阅读理解。
The iPhone, the iPad, the iPod, each of apple's products sounds cool and has become a pad (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 prefix 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 the 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 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
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 "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 the 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.
1. We can infer that the Independent's "i" is aimed at _____.
A. young readers
B. old readers
C. fashionable women
D. engineers
2. The underlined word "ambiguous" means "____".
A. popular
B. uncertain
C. definite
D. unique
3. Nowadays,the "i" term often reminds people of the products which are _____.
A. portable
B. environmentally friendly
C. advanced
D. recyclable
4. The writer suggests that _____.
A. "i" products are often of a high quality
B. the popularity of "i" products may not last long
C. the letter "b" replace letter "i" to name the products
D. iTeddy is a live bear
