【推荐1】Some fifteen years ago, when smartphone apps were new and few truly understood their potentials, retailers (零售商) _________knew that consumers could browse in stores while comparing prices and_________from other item providers through certain apps before_________making the purchase online. Ten years ago, brick-and-mortar (实体店) retailers had to acknowledge that showrooming existed and appeared to be a _________. That’s the year when retailers were up in arms as online giant Amazon released an “evil” promotion that encouraged consumers to visit_________stores and use Amazon’s Price Check App at the same time. Any purchase completed through the app was given_________ discounts, which significantly stimulated sales and_________many shop owners to the edge of bankruptcy (破产).

From the point on, retailers began launching strategies to combat showrooming including releasing exclusive items for sale so that no_________prices from other sources are available for comparison.

“Media have reported showrooming as a big threat to physical stores.” says Casey Carl, a retailer. “However, less _________is the fact that it is also the greatest opportunity for us.” Retailers need to accept that the act of showrooming is not_________and any sensible buyer tends to compare prices. As there’s nothing you can do about it, you might as well offer conveniences like in-store internet access to_________these consumers. With caring services combined with good prices, the store might actually improve the likelihood for consumers to close the deal_________.

And a showrooming study indicates that it’s wise for retailers to limit the item price to at most 5 dollars_________than what online stores charge. After all, for the majority of consumers, getting the absolute lowest price is not their_________. Many of them, instead, are willing to pay _________in exchange for favourable shopping experiences, such as the pleasant store atmosphere, agreeable staff attitudes or even the merry music played, with a reasonable price_________, of course.

_________, adopting a strategy of_________channels is also essential. With many sale channels under control, retailers are sure to have access to the lowest price possible for an item. Therefore, when a customer_________a mobile device in store, retailers can be spared the_________that was unavoidable for them some ten years ago.

【推荐2】What would your life be like without phones?

In one of my classes today we discussed the question of how our lives would be without a mobile phone. I actually felt quite sad to hear how some kids cannot ______ without their phones these days. ______, I think nowadays we are controlled and ______ by our technology to keep up. So let’s see some of the points that ______ in the debate and see if our generation really is addicted(上瘾的) to electronic connections ______ true communication.

It is true that everything ______ at a fast pace these days. For example, you can contact someone who lives on the other side of the world within ______. This is great if you think about how connected we can stay to the ______ who are far away from us. However, on the contrary, can we be too connected to the people who are ______ to us? An argument arose about the ______ that it is easier to message someone from your sofa than to meet them ______ and talk. Social skills are ______ to have and if you are not going to put effort into real-life ______, then you are not going to ______ in this ability.

Another point was that phones are very handy for ______ something that you are wondering about. For example, if you don’t know a word in another language, you can ______ and simply use an on-line translator to help you out. This can be very ______ in many situations, but it can also make a person dependent on the ______.

All in all, this question is very interesting to ______ as we become day by day more dependent on technology. We should realize how much we really need to be connected with our phones while considering the ______ and damage it can cause us.

【推荐1】History has some very special and influential qualities about it. It is a _______ of what has happened in the past, and the really interesting thing is that much of history has repeated itself time and again. It allows us to learn from the past, both the _______ made and the successes achieved.

One of the _______ of history is that it allows us to know how famous people _______ when they were faced with challenges in their life. _______ these challenges happened at a certain time in the past or in a different country or culture, all of them can teach us something _______.

Take the story of Thomas Edison and how many times he _______ while on the road to finally inventing the light bulb, for example. He could be held up as an example of a person who _______ stopped trying. I am sure he was _______ by those difficulties but he did not let them stop him. He had a ________ and he just kept trying until he reached success.

Or, think about the story of Abraham Lincoln who ________ to become President of the United States even though he suffered personal losses. Most of us only know about his success. In fact, his life was notan easy one. His story makes us keep moving forward no matter what ________ we have in life.

These true history stories will make you stop to reconsider ________ or going after your dreams even though you may not think you have the courage or the ________ for now to get what you have always wanted. They could help you make decisions and ________ when you have no idea what to do. They could inspire you to be all that you can be.

【推荐2】In our modern world, when something wears out, we throw it away and buy a new one. The problem is that countries around the world have growing mountains of_______because people are throwing out more things than ever before.

How did we_______a throw-away society? First of all, it is now easier to_______an object than to spend time and money repairing it. Thanks to modern manufacturing(制造业)and technology, companies are able to produce products quickly and inexpensively. Products are plentiful and_______

Another cause is our _______of disposable products. Living in a society where efficiency comes first, we are always looking for_______to save time and make our lives easier. Companies produce thousands of different kinds of disposable products: paper plates, plastic cups and cameras, to name a few.

Our appetite for new products also_______to the problem. we are_______buying new things. Advertisements persuade us that the_______is better and that we will be happier with the latest products. The result is that we________useful possessions to make room for new ones.

All around the world. we can see the________of this throw-away lifestyle. Mountains of rubbish just keep getting bigger. To________the amount of rubbish and protect the environment, more governments are requiring people to recycle materials.________, this is not enough to solve our problem.

Maybe there is another way out. We need to repair our possessions ________throwing them away. We also need to rethink our attitudes to________. Repairing our possessions and changing our spending habits may be the best way to reduce the amount of rubbish and take care of our environment.

【推荐3】It's once again been declared the world's most popular museum. ______ . it may not be a______ thing for the Louvre (卢浮宫) in Paris.

The museum broke its own______in 2018, welcoming 10.2 million_____and claiming the top spot in an index of the world's most-visited museums.

But the Louvre's uptick (小幅上升) in visitors is_____ too much for many of its workers, _____ by reception and security staff over the number of tourists______ through its doors have hit opening hours throughout the week.

"The Louvre is suffocating (令人窒的)," the workers union said in a statement. "The public has increased by more than 20% since 2009, but the palace has not grown,"it_____.

The museum was_ ___on Monday and opened later than advertised on Wednesday, due to a ____with the dissatisfied workers. visitors have ______outside the building throughout the week, and those without bookings have been________.

Although tensions with its workers_______ , the museum's bottom line is looking _______.The Louvre broke its 2012 _______record last year, marking a dramatic _______ from a sharp downturn in visits in 2017 that was due to a sudden decrease in_______in Paris.

The social media that are_______about Beyoncé and Jay Z's music_______filmed at the museum may have played into that increase.

But while visitor numbers rose at the Louvre, overall attendance was relatively_______among the top 20 museums in the world last year. Attendance grew among the top 20 by just 0.1% from 2017 to 2018.