Question

“It is one of the few bright spots in the Chinese economy，” says Zeng Ming. He is talking about e­commerce. Mr. Zeng, the chief strategy officer for Alibaba, a giant Chinese Internet firm, predicts that digital transactions on his firm's platforms will top 1 trillion yuan($159 billion) this year—more than Amazon's and eBay's combined. That is a bold claim, but consider what happened on Singles Day.

Invented a few years ago by students and seized upon by digital marketers, this festival for lonely hearts falls annually on the 11th day of the 11th month(since 1 is the loneliest number). It is like St Valentine's Day, only worse. Singletons show each other with tender gifts: a barrage of pearls; a storm of sweets.

This November 11th they spent a surprising 19 billion yuan on Alibaba's online platforms—a fourfold increase on a year ago, and more than double what Americans spent online last Cyber Monday(the Monday after Thanksgiving, when retailers urge Americans to shop online). About 100 million purchases were logged, accounting for 80% of the packages shipped that day. Couriers(快递员) were buried in parcels.

So life is good for China's e­tailers. Then? Not exactly. The number of digital marketers is increasing and online sales are booming. Consumers are enjoying lower prices, better service and more variety. The problem? The pressure on profits in Chinese e­commerce is worse than in America, reckons Elinor Leung of CLSA, a broker. “Almost no one makes money，” she says.

The fiercest battles are being fought between online retailers and their bricks­and­mortar(实体的) rivals. Dangdang, a firm that resembles Amazon, and 360buy, another online retailer, have cut prices fiercely. Tencent, a cash­rich online giant known for its instant­messaging software, is splashing out to win market share. 360buy has also just raised $400 millon from investors to do the same. But it is unclear how much longer such firms can burn through capital.

1.What's the best title of this passage?

A．The Ambition of Alibaba

B．Fierce  Competition between Retailers

C．A New Festival for the Singles

D．Chinese Booming E­commerce

2.According to Zeng Ming, this year Alibaba will ________.

A．outweigh Amazon and eBay in worldwide influence

B．rank top among all the Internet firms

C．have more than 159 billion dollars' sale

D．create another sales miracle just like the one on Singles Day

3.How many packages were shipped on November 11th from Alibaba's online platforms?

A．About 80 million.  B．About 100 million.

C．About 125 million.  D．About 180 million.

4.What's the author's attitude towards online retailers in China?

A．Optimistic.  B．Concerned.

C．Sympathetic.  D．Indifferent.

Answer

1.D

2.C

3.C

4.B

【解析】本文主要从阿里巴巴网络销售说起，介绍了迅速发展的中国电子商务。

1.答案：D 主旨大意题。通读全文可知，本文主要从阿里巴巴网络销售说起，介绍了迅速发展的中国电子商务。故选D项。

2.2】答案：C 细节理解题。根据第一段中的“will top 1 trillion yuan ($159 billion) this year”可知C项正确。

3.3】答案：C 细节理解题。根据第三段中的“About 100 million purchases were logged，accounting for 80% of the packages shipped that day.”可以计算出(100 million÷80%＝125 million)。故C项正确。

4.4】答案：B 观点态度题。根据倒数第二段的内容及文章的最后一句“But it is unclear how much longer such firms can burn through capital.”可推知，作者对中国网上零售商的状况表示担忧。故选B项。

疑难词汇解读

strategy n．战略

military strategy军事部署，策略，谋略

By careful strategy she negotiated a substantial pay rise.她精心策划后，谈妥了大幅增加工资的事。