Mr. Maude was thinking about what to buy for his wife as a gift for their 10th wedding anniversary(周年纪念日). One day, he happened to notice Mrs. Maude talking to a friend, showing interest in her ruby ring and he realized he would be able to make Mrs. Maude happy if he bought one for her. Mr. Maude couldn’t understand why ladies had so much passion for expensive stones of all colors, but he would be willing to do anything for his wife for such a great occasion.
As SM is a famous jewelry brand(珠宝品牌), Mr. Maude decided to buy the ruby ring from their online store. He found the store and contacted them. A lady at the customer service recommended one that she promised no lady could refuse. It was worth $12,000. Of course, it would cost Mr. Maude an arm and a leg, but he thought Mrs. Maude deserved it. Without much hesitation, Mr. Maude bought what the service lady recommended, expecting to give his wife a big surprise. What he didn’t expect was that what he finally received from SM was more than a surprise
Days after Mr. Maude placed the order online, he received a parcel from SM when his wife was taking care of the garden. Thinking that he needed to take a look at the real thing before he gave it to his wife, he took the parcel to the bedroom and opened it. Inside the package, there was some wrapping bubble plastic sheets. When Mr.Maude emptied the package, to his surprise, he found not one but two ring boxes. Inside each box, there was a ruby ring. The two rings are only slightly different from each other. “This is obviously not supposed to be a buy-one-get-one-for-free offer. Ruby rings are just too expensive for that. Most probably, this is a mistake of some kind,” Mr. Maude said to himself.
注意：
1.续写词数应为150左右;
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
So, Mr. Maude decided to discuss this matter with his wife.
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The day before the couple celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary, an unexpected parcel arrived from SM.
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2 . Want to reduce your carbon, footprint? Here are the best sustainable choices for carrying your luggage(行李).
Paravel Aviator Grand $ 425
The Paravel Aviator Grand combines recycled fabric with recycled metal parts, including zippers(拉锁)and a handle that can be used as long as you do. The fabric lining is made from recycled and single-use plastic bottles. Its producer Paravel has up-cycled 3.1 million plastic bottles and planted 70,000 trees. A five-year after service,covering wear and tear, ensures you’ll get a lot of use from the Paravel Aviator Grand.
Dakine Terminal Spinner $220
With a 40-liter capacity, the Dakine Terminal Spinner is not only roomy but also lasting, with waterproof polyester(聚酯纤维)made from recycled plastic water bottles. The roomy outer pocket is padded for laptops up to 17 inches. It’s even got a cup rest—a place to set your coffee when you’re standing still.
Peak Design Travel Backpack $483
The Peak Design Travel Backpack expands to 45 liters. It has both internal and external pockets, with quick-access pockets for frequently-used small items. Made from lightweight polyester, this travel backpack is weatherproof. The bottom liner provides even more protection and a thicker fabric, so you don’t have to worry about setting your bag down on a wet surface, The Peak Design Travel Backpack is also Fair Trade certified and carbon neutral.
Solgaard Check-in Closet $355
The Solgaard Check-in Closet is designed with five inner shelves, so you interact with its contents with the bag standing up. It can handle more than enough for a week of travelling. Despite its size, the Solgaard Check-in Closet is also easy to roll around, thanks to smooth 360-degree wheels. Built from a polycarbonate shell made from recycled plastic bottles, the Solgaard Check-in Closet is lasting enough and has a 10-yearafter service.
1. Which luggage container has recycled metal parts?| A．Paravel Aviator Grand. |
| B．Dakine Terminal Spinner. |
| C．Peak Design Travel Backpack. |
| D．Solgaard Check-in Closet. |
| A．They are waterproof. |
| B．They have quick-access pockets. |
| C．They are made of recycled bottles. |
| D．Their producers have planted many trees. |
| A．Low price and outer pockets. |
| B．Strong zippers and a cup rest, |
| C．Large capacity and easy movement. |
| D．Roomy outer pockets and long after service. |
3 . A bunch of flowers, a box of chocolates and a bottle of wine are the classic moves when it comes to buying the best mother’s day gifts. If you want something a little different this year, we’ve prepared a guide to fine gifts for your mother, grandmother or mother-in-law.
Personalized Chopping Board (切菜板)
From £40, Etsy
Quickest delivery: 5-7 days, free
A good chopping board will stay with you for life. This wooden board is handmade in a Yorkshire workshop, and can be personalized on one or both sides. Sizes vary from small to extra large.
Bloom & Wild Flower Subscription
£104 for six months, Bloom & Wild
Give the gift of fresh flowers once a month, for six months with this well priced Bloom & Wild gift subscription. It works out at £17.33 per bunch. That’s a pretty good deal considering the average bunch at Bloom & Wild costs nearer £25.
The Body Shop Rose Quartz Gua Sha Stone
£15, The Body Shop
Quickest delivery: next day if you order before 11am, £4.99
The practice of gua sha is rooted in ancient Chinese medicine but became the number one western beauty trend in 2020 after influencers and beauty editors alike were crazy about how it made their faces appear more attractive. It involves combing a gua sha along your cheeks, jawline, chin and around your mouth in delicate dragging motions to de-puff (消肿).
Fitbit Inspire 2
£44.99, John Lewis
Quickest delivery: next day from £7.50
It’s a common misconception that you have to break the bank to buy a fitness watch, but this Fitbit watch suggests otherwise. For less than £50, she gets a tracker of activity, heart-rate and sleep, as well as a battery that lasts up to 10 days.
1. How much may yearly subscribed flowers cost at Bloom & Wild?| A．£100. | B．£104. | C．£208. | D．£300. |
| A．Its beautifying effect. | B．Its easy-to-use feature. |
| C．Its body weight control. | D．Its Chinese medicine origin. |
| A．It is water-proof. | B．It is reasonably priced. |
| C．It has a long battery life. | D．It can track users’ activity. |
| A．Its colour. | B．Its price. | C．Its size. |
1. What are the speakers doing?
| A．Cooking. | B．Watching TV. | C．Doing shopping. |
| A．Cheese. | B．Ice cream. | C．Milk. |
| A．In the late afternoon. | B．At noon. | C．In the morning. |
| A．40 dollars. | B．20 dollars. | C．10 dollars. |
1．扫码支付的现状；
2．扫码支付的方法；
3．扫码支付的好处。
注意：1.词数100左右；
2．可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
参考词汇：扫码支付scan to pay，二维码QR code，微信WeChat，支付宝Alipay
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8 . If you think that Internet shopping on a Sunday gets you the best deals, then think again. Tuesday is actually the best day of the week if you want to grab a bargain, according to an exhaustive analysis of online shopping. Thursday is the second best day followed by Friday—but Sunday is when you are least likely to make a saving.
The study also looked at months and found that the preChristmas rush in November is when there are most bargains around on the web—and not the January sales. US retailer (零售商) reporting service Sum All examined 3,000 companies and half a billion transactions (交易) as part of its report. It worked out the average discount (折扣) offered to consumers on each day of the week and over different times of the year.
The best day of the week was Tuesday where savings were 4.81 percent, followed by Thursday on 4.80 percent.In third place was Friday at 4.65 percent, then Wednesday at 4.13 percent and Monday at 4.11 percent. Only the foolish would shop on a Saturday where the discounts were typically 3.84 percent—and Sunday was the worst with 3.37 percent.
The analysis by month is even more surprising as most people think that waiting until the postChristmas sales would yield the biggest discounts.In fact, November is when you will get the largest savings at 5.99 percent on average.January came in second at 4.95 percent, followed by May at 4.50 percent.
The worst month to buy online was March where you could expect to save just 2.76 percent. Consumers and experts have been speculating for years about the best time to shop online.
Booking a flight has almost become a science with some claiming that buying six weeks before you travel guarantees you the best price. However, a recent analysis by the US Airlines Reporting Commission found that was not actually the case.
Not only did the six week window fail to pile up, in some cases the best fares were on sale as long as 24 weeks before departure.The ARC said that booking well in advance is best advised for busy routes or long haul flights (长途航班), as the price only tends to go up.
1. If a buyer wants to buy cheap goods online, he’d better go to the shop on ________．| A．Tuesday | B．Thursday |
| C．Friday | D．Sunday |
| A．after New Year’s Day |
| B．during Valentine’s Day |
| C．on Mother’s Day |
| D．before Christmas |
| A．The best day of the week was Tuesday where savings were 4.8 percent. |
| B．In third place was Thursday where savings were 4.65 percent. |
| C．Sunday where the discounts were 3.37 percent was the worst. |
| D．Customers can get the best savings on Saturday. |
| A．Quarrelling. | B．Objecting. |
| C．Searching. | D．Considering. |
9 . Best devices for students 2023
External hard drive
Price: about £50
The last thing you want is for your laptop to break (or get stolen) and to lose all of your work as a result. An external hard drive like this one from Western Digital can store a backup copy of pretty much your entire laptop.
Amazon Kindle
Price: about £130
Even if you’re a die-hard fan of physical books, the pain of carrying university textbooks around every day might change you.
The latest model of the Kindle Paper white comes with Bluetooth and a front-lit screen that has an adjustable warm light and, as is the case with most e-readers, the battery can last for weeks on a single charge.
Tile Mate key finder
Price: about £20
If you’re the kind of person who’s always losing stuff — particularly your phone or keys — then this little device could be a lifesaver.
Attach your Tile Mate key ring to your set of keys, and you can use the Tile Mate app to locate them if you happen to lose them.
And best of all, if you’ve got your keys but can’t find your phone, hitting the button on the Tile Mate key ring will make your phone ring — even when it’s on silent.Genius.
WiFi range extender
Price: about £35
All too often, the routers supplied by broadband companies aren’t quite up to the job.
We’ve used this WiFi range extender from NETGEAR and can confirm that it does a great job of improving the WiFi signal around the house. It plugs straight into the wall, and although you might need to trial a couple of different locations before finding the perfect position, you should notice the difference straight away.
1. What is the price of an external hard drive?| A．About £20. | B．About £35. |
| C．About £50. | D．About £130. |
| A．It can be attached to your keys. |
| B．It can be located very easily. |
| C．It can save your life in time of emergency. |
| D．It can make your phone ring — even when it’s on silent. |
| A．External hard drive. | B．Amazon Kindle. |
| C．Tile Mate key finder. | D．WiFi range extender. |
| A．$100. | B．$130. | C．$140. |
