1. What did the man buy?
A.Shoes. | B.Ties. | C.Pants. |
A.Rude. | B.Annoying. | C.Helpful. |
1. How does Andrew find self-service supermarkets?
A.Unsafe. | B.Convenient. | C.Time-consuming. |
A.The poor products. | B.The rude salesperson. | C.The troublesome process. |
A.In a supermarket. | B.In a self-service store. | C.In a convenience store. |
3 . A growing number of under-35s in England are discovering the joys of going to or selling at craft (手艺) fairs and makers’ markets. A 2019 report found that 34% of those who buy hand-made items prefer markets and festival s to galleries or online purchases. The current craft revival (复苏) started through TV and the internet, but now it’s also about face-to-face sales and experiences. When product designer Ben Watson went to his first-ever craft fair in October, he didn’t have great expectations. “I thought there would be retirement-age couples hanging around but found the huge variety of attendees, most of whom engaged with makers throughout the day,” he says.
Nicky Dewar, director at the Crafts Council, says that what we consider as craft has widened, which has brought in an increase in shoppers under 35 buying craft. They also prefer to buy in markets rather than online. There’s something lovely about seeing markets pop up in so many different spaces. They’re important for emerging businesses and a big step for traders.
Sinead Koehler, founder of Crafty Fox Market, says there’s been an explosion of specialist markets all over the country. The festive market provides a platform to showcase unique handcrafted gifts and decorations. The common spread of markets doesn’t find universal approval, though. Koehler says that many craftspeople are aware of markets: “There can be a wide range of possibilities at these events. Quality can vary.”
Involved in selling and running markets since 2015, Sinead O’Connor confirms there has been an increased interest in craft, but she warns traders against selling items that are sourced rather than made by the seller at markets. “I find it encouraging that a lot of customers mentioned they liked my crafts. The feeling I get is that people really like something that can’t be bought from Amazon,” she says.
1. What did the 2019 report find about one-third of craft buyers?A.They turn online for a good deal. | B.They use sources from television. |
C.They favor face-to-face purchases. | D.They show less interest in crafts. |
A.People don’t have a correct understanding of craft. |
B.The qualities of the items in the markets differ a lot. |
C.There’s a lack of well qualified crafts in the markets. |
D.The online craft businesses are a threat to galleries. |
A.Many consumers appreciate her items. | B.She’s careful about the items sold. |
C.She enjoy s a boom in business. | D.Her customers are critical. |
A.Online Purchase Becomes Outdated | B.Buyers Create Interest in Making Craft |
C.Shopping in Stores Is Making a Return | D.The Magic of Hand-Made Craft Is Back |
1. What are the speakers talking about?
A.Shopping habits. | B.The latest fashion. | C.A healthy lifestyle. |
A.Shoes. | B.Clothes. | C.Books. |
A.Some books. | B.A skirt. | C.A pair of shoes. |
6 . Buying clothes for special events, hiding the price tickets and returning them to the store the next day has for years been the method of money-saving shoppers. Today people are doing it just for social media.
A survey conducted by the credit card company Barclaycard showed that nearly one in ten UK shoppers admits to buying clothing only to post photos on social media for likes. After the “outfit (装束) of the day” (OOTD) makes it online, they return it back to the store. According to Barclaycard, the “try before you buy” policy of online retailers (零售商) — where people pay for clothing they order online after they try it on at home — could be leading to this rising trend.
But the rise of social media means that everyone, not just superstars, expects to build and maintain a personal brand. Since we’re recording our lives and posting them online for public judgement, getting caught in the same outfits more than once should be avoided. And the cost of all those outfits of the day adds up, which makes returning a popular way.
There are brands that make clothes specially for social media shoppers, like Fashion Nova. “These are clothes made for social media: meant to be worn once, photographed and abandoned,” Allison P. Davis wrote in her report about the brand. Another favourite of the social media age is Rent the Runway, which lets customers rent designer clothing for a fee.
Some, however, are moving in the opposite direction. Groups promoting “work uniforms” have increased greatly in recent years, aiming to free women from “the trouble of clothing decisions”. The concept of the “capsule wardrobe (胶囊衣橱)”, which calls for purchasing a small number of high-quality pieces instead of lots of trendy throwaway clothes, is also making a comeback.
1. What does the survey by Barclaycard suggest?A.Britons follow the fashion stars closely. |
B.Some Britons over-order and return clothes. |
C.Britons try on clothes before online purchases. |
D.Some Britons send outfits back after taking pictures. |
A.Renting top designers’ clothes. |
B.Offering customers single-use clothes. |
C.Creating unique shopping experiences. |
D.Helping shoppers improve their clothing style. |
A.Better fewer, but better. | B.Less addition, but more enjoyment. |
C.Less uniform, and more freedom. | D.More choices, and less trouble. |
A.To compare different wearing trends. |
B.To introduce Britain’s new wearing trend. |
C.To support buying high-quality clothes. |
D.To criticize the “try before you buy” policy. |
A.It offers the latest style. |
B.Orders always arrive quickly. |
C.The discounts are excellent. |
8 . Chinese buyers used to prize foreign brands, thinking that products made by American or European companies are of higher quality (质量) than Chinese ones. Increasingly, that’s no longer the case.
Chinese people born before 1985 generally think that foreign brands are better than Chinese ones, billionaire William Li told Business Insider during a recent interview on CCTV 9. But for those who were born after 1985, it is a different picture.
“When I first went to the United Kingdom in 1997, I thought that the difference between China and Europe was quite big,” Li said. “But for those born in the 1990s, when they visit Europe or the US, they do not think there is a big difference.”
The change in thinking among Chinese buyers is showing up in many markets in China where western companies used to control. A study by Credit Suisse published in March found that young Chinese buyers are increasingly showing a “home brand bias”.
More than 90% of young Chinese buyers would prefer to buy home appliance brands, according to the study. Meanwhile, home companies producing food, drinks, or personal care products increased their share of the market by 3.3% over the last ten years to nearly 70%.
“Chinese buyers, especially the younger ones, don’t just believe that foreign brands are better. Right now, Chinese buyers think China is good and ‘Made in China’ is not bad at all,” Charlie Chen, head of China buyer research at Credit Suisse, told South China Morning Post in March.
The Chinese smartphone market is controlled by home companies- Huawei, Oppo, Vivo, and Xiaomi. Apple is the only foreign brand in the top five, but it has lost large ground to the home brands in recent years. Its market share is believed to be down to 37% from a 2015 high of 54%.
1. What is this passage mainly about?A.The quality of “Made in China”. |
B.The change in Chinese buyers’ thinking. |
C.Chinese products in the eye of foreigners. |
D.The difference between older and younger Chinese buyers. |
A.More and more foreigners go to buy Chinese products. |
B.Foreign products are more expensive than Chinese ones. |
C.More and more Chinese buyers prefer Chinese products. |
D.Older Chinese people don’t like foreign products any more. |
A.Apple had a market share of 54% in 2015. |
B.More than 90% of young Chinese buyers prefer home brands. |
C.Chinese people born before 1985 think that foreign brands are better. |
D.William Li found a big difference between China and Europe in 1997. |
A.Credit Suisse. |
B.CCTV 9. |
C.South China Morning Post. |
D.Business Insider. |
A.Chinese products get more popular at home |
B.Young Chinese are crazy for foreign brands |
C.Made in China is welcomed all over the world |
D.Apple has lost large ground to Huawei in China |
1. How did Xiao save money?
A.By buying no clothes. |
B.By sharing food with friends. |
C.By buying second-hand houses. |
A.At the age of 18. | B.At the age of 27. | C.At the age of 33. |
10 . The term “oniomania”, which is used to describe people with obsessive (强迫性的), problematic shopping and spending behaviors, consists of the Greek words “onios”, meaning “for sale”, and “mania”. Also known as Compulsive Buying Disorder (CBD) and Impulsive Compulsive Buying Disorder (ICBD), oniomania can leave negative impact on your financial health and mental wellbeing if left untreated.
At this point you might be wondering: “What’s the difference between an oniomaniac and someone who likes to shop perhaps a bit too much?” We tend to believe that the two are rather similar. Clinically (从临床上看), however, they are quite easy to separate.
Although people who like shopping will return an item if they do not like it and start budgeting if they run low on money, people suffering from oniomania are no longer able to make reasonable, let alone financially responsible, decisions. They sometimes emotionally dissociate from what they are doing, making their purchases while they are not really sure what to buy. Spending relieves feelings of anxiety and depression, but only temporarily. In a short time, they might become moody, annoyed, and depressed, and their confidence declines sharply.
To a certain extent, spending makes everyone feel good. In 2007, a group of researchers from MIT, Stanford and Carnegie Mellon looked at the brains of American consumers via MRI technology and found that when they purchased desirable objects, their nucleus accumbens — the brain’s pleasure center — would light up, indicating a positive stimulation. This stimulation can take on different forms. For instance, some people get particularly excited when they believe they have gotten a good deal. This, researchers say, is the result of the prefrontal cortex — the decision-making part of our brain — interacting with the insula, the part of our brain that processes pain. According to psychotherapist Joyce Marter, compulsive buyers in the U. S. make an average of 156 impulsive purchases per year. Each purchase sets them back around $81. 75, making for a grand total of $5, 400 per year and a thorough shocking $324, 000 per lifetime. That money could have been invested in a home, an education, or other products that you actually need in order to survive and thrive in the world. Ultimately, though, treating oniomania is about much more than just protecting your finances from your own impulses — it’s also about maintaining your personal mental health and improving your relationships with others.
1. What do we know about oniomania?A.It is a normal behavior. |
B.It influences people’s health. |
C.It means people who like shopping. |
D.It describes people’s difference. |
A.Run out of |
B.Go short of |
C.Look down on |
D.Become rich in |
A.Why many researchers take part in the study. |
B.How everyone makes a wise decision. |
C.How desirable objects are well welcome. |
D.Why shopping makes common people happy. |
A.It is beneficial to education. |
B.It develops our desires. |
C.It keeps our mind healthy. |
D.It is harmful to relationships. |