1、大学英语四级-阅读 4及答案解析(总分：100.00，做题时间：90 分钟)一、Reading Comprehensio(总题数：0，分数：0.00)Apple“s future: Reluctant ReformationA. Apple is becoming a very different company, and not just because of its newly unveiled products. B. Apple prides itself on constantly re-imagining the future, but even the world“s leadi
2、ng gadget-maker likes to dwell on the past too. Thirty years ago Steve Jobs commanded the stage at the Flint Centre for the Performing Arts near Apple“s headquarters in Cupertino to show off the new Macintosh computer. On September 9th Mr. Jobs“s successor, Tim Cook, held a similar performance in th
3、e same location to thunderous applause. Those invited were given a chance to play with the gadgets presented on stage: two new iPhones and a wearable device, called the Apple Watch. “This is the next chapter in Apple“s story,“ he said, sounding much like the young Mr. Jobs in 1984. C. It may well be
4、 truebut not for the reasons most people might think. Consumers, analysts and investors have been howling for proof that Apple can still do the magic tricks of the Jobs era; iPad sales have weakened in recent quarters and the iPhone, launched a tech aeon ago in 2007, still generates more than half o
5、f the firm“s revenues. Yet lost in the maelstrom (大漩涡) of snazzy new gadgets, applause and photos was an important shift: this week“s announcements showed that Apple“s future will be less about hardware and more about its “ecosystem“a combination of software, services, data and a plethora of partner
6、s. D. If Apple were simply a hardware-maker, there would be reason to worry. It is losing market share to rivals such as Samsung of South Korea and Xiaomi of China, which make cheaper devices, and to Google“s Android operating system, which runs on 71% of the world“s smartphones. Apple“s average sel
7、ling price is $609, compared with $249 for smartphones worldwide, according to IDC, a market-research firm. That is good for profits, but it makes Apple increasingly a niche player, somewhat like a luxury-goods firm, says Colin Gillis of BGC, a stockbroker. E. As with Apple“s existing products, much
8、 effort went into the watch“s design. Its backplate contains sensors that measure the user“s vital signs; and people can send their heartbeat to other watch-wearersas a new sort of expressive message. But starting at $349, and only usable in conjunction with an iPhone, it looks unlikely to be a seri
9、ous competitor to other expensive watches. F. Still, many are likely to stick with their iPhones and even plunk down the money for an Apple Watch, because of the firm“s ecosystem. Apple is considered a laggard in online offerings, especially since it bungled (把搞糟) the launch of its map service. Its
10、services and apps can be maddening. But iTunes, Apple“s media store, now boasts more than 800 million active users, three times as many as Amazon“s. Apple“s software and services category, which includes iTunes, its Apps Store, revenue from warranties and other businesses, brought in sales of more t
11、han $16 billion in 2013 and is growing steadily. G. Apple“s watch is supposed to help the firm expand into new areas. One example is a mobile wallet. It aims to replace swiping credit cards with the tap of an Apple watch (or an iPhone) on a device connected to a retailer“s cash register. Apple“s new
12、 health and fitness applications help people monitor their workouts. The firm“s new operating systems, due out soon, will allow its devices to work together seamlessly: an e-mail started on an iPhone can be finished on an iMac. H. For Ben Wood of CCS Insight, another market-research firm, Apple“s pl
13、an is to be even more like the Hotel California (as in the Eagles“ song), “where you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave“. The more Apple-gadget owners store their data in them, from photos to health information, the more they are locked in, and must stick with Apple. I. At the
14、same time, Apple is trying to become more open to partnersa big change for the firm. “There has always been a huge tension between keeping control and opening up“ at Apple, explains Michael Cusumano of MIT“s Sloan School of Management. Mr. Jobs saw Apple products as complete works of art and never w
15、anted them unbundled. Only after the executive team rebelled, for instance, did he relent and in 2003 let iTunes become available on Windowsa move that dramatically increased sales of the iPod. J. Three years after Mr. Jobs“s death, Apple seems to be ready to go further, hoping to entice other firms
16、 to contribute to its ecosystem and make it more attractive. Earlier this year Apple announced a partnership with IBM, as well as changes that make it easier for outside developers to design apps for the iPhone. And Apple“s watch will have third-party apps from the start. The iPhone launched without
17、 the app store; it opened only a year later, after many outside developers had hacked the device, allowing them to write apps for it. K. The new openness does not only apply to technology. Mr. Cook has let outsiders join his inner circle, hiring executives from retail and other industries to expand
18、Apple“s expertise. He has also overseen the largest acquisition in Apple“s history, the $3 billion purchase in May of Beats, a headphones and music-streaming company. For its new payment system it teamed up with big retailers, such as Whole Foods and Walgreens, and credit-card firms, including Maste
19、r Card and Visa. L. This opening-up may need to go further, to keep up with Google“s ecosystem. The internet giant“s services still beat Apple“s. And it not only lets device-makers modify Android, but also gives it away (albeit with conditions, such as the requirement to carry Google“s services). “A
20、pple vs. Android“ could still end up a repeat of “Apple vs. Windows“: in personal computers Apple lost the battle against Microsoft because it refused to license its operating system to other hardware-makers. M. Umberto Eco, an Italian novelist, once compared Apple“s platform to Catholicism and Micr
21、osoft“s to Protestantism. The Macintosh, he wrote, “tells the faithful how they must proceed, step by step“. By contrast, Windows “allows free interpretation of scripture.and takes for granted the idea that not all can achieve salvation.“ This still rings true today, but Apple is clearly going throu
22、gh a Reformation.（分数：20.00）(1).Ipad sales have fallen recently and the iPhone, which has made a big success in 2007, still contributes more than half of the firm“s sales volumes.（分数：2.00）(2).The Apple Watch is useless without an iPhone which makes it less competitive to other expensive watches.（分数：2
23、.00）(3).The iPhone did not have third-party apps until a year later, after it was hacked by lots of outside developers.（分数：2.00）(4).According to Ben Wood, the more data people store in Apple devices, the more they rely on them, and the less likely they are to leave Apple.（分数：2.00）(5).The success of
24、iPod perfectly shows that being more open to partners can bring more benefits to Apple.（分数：2.00）(6).Apple is becoming more open not only in technological aspect but also in executive aspect.（分数：2.00）(7).Because of the low price, Samsung of South Korea and Xiaomi of China have increased their market
25、share, whereas Apple is losing market share partly due to its high price.（分数：2.00）(8).With the help of the newly developed operating systems, all the Apple gadgets, such as iPhone, iMac can work together seamlessly.（分数：2.00）(9).Apple failed in the competition with Microsoft because of its conservati
26、veness.（分数：2.00）(10).The emphasis of Apple will be shifted from hardware to its “ecosystem“ which is composed of software, services, data and a plethora of partners.（分数：2.00）Asian Business: A World to ConquerA. Asian business is reforming. Its emerging multinationals will change the way we all live.
27、 B. Business power follows economic power. In the 1920s British firms owned 40% of the global stock of foreign direct investment. By 1967 America was top dog, with a 50% share. Behind those figures lie cultural revolutions. The British spread the telegraph and trains in Latin America. American firms
28、 sold a vision of the good life, honed by Hollywood and advertising. Kellogg“s changed what the rich world ate for breakfast, and Kodak how it remembered holidays. The next corporate revolution, as we describe in our special report this week, is happening in Asia. This too will change how the world
29、lives. C. Asian capitalism has brawn (体力). The continent“s share of global GDP has risen from a fifth to 28% since 1984. It is the world“s factory, a diverse region of rivals bound together by supply chains. But it lacks brains and global savvy. Asia smelts 76% of the world“s iron and emits 44% of i
30、ts pollution, but hosts only a tenth of its most valuable brands and venture-capital activity. Its multinationals punch below their weight, owning 17% of the world“s foreign direct investment. Wealthy Japan and South Korea have a cast of superstars, such as Toyota and Samsung. But few other firms co
31、mmand the world stage. D. That is because Asian capitalism has been too cozy. In the boom between 2002 and 2010 easy profits were made at homegrowth was fast and labour and credit cheap. Two-thirds of big Asian firms are state-controlled or “business houses“ (often family-run). These incumbents (在职者
32、) tend to be chummy with the government and get cheap land and loans. Half of all billionaire wealth in Asia has been made in sectors, such as property, that are prone to cronyism (任人唯亲), versus 15% in the West. Outside Japan and South Korea, innovation has been neglected. Mahindra they want clean a
33、ir, safe food and more leisure, and are madly in love with the internet. Third, competition has intensified from Western multinationals, which have invested $2 trillion in Asia. They also now use the same cheapish labour, and they generally have much more sophisticated supply chains, brands and R th
34、ey“re not making it any more. In fact, land is not really scarce: the entire population of America could fit into Texas with more than an acre for each household to enjoy. What drives prices skyward is a collision between rampant (猖獗的) demand and limited supply in the great metropolises like London,
35、 Mumbai and New York. In the past ten years real prices in Hong Kong have risen by 150%. Residential property in Mayfair, in central London, can go for as much as 55,000 (82,000) per square metre. A square mile of Manhattan residential property costs 16.5 billion. B. Even in these great cities the s
36、carcity is artificial. Regulatory limits on the height and density of buildings constrain supply and inflate prices. A recent analysis by academics at the London School of Economics estimates that land-use regulations in the West End of London inflate the price of office space by about 800% ; in Mil
37、an and Paris the rules push up prices by around 300%. Most of the enormous value captured by landowners exists because it is well-nigh impossible to build new offices to compete those profits away. C. The costs of this misfiring property market are huge, mainly because of their effects on individual
38、s. High housing prices force workers towards cheaper but less productive places. According to one study, employment in the Bay Area around San Francisco would be about five times larger than it is but for tight limits on construction. Tot up these costs in lost earnings and unrealized human potentia
39、l and the figures become dizzying. Lifting all the barriers to urban growth in America could raise the country“s GDP by between 6.5% and 13.5%, or by about 1 trillion-2 trillion. It is difficult to think of many other policies that would yield anything like that. D. Two long-run trends have led to t
40、his fractured market. One is the revival of the city as the central cog in the global economic machine. In the 20th century, tumbling transport costs weakened the gravitational pull of the city; in the 21st, the digital revolution has restored it. Knowledge-intensive industries such as technology an
41、d finance thrive on the clustering of workers who share ideas and expertise. The economies and populations of metropolises like London, New York and San Francisco have rebounded as a result. E. What those cities have not regained is their historical ability to stretch in order to accommodate all tho
42、se who want to come. There is a good reason for that: unconstrained urban growth in the late 19th century fostered crime and disease. Hence the second trend, the proliferation of green belts and rules on zoning. Over the course of the past century land-use rules have piled up so plentifully that get
43、ting planning permission is harder than hailing a cab on a wet afternoon. London has strict rules preventing new structures blocking certain views of St Paul“s Cathedral. Google“s plans to build housing on its Mountain View campus in Silicon Valley are being resisted on the ground that residents mig
44、ht keep pets, which could harm the local owl population. Nimbyish residents of low-density districts can exploit planning rules on everything from light levels to parking spaces to block plans for construction. F. A good thing, too, say many. The roads and rails criss-crossing big cities already cre
45、ak under the pressure of growing populations. Dampening property prices hurts one of the few routes to wealth-accumulation still available to the middle classes. A cautious approach to development is the surest way to preserve public spaces and a city“s heritage: give economists their way, and they
46、would quickly pave over Central Park. G. However well these arguments go down in local planning meetings, they wilt on closer scrutiny. Home ownership is not especially egalitarian. Many households are priced out of more vibrant places. It is no coincidence that the home-ownership rate in the metrop
47、olitan area of downtrodden Detroit, at 71%, is well above the 55% in booming San Francisco. You do not need to build a forest of skyscrapers for a lot more people to make their home in big cities. San Francisco could squeeze in twice as many and remain half as dense as Manhattan. H. Zoning codes wer
48、e conceived as a way to balance the social good of a growing, productive city and the private costs that growth sometimes imposes. But land-use rules have evolved into something more pernicious: a mechanism through which landowners are handed both unwarranted windfalls and the means to prevent other
49、s from exercising control over their property. Even small steps to restore a healthier balance between private and public good would yield handsome returns. Policymakers should focus on two things. I. First, they should ensure that city-planning decisions are made from the top down. When decisions are taken at local level, land-use rules tend to be stricter. Individual districts receive fewer of the benefits of a larger metropolitan population (jobs and taxes) than their costs (blocked views and congested streets). Moving housing-supply decisions to city level should mean that due weig
