

A. Romero is to use the northwest ridge route on the Chinese side of the mountain
B. Romero has his patience and understands the risk of climbing the giant mountain
C. Romero has made a safe climbing plan
D. Romero is fond of climbing

When a new product of Apple comes out, often it _________

According to the passage, other companies don't "copy being Apple" because_________

We can infer from Para. 5 that _________

What does the author think of Tim Cook's statement?

试题分类