| A．Some of the items. | B．All the items. | C．Only the carpet. |
2 . In order to save money on groceries, you can try the following ways which will help you cut $100 out of grocery bill every month without too much effort.
Know what to buy in large amount. Shopping at warehouse (批发店) is a great way to save money. However, not every item is worth buying in large amounts.
Skip the meat. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the average cost of beef is $4.13 per pound this March.
Know what to buy in season. Fruits and vegetables are a great addition to your daily diet, but they can add a significant amount to your grocery bill, especially when you buy items out of season. As produce items go out of season, they become more expensive as the supply decreases.
| A．Store pre-made items. |
| B．Skip the prepared items. |
| C．Shopping for groceries can be an expensive attempt. |
| D．Beef has seen a significant increase in price over the past few years. |
| E．The cost can add up quickly if you’re eating beef three or four times per week. |
| F．Certain items make sense to buy in large quantities because they typically have a longer shelf life. |
| G．If your favorite items are getting ready to go out of season, considering buying a little extra and freezing them. |
3 . On Friday, Chin's e-commerce king Alibaba (BABA) held its annual Singles' Day shopping event, posting record sales of $17.8 billion worth of gross merchandise volume (GMV) and soaring past last year's results of $14.3 billion. This figure was easily beaten in Chinese Yuan at 3:30 pm.
Back in the 1990s, Singles' Day was first celebrated by young, single Chinese people as a pushback against Valentine's Day. Now, it has become one of the country’s biggest shopping events. Alibaba began the "holiday'' in 2009, promoting discounts at certain retailers on its various digital platforms; the company uses Singles’ Day as a way to boost its revenues in the typically slow sales period before the Lunar New Year season.
This year, Alibaba said that deals are offered by athletic giants Nike Inc. NKE and Adidas ADDYY, iPhone maker Apple Inc. AAPL industrial automation company Siemens AG ADR SIEGY and fast fashion retailer Uniqlo. Many international brands have jumped on the holiday over recent years. According to survey, 14.000 brands took part in 2016 Singles' Day, making up roughly 30% of total GMV just half-way into the shopping event. Big Chinese brands like appliance manufacturers Haier and Midea and smartphone maker Meizu also reported strong profits in the event.
Popular celebrities made appearances at the four-hour "countdown event" in Shenzhen this year, including actress Scarlett Johansson, David Beckham and his wife, fashion designer Victoria Beckham, Kobe Bryant, and live music from OneRepublic. Even Alibaba CEO Jack Ma showed up and performed a magic trick on stage.
For some perspective on how big of a sale Singles' Day is, 2015's Black Friday, the annual day-afer-Thanksgiving sale here in the US, only reached $4.5 billion in GMV; Cyber Monday, the annual Monday-after-Thanksgiving e-commerce sale event, only saw a record $3 billion last year, or pocket change compared to what Singles' Day brings in.
1. What is GMV of Alibaba at 3:30 pm on November 11?| A．$17.8 billion. | B．$16.8 billion. | C．$14.3 billion. | D．$13.4 billion. |
| A．To make it as a pushback against Valentine's Day. |
| B．To celebrate the coming Lunar New Year season. |
| C．To build up more retailers on its digital platforms. |
| D．To increase its sales during the very difficult times. |
| A．Only single Chinese people like shopping here. |
| B．All the big Chinese brands showed interest in it. |
| C．Many famous international brands took part in it. |
| D．The company only chose the brands from the USA. |
| A．Jack Ma. | B．Scarlett Johansson. | C．Victoria Beckham. | D．Kobe Bryant. |
| A．The success of Alibaba. | B．The scale of Black Friday. |
| C．The advantage of e-commerce. | D．The danger of Cyber Monday. |
4 . Let’s say you want to purchase a camera, and you’re comparing two different advertisements. In one, the pictures, colors, and instructions make the information easy to read. The other has an unclear style that takes more time for you to understand. If you decide to purchase the second camera with the more confusing advertisement, new research out of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute shows that, over time, you’ll likely be happier with your choice.
In a paper co-authored by Gaurav Jain, an assistant professor of marketing in the Lally School of Management at Rensselaer, researchers found that nonstop stimuli (刺激), or the difficulty for an individual to process a message, increases people’s attitudes toward that message after a time delay.
“This research has a real-life impact,” Jain said. “Most of the time, marketing communicators try to make their message clear. What we learned, however, is that there are certain times, especially when people need to make choices, when we should actually use nonstop stimuli so that whatever people are choosing, they will like it once time has passed.”
Using primary data collection designed by Jain of about 500 diverse individuals, researchers also found that consumers judge the time spent in the decision-making process wrongly. Rather than recognizing that the lengthy decision came from trying to understand the information, when looking back on the process, consumers instead believe they spent the time on making the decision. This leads the consumer to believe the decision they made was informed and worthy.
These findings are meaningful for marketing communications in many fields.
“When people are making decisions,” Jain said, “like choosing insurance products, retirement funds, or even when choosing an elected official, marketers and designers need to remember that if we can make an individual spend some time in that choosing process, it’s more likely people will stick with the option they chose over time.”
Jain says that when consumers’ attitudes about a product increase, the impact on post-purchase decisions like returns and reviews of the product will be more favorable to the brand.
1. How does the author introduce the topic?| A．By listing figures. | B．By giving examples. |
| C．By using others’ words. | D．By showing people’s reviews. |
| A．Make their message short. |
| B．Make their message attractive. |
| C．Make their message easy to understand. |
| D．Make their message hard to understand. |
| A．Writing a paper. | B．Selling a product. |
| C．Choosing a camera. | D．Designing a new brand. |
| A．Time Delay: What is it |
| B．Suggestions to the Marketers |
| C．How to Make Consumers Happy |
| D．Difficult Decision, Satisfactory Choice |
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1. How much should be paid for 2 Anti-Sleep Alarms?| A．US $10. | B．US $9.5. | C．US $10.5. | D．US $9. |
| A．It is comfortable to wear. | B．It is big and easy to use. |
| C．It can work for 30,000 minutes. | D．It can be powered by any kind of battery. |
| A．The company will pay the extra costs. |
| B．Import duties and taxes are included in the price. |
| C．You will receive the goods within 1-3 business days. |
| D．The goods will be shipped to your eBay or PayPal address. |
6 . Amazon has made a new version（版本）of its cheapest Kindle e-reader with an improved screen and a reading light, a feature previously held back for its more expensive e-readers.
Costing $10 more than the previous generation, at $69.99, the new Kindle has a 6in e-ink display with an adjustable front light to make the screen readable in the dark. “Customers consistently tell us how much they appreciate having a front light on Kindle e-readers so they can read in any environment, ” said Erie Saarmio, the European head of Amazon e-readers. He added that this was the first Kindle under S100 with a built-in adjustable front light.
The new Kindle not only has a similar light to the Kindle Paperwhite, but also mirrors its design from 2015. It is 8. 7mm thick, making it 0. 4mm thinner than the previous version, but it weighs 174g instead of 16lg now. Amazon says its size and weight till make it easy to read while holding in one hand. The new Kindle also relinquishes the previous touch system for a more modern touch screen, the same technology used in smart phones and Amazon’s Kindle Paperwhite, which should be more responsive. Amazon says the redesigned e-reader still has a six-week battery life based on 30 minutes of reading a day with Wi-Fi turned off.
Amazon’s audiobooks（有声读物）, first introduced with the Kindle Oasis in 2016, can also be used in the new Kindle. It has enough storage（存储）to hold 14 audiobooks or thousands of e-books as is standard with Amazon’s e-readers.
1. How has the new Kindle been improved?| A．By making it lighter. | B．By adding a reading light. |
| C．By improving its appearance. | D．By increasing its storage space. |
| A．Adjusts to. | B．Keeps on. | C．Gives up. | D．Stands for. |
| A．They both have a six-day battery life. |
| B．They both support Amazon's audiobooks. |
| C．They both have to be used with Wi-Fi turned on. |
| D．They’re both equipped with an improved screen. |
| A．Some new features of Amazon’s Kindle e-readers. |
| B．The popularity of Amazon’s cheapest Kindle. |
| C．The improvement of Amazon’s cheapest Kindle. |
| D．Different versions of Amazon’s Kindle e-readers. |
7 . Just wanting a hamburger, Hembert Figueroa was surprised to learn the dollar bills in his pocket were no good at Dos Toros Taqueria in Manhanttan.
Figueroa, an ironworker, had to stand to the side, holding his hamburger, until a cashier helped him find another customer willing to pay for his meal with a card in exchange for cash. “I had money but I couldn’t pay,” he said.
Cash-free stores are causing a backlash among some activists who say the practice looks down upon people like Figueroa, who either lack bank accounts or rely on cash for many transactions(交易).
Supporters for banning cashless stores worry technology is moving too fast for the 6.5% of American households—8.4 million—that do not have a bank account.
Business owners who go cashless say they are following the lead of majority of customers who are abandoning cash payments. Retailers(零售商)are under pressure to satisfy customers with higher expectations for fast and convenient service, driven by companies like Amazon and Uber.
Leo Kremer, co-worker of Dos Toros, said the amount of cash transactions at his stores fell from about 50% a decade ago to 15% last year. Cash transactions made handling cash especially troublesome. Before going cashless, Dos Toros locations were robbed twice.
Financial experts who work with low-income people caution against making assumptions about the shopping preferences or buying power of those who rely on cash. Justine Zinkin, CEO of Neighborhood Trust Financial Partners, said the greater urgency in the digital time is finding ways to better include low-income people in the banking system, such as urging banks to offer no-fee starter accounts and encouraging banks to open branches in underserved areas.
1. What trouble was Hembert Figueroa faced with at Dos Toros Taqueria?| A．He couldn’t make a deal with cash. |
| B．He failed to find a cashier for help. |
| C．He took no money or a card with him. |
| D．He was caught carrying false bank notes. |
| A．Heated debate. | B．Warm welcome. |
| C．Strong disagreement. | D．High expectation. |
| A．Making regulations to ban cashless stores. |
| B．Raising the buying power of low-income people. |
| C．Finding ways for banks to adapt with the digital time. |
| D．Making banks more accessible to low-income people. |
| A．Cashless stores—a production of new technology |
| B．Should cashless stores be banned? |
| C．Cashless stores, a new form of transaction |
| D．Are cashless stores preferred by low-income people? |
8 . Hands-on experience is still attractive to many buyers, although online ordering is popular in the UK today.
Oxford Street
London is shoppers’ paradise, and most visitors head for Oxford Street. Halfway along is Selfridges, one of the world’s first department stores where the architecture and window dressing impress even before you go in. There are at least four other major stores on this street, plus Europe’s largest music shop. In December the atmosphere is especially festive because of the Christmas lights which are always lit by a politician, a great sportsman, or a superstar.
Kensington High Street
A fashionable area for shopping is Kensington High Street. One of its department stores even has a roof garden — good for relaxing between purchases. There’s also an organic food superstore.
Borough Market
One of the oldest and best for food is probably Borough Market on the south bank of the Thames. Get off the underground at London Bridge and wander among fresh fish stands, bakeries, and fruit and vegetable sellers. You can also buy special food to take away, like cheeses, pork pies, mustard and chutney.
More places for bargains
Portobello Road on a Saturday is your best choice for jewelry or collector’s items. It’s a short walk from the subway station at Notting Hill Gate and you never know what you will find. For clothes, Camden Market is the place. It gets a little crowded at weekends, though. Convent Garden offers great experience for the simple pleasure of looking at jewelry and gifts.
1. What makes Oxford Street become special in December?| A．The wonderful window dressing. |
| B．The Europe’s largest music shop. |
| C．The lights lit by a famous person. |
| D．Many bargains to choose from. |
| A．Kensington High Street. | B．Camden Market. |
| C．Borough Market. | D．Portobello Road. |
| A．A trip guide. | B．A news report. |
| C．A science book | D．A financial magazine. |
1. What does the man like doing?
| A．Going shopping. | B．Playing sports. | C．Watching football matches. |
| A．Doing sports. | B．Going out | C．Buying clothes. |
| A．A sports shop. | B．A food shop. | C．A music shop. |
| A．It's quite boring | B．It's very expensive. | C．It's pretty good. |
10 . When my friend suggested going to the thrift shop, instantly I thought “I hope no one I know sees me”. It was the same when my cousin commented on my new furniture and Japanese fine-bone-china bowls and asked where I got them. They were from the local thrift shop but instead I said “from the antique shop”.
Many people in my Greek-Cypriot community would despise me if I said I shopped at the thrift shop. They may pity me, consider me poor, a failure. Immigrants sacrificed their families and homes for a better life. Buying a house and having enough money to live comfortably, to educate your children and see them also live comfortably, are a big part of the immigrant dream. But has this dream made us materialistic at the cost of our own planet?
Our love for purchasing the latest trendy clothes or furniture, then donating them when we are tired of them has become normal. I was once like this. But after watching the documentary The True Cost I learned donated clothes that don’t get sold are sent to developing nations, many of them ending up in landfills (垃圾填埋地). In addition, your new dress requires electricity and materials to make. But if you buy a second-hand dress, that’s one less dress in a landfill and one less new dress to be made.
A friend introduced me to the thrift shop only a few years ago. My first item was a dress she gifted me. It was lovely and I loved it. Nobody could tell it was second-hand. This opened me up to purchasing more second-hand high quality branded clothes. Once I dropped in on a friend and was impressed by how she decorated her apartment. “It’s all second-hand.” she said. I couldn’t believe it. The truth is a lot of things sold at the thrift shop are in new or almost new condition. That’s when I made the decision to only buy second—hand things.
Selling second-hand things isn’t anything new but what the planet needs is more buyers. There is so much excess production in the world. So stop feeling ashamed, and let’s get shopping.
1. What does the underlined word “despise” mean in paragraph 2?| A．Think highly of. | B．Look down upon. |
| C．Get away from. | D．Keep up with. |
| A．They want to pursue a high standard of material life. |
| B．They all prefer wearing the latest fancy clothing. |
| C．They think highly of children’s education. |
| D．They get along well with their neighbors. |
| A．The great variety of the goods in the thrift shop. |
| B．The low cost of the goods in the thrift shop. |
| C．The persuasion of the author’s friends. |
| D．The wasted resources of new products and good quality of the thrift shop. |
| A．To introduce a new trend of buying at the thrift shop. |
| B．To persuade more people to buy at the thrift shop. |
| C．To encourage more people to pursue the latest fashion. |
| D．To raise people’s awareness of reasonable shopping. |
