Achilles’heel

It would be all too easy to say that Facebook’s market meltdown is coming to an end.After all,Mark Zuckerberg’s social
network burned as much as$50 billion of shareholders’wealth in just a couple months.To put that in context,since its debut(初次登台)on NASDAQ in May,Facebook has lost value nearly equal to Yahoo,AOL,Zynga,Yelp,Pandora,Open Table,
Group on,LinkedIn,and Angie's List combined,plus that of the bulk of the publicly traded newspaper industry:
As shocking as this utter failure may be to the nearly 1 billion faithful Facebook users around the world,it’s no surprise to
anyone who read the initial public offering(IPO)prospectus(首次公开募股说明书).Worse still,all the crises that emerged
when the company debuted-overpriced shares,poor corporate governance,huge challenges to the core business,and a
damaged brand-remain today.Facebook looks like a prime example of what Wall Street calls a falling knife-that is,one that
can cost investors their fingers if they try to catch it.
Start with the valuation.To justify a stock price close to the lower end of the projected range in the IPO,say$28 a share,Facebook’s future growth would have needed to match that of Google seven years earlier.That would have required
increasing revenue by some 80 percent annually and maintaining high profit margins all the while.
That’s not happening.In the first half of 2012,Facebook reported revenue of$2.24 billion,up 38 percent from the same
period in 2011.At the same time,the company’s costs surged to$2.6 billion in the six-month period.
This so-so performance reflects the Achilles’heel of Facebook’s business model,which the company clearly stated in a
list of risk factors associated with its IPO:it hasn’t yet figured out how to advertise effectively on mobile devices,The number
of Facebook users accessing the site on their phones surged by 67 percent to 543 million in the last quarter,or more than
half its customer base.
Numbers are only part of the problem.The mounting pile of failure creates a negative feedback loop that threatens Facebook’s future in other ways.Indeed,the more Facebook’s disappointment in the market is catalogued,the worse Facebook’s
image becomes.Not only does that threaten to rub off on users,it’s bad for recruitment and retention of talented hackers,who are the lifeblood of Zuckerberg’s creation.
Yet the brilliant CEO can ignore the sadness and complaints of his shareholders thanks to the super-voting stock he
holds.This arrangement also was fully disclosed at the time of the offering.It’s a pity so few investors apparently bothered to
do their homework.


What can be inferred about Facebook from the first paragraph 《》（）

A.Its market meltdown has been easily halted.
B.It has increased trade with the newspaper industry.
C.It has encountered utter failure since its stock debut.
D.Its shareholders have invested$50 billion in a social network.

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Who is this advertisement likely targeting?

A. Busy business men

B. Stay-at-home parents

C. Working professional women

D. Chief Executive Officers

It would be all too easy to say that Facebook’s market meltdown is coming to an end.After all,Mark Zuckerberg’s social
network burned as much as$50 billion of shareholders’wealth in just a couple months.To put that in context,since its debut(初次登台)on NASDAQ in May,Facebook has lost value nearly equal to Yahoo,AOL,Zynga,Yelp,Pandora,Open Table,
Group on,LinkedIn,and Angie's List combined,plus that of the bulk of the publicly traded newspaper industry:
As shocking as this utter failure may be to the nearly 1 billion faithful Facebook users around the world,it’s no surprise to
anyone who read the initial public offering(IPO)prospectus(首次公开募股说明书).Worse still,all the crises that emerged
when the company debuted-overpriced shares,poor corporate governance,huge challenges to the core business,and a
damaged brand-remain today.Facebook looks like a prime example of what Wall Street calls a falling knife-that is,one that
can cost investors their fingers if they try to catch it.
Start with the valuation.To justify a stock price close to the lower end of the projected range in the IPO,say$28 a share,Facebook’s future growth would have needed to match that of Google seven years earlier.That would have required
increasing revenue by some 80 percent annually and maintaining high profit margins all the while.
That’s not happening.In the first half of 2012,Facebook reported revenue of$2.24 billion,up 38 percent from the same
period in 2011.At the same time,the company’s costs surged to$2.6 billion in the six-month period.
This so-so performance reflects the Achilles’heel of Facebook’s business model,which the company clearly stated in a
list of risk factors associated with its IPO:it hasn’t yet figured out how to advertise effectively on mobile devices,The number
of Facebook users accessing the site on their phones surged by 67 percent to 543 million in the last quarter,or more than
half its customer base.
Numbers are only part of the problem.The mounting pile of failure creates a negative feedback loop that threatens Facebook’s future in other ways.Indeed,the more Facebook’s disappointment in the market is catalogued,the worse Facebook’s
image becomes.Not only does that threaten to rub off on users,it’s bad for recruitment and retention of talented hackers,who are the lifeblood of Zuckerberg’s creation.
Yet the brilliant CEO can ignore the sadness and complaints of his shareholders thanks to the super-voting stock he
holds.This arrangement also was fully disclosed at the time of the offering.It’s a pity so few investors apparently bothered to
do their homework.

It can be inferred from the context that the“Achilles’heel”(Line 1,Para.5)refers to____《》（）

A.deadly weakness
B.problem unsolveD
C.indisputable fact
D.potential risk

It would be all too easy to say that Facebook’s market meltdown is coming to an end.After all,Mark Zuckerberg’s social
network burned as much as$50 billion of shareholders’wealth in just a couple months.To put that in context,since its debut(初次登台)on NASDAQ in May,Facebook has lost value nearly equal to Yahoo,AOL,Zynga,Yelp,Pandora,Open Table,
Group on,LinkedIn,and Angie's List combined,plus that of the bulk of the publicly traded newspaper industry:
As shocking as this utter failure may be to the nearly 1 billion faithful Facebook users around the world,it’s no surprise to
anyone who read the initial public offering(IPO)prospectus(首次公开募股说明书).Worse still,all the crises that emerged
when the company debuted-overpriced shares,poor corporate governance,huge challenges to the core business,and a
damaged brand-remain today.Facebook looks like a prime example of what Wall Street calls a falling knife-that is,one that
can cost investors their fingers if they try to catch it.
Start with the valuation.To justify a stock price close to the lower end of the projected range in the IPO,say$28 a share,Facebook’s future growth would have needed to match that of Google seven years earlier.That would have required
increasing revenue by some 80 percent annually and maintaining high profit margins all the while.
That’s not happening.In the first half of 2012,Facebook reported revenue of$2.24 billion,up 38 percent from the same
period in 2011.At the same time,the company’s costs surged to$2.6 billion in the six-month period.
This so-so performance reflects the Achilles’heel of Facebook’s business model,which the company clearly stated in a
list of risk factors associated with its IPO:it hasn’t yet figured out how to advertise effectively on mobile devices,The number
of Facebook users accessing the site on their phones surged by 67 percent to 543 million in the last quarter,or more than
half its customer base.
Numbers are only part of the problem.The mounting pile of failure creates a negative feedback loop that threatens Facebook’s future in other ways.Indeed,the more Facebook’s disappointment in the market is catalogued,the worse Facebook’s
image becomes.Not only does that threaten to rub off on users,it’s bad for recruitment and retention of talented hackers,who are the lifeblood of Zuckerberg’s creation.
Yet the brilliant CEO can ignore the sadness and complaints of his shareholders thanks to the super-voting stock he
holds.This arrangement also was fully disclosed at the time of the offering.It’s a pity so few investors apparently bothered to
do their homework.

What is the most probable reason for some rich people to use a device to record their patterns 《》（）

A.They have trouble falling asleep.
B.They want to get sufficient sleep.
C.They are involved in a sleep research.
D.They want to go to bed on regular hours.

共用题干
Good Way to Exercise:Jogging

Jogging has become the most popular individual sport in America. Many theories,even some mystical ones,have been advanced to explain the popularity of jogging. The plain truth is that jogging is a cheap,quick and efficient way to maintain(or achieve)physical fitness.
The most useful sort of exercise is exercise that develops the heart,lungs,and circulatory systems.If these systems are fit,the body is ready for almost any sport and for almost any sudden demand made by work or emergencies.One can train more specifically,as by developing strength for weight lifting or the ability to run straight ahead for short distances with great power in football,but running trains your heart and lungs to deliver oxygen more efficiently to all parts of your body.It is worth noting that this sort of exercise is the only kind that can reduce heart disease,the number one cause of death in America.
Only one sort of equipment is needed一a good pair of shoes.Physicians advise beginning joggers not to run in a pair of tennis or gym shoes.Many designs have been made in only the last several years that make a pair of excellent running shoes in dispensable if a runner wishes to develop as quickly as possible,with as little chance of injury as possible.A pair of good running shoes will have a soft pad for absorbing shock,as well as a slightly built-up heel that will give the knee and ankle more stability.A wise investment in good shoes will prevent the foot,ankle and knee injuries and will also enable the wearer to run on paved or soft surfaces.
No other special equipment is needed and you can jog in any clothing you desire.Many joggers wear expensive,flashy and warm suits,but just as many wear a simple pair of gym shoes and T-shirt.In fact,many people just jog in last year's clothes.In cold weather,several layers of clothing are better than one heavy sweater or coat. If joggers are wearing several layers of clothing,they can add or subtract layers as conditions change.
It takes surprisingly little time to develop the ability to run.The American Jogging Association has a twelve-week program designed to move from a fifteen-minute walk(which almost anyone can manage who is in reasonable health)to a thirty-minute run.A measure of common sense,a physical examination.and a planned schedule are all it takes.

Jogging is very popular in China among old men.
A:Right
B:Wrong
C:Not mentioned