辽宁省辽阳县高考英语二轮复习阅读理解选练(1)

辽宁辽阳县2016高考英语阅读理解(二轮)选练（1）

社会文化（阅读理解）

一 (2013四川绵阳高三第二次诊断性考试)改编

Although his one-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 im patience 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 rele ased 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 Hew lett-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 p art of the connection to your friends.”

1.What’s the author’s attitude towards people’s greed for new products?()

A.Supportive.

B.Optimistic.

C.Critical.

D.Unclear.

2.How do the electronics companies successfully promote their latest products?( )

A.The y 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 Jijia.

3.Why is Apple Company interested in producing latest version of its products?( )

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.

4.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

语篇解读:本文讲述了一种社会现象——一旦有新款电子产品上市,即使变化不大,很多人也会在自己的电子产品性能很好的情况下盲目追求新款,这样做有必要吗?

答案及剖析:1.C 推理判断题。由文章首句Although his one-year-old smart-phone still works perfectly,Li Jijia already feels the need to replace it和第三段的Li’s impatience is shared by many可知,作者对这种现象持批评的态度,故选C项。

2.A 推理判断题。由第五段的“planned obsolescence (淘汰)” is the trick behind the upgrading culture of today’s consumer ele ctronics industry可知,电子产业利用“计划报废”的策略,故意设计生产一些在一定时间内就会被淘汰的产品,然后推出所谓的新产品上市,以达到吸引消费者的目的,故选A项。