Apple products are designed to say something about their owners. They also tell you something about the countries in which they

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问题     Apple products are designed to say something about their owners. They also tell you something about the countries in which they are sold. Latin America’s allure as a consumer market was underlined on February 15th, when the technology firm opened its first retail store on the continent, in Rio de Janeiro. Apple wants a bigger slice of the region’s smartphone market, which has been growing faster than any region outside Asia. But the glass screen of the iPhone 5s, Apple’s flagship smar-tphone, also reflects Latin America’s economic diversity.
    Start with Brazil, the region’s biggest consumer market. Despite slow economic growth, Apple chose to plant its flag there for a reason. The country is among the top five markets for smartphones in the world. Last year was the first when more smartphones were sold in Brazil than traditional mobile phones, according to Abinee, an electronics-industry association: it was also the year when tablet sales overtook those of desktop computers. As many as 1,700 people queued up to be among the first on Apple’s Rio premises.
    iPhones are beyond the reach of most people in all the countries of Latin America, but the sticker shock is particularly striking in Brazil. A 16GB iPhone 5s costs 2,519 reais($1,076), compared with an average monthly income of just under 2,000 reais in the main metropolitan regions. That makes Brazil the dearest, in dollar terms, of the countries where Apple has stores: the tax-inclusive price of a 16 GB iPhone 5 s in the United States is around $700.
    The fault lies with the infamous custo Brasil, the high cost of doing business in the country. The high price of the iPhone 5s is largely due to tariffs and state and federal taxes on imports, says Luis Fernandez of Deloitte. He calculates that a gizmo which a foreign supplier sells for 1,000 reais could end up being resold at 2,017 reais, with taxes amounting to 900 reais, or 45% , of that sum. Brazil’s government has introduced tax incentives for companies ready to assemble gadgets in the country. But even then, the custo Brasil hits home: iPads and older iPhones assembled locally still cost more than they do in the United States, thanks to high labour costs and expensive commercial rents.
The author’s attitude towards custo Brasil is______.

选项 A、prejudiced
B、contemptuous
C、affirmative
D、negative

答案D

解析 根据custo Brasil定位到最后一段。该段两次提到这个词,包括第一句:The fault lieswith the infamous custo Brasil,the high cost of doing business in the country.以及最后一句:But even then,the custo Brasil hits home…从infamous“声名狼藉的”和hits“打击”两个词可以看出作者对于这个词的描述色彩是否定的,故[C]项affirmative“肯定的”可以排除。而[A]项prejudiced“歧视的”和[B]项contemptuous“蔑视的”除了否定,还有更强烈的个人感情色彩,而一般作者写文章只是客观表达出这个词本身的好坏而已;且[A][B]两项意思也过于接近,可以同时排除;综上,本题答案为[D]。
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