2．The iPhone，the iPad：each of Apple's products sounds cool and has become a fad（一時的風尚）：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--used 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（簡裝本） of London's Independent newspaper was started last week under the name"i"．
In general，single-letter prefixes（前綴） have been popular since the 1990s，when terms such as e-mail and e-commerce（電子商務） first came into use．
Most"I"products are targeted at（針對） young people and considering the major readers of 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 the 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（定義），"he says．
"However，thanks to Apple，the term is now connected with portability （輕便）．"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 20words that have come to define the last decade（十年）．
But as history shows，people grow tired of fads．From the 1900s to 1990s，products with"2000"in their names became fashionable as the year was connected with all things advanced and modern．However，as we entered the new century，the fashion disappeared．
24．The underlined word"ambiguous"means"C"．
A．popular
B．clear
C．uncertain
D．unique
25．Nowadays，the"i"term often reminds people of the products which areA．
A．portable
B．environmentally friendly
C．advanced
D．recyclable
26．The writer suggests thatD．
A．"i"products are often of high quality
B．iTeddy is alive bear
C．the letter"b"replaces letter"i"to name the products
D．the popularity of"i"products may not last long．
分析 本文為說明文．蘋果公司推出的帶有i前綴的產品銷售得異常火爆，你知道為什么嗎？本文就介紹了這方面的取名知識．
解答 小題24．C：詞義推測題．根據后面When Apple uses"i"，no one knows whether it means Internet，information，individual or interactive，人們不知道i是什么意思，互聯網，還是信息，還是個體，或者互動，可以判斷ambiguous是"不明確的，模棱兩可的"意思．故選C．
小題25．A：細節理解題．根據第五段的However，thanks to Apple，the term is now associated with portability，可知帶有i前綴的產品通常與輕便聯系在一起．故選A項．
小題26．D：推理判斷題．根據最后一段第一句But as history shows，people grow tired of ads，人們已經厭倦了這樣以及后面的例子可推知作者認為帶有i前綴的產品的盛行也維持不了太長的時間．故選D．
點評 本文主要難點在推理判斷題．需要考生找出相關語句，還要通過上下文推斷出題中所問，考察閱讀理解以及推理能力．
