C

Although his 1-year-old smart-phone still works perfectly, Li Jijia already feels the need to replace it.

“There are many better ones available now. It's time to upgrade(更新)my phone.”

Li's impatience is shared by many. Shortly after the season when new products are released, many consumers feel the urge to upgrade their electronic equipment, even though the ones they have still work just fine.

As consumers' minds are occupied by Apple's newly released products and debate whether the Google tablet is better than the new Amazon Kindle, it might be time to take a step back and ask: “Do we really need the latest upgrades?"

According to Donald Norman, an American author, “planned obsolescence (淘 汰)” is the trick behind the upgrading culture of today's consumer electronics industry.

Electronics producers 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,” Norman said. “This is a wasteful system through which companies-many of them producing personal electronics - release poor-quality 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 Norman admitted， “We now want something new ，something pretty, the next shiny thing.” In its most recent year, Apple's profit margin was more than 21 percent. At Hewlett-Packard ，the world's biggest PC maker ，it was only 7 percent.

Apple's annual upgrades of its products create 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 slight.

As to Li Jijia ，the need for upgrading his smart-phone comes mainly from friends and classmates. When they are switching to the latest equipment, he worries about feeling left out.

“Some games require better hardware to run，” said Li. “If you don't join in, you lose part of the connection to your friends.”

39. What's the author's attitude towards people's greed for new products?

A. Supportive. B. Optimistic. C. Critical. D. Unclear.

40. How do the electronics companies successfully promote their latest products?

A. They make full use of the "planned obsolescence” strategy.

B. They make a fool of customers by recycling their old products.

C. They control the customers' way of thinking while shopping.

D. They invent new products to attract the youth like Li Jij ia.

41. Why is Apple Company interested in producing latest version of its product?

A. To provide customers with better service.

B. To defeat other competitors like Hewlett-Packard.

C. To establish a favorable image of itself among its customers.

D. To make huge profits out of its business.

42. It can be inferred from the last paragraph that Li Jijia feels the need to replace his smart-phone as a result of____.

A. new psychology B. peer pressure

C. life style D. friends' expectation

D

The computer keyboard helped kill shorthand---a system of rapid handwriting, and now it's threatening to finish off handwriting as a whole. When handwritten essays were introduced on the SAT exams for the class of 2011, just 15% of the most 1.5 million students wrote their answers in cursive (草写字母).The rest? Block letters.

And those college hopefuls are just the first edge of a wave of US students who no longer get much handwriting instructions in the primary grades, frequently 10 minutes a day or less. As a result, more and more students struggle to read and write cursive.

At Keene Mill Elementary School in Springfield, all their poems and stories are typed. Children in Fairfax County schools are taught keyboarding beginning in kindergarten. Older students who never mastered handwriting say it doesn't affect their grades.

There are those who say the culture is at a crossing, turning from the written word to the typed one. If handwriting becomes a lost form of communication, does it matter?

It was at University of Virginia that researchers recently discovered a previously unknown poem by Robert, written in his unique script. Handwritten documents are more valuable to researchers, historians say, because their authenticity (真实性)can be confirmed. Students also find them more fascinating.

The loss of handwriting also may be a cognitive (认知的)opportunity missed. Several academic studies have found that good handwriting skills at a young age can help children express their thoughts better-a lifelong benefit.

It doesn't take much to teach better handwriting skills. At some schools in Prince George's County, elementary school students use a program called Handwriting Without Tears for 15 minutes a day. They learn the correct formation of manuscript letters through second grade, and cursive letters in third grade.

There are always going to be some kids who struggle with handwriting because of their particular neurological (神经系统的)wiring, learning issues or poor motor skills. Educators often point to this factor in support of keyboarding.

43. What is the author concerned about after 2011 SAT exams?

A. Keyboarding B. Handwriting C. Shorthand D. Block letters

44. A poem by Robert mentioned in the passage is used to ____.

A. show how unique his poem is

B. explain what a famous poet he is

C. prove how valuable handwriting is

D. stress how fascinating the documents are

45. The example of Handwriting Without Tears helps to argue that____.

A. the schools are responsible for the loss of handwriting

B. the loss of handwriting is a cognitive opportunity missed xKb 1.Com

C. the culture is turning from the written word to the typed one

D. it doesn't take much to teach better handwriting skills

46. According to the author ，when is a perfect time to learn handwriting?

A. Primary school. B. Kindergarten.

C. High school. D. College.