In today's world of cell phones, mini laptops and MP3 players, most people have at least one time-telling tool with them. Since these devices are so common, is time running out for the 500-year-old watch? According to some consumers, yes. New Jersey teenager Charlie Wollman says a watch is "an extra piece of equipment with no necessary function." Many young adults agree ─ and use their cell phones to tell time. Louis Galie, a senior vice president at Timex, said that fewer young people wear watches today than five years ago. As a result, some people claim that the watch industry is at a crossroads.
However, watchmakers optimistically say that watches regain popularity when consumers reach their 20s and 30s. By then, they are willing to spend money on a quality timepiece that doesn't just keep good time. Fifty years ago, watchmakers boasted(自夸) about their products' accuracy. But in recent years, the watch industry has transformed itself into an accessory(附件，配件) business. And for many today, the image(外形) a watch communicates has become more important than the time it tells.
"Complications" ─ features that go beyond simple timekeeping ─ are an important part of a watch's image. Today's watches offer a host of features that suit almost any personality. These features include altitude trackers(追踪器), compasses(指南针), lunar calendars, USB drives, and even devices that measure the effectiveness of golf swings!
Creativity is also a key element in today's watches. For example, Japanese watchmaker Tokyoflash makes watches that don't even look like watches. The company's popular Shinshoku model uses different color lights to tell the time. It looks more like a futuristic bracelet(手镯) than a watch. Another Japanese watchmaker, EleeNo, makes a "handless" watch. Using a ring of circles to keep time, this watch makes an excellent conversation piece.
Whether a watch communicates fashion sense, creative flair or a love of sports, consumers want their timepieces to stand out. Nowadays, everyone has the same kind of gadget in their bags, so people want to make a statement with what's on their wrists(手腕). Will this interest in wrist fashion last? Only time will tell!
小题1:Why aren’t watches popular with young people as before?
A．Because watches cannot keep good time as cell phones, mini laptops and MP3 players.
B．Because watches are featured by the disadvantages of simple function
C．Because watches are too expensive to afford.
D．Because watches don’t have beautiful appearance as other modern time telling tools.小题2: What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 1 mean?
A．Watching-making is facing a survival crisis challenge.
B．Watching-making is faced with the developing opportunity.
C．Watching-making becomes the sun rising industry.
D．Watching-making has a specific development target.小题3: It can be implied that ____________________.
A．people will gradually lose interest in watches as they grow older
B．watchmakers hardly change the development strategy for watches
C．today’s watches are better than those in the past in quality
D．customers used t
o be more concerned with the quality of a watch than with its image.小题4:The following qualities can make a watch popular EXCEPT _________.
A．multifunction
B．accuracy
C．nice design
D．low price小题5:What’s the best title of the passage?
A．Watches and Teenagers
B．The History of Watches
C．The Accuracy of Watches
D．Watches Tell More Than Time
