Online grocery shopping was counted as the next great innovation to make our lives easier. In China more than 3,000 websites offer the service, but none have turned a profit.
Xiang Nian has had a hard day at the office but at least she can skip the trip to the grocery store. A text message on her phone lets her know the order she placed earlier in the day has been delivered to a locker outside her apartment.
"It’s really convenient for an office worker like me. My fresh products are waiting for me when I get home and can start cooking. No need to go to the supermarket any more," Xiang says.
One of the largest online supermarkets in Wuhan is Just-easy Fresh Produce. Over the past 3 years, the company has developed its online retail grocery business by guaranteeing fresh produce and an innovative delivery system. They've installed thousands of lockers in communitieshttp:// / around downtown Wuhan.
"We get an average of 8,000 orders per day. That's the most in China, I'm proud of it. We have placed over 20 thousand lockers in more than half of the communities in Wuhan and we plan to expand to all of them. Many e-commerce giants, like Taobao, are talking about cooperation with us," Jie Xiaofeng, manager of Wuhan Just-easy Agricultural Science & Technology Co., says.
While Just-easy may have thousands of customers, a staff of almost 300 and 40 delivery trucks, it's still operating in the red.
"There are over 3,000 companies selling fresh products online in China. But none is making a profit. It will take them at least 3 years before they make a profit. The major challenge is the cost of delivery. But they do have many advantages. The price of their goods is lower than the supermarkets," professor He Dehua at Huazhong Agricultural University, says.
A number of China's e-commerce giants are making moves into online grocery sales, with Taobao opening an online platform it calls "Cainiao". And traditional retailers(零售店) including Wal-Mart and Carrefour are also looking to start selling their produce online.
Many big B2C e-commerce players usually take fresh farm produce as the last category to add to their offerings. But now more and more large businesses have set their eyes on the industry. They want to prove the fresh food market is definitely suited to online sales.
1.What is the main idea of the passage?
A. The online grocery shopping is making our life easier.
B. Just-easy Fresh Produce is a pioneer of the online retail grocery business.
C. Conventional retailers are facing challenges.
D. None of the online grocery supermarkets has made a profit.
2.The underlined part “it's still operating in the red” probably means _______.
A. the present situation of the company makes them angry
B. the company is not making a profit
C. the company is very popular with customers
D. the staff of the company are aggressive
3.What can we learn from the last two paragraphs?
A. The fresh food market is definitely suited to online sales.
B. Fresh farm produce is the last category that people will buy online.
C. Online grocery sales have drawn the attention of e-commerce giants.
D. Traditional retailers choose to sell their produce on Cainiao.
4.What’s the author’s attitude towards online grocery shopping?
A. Pessimistic. B. Indifferent. C. Objective. D. Supportive.
“How to Train Your Dragon” by British author Cressida Cowell is one of the best pieces of children’s literature. A child can make a whole alternative universe with a vivid imagination and Toothless, the hero’s hunting dragon, thus turning a rainy day into an adventure of a lifetime. However, if you have never read the book but instead choose to see the film version, you might think you were seeing a new-age war movie meant for adults rather than children.
Let’s look at “Where the Wild Things Are” for further discussion. The story centers around a lonely eight-year-old boy named Max, who sails away to an island. Creatures living there declare Max their king.
What an amazing piece of children’s literature! A treasure for every child’s library. Yet, children were crying in the movie theatre. Owls were falling from the sky, chicken’s arms were being torn off, and a child was running around a dark abandoned world fighting evil as the only human. It was almost as if Hollywood could not imagine children enjoying a movie for its basic literature content. Hollywood might be right. But more and more its audiences are complaining that there is an increased amount of violence in children’s stories today than in the past.
While there appears to be a trend in our society to make more violence more accessible to younger children, books and literature are generally an exception. I truly believe that children’s literature has become more vivid, and more colorful. This is a great treasure for the children, and is certainly not violent. What has changed the children’s stories of today is not the writers, but the film industry. In some way, children’s literature is just being strangely twisted. I wonder how much influence the author have over this.
1.The Text is mainly about ________.
A. two good books for children
B. how a book is adapted into a film
C. whether children should go to movies
D. whether children’s literature is getting more violent
2.It can be inferred that the film “Where the Wild Things Are” is _______.
A. moving B. frightening C. interesting D. amazing
3.According to the text, the author thinks that ________.
A. the film industry’s treatment of children’s literature is wrong
B. writers should provide more colorful works for children
C. there is an increase in violence in children’s literature
D. children should read books rather than see films.
4.How does the text mainly develop?
A. By inferring. B. By giving explanations.
C. By providing examples. D. By making comparisons.
Summer Cultural Exploration in France
The Summer Cultural Exploration program in Amboise, France, provides students with the opportunity to study French in a friendly historic atmosphere while experiencing a taste of French culture.
Amboise
Amboise is a charming small town on the Loire River in central France. The royal Amboise castle was the preferred residence of Charles VIII, who built it in the 15th century. With a rich history and beautiful natural scenes, Amboise is the ideal environment for students to study French.
Learn
French courses take place every morning, Monday through Friday, for four hours per day in a historic 19th-century building in the center of Amboise. Students will be given an exam upon arrival to make sure that they attend a language class of the appropriate level. An interactive teaching approach is stressed.
Experience
There is a good balance between planned activities and free time throughout the four-week program. Two to three days per week, organized activities are offered such as: lecture on topics in French history, literature, art and cinema, showing of French films, and a visit to Leonardo da Vinci’s home at the Clos Luce.
Travel
Also, students will explore France through the following guided trips.
●Chambord, Cheverny and Blois —Explore two of the area’s famous castles. Chambord, the largest of the Loire castle, was built by the great Renaissance king, France I. Chevernby castle was built in 1630. Visit the old town of Blois, a favorite residence of French royalty.
●Villandry and Sache — One of the last Renaissance castles to be built along the Loire, Villandry, is also known for its flower and vegetable gardens. The lovely old castle of Sache was a best-loved house of the great 19th-century writer Honore de Balzac.
●Paris — Discover the City of Light, famous for its fashion, food and art during a journey to Paris! Walk along the banks of the Seine River, visit Notre Dame Cathedral and discover some of the city’s famous museums and including the Louvre.
Housing
Students stay with carefully-selected host families. Ability to remain open-minded and tolerance of cultural differences are required. There is an 11 pm curfew（熄灯时间）for this program.
1.When a student gets to Amboise, he or she will first _______.
A. take a language test B. visit da Vinci’s home
C. hear lectures on French history D. go to see the castle built by Charles VIII
2.Students can enjoy beautiful flowers at _______.
A. Chambord castle B. Cheverny castle C. Villandry castle D. Sache castle
3.Students who want to take part in the program will _______.
A. mainly study cultural differences B. spend most of their time in Paris
C. live in a historic building D. study for 20 hours a week
4.What is the purpose of the text?
A. To advertise. B. To educate. C. To entertain. D. To instruct.
We live in College Station, Texas and we were on our way home from Houston, Texas around the Weston Lakes area one Saturday or Sunday morning. And when I say morning, I'm talking 1:00 to 2:00 in the morning. We were on our way home and decided to stop at a local gas station to get coffee and something to snack on since it was a good hour and a half before we got home.
When we were done, we got back into our car and before I started it, we noticed a man standing outside in front of the building. You could tell that he was a homeless man. His clothes were worn and it looked like he had gone in and gotten him some coffee or something warm to drink since it was cold this time of the year. He couldn’t have had enough money to get something to eat. That is not something I remember too well, because that is not what "moved" me.
The next thing I remember is a dog that walked up to the front of the building. Being a dog lover, I noticed that she was part wolf and probably part German shepherd. I could tell she was a she, because you could tell that she had been feeding puppies. She was terribly in need of something to eat and I felt so bad for her. I knew if she didn't eat soon, she and her puppies would not make it.
I and my wife sat there and looked at her. We noticed that people walked by and didn't even pet her, like most people do when they walk by an animal in front of a store. She might not have been as pretty and clean as most, but she still deserved better. But we still did not do anything. But someone did. The homeless man, who I thought did not buy himself anything to eat, went back into the store. And what he did brought tears to me and my wife. He had gone into the store and with what money he may have had, bought a can of dog food and fed that dog.
I know that this story isn't as inspirational as most stories, but it plays a great part in our lives. You see, that was Mother's Day weekend. And a lot of people forget that some animals are parents too.
1.From the passage we can know that _______.
A. the author didn't like dogs
B. the dog was not pretty enough to be loved
C. the dog and her puppies were in danger of dying of hunger
D. the author wanted to help the dog but he was unable to
2.What moved the author and his wife to tears?
A. That the man bought food for the dog.
B. That the dog and her puppies could make it in cold weather.
C. That the man got himself some coffee or something warm to drink
D. That people walked by and didn't even notice the dog.
3.According to the passage, we know that the homeless man was _______.
A. poor and hopeless B. brave and caring
C. friendly and clever D. sympathetic and helpful
4.The best title for this passage would be _______.
A. An inspirational story B. Animals Are Parents Too
C. A Homeless Man D. A Mother Dog and Her Puppies
It was silent in Mom’s hospital room. Only the sound of her heart monitor interrupted the moments of what seemed to be a peaceful sleep. It had been several hours since her operation. I wanted her to wake up. I needed to to her. Last night, I shouted at her because she had allowed my sister to visit her when she had our mom for years.
“Shame on you!” she had said firmly. “Moms don’t stop their children just because one of them chose to leave her. A mother always loves more than she’s loved .”
I thought, “Shame on you! When I do something wrong or when a friend is to her, that’s all she will ever say. How about standing up for you for once, Mom?”
My mom’s groaning（呻吟）broke my . she couldn’t speak, her eyes were moving, looking for something. She her notebook and pen next to her bed. I gently handed them to her. She slowly, and then turned the notebook around for me to read.
“I forgive you,” it .
Tears ran down my face. I felt . As I began to speak, I was by the loud arguing of two seemingly angry nurses on the opposite side of the room. My mom suddenly began writing on her notebook, and then stopped to the piece of paper. She handed it to me, signaling me to give it to the nurses. They read it, looked at my mom and quietly left the room.
“What did you write, Mom?” I asked.
She smiled sweetly but said nothing. , I knew what she had written on that piece of paper. How those three little words are!
I kissed my mom goodbye and to find my sister.
1.A. quiet B. long C. sweet D. important
2.A. explain B. agree C. refer D. apologize
3.A. selfish B. poor C. weak D. jealous
4.A. attacked B. hurt C. abandoned D. criticized
5.A. helping B. missing C. loving D. protecting
6.A. in place B. in turn C. in time D. in return
7.A. unkind B. special C. strange D. new
8.A. family B. children C. rights D. freedom
9.A. promise B. sleep C. words D. concentration
10.A. and B. but C. since D. so
11.A. pointed to B. picked up C. looked through D. reached for
12.A. said B. wrote C. read D. moved
13.A. wrote B. said C. told D. suggested
14.A. annoyed B. worried C. ashamed D. confused
15.A. kept B. frightened C. angered D. interrupted
16.A. check over B. stare at C. tear off D. take out
17.A. proudly B. gratefully C. coldly D. carefully
18.A. Suddenly B. Finally C. Gradually D. Clearly
19.A. easy B. typical C. exact D. powerful
20.A. left B. tried C. called D. expected
Thanks to modern technology which has now broken the law of seasons, farming is no longer _______ weather and temperature.
A. at the mercy of B. in the charge of C. in the name of D. in view of
