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BEIJING — Rising smartphone star Xiaomi is moving upmarket and taking aim at Apple's iPhone. The Chinese maker known for low-priced phones on Thursday unveiled (发布) a new model that Chairman Jun Lei said is comparable to Apple's iPhone 6 but thinner, lighter and much cheaper. The phone starts at 2, 299 yuan ($375), less than half the 5,288 yuan ($ 865) price of an iPhone 6 in China.
Xiaomi, founded in 2010, passed South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co. in the second quarter of last year as the best-selling smartphone brand in China by number of phones sold. The company is expanding into India and other developing markets but has yet to announce plans to enter the United States or Europe.
Xiaomi "is a respected brand that already has an Apple-like following" in China, said analyst Brian Blair, who tracks mobile device makers at Rosenblatt Securities. Apple is still a relatively small player in China, selling about 45 million iPhones there last year, Blair estimates, but will continue to grow.
"Apple is very much a premium (高端的) brand," said Blair. "The company that's more at risk is Samsung, which has been losing share in that market."
Privately held (私人控股的) Xiaomi said last year's sales tripled to 61. 1 million phones and revenue (收益) more than doubled to 74. 3 billion yuan ($12.2 billion). The company, based in Beijing, recently completed a round of fundraising from investors that it said valued Xiaomi at $ 45 billion, making it one of the world's most valuable technology brands.
Xiaomi ran into legal trouble in India in December after a court blocked sales while it hears a complaint by Sweden's LM Ericcson that the Chinese company violated its patents（专利）.
In a blog post earlier this month, Lei called the case a "rite of passage" (成年礼) for a young company.
1.Which of the following statements is true?
A. Xiaomi sold more cellphones than Samsung in 2010 in China.
B. Compared to Xiaomi, Apple's iPhone 6 is thinner and lighter.
C. Low-price is Xiaomi's advantage over Apple's iPhones.
D. The company is expanding into the United States or Europe.
2.What can be inferred from the passage according to Brian Blair?
A. More than 45 million iPhones will be sold this year.
B. Xiaomi can beat Apple in the market of China.
C. He thinks Xiaomi is superior to Apple.
D. Samsung will be closed for losing share in the market.
3.How is the 5th paragraph developed?
A. By giving examples.
B. By analyzing cause and effect.
C. By providing data.
D. By making comparisons.
4.What's the attitude of Jun Lei towards the case of Xiaomi in India?
A. Negative. B. Satisfied. C. Positive. D. Doubtful.
难度: 困难查看答案及解析
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Students from Florida International University in Miami walked on water Thursday for a class assignment. To do it，they wore aquatic (水上的)shoes they designed and created.
Alex Quinones was the first to make it to the other side of a 175－foot lake on campus in record time—just over a minute. Quinones，who wore oversized boat－like shoes，also won last year and will receive $ 500.
Students had to wear the aquatic shoes and make it across the lake in order to earn an “A” on the assignment for Architecture Professor Jaime Canaves'Materials and Methods Construction Class.“It's traditional in a school of architecture to do boats out of cardboard for a boat race. I thought our students were a little bit more special than that，” Canaves said.“We decided to do the walk on water event to take it to the next level.”
A total of 79 students competed in the race this year in 41 teams. Only 10 teams failed to cross the lake. Others who fell got back up and made it to the end. The race is open to all students and anyone in the community. The youngest person to ever participate was a 9－year－old girl who competed in place of her mother，while the oldest was a 67－year－old female.
A large crowd on campus joined Canaves as he cheered on the racers. He shouted encouraging words，but also laughed as some unsteadily made their way to the end.
“A part of this is for them to have more understanding of designing and make it work better，” he said. It is also a lesson in life for the students.
“Anything，including walking on water，is possible，if you do the research，test it and go through the design process seriously.
1.Which statement about Alex Quinones is true ?
A. He finished the race in less than a minute.
B. He won the race with the help of 2 boats.
C. He failed the race last year.
D. He set a new record this year.
2.For what purpose did the students take part in the race?
A. To go across the lake to school.
B. To test their balance on the water.
C. To pass Professor Canaves' class.
D. To win the prize money of $ 500.
3.Which of the following is true about the race?
A. The students who fell into the water had to quit.
B. More than 20 teams failed to cross the lake.
C. The students kept silent when the other racers competed.
D. The youngest competitor competed instead of her mother.
4.According to Canaves，this race can help the students .
A. understand designing better
B. achieve almost everything
C. work together and unite as one
D. walk on the surface of water
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
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Wanted, Someone for a Kiss
We’re looking for producers to join us in the second of London 100FM. You’ll work on the station’s music programmes. Music production experience in radio is necessary, along with rich knowledge of modern dance music. Please apply(申请) in writing to Producer Vacancies, Kiss100.
Father Christmas
We’re looking for a very special person preferably over 40, to fill our Father Christmas suit.
Working days: Every Saturday from November 24 to December 15 and every day from December17 to December24 except Sunday, 10:30—16:00
Excellent pay.
Please contact(联系)the Enterprise Shopping Center, Station Parade, Eastbourne.
Accountants Assistant
When you join the them in our Revenue Administration Unit, you will be providing assistance within all parts of the Revenue Division, dealing with post and other general duties. If you are educated to GCSE grade C level we would like to talk to you. This position is equally suitable for a school leaver of for somebody who has office experience.
Wealden District Council
Software Trainer
If you are aged 24-45 and have experience in teaching and training, you could be the person we are looking for. You should be good at the computer and have some experience in programme writing. You will be allowed to make our decision, and to design courses as well as present them. Pay upwards of ￡15,000 for the right person. Please apply by sending your CV (简历) to Mrs R. Oglivie, Palmlace Limited.
1.Who should you get in touch with if you hope to work in a radio station?
A. The Enterprise Shopping Centre
B. Mrs R. Oglivie, Palmlace Limited.
C. Producer Vacancies, Kiss 100.
D. Wealden District Council.
2.We learn from the ads that the Enterprise Shopping Centre needs a person who ________________.
A is aged between 24 and 40
B. may do some training work
C. can work for about a month
D. should deal with general duties
3.which position is open to recent school graduates?
A. Producer, London Kiss.
B. Father Christmas.
C. Software Trainer
D. Accountants Assistant
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
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Traveling without a map in different countries，I find out about different “styles” of directions every time I ask “How can I get to the post office?”
Foreign tourists are often confused in Japan because most streets there don’t have name signs：in Japan，people use landmarks in their directions instead of street names．For example，the Japanese will say to travelers，“Go straight down to the corner．Turn left at the big hotel and go past a fruit market．The post office is across from the bus stop．”
People in Los Angeles，the US，have no idea of distance on the map：they measure distance by time，not miles．“How far away is the post office?” you ask．“Oh,” they answer，“it’s about five minutes from here．” You don’t understand completely，“Yes，but how many miles away is it，please?” To this question you won’t get an answer，because most probably they don’t know it themselves．
People in Greece sometimes do not even try to give directions because tourists seldom understand the Greek language．Instead，a Greek will often say,“ Follow me．”Then he’ll lead you through the streets of the city to the post office．
Sometimes a person doesn’t know the answer to your question．What happens in the situation? A New Yorker might say，“Sorry, I have no idea．”But in Yucatan，Mexico，no one answers “I don’t know．” People there believe that “I don’t” is impolite．They usually give an answer，but often a wrong one．So a tourist can get lost very easily in Yucatan!
However，one thing will help you everywhere in the world．It’s body language．
1.Which of the following is probably an example of Japanese directions?
A．“Go south two miles．Turn west and then go another mile．”
B．“Turn right at the hospital and go past a school．”
C．“The post office is about five minutes from here．”
D．“The post office is at Street Kamira．”
2.Why don’t people in Los Angeles give directions in miles?
A．They use landmarks in their directions instead of distance．
B．They prefer to lead you the way．
C．They often have no idea of distance measured by miles．
D．They prefer to use body language．
3.How do Greeks give directions?
A．Using street names
B．Using landmarks
C．Leading people the way
D．Giving people a wrong direction
4.Where is Yucatan?
A．In the USA B．In Japan C．In Greece D．In Mexico
难度: 中等查看答案及解析