Chinese e-commerce websites fail to pay more attention to older consumers, says a news report.
There’s been a thought that younger consumers have been the driving force of online buying. That may not be the case. According to a statement from Alipay, the average expenditure (支出) of Alipay users born before the 1960s was 31,000 yuan in 2012, much higher than 14,000 yuan of those born after the 1980s. It shows that online shopping has become a key part of people’s daily consumption, for both young and old.
Besides shopping, people pay bills such as water bill, electricity bill, and credit card repayment online. The middle-aged and senior consumers are also participating in that consumption revolution.
Liu Chen, 56, said that his online expenditure in 2014 was over 50,000 yuan, about half of the total annual expenditure. He always pays his telephone bill online. Clothes, electrical appliances and kids’ snacks are the main items he purchases online.
Liu’s shopping strategy is to find something good online first, then go to shops to check it out, and finally buy it online because it is cheaper. As quality concerns him, Liu only buys items that come with a guarantee.
Stories such as those from Liu are representative of millions of middle-aged and older Chinese, which show the great potential of the aged in the Chinese consumption market. Yet, the market seems not to be valued as it should be.
Some Chinese e-commerce websites such as jd. com, dangdang. com and amazon. cn don’t have a category for goods for the elderly on their main pages. Alibaba’s platform does have one, but the goods in it are not as abundant as other categories. Moreover, Taobao’s category is not really designed for elders, but their children.
Despite the seeming lack of commitment to older consumers, the Chinese market for the elderly is clearly huge, and e-commerce websites should take great efforts to develop it.
1.The data in Paragraph 2 is used to prove that ________.
A. young people have learned to save money
B. older people are crazy about online shopping
C. young people are the driving force of online shopping
D. both the young and the old have contributed to online shopping
2.According to the passage, Liu Chen mainly spends money online on _______.
a. buying clothes
b. paying the telephone bill
c. paying the electricity bill
d. buying electrical appliances
A. a, b, c B. a, b, d C. b, c, d D. a, c, d
3. Liu Chen chooses online shopping mainly because of its ________.
A. low price B. convenience
C. great potential D. quality guarantee
4.Which is the best title of the passage?
A. Online shopping
B. Older consumers in e-commerce
C. Chinese e-commerce
D. Huge e-commerce market for the elderly
Pakistani youth activist Malala Yousafzai was awarded the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday, October 10. She is the youngest Nobel winner in history. Malala shares the prize with Kailash Satyarthi, a 60-year-old man from India who has helped lead a movement to end child slavery around the world.
Malala Yousafzai was born on July 12, 1997 in Mingora, the Swat District of northwest Pakistan to a Sunni Muslim family. When she was just 11 years old, she started blogging about the Taliban takeover of her hometown. Taliban members believe young girls should not go to school. Classrooms throughout the Swat district were closed for several months. Malala spoke publicly about her desire to go back to school. “All I want is an education,” she told one television broadcaster.
When the Pakistani government regained control, Malala was able to return to class. She continued to blog and speak out about girls’ right to education. But on October 9, 2012, the Taliban tried to silence her. A gunman boarded her school bus and shot her on the left side of her forehead. Malala survived, and showed great courage and optimism during her long recovery. Then she became a symbol of the struggle for girls’ rights all over the world.
Malala’s mission for peace is unstoppable. Nine months after she was shot, she gave a now-famous speech at the United Nations. “They thought that the bullets would silence us. But they failed,” she said. “And then, out of that silence came thousands of voice. Weakness, fear and hopelessness died. Strength, power and courage were born.”
1.How old was Malala when she won the Nobel Peace Prize?
A. 11 years old. B. 14 years old.
C. 17 years old. D. 60 years old.
2. After classrooms throughout the Swat district were closed, Malala ________.
A. started blogging about the event
B. expressed her desire for education publicly
C. made a now-famous speech at the UN
D. turned to famous television broadcasters for help
3.What does the underlined part silence her in the third paragraph probably mean?
A. Kill her.
B. Make peace with her.
C. Offer suggestions to her.
D. Communicate with her in silent ways.
4.What does the passage mainly tell us?
A. Malala’s peace mission.
B. Malala’s courage and optimism.
C. Malala’s fight with the Taliban.
D. Malala’s winning the Nobel Peace Prize.
My transportation was unexpectedly smooth and I arrived at the meeting half an hour earlier. I kept my eyes on the restaurant door. Several customers entered, but not my friend. At 6:00 pm, she sent me a text message: “Urgent work to finish. Will be 20 minutes late.”
I had left my book in the office, so I spent the time thinking of my experiences of being late in China. On my first visit in 1985, punctuality was deeply rooted in the Chinese hearts. There were no traffic jams then.
As a teacher in Canada, I always insisted on punctuality. I would open the classroom door to a late student for the first time and the second, but not the third. During the six years I worked for CCTV, I had a Chinese friend whom I often saw at lunch time, or after work. We used to meet at the subway station nearby. He was always late by 10-20 minutes. To my question, “You were busy?” he would surprisingly answer, “ No.” Once I asked him to check the clock in his office, he smiled.
In March 2015, I got permanent residence (居住权) in China. The ceremony was scheduled for 9:00 am at the Public Security Bureau on the Second Ring Road. I told my driver I had to get there by 8:40 am. “No problem,” he replied. But he thought he had time to drop someone off at the airport before picking me up. I desperately waited for him. Then, to rub salt into my wound, he had to stop at the exit of a gas station. Finally, I entered the room at 9:07 am ── the last guest to arrive!
1.What can we learn from the passage?
A. The author is always late for work or any activities.
B. The author dislikes making friends with unpunctual persons.
C. The author hates being late from the bottom of heart.
D. The author can do something to deal with unpunctuality.
2.If the author’s student comes late for the third time, _______.
A. he will let him/her remain outside
B. he will open the door for him/her again
C. he will shout at him/her loudly
D. he will tell him/her to take care next time
3.How did the Chinese friend feel when the author asked him to check the clock?
A. Excited. B. Embarrassed.
C. Satisfied. D. Shocked.
4.Why didn’t the author arrive at the ceremony on time?
A. Because the gas was running out.
B. Because his driver met a guest at the airport.
C. Because there was a big traffic jam on the road.
D. Because the driver estimated the time wrongly.
Lego Bricks & More 10664 Creative Tower
List Price: $119.99
Price: $101.35 & FREE Shipping
Featuring 160 colorful Lego bricks to create anything your young kids can imagine, this item is designed to allow children complete flexibility. If you are looking for instruction sheets, many are found on the Lego site.
If you buy it together with the LEGO IDEAS BOOK, the price for both will be $115.44.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews:
★ Spectacular value!
By Marissa McRoberts on November 29
The typical price per piece of Lego has been slightly more than $10 since 2005. At $101 for 160 pieces, this set is about $ 0.6 per piece. It is a great deal.
But there are some downsides: no wheels, bushes, trees, grass, technic elements and that sort of thing. This is otherwise a fantastic starter set.
★ A great deal!
By Shawn Bosworth on December 6
I got this set as a Black Friday deal for an amazing $30! I wanted 2 sets but they were gone before I could even get my hands on one. A very nice man gave me a spare that he grabbed. It’s huge, strong and well-made. The box is about 2 feet tall and is strong enough for a storage option. I will absolutely be looking to get another set one day!
1. According to Marissa McRoberts, this set of Lego Bricks ______.
A. is a perfect starter set
B. costs too much money
C. should contain more pieces of bricks
D. is much cheaper compared with similar products
2.The Lego Bricks & More 10664 Creative Tower includes ______.
A. a few wheels B. a strong container
C. technic elements D. The LEGO IDEAS BOOK
3.How did Shawn Bosworth get a set of Lego Bricks for $30?
A. He got the chance from a man who had an additional set.
B. He ordered two sets and was then offered a discount.
C. He grabbed the bargain when it was first served.
D. He made a deal with the seller for a lower price.
微电影(micro movie) 是最近很流行的一种网络电影形式。请你根据以下提示写一篇介绍微电影的英语短文，向某英语杂志投稿。要点如下：
1. 放映时间短（几分钟至半小时左右）；
2. 制作周期短（一天至一周左右）；
3. 资金投入少（1万元以下）；
4. 主题宽泛，故事情节完整；
5. 可在手机、平板电脑上播放。
注意：1. 词数100左右；
2. 参考词汇：繁荣boom; 拍摄shoot(shot, shot); 平板电脑 tablet PCs
短文改错
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号“∧”，并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用“\”划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一次;
2. 只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
Last Sunday morning, where I was having a walk in the park near my home, I came across many people make a new film with one of my favorite actor. I didn’t have my camera with me at that time, but I rushed back home to get one. Unfortunately, by the time I got back, they had finished the scene and the actor couldn’t be seen everywhere. I was really disappointing and about to leave when he walked out a building. He was right there in the front of me! I couldn’t believe my luck——not only did I had my photo taken with him, but he signed his name on my shirt!
