1 . Letters to customers

Letter 1
Dear Mr Johnson,

Thanks for your long-term trust. We take great pleasure in announcing that our latest product, the 1000-watt home theater system, has come onto the market.

The device comes with five speakers. It is Bluetooth-enabled and has a USB port. The sound quality and picture quality are outstanding.

Grab yours today! Contact us at 999-999-999.

Helen

Letter 2
Dear Miss Turner,

We are grateful for your good review of our printer. To express our thanks, we’d like to give you a special offer. In the upcoming three months, you will get one free cartridge (墨盒) for any three that you buy. It also applies to any paper you buy.

Please show this note to us when you visit our store. It will make sure you can get the offer and a significant discount on other products.

Call us at 333-555-999 if you have any questions.

Nicholas

Letter 3
Dear Mr Davis,

We’d like to congratulate you on the ownership of the new mountain bike. This bike is the first to succeed in all the standard safety tests set by the Cycling Association of America. You can get a free bike repair service within the first month of your purchase.

We also trade in old and new bikes. For more information, call us at 223-334-445.

Bob

Letter 4
Dear Miss Smith,

I am delighted that you are satisfied with the washer and dryer purchased from our store.

If you experience any damage within the first six months of your purchase, we will repair them at no cost. After that, we offer competitive rates to ensure your continued satisfaction.

Please feel free to contact us at 111-222-111 for any further information.

Amy

1. What’s Helen’s purpose in writing to Mr Johnson?

A．To show her trust.

B．To confirm an order.

C．To promote a new product.

D．To seek opinions on their product.

2. What should Miss Turner do to ensure a discount on a new product?

A．Give praise for the cartridge.

B．Bring the note to the store.

C．Buy at least four cartridges.

D．Recommend the printer to others. ‘

3. What do Letter 3 and Letter 4 have in common?

A．Both offer free maintenance.

B．Both stress the safety of products.

C．Both display competitive product rates.

D．Both involve the trade of new and old products.

2 . “Few articles change owners more frequently than clothes. They travel downwards from grade to grade in the social scale with remarkable regularity,” wrote the journalist Adolphe Smith in 1877 as he traced a coat’s journey in the last century: cleaned, repaired and resold repeatedly; cut down into a smaller item; eventually recycled into new fabric. But with the improvement in people’s living standards, that model is mind-boggling in the era of fast fashion. The average British customer buys four items a month. And it is reported that 350,000 tonnes of used but still wearable clothes go to landfills in the UK each year.

Yet the gradual revival of the second-hand trade has gathered pace in the past few years. At fashion website Asos, sales of vintage clothes (古董衫) have risen by 92%. Clothing was once worn out of necessity, and now it is simply a way of life. Busy families sell used items on eBay, teenagers trade on Depop and some fashion people offer designer labels on Vestiaire Collective. Strikingly, it has become big enough business that mainstream retailers (零售商) want a slice of the action.

For some buyers and sellers, the switch to the second-hand is born of financial difficulties. Only a few have become worried about the impact of their shopping habit on the planet. But the shift is only a partial solution. Some people worry that some mainstream brands may “greenwash” — using second-hand goods to improve their image, rather than engaging more seriously with sustainability.

However, the biggest concern may be that people keep buying because they know they can resell goods, still chasing the pleasure of the next purchase but with an eased conscience (愧疚). Boohoo, a powerful fast fashion company, has seen sales and profits rise, despite concerns about environmental problems in its supply chain that led to an investigation last year.

A new Netflix series, Worn Stories, documents the emotional meanings that clothes can have: Each old item is full of memories. Actually, a handbag from a grandmother and a scarf passed on by a father are both valuable for us. A love of style is not a bad or an unimportant thing. But a committed relationship is better than a quick flash. Can we learn to appreciate our own old clothes as well as others’?

1. What does the word “mind-boggling” underlined in paragraph 1 probably mean?

A．Unbelievable.

B．Popular.

C．Reasonable.

D．Influential.

2. With the business mentioned in paragraph 2, the author wants to show _______.

A．old clothes are more popular than new pieces

B．the online second-hand markets are booming

C．the fashion world begins to favor vintage clothes

D．many clothing brands are innovative in their new products

3. How does the second-hand trade impact people according to paragraph 4?

A．It makes people feel free to pursue fast fashion.

B．It makes people more cautious about their budgets.

C．It encourages people to choose eco-friendly clothes.

D．It pushes people to be more engaged with sustainability.

4. Which of the following views does Worn Stories advocate?

A．Old items have lost favor with the public.

B．Old items are worthy of being long cherished.

C．Older generations attach great importance to old items.

D．Older generations care about the quality of their clothes.

3 . Danone Portugal introduced a new yogurt named Juntos. For every pack of yogurt that a person bought, he would donate yogurt to a family in need. Danone had done its research. Increasingly, people say they want to buy from brands that give them a sense of purpose. Surely a yogurt that helped the needy would be appealing. But Juntos was a failure. Despite sinking millions into a marketing campaign, Danone pulled Juntos from the market only months after it was launched. Now the same product is simply marketed as a tasty yogurt.

What happened? To find the reason behind Juntos’ failure, Lawrence Williams and his colleagues did an experiment where they showed people some products and asked these people to pick one option. They reminded some to focus on the “purposeful and valuable” aspect while others were told to “enjoy themselves” and focus on “delight and pleasure.” They found that participants who prioritized meaning preferred the less expensive product when compared with people who put pleasure in the first place.

So why were meaning-seekers cheaping out? Lawrence Williams asked participants to explain their decision-making to find out. He learned that meaning-oriented people were not thinking about how the product they might buy could bring meaning to their lives. Instead, they were occupied with what else they could do with their money.

I am all for people making wise and strategic financial choices. But cheap products can create many problems. Inexpensive options often do not last as long as the higher-end ones. As a result, we shop more often, which is ultimately worse for our wallets. Plus, that spending pattern can do a greater damage to the environment. Thanks in part to fast fashion, people buy 60 percent more clothing today than they did 15 years ago. The fashion industry alone emits more greenhouse gases than international flights and maritime (海洋的) shipping combined.

So before you dive into your wallet for some deals, try not to fix only on what you are spending or saving. Think carefully about what you are buying, too.

1. What is the main reason for the failure of Juntos?

A．It ignored marketing strategies.	B．It priced itself relatively high.
C．It lacked a particularly good taste.	D．It focused on delight and pleasure.

2. What can be inferred about meaning seekers?

A．They frequent high-end stores.	B．They think products extend their lives.
C．They hesitate to make decisions.	D．They make more purchases with money.

3. How is Paragraph 4 mainly developed?

A．By giving some examples.	B．By listing numbers and data.
C．By explaining reasons.	D．By making some comparisons.

4. Which is the most suitable title for the text?

A．Innovation: a Product’s Life	B．To Buy or not to Buy
C．Meaning seekers or Quality-pursuers	D．Fast Fashion: a Hit to Your Wallet

4 . A study from 2010 said that raising prices by 1% without losing sales can increase profits by 8.7% on average. Getting the prices right can be difficult. Set them too high and you lose customers; set them too low and you leave money on the table.

To make more money, shopkeepers have been turning to price-optimization (优化) systems that predict how customers will respond to price changes. These systems are becoming cleverer thanks to advances in artificial intelligence (AI). While older systems used historical sales data to estimate (估计) price sensitivity for individual goods, the latest AI-powered systems can find relationships between multiple goods. These AI-powered systems use big data to estimate price sensitivity — how much demand increases as the price falls or how much demand decreases as the price goes up-for thousands of products. Price-sensitive (价格敏感的) goods can then be discounted and price-insensitive ones marked up.

All this makes pricing systems “much more three-dimensional”, observes Chad Yoes, the pricing official at Walmart, a supermarket. In February, Starbucks, a chain of coffee shops, expressed pride in its use of AI to price products “on an ongoing basis”. US Foods, a food company, says its pricing system can promote sales and profits.

Price-optimization may make prices change more. “Shopkeepers are pricing faster today than they ever have before,” says Matt Pavich of Revionics, a pricing-software firm. That is especially true in the fast-moving world of e-commerce. But even Walmart changes the prices of many items in its stores 2-4 times a year, says Mr Yoes. up from once or twice a few years ago.

Sysco, a food company, says the AI-powered system allows it to lower prices on “key value items” and raise prices on other products. It can thus increase profits by expanding sales while maintaining profits. That keeps investors content and shoppers sweet.

1. What can be learned from the first paragraph?

A．It is sometimes difficult to set the right prices.

B．Getting the prices right can make you lose customers.

C．Raising prices by 1% always leads to an 8.7% increase in profits.

D．The study from 2010 suggests that you leave money on the table.

2. What is the advantage of AI-powered pricing systems over older systems?

A．They are more price-sensitive.

B．They make prices change more.

C．They can predict price sensitivity for individual goods.

D．They are able to identify links between various products.

3. According to the text, which of the following products will shopkeepers reduce the price of?

A．Starbucks coffee.	B．Price-insensitive goods.
C．Walmart’s online goods.	D．Sysco’s “key value items”.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Apply AI to Set Prices	B．Raise Prices to Increase Profits
C．Reduce Prices to Promote Sales	D．Use AI to Predict Customer Response

5 . What is the man’s opinion?

A．Most websites are safe.

B．Most websites steal money.

C．More and more people shop online.

6 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. Why does the woman come to the man?

A．To express thanks.

B．To change a tie.

C．To make a complaint.

2. What does the woman like about the wallet?

A．The design．

B．The colour.

C．The material.

3. How much is the wallet today?

A．20 dollars.

B．18 dollars.

C．10 dollars.

7 . The Problem with Online Returns

Online shopping is booming: In 2020, Americans spent $ 813 billion online, a 42% increase over 2019. This year, experts expect that figure to top $ 1 trillion for the first time. But millions of those purchases will eventually get sent back.     1     Here’s what you need to know.

When shoppers can’t physically examine products before purchase, they’re more likely to buy clothes that don’t fit or items that don’t suit their needs. People return on average about 25% of what they buy online, compared with 8% of what they buy in stores. However, many items that get returned never go back on sale.     2     About 5 billion pounds of returned goods went to landfills each year, according to logistics(物流)company Optoro.

    3     When you send a product back, companies already owe you a refund, and it would cost them even more to ship it to a sorting facility and have someone evaluate whether it can be sold again. At this stage, every person that touches that item is adding cost, but the company doesn’t earn any value.

Although it’s unlikely that returned items will be sold as new, some items get sent to discount stores.     4     Other unwanted items might be sent overseas-although many could still go to the garbage eventually.

In some cases, giant companies like Amazon and Target have begun telling customers to just keep their unwanted items rather than send them back. Third-party logistics businesses have also popped up to help clean up the return process. But that’s not enough on its own.     5     If we continue to shop without thinking about the environmental impacts of our decisions, we’ll ultimately have very unsustainable supply chains.

A．It sounds shocking, but it all boils down to cost.

B．The responsibility falls on us consumers as well.

C．Those returns can have a big environmental impact.

D．Things like electronics could get separated into parts.

E．That increase has accelerated rapidly during the pandemic.

F．Instead, they’re often thrown out, even if they’re still brand-new.

G．In response, France forbade the destruction of unsold consumer goods.

8 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. According to the man, what is the advantage of the electric car?

A．It’s cheap.

B．It’s comfortable.

C．It’s environmentally friendly.

2. Which one does the woman take at last?

A．An electric car.

B．A midsize car.

C．A roomy SUV.

3. How much does the woman pay in all?

A．$195.

B．$152.

C．$190.

9 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入适当的词，如有括号提示，请以提示词的正确形式填空。

China is quickly becoming the fashion capital. Thanks to young consumers and social media, China is no longer looking to the West for fashion ideas,    1     is developing its own style. There is even     2     unique name for it: China-Chic.

China-Chic is the result of young people's renewed interest in Chinese culture and things that are guochao— brands and products     3     have a traditional Chinese flavor. According to Nielsen, a company which follows consumer trends, 68 percent of young Chinese say they prefer buying "Made in China" products     4     foreign made products. The trend     5    (gain) popularity over the past couple of years,     6    (particular) among those in their late teens and early 20s.

Nostalgia(怀旧) is part of this trend, with products such as White Rabbit candy and Bee Flower haircare products     7    (become) popular among the young, but newer products such as Perfect Diary and PeaceBird are now outselling foreign brands. Last year, domestic brands even increased     8    (sale) by 2 percent.

Market researcher Elijah Whaley says, "Foreign brands used to have an advantage in the Chinese market by representing a Western lifestyle that     9    (assume) to be superior. But Chinese consumers are now more confident in     10    (they) domestically crafted China style." The underlying message here: it's cool to be Chinese.

10 . Our Products and Services

Model 3

Model 3 is a four-door mid-size sedan (轿车) that we designed with a base price for mass-market appeal, which we began delivering in July 2017. We currently build Model 3 at the Fremont Factory as well as at Gigafactory Shanghai. We currently offer Model 3 in Rear-wheel Drive (后轮驱动) and Dual Motor All-wheel Drive versions.

Model Y

Model Y is a sport utility vehicle (“SUV”) built on the Model 3 platform with the ability for seating for up to seven adults. We currently build Model Y at the Fremont Factory, and are further raising production there and making preparations for production next at Gigafactory Shanghai. We currently offer Model Y in some Dual Motor All-wheel Drive versions.

Model S and Model X

Model S is a four-door full-size sedan that we began delivering in June 2012. Like Model 3, it introduced Tesla vehicle most basic features such as a large touchscreen driver interface, Auto-driving hardware, over-the-air software updates, and fast charging through our Supercharger network.

Model X is a mid-size SUV with seating for up to seven adults, which we began delivering in September 2015. Model X introduced features including unique falcon (鹰) wing doors for easy access to passenger seating and an all-glass panoramic (全景的) windshield (挡风玻璃).

Model S and Model X are equipped with a standard Dual Motor All-wheel Drive powertrain, and are also available in Performance versions. We build Model S and Model X at the Fremont Factory.

1. What can we know about Model 3 and Model S?

A．They are both a SUV.	B．They both have Rear-wheel Drive.
C．They both have Auto-driving hardware	D．Neither of them can be fast charged.

2. Which model is most suitable for a big family of five children who want a better view in a car?

A．Model 3.

B．Model Y.

C．Model S.

D．Model X.

3. What do all the Tesla models have in common according to the passage?

A．Dual Motor All-wheel Drive.	B．Falcon wing doors.
C．Having a factory in Shanghai.	D．Seating for up to seven people.