There is no doubt eCommerce is growing, and it will continue to grow. However, physical stores would not die as a result of the rise of eCommerce, at least not in the near future. The idea that eCommerce is taking over physical stores has already misguided many people. Physical stores are far from vanishing, and there are some solid reasons for it.
The projections for online spending is optimistic with $150 billion expected to be spent in the coming three years, yet we are also expecting $300 billion in spending at physical stores in the same duration. Do you still think that physical-store shopping is too small to sustain the eCommerce blow?
Even though consumers are staying away from physical stores that follow older concepts, yet we are seeing the rise of fresh concept stores all around the US. We are seeing innovative and attractive success stories of physical stores, ranging from clothes stores to restaurants to health spas. It would be easy to assume that this trend will continue.
Indeed, many shopping malls are dying, yet there are still those shopping centers that are performing well. You can see this for yourself by visiting shopping malls near you. What I want to emphasize here is that not all shopping centers are made equal, just like not all eCommerce retailers are made equal. Both shopping malls and eCommerce sites can lose business if they fail to maintain productivity through improvements and innovations. When you visit shopping centers that are serious about their business, you would see their shops and parking lots packed.
On the other hand, even e-tailers like Amazon have experimented with pop-up shopping concepts. It is important to bear in mind that consumers prefer face-to-face interactions instead of online interactions during shopping, meaning that physical stores are going to stay there.
Still, eCommerce retailers are seeing all of their excitement disappear as they settle the sales tax problem associated with e-tailing. As of now, five states of America have already imposed sales tax on purchases through eCommerce sites, and e-tailers in those states have already witnessed 6 to 12 percent decrease in sales.
This reinforces the fact that physical stores are here to stay, and if you are still undervaluing their growth, you are omitting a huge chunk of the retail representation.
1.The underlined word "projections" in Paragraph 2 probably means ________.
A. intentionsB. assessmentsC. performancesD. predictions
2.What can we infer from the passage?
A. E-tailers are more creative businesses.
B. Fresh concepts help build good business.
C. Fewer consumers will visit physical stores.
D. Physical stores can’t stand the blow of eCommerce.
3.What is the best title for this passage?
A. Is Offline Spending Greater Than Online Spending?
B. Online Stores V.S. Physical Stores—What’s the Difference?
C. Will Physical Stores replace eCommerce in the Near Future？
D. Does eCommerce Success Mean Physical Stores Will Disappear?
4.Which of the following shows the development of the passage?
Every year billions of pounds are spent on hair loss treatment. If we succeed in curing hair loss with 3D printed hair follicles(毛囊), it will be a huge revolution.
L’Oreal, the cosmetics firm is partnering with a French bio-printing company called Poietis, which has developed a form of laser(激光) printing for cell-based objects. Poietis’ technique begins with the creation of a digital map that determines where living cells and other tissue components should be placed to create the desired biological structure. This involves how the cells are expected to grow over time. The file based on the digital map is then turned into instructions for the printing equipment, so that it can lay down tiny droplets made out of the cell-based "bio ink" one layer at a time. The printing process involves bouncing a pulsing laser off a mirror and through a lens, so that when it hits a ribbon(色带) containing the bio ink, a droplet of the matter falls into place. About 10,000 of these micro-droplets are created every second.
It typically takes about 10 minutes to print a piece of skin 1cm wide by 0.5mm thick. However, since hair follicles are complex and consist of 15 different cells in a structure, they may take longer.
Poietis is not the only company working on bio-printing, but most others use another way, which involves pushing a bio-ink through a nozzle(喷嘴), rather than lasers to build their tissue. Poietis suggests its technique puts less stress on the biological matter, meaning there is less risk of causing it damage.
Alopecia UK—a charity that provides support and advice about hair loss—has mixed feelings about the development. “It is encouraging to know that companies such as L’Oreal are investing in technology that may help those with hair loss in the future,” said spokeswoman Amy Johnson.
“However, we would suggest it’s still very early to be getting excited about what this potentially could mean for those with medical hair loss. At this point it is unclear as to whether this technology could benefit those with all types of hair loss.”
“Also, if this new technology does lead to a treatment option, given the high costs of existing hair transplant procedures, how many people will be able to realistically afford any new technological advances that may become available? As with any other research and development into processes that may be able to help those with hair loss, we watch with great interest.”
1.What does Paragraph 2 mainly tell us?
A. How the printing process is carried out.
B. Where the living cells should be placed.
C. How long the cells are expected to grow.
D. What the printing equipment is made up of.
2.What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 4 refer to?
A. hair follicleB. biological matter
C. nozzleD. bio-ink
3.The passage implies that the new technology may ______.
A. meet some practical challenges
B. help people with hair loss at present
C. offer solutions to all problems of hair loss
D. cost a large sum of money to transplant hair
4.What is Amy Johnson’s attitude towards the new technology?
A. Disapproving.B. Optimistic.
C. Cautious.D. Negative.
Chinese Emoji (表情符号) Circles Globe
“Funny”, a made-in-China emoji, seems to have recently moved beyond China. Now, it is more than an emoji, but a cultural expansion.
Reaching Global Markets
A series of “funny” emoji-based bolsters (抱枕) have attracted the attention of Japanese customers. Even if one bolster is more than three times as expensive as in China, it doesn’t kill their desires to buy it. One Japanese customer Miki said, “They are just so cute and I bought three bolsters at one time for my family. And every time I see them, my mood just brightens suddenly.”
A Japanese netizen Kiro Kara said, “I think the emoji implies very complicated meanings. My dad will send it when he doesn’t agree with someone but he has to say something and behave politely.”
Addition to Domestic Social Media
Compared with Japanese impressions of the “funny” emoji, Chinese netizens prefer to use the emoji to tease one another on social media.
One commonly seen online comment is, “We strongly suggest stopping the usage of the emoji. Because every time other people send me the emoji, I feel very uncomfortable and consider myself as a fool.”
Regarded as the most popular emoji, the “funny” emoji has received much attention since its release in 2013. In fact, the “funny” emoji is the updated version of its original one; “funny” has a smiley mouth, two eyebrows and a naughty look. All these characteristics present users a sense of satire (讽刺).
In Everyday Use Abroad
It’s not the first time the Chinese emoji takes the world stage. Earlier this year, one emoji from the Chinese basketball celebrity Yao Ming has been spread through the Middle East region. In a city in southern Egypt, Yao’s smiling emoji has appeared frequently in local traffic signs to remind people the road ahead is one-way. Many locals do not know Yao Ming but are familiar with his emoji and nickname “Chinese Funny Face”.
As a new online language, emojis have become a necessary part of people’s daily life, helping people express their views in a more vivid and precise way. Also, it can help foreigners learn about Chinese culture. But how to properly use “the fifth innovation in China” without hurting others and turn them into commercial advantages still need answers.
1.Why do the bolsters attract Miki’s attention?
A. They are inexpensive.
B. They help reach an agreement.
C. They help brighten the mood.
D. They are helpful to express desire.
2.According to the passage, which of the following is the latest “funny” emoji?
3.Emojis are so popular worldwide mainly because people use them to ______.
A. express their views more vividly
B. present their sense of satire directly
C. imply very complicated meanings properly
D. tease one another on social media purposely
4.The main purpose of the text is to ______.
A. promote the emoji worldwide
B. teach us how to use the emoji
C. explain the meaning the emoji
D. show us the popularity of the emoji
My doorbell rings. On the step, I find the elderly Chinese lady, small and slight, holding the hand of a little boy. In her other hand, she holds a paper carrier bag.
I know this lady. It is not her first visit. She is the boy’s grandmother, and her daughter bought the house next door last October.
Her daughter, Nicole, speaks fluent English. But she is now in Shanghai, and her parents are here with the little boy. Nicole has obviously told her mother that I am having heart surgery soon, so her mother has decided I need more nutrients.
I know what is inside the bag—a thermos with hot soup and a stainless-steel container with rice, vegetables and either chicken, meat or shrimp, sometimes with a kind of pancake. This has become an almost-daily practice.
Communication between us is somewhat affected by the fact that she doesn’t speak English and all I can say in Chinese is hello. Once, she brought an iPad as well as the food. She pointed to the screen, which displayed a message from her daughter telling me that her mother wanted to know if the food was all right and whether it was too salty. I am not used to iPads, so she indicated I should go with her to her house. Then, she handed the iPad to her husband and almost immediately I found myself looking at Nicole in Shanghai and discussing her mother’s cooking and salt intake. Instantly, tears welled in my eyes.
“Your mother just can’t be bringing me meals like this all the time,” I insisted. “I can hardly do dishes in return.”
“Oh, no, Lucy.” Nicole said. “Mum doesn’t like western food. Don’t worry about it; she has to cook for the three of them anyway, and she wants to do it.”
The doorbell keeps ringing and there is the familiar brown paper carrier bag, handed smilingly to me.
I am now working on some more Chinese words—it’s the least I can do after such display of kindness.
“Thank you” is, of course, the first one. Somehow, it seems inadequate.
1.The elderly Chinese lady visits Lucy regularly because ________.
A. Lucy pays her to deliver food
B. Lucy likes cooking Chinese food
C. she cares about Lucy’s state of health
D. she wants to make friends with Lucy
2.Nicole’s mum took an iPad to Lucy’s home for ________.
A. displayingB. communicating
C. cookingD. chatting
3.In this passage Lucy mainly expresses her ________.
A. preference for the Chinese food
B. gratitude to the Chinese family
C. love of the advanced technology
D. affection for the Chinese language
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
I was the fool at school, regarded as a special needs student. I was termed as such. Obviously, because I was not interested in school and did not care for my ________.
Over time, I started to believe in my stupidity. I ________ the fact that I was in special needs classes and poured it out as anger and depression. But one activity ________ this view of myself: chess.
I started to play chess with my father after school simply because I wanted to ________ him at something. My father was a ________ man, fond of physics, writing, religion, ..., almost every ________. He was called a walking dictionary. So, winning in chess against my father would be a ________ that I had intellectual power. On the small chessboard, I had a chance to ________ my so-called inability.
Game after game, I wanted to beat my father even more. I started to study chess books and play against a chess computer to ________ my skills. One weekend, I finally checkmated(将杀) my father on a ferry ride, which made me feel ________.
Two years later, I became the second board on my school chess team, with our top board being the best high school player in the state. But before the tournament season, our top player ________ to come. There came my chance to play as top board against the best players in other states.
I was determined to show who I had become: a(n) ________ person able to win with calculation, logic and will. My most ________ game came in the final round. Our team was facing a high school which only excellent students attended. It was ________ a match between a special needs student and a smart soul. My opponent(对手) was playing well and kept ________ while I kept defending to keep my king safe. He spent long trying to break down my defenses, but could not find the final push. I ________ with more defensive moves, trying to make it as difficult for him as possible. With little ________ left, he started to make rapid moves. ________ he could make the final decision, he ran out of time. Honestly, as his clock flag fell, I jumped up out of my seat and kissed the floor out of excitement. Of course it was not the most sportsmen-like ________, but I could not control my emotions.
While holding my winner’s cup, I knew I was not ________. The inferiority complex(自卑感) had melted away, and I realized that underneath our thoughts, each person is a genius.
1.A. habitsB. gradesC. plansD. benefits
2.A. noticedB. explainedC. acceptedD. ignored
3.A. changedB. supportedC. questionedD. showed
4.A. pleaseB. comfortC. beatD. disturb
5.A. smartB. strictC. quietD. strong
6.A. methodB. topicC. eventD. field
7.A. dreamB. lessonC. theoryD. sign
8.A. proveB. exposeC. overcomeD. promote
9.A. teachB. sharpenC. chooseD. invent
10.A. overjoyedB. disappointedC. puzzledD. interested
11.A. promisedB. managedC. happenedD. failed
12.A. braveB. luckyC. activeD. intelligent
13.A. terribleB. memorableC. dangerousD. popular
14.A. normallyB. possiblyC. actuallyD. partly
15.A. attackingB. smilingC. pausingD. escaping
16.A. returnedB. quitC. wonD. exchanged
17.A. patienceB. timeC. energyD. wisdom
18.A. OnceB. UntilC. BeforeD. Unless
19.A. spiritB. thoughtC. commentD. behavior
20.A. proudB. stupidC. brightD. lazy
If there were no cellphones, life ________ quite different because we depend too much on them.
A. will beB. would beC. isD. were
