雅思阅读预测文章
对于雅思考生来说，想要顺利拿下雅思阅读理解，平时多看一些雅思文章并且加强练习是必须的。下面是小编为大家整理的一篇雅思阅读预测文章，希望对大家有所帮助。
Selling Digital Music without Copy-protection Makes Sense
A. It was uncharacteristically low-key for the industry's greatest showman. But the essay published this week by Steve Jobs, the boss of Apple, on his firm’s website under the unassuming title "Thoughts on Music" has nonetheless provoked a vigorous debate about the future of digital music, which Apple dominates with its iPod music-player and iTunes music-store. At issue is "digital rights management" (DRM)—the technology guarding downloaded music against theft. Since there is no common standard for DRM, it also has the side-effect that songs purchased for one type of music-player may not work on another. Apple's DRM system, called FairPlay, is the most widespread. So it came as a surprise when Mr. Jobs called for DRM for digital music to be abolished.
B. This is a change of tack for Apple. It has come under fire from European regulators who claim that its refusal to license FairPlay to other firms has "locked in" customers. Since music from the iTunes store cannot be played on non-iPod music-players (at least not without a lot of fiddling), any iTunes buyer will be deterred from switching to a device made by a rival firm, such as Sony or Microsoft. When French lawmakers drafted a bill last year compelling Apple to open up FairPlay to rivals, the company warned of "state-sponsored piracy". Only DRM, it implied, could keep the pirates at bay.
C. This week Mr. Jobs gave another explanation for his former defence of DRM: the record companies made him do it. They would make their music available to the iTunes store only if Apple agreed to protect it using DRM. They can still withdraw their catalogues if the DRM system is compromised. Apple cannot license FairPlay to others, says Mr Jobs, because it would depend on them to produce security fixes promptly. All DRM does is restrict consumer choice and provide a barrier to entry, says Mr Jobs; without it there would be far more stores and players, and far more innovation. So, he suggests, why not do away with DRM and sell music unprotected? "This is clearly the best alternative for consumers," he declares, "and Apple would embrace it in a heartbeat."
D. Why the sudden change of heart? Mr Jobs seems chiefly concerned with getting Europe's regulators off his back. Rather than complaining to Apple about its use of DRM, he suggests, "those unhappy with the current situation should redirect their energies towards persuading the music companies to sell their music DRM-free." Two and a half of the four big record companies, he helpfully points out, are European-owned. Mr Jobs also hopes to paint himself as a consumer champion. Apple resents accusations that it has become the Microsoft of digital music.
E. Apple can afford to embrace open competition in music players and online stores. Consumers would gravitate to the best player and the best store, and at the moment that still means Apple's. Mr Jobs is evidently unfazed by rivals to the iPod. Since only 3% of the music in a typical iTunes library is protected, most of it can already be used on other players today, he notes. (And even the protected tracks can be burned onto a CD and then re-ripped.) So Apple's dominance evidently depends far more on branding and ease of use than DRM-related "lock in".
F. The music giants are trying DRM-free downloads. Lots of smaller labels already sell music that way. Having seen which way the wind is blowing, Mr Jobs now wants to be seen not as DRM's defender, but as a consumer champion who helped in its downfall. Wouldn't it lead to a surge in piracy? No, because most music is still sold unprotected on CDs, people wishing to steal music already can do so. Indeed, scrapping DRM would probably increase online-music sales by reducing confusion and incompatibility. With the leading online store, Apple would benefit most. Mr Jobs's argument, in short, is transparently self-serving. It also happens to be right.
Questions 1-7 Do the following statemets reflect the claims of the writer in Reading Passage 1?
Write your answer in Boxes 1-7 on your answer sheet.
TRUE if the statement reflets the claims of the writer
FALSE if the statement contradicts the claims of the writer
NOT GIVEN if it is impossbile to say what the writer thinks about this
1. Apple enjoys a controlling position in digital music market with its iPod music-player and iTunes music-store.
2. DRM is a government decree issued with a purpose to protect downloaded music from theft by consumers.
3. Lack of standardization in DRM makes songs bought for one kind of music player may not function on another.
4. Apple has been criticized by European regulators since it has refused to grant a license FairPlay to other firms.
5. All music can be easily played on non-iPod music devices from Sony or Microsoft without too much fiddling.
6. Apple depends far more on DRM rather than branding for its dominance of the digital music devices.
7. If DRM was cancelled, Sony would certainly dominate the international digital music market.
Questions 8-10 Choose the appropriate letters A-D and write them in boxes 8-10 on your answe sheet.
8. Which of the following statements about Mr. Jobs'idea of DRM is NOT TRUE?
A. DRM places restrictions on consumer'choice of digital music products available.
B. DRM comples iTunes buyers to switch to a device made by Sony or Microsoft.
C. DRM constitutes a barrier for potential consumers to enter digital music markets.
D. DRM hinders development of more stores and players and technical innovation.
9. The word "unfazed" in line 3 of paragraph E, means___________.
A. refused
B. welcomed
C. not bothered
D. not well received
10. Which of the following statements is TRUE if DRM was scapped?
A. Sony would gain the most profit.
B. More customers would be “locked in”.
C. A sudden increase in piracy would occur.
D. Online-music sales would probably decrease.
Questions 11-14 Complete the notes below.
Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from Reading Passage 1 for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 11-14 on your answer sheet.
Mr. Steve Jobs, the boss of Apple, explains the reason why he used to defend DRM, saying that the company was forced to do so: the record companies would make their music accessible to …11...only if they agreed to protect it using DRM; they can still…12…if the DRM system is compromised. He also provides the reason why Apple did not license FairPlay to others: the company relies on them to …13….But now he changes his mind with a possible expectation that Europe's regulators would not trouble him any more in the future. He proposes that those who are unsatisfactory with the current situation in digital music market should …14… towards persuade the music companies to sell their music DRM-free.
Notes to Reading Passage 1
1. low-key：抑制的，受约束的，屈服的
2. showman：开展览会的人，出风头的人物
3. unassuming：谦逊的，不夸耀的，不装腔作势的
4. iPod：(苹果公司出产的)音乐播放器
5. iTunes store：(苹果公司出产的)在线音乐商店
6. get off person's back: 不再找某人的麻烦，摆脱某人的纠缠
7. gravitate: 受吸引，倾向于
8. unfazed: 不再担忧，不被打扰
Keys and explanations to the Questions 1-13
1. TRUE
See the second sentence in Paragraph A "… the future of digital music, which Apple dominates with its iPod music-player and iTunes music-store."
2. FALSE
See the third sentence in Paragraph A "…At issue is 'digital rights management' (DRM)—the technology guarding downloaded music against theft."
3. TRUE
See the fourth sentence in Paragraph A "Since there is no common standard for DRM, it also has the side-effect that songs purchased for one type of music-player may not work on another."
4. TRUE
See the second sentence in Paragraph B "It has come under fire from European regulators who claim that its refusal to license FairPlay to other firms has 'locked in' customers."
5. NOT GIVEN
The third sentence in Paragaph B only mentions music from the iTunes store, nothing about that of Sony or Microsoft. "Since music from the iTunes store cannot be played on non-iPod music-players (at least not without a lot of fiddling)."
6. FALSE
See the last sentence in Paragraph E "So Apple's dominance evidently depends far more on branding and ease of use than DRM-related 'lock in'".
7. NOT GIVEN
See the fourth sentence in Paragraph F only mentions music generally, no particular information about business prospect of Sony "Indeed, scrapping DRM would probably increase online-music sales by reducing confusion and incompatibility."
8. B
See the fourth sentence of Paragraph C "All DRM does is restrict consumer choice and provide a barrier to entry, says Mr Jobs; without it there would be far more stores and players, and far more innovation."
9. C
See the third sentence of Paragraph E and the context "Mr Jobs is evidently unfazed by rivals to the iPod. Since only 3% of the music in a typical iTunes library is protected, most of it can already be used on other players today."
10. A
See the last four sentences of Paragraph F "Wouldn't it lead to a surge in piracy? No, because most music is still sold unprotected on CDs, people wishing to steal music already can do so. Indeed, scrapping DRM would probably increase online-music sales by reducing confusion and incompatibility. With the leading online store, Apple would benefit most."
11. the iTunes store
See the second sentence of Paragraph C "They would make their music available to the iTunes store only if Apple agreed to protect it using DRM."
12. withdraw their catalogues
See the third sentence of Paragraph C "They can still withdraw their catalogues if the DRM system is compromised."
13. produce security fixes
See the fourth sentence of Paragraph C "Apple cannot license FairPlay to others, says Mr Jobs, because it would depend on them to produce security fixes promptly."
14. redirect their energies
See the second sentence of Paragraph D "Rather than complaining to Apple about its use of DRM, he suggests, those unhappy with the current situation should redirect their energies towards persuading the music companies to sell their music DRM-free."
附：雅思阅读技巧之填空题
填空题(summary)又叫摘要题。该类题目是一小段文字，是原文或原文中的几个段落主要内容的缩写或改写，我们称之为摘要。摘要中有几个空白部分要求考生填空。
按照范围，摘要可分为两种：全文摘要和部分段落摘要。全文摘要，摘要信息来自全文，题目空格的数目较多。部分段落摘要，摘要信息来自原文某几个连续的段落，题目空格的数目较少。最近考试中出现的大部分是部分段落摘要，信息来自原文连续的两到三段，题目空格的数量在5题左右。
对于部分段落摘要，有的在题目要求中会指出它来自原文的哪些段落，如Complete the summary below of the first two paragraphs of the Reading Passage.但大部分的部分段落摘要只是在题目要求中说它是原文的一个摘要或部分段落摘要，并不指出它来自原文的哪些段落。
我们在做这类题的时候首先应该做的都应该是分析需要雅思阅读填空题词性。这样可以简化我们的做题过程并且在做题遇到困难时缩小选择范围。
剑四T1P1:In 1764 Dr Johnson accepted the contract to produce a dictionary. Having rented a garret, he took on a number of 4.________ who stood at a long central desk. Johnson did not have a 5.________ available to him, but eventually produced definitions of in excess of 40,000 words written down in 80 large notebooks. On publication, the Dictionary was immediately hailed in many European countries as a landmark. According to his biographer, James Boswell, Johnson's principal achievement was to bring 6.________to the English language. As a reward for his hard work, he was granted a 7.________ by the king.
我们在不看文章的前提下先分析一下这几个空格所需单词的词性.首先句子In 1764 Dr Johnson accepted the contract to produce a dictionary. Having rented a garret, he took on a number of 4.________ who stood at a long central desk中,空格前面是a number of表明空中应该填的是名词，且为名词复数，空后面的who决定了4种所填一定是表示人的名词，因此总结起来4所填的为表人的可数名词复数形式。 Johnson did not have a 5.________ available to him 句中的空格5前面有不定冠词”a”表示所填的词一定是一个可数名词且为单数形式。再往空前追溯我们会发现所要找的这个可数名词单数有非常重要的表否定的 “did not have”，这就决定了我们找的并不是主语所拥有的东西，所以在文中寻找时应更加注意否定词和可数名词单数。并且这种情况下我们在原文中一定能够找到 “a”，如果我们在定位到答案所在句子中发现这句话中只有一个a，那么表明a后面的那个词一定为我们的答案。如果我们定位到的是一个范围，在句子范围内有不止一个“a“，那么我们就需要根据句意对符合句子形式的答案进行逐一的排除。According to his biographer, James Boswell, Johnson's principal achievement was to bring 6.________to the English language.空前为动词bring，因此空中所填的应该是bring这个动作的实施对象，即句子的宾语，也就是带来的东西，因此应该填名词。As a reward for his hard work, he was granted a 7.________ by the king.7和5道理相同，要注意空前的a，因此判定这个空所要填的一定也是一个单数的可数名词。
通过这个题目我们可以看出在做填空题的时候，有些题目其实是有捷径可以走的。比如当看到一个题目中有空前是“a”的题目可以在定位后优先做，其次是那些空前带有介词的空，因为介词的数量毕竟是少数，且很多固定搭配的情况下并不会进行替换，即使替换，其可替换的范围也远远小于动词和形容词，因为如果空前有介词的话，我们也可以先找相同的介词，如果没有再通过动词介词的搭配进行答案的进一步寻找。
在找到相对简单的题目的答案后，再根据填空题的顺序原则对原文进行向上或者向下的寻找。因为填空题虽然为顺序的，但我们并不一定要死板的从第一个空开始做，而是应该根据文中的定位词，以及题目的具体情况对文章和题目进行具体问题具体分析，用灵活的方法解题。
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