2020考研英語閱讀理解精讀100篇：Unit 42

Unit 42

Music fans have often viewed Microsoft as something like a bad cover band, one that pumped out uninviting facsimiles of Apple’s iPod and iTunes with its Zune music players and service. Now that the Zune brand is dead, Microsoft is once again in search of a hit in digital music. But this time, to improve its odds of success, it is marshaling some of its most powerful brands as never before: Windows and the Xbox.

On Monday, the company plans to announce a service called Xbox Music that will offer access to a global catalog of about 30 million songs. The service will let consumers listen free to any song on computers and tablets running the latest version of its Windows software, as well as on the Xbox console. Microsoft will not initially limit how much music can be streamed, though that could change over time. The service is part of a broad set of bets Microsoft is making this fall to help regain ground it has lost to competitors, especially Apple and Google. In addition to Windows 8, a major new version of its flagship operating system that will start shipping on Oct. 26, the company is close to releasing a new version of its Windows Phone operating system for mobile phones and its first Microsoft-designed computer, a tablet device called Surface.

In an aggressive push to persuade lots of people to use the service, Microsoft will package the software for Xbox Music with Windows 8. The arrangement could awaken antitrust concerns about Microsoft’s use of Windows to gain toeholds in new markets. Microsoft’s do-over in the market is a sign of how a strong music service has come to be seen as a prerequisite for any serious player in the gadget business. Apple first showed the way with that strategy by making it simple to buy songs from the iTunes Store, helping it sell more iPods. Google and Amazon have also gotten in on the act, adding music stores to their Android and Kindle devices. In addition to competing with those big companies, Xbox Music is entering a landscape thick with independent music services that offer their own variations on the listening experience. Spotify, for example, provides on-demand listening to a large library of music, while Pandora programs radio stations tailored to its listeners’ individual tastes.

Scott Porter, principal program manager for Xbox Music, said many music fans today relied on a variety of services like those, along with more traditional sellers of songs like iTunes, to satisfy all their musical needs. This approach, though, can be tedious. “The dilemma is that music has become work,” he said. “Our vision for Xbox Music is that it shouldn’t have to be work.” Xbox Music incorporates elements of all of those services. There is an option to buy songs, so a music fan can own them permanently with minimal restrictions. There are Pandora-like radio stations built around songs and similar-sounding music.

注（1）：本文選自The New York Times；

注（2）：本文習題模仿對象：習題第1、2、3、4題模仿2010年真題Text 2的第4、2、3、5題，第5題模仿2011年真題Text 1的第5題。

1. From the first paragraph, we can learn that ______.

A) music fans do not like Microsoft any longer

B) Zune was substituted by other services

C) Windows and the Xbox are Microsoft’s only powerful brands

D) Microsoft plans to regain success in digital music with its powerful brands

2. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the text?

A) The service provides consumers with songs on computers, tablets and Xbox console with no charge.

B) Microsoft won’t restrict the amount of the music download as time goes by.

C) Microsoft is sure that the service can beat Apple and Google.

D) Windows 8 and its Windows Phone and its first Microsoft-designed computer will release simultaneously.

3. The word “toehold”（Line 3, Paragraph 3）most probably means ______.

A) insistence

B) support

C) success

D) patience

4. Which of the following would be the topic of the text?

A) Microsoft introduces its powerful service: Windows and Xbox.

B) Microsoft turns to Windows and Xbox instead of its traditional style.

C) Microsoft’s Zune service was obsolete.

D) With the help of Windows and Xbox, Microsoft attempts to win victory in the field of music.

5. From the text we can see that the writer seems ______.

A) positive

B) negative

C) doubtful

D) objective

篇章剖析

本文是一篇說明文，主要講述了微軟想利用Windows和Xbox在數(shù)字音樂領(lǐng)域重振雄風。第一段主要講微軟原有品牌Zune已不復存在，為了在數(shù)字音樂領(lǐng)域增加勝算，微軟集結(jié)了Windows和Xbox；第二段詳細介紹Xbox Music的特點和上市時間；第三段接著指出，微軟試圖在數(shù)字音樂領(lǐng)域立足表明擁有強大的音樂服務對小型應用程序領(lǐng)域的商家十分重要；第四段通過與傳統(tǒng)聽歌模式的對比，突出了Xbox Music的高端性，強調(diào)它做得更加面面俱到。

詞匯注釋

facsimile /f?k?s?m?li/ n. 復制品；傳真機

marshal /?mɑ??l/ v. 整頓；集合

console /k?n?s??l/ n. 控制臺，操縱臺

flagship /?fl?g??p/ n. 王牌產(chǎn)品；旗艦；佼佼者

antitrust /??nti?tr?st/ adj. 反壟斷的

toehold /?t??h??ld/ n. 立足點

prerequisite /?pri??rekw?z?t/ n. 先決條件，前提

gadget /?g?d??t / n. 小型應用程序；小配件

incorporate /?n?k??p?re?t/ v. 包含；合并

難句突破

In addition to Windows 8, a major new version of its flagship operating system that will start shipping on Oct. 26, the company is close to releasing a new version of its Windows Phone operating system for mobile phones and its first Microsoft-designed computer, a tablet device called Surface.

主體句式：The company is close to releasing a new version of...and its first...computer...

結(jié)構(gòu)分析：這個長句看上去結(jié)構(gòu)復雜，主要是因為其中有很多的修飾成分（前置定語和后置定語）。a major new version of...作Windows 8的同位語，起補充說明的作用，其中包含一個that引導的定語從句，進一步補充說明Windows 8的發(fā)售時間，而后面由and連接的兩個并列短語作releasing的賓語，介紹Windows移動電話操作系統(tǒng)和平板電腦也即將發(fā)售。

句子譯文：除了即將在10月26號發(fā)售的新一代王牌操作系統(tǒng)Windows 8，一款專門為手機用戶研發(fā)的Windows移動電話操作系統(tǒng)和微軟首次自主設(shè)計的平板電腦Surface，也即將推出。

題目分析

1. D 推理題。文章中提到：Now that the Zune brand is dead, Microsoft is once again in search of a hit in digital music. But this time, to improve its odds of success, it is marshaling some of its most powerful brands as never before: Windows and the Xbox. 由此可見，微軟是想重振雄風。A、B和C選項表述都不準確，只有D選項是基于第一段內(nèi)容可以推出的結(jié)論，故為答案。

2. A 細節(jié)題。原文對應信息是The service will let consumers listen free to any song on computers and tablets running the latest version of its Windows software, as well as on the Xbox console. 由此可知，這項服務能讓用戶免費聽任何歌曲，故A選項正確。B、C、D選項與原文意思不符。

3. C 語義題。toehold本身拆開來是toe和hold，字面意思是“用腳趾頭站立”，意譯是“站得住腳”。由The arrangement could awaken antitrust concerns about Microsoft’s use of Windows to gain toeholds in new markets. 可知，微軟利用Windows操作系統(tǒng)試圖在新市場中贏得toeholds。根據(jù)常識可知，贏得的一般都是積極的、好的東西，而且全文一直說的都是微軟想贏得新的勝利。因此，toehold在這里有“成功”的意思。

4. D 推斷題。縱觀全文，本文主要是介紹微軟為了在數(shù)字音樂領(lǐng)域重振雄風，決定用自身強有力的品牌Windows和Xbox來增加其勝算的籌碼。A、B和C選項皆是文章中的部分內(nèi)容，不能以偏概全作為文章的主題。

5. D 情感態(tài)度題。本文作者自始至終都從非?？陀^的角度介紹微軟的計劃——希望在數(shù)字音樂領(lǐng)域重振雄風。作者沒有加入任何個人觀點，即使是對該計劃取得的一些成果的表述也不是作者自己的看法，而是引用的事實或他人的評價。

參考譯文

音樂迷們通常會把微軟看做是一個糟透了的翻唱樂隊，其音樂播放器和音樂服務Zune一直都在模仿蘋果系統(tǒng)里的iPod和iTunes軟件。如今，Zune品牌已不復存在，但是微軟還想在數(shù)字音樂領(lǐng)域大出風頭。但是這次，為了增加勝算，它前所未有地集結(jié)了幾個自身最具影響力的品牌：Windows和Xbox。

周一，微軟公司計劃公布一種新的音樂服務，名為Xbox Music，它能為用戶提供全球約3000萬首歌曲。只要用戶的電腦或平板電腦上安裝了Windows軟件的最新版本，在電腦或者在Xbox的操控面板上該服務允許用戶免費收聽任何歌曲。微軟在最初將不限制音樂流量，但將來說不定。今年秋季，微軟重拳出擊，志在收復輸給競爭對手尤其是蘋果和谷歌的失地，這項服務的推出是微軟一系列反擊舉措的一部分。除了即將在10月26號發(fā)售的新一代王牌操作系統(tǒng)Windows 8，一款專門為手機用戶研發(fā)的Windows移動電話操作系統(tǒng)和微軟首次自主設(shè)計的平板電腦Surface，也即將推出。

為了積極吸引更多的用戶來使用這項服務，微軟將把Xbox Music軟件預裝到Windows 8系統(tǒng)里。針對微軟利用Windows操作系統(tǒng)試圖在新市場立足這一事態(tài)，可能會引起新一輪的反壟斷擔憂。微軟在這一市場的卷土重來說明，對于小型應用程序商業(yè)領(lǐng)域的任何一位嚴肅的商家來說，擁有一項強大的音樂服務是何等的重要。蘋果公司最先演示了如何實現(xiàn)這一策略，它利用從iTunes Store里購買歌曲的便利性賣掉了更多的iPod。谷歌和亞馬遜也有同樣的舉措，分別在它們的安卓和Kindle設(shè)備里安裝了音樂商店軟件。除了與這些大公司相抗衡，Xbox Music踏入了充斥著各種獨立音樂服務的戰(zhàn)場，這些服務帶給用戶不同的聽覺體驗。比如，Spotify為用戶提供海量音樂點播，而潘多拉音樂電臺則專門為滿足用戶的個人品位而設(shè)。

Xbox Music的項目經(jīng)理斯科特·波特說，如今的音樂迷都依賴諸如Spotify和潘多拉音樂電臺，以及像iTunes這種較傳統(tǒng)的出售音樂的平臺來滿足他們所有聽歌的需求。這些方式遲早會令人乏味。斯科特說：“這些方式的窘境在于只著重于音樂本身，而我們對Xbox Music的理解則是它是一個音樂播放平臺?！盭box音樂包含了以上所有的服務項目。你可以在Xbox里購買歌曲，這樣你就能最大自由地永久收藏它們。Xbox Music也有類似于潘多拉的基于歌曲和類似音樂的廣播電臺。