1 . What did the woman buy for her husband?

A．A stamp.

B．A tie.

C．A wallet.

2 . Shenzhen is an ideal shopping place for visitors. The following is a list of the most popular shopping areas in the city.

North Huaqiang Area

The most prosperous shopping area in Shenzhen, it is home to dozens of market places for electronic products, clothing and jewelry. Some market places each house hundreds of shops, from flagship stores selling big brands to small shops where you can bargain.

It is also a great place to dine, with plenty of restaurants offering various Chinese dishes and foreign brands like Pizza Hut, Hagen Dazs and AijiSen.

Dongmen Area

One of the oldest commercial centers in Shenzhen, this area highlights a walking street flanked by humming stores. It is a good place to buy clothes, handbags, fashion accessories, jewelry, handicrafts, toys and small electronic gadgets.

MixC Shopping Mall

It is the city’s largest shopping mall and one of the most luxurious, selling clothes, cosmetics and fashion accessories. There is a large indoor ice skating rink, a movie theater and a supermarket selling many imported goods. You can also find quite a few foreign restaurant brands here, including Pizza Hut, Starbucks and a Japanese noodle house.

Shekou

Sitting by a beautiful cove in Western Nanshan District, this quiet place is frequented by many expatriates living in Shenzhen. There are stores selling antiques, collectibles, handicrafts and souvenirs, as well as bars and restaurants offering western food.

1. What can you do at North Huaqiang Area？

A．Skate.	B．Enjoy Chinese food.
C．Watch a film.	D．Buy antiques.

2. Where can you find a large indoor place to skate？

A．In North Huaqiang Area.	B．In Dongmen Area.
C．In MixC Shopping Mall.	D．In Shekou.

3. Where does this passage probably come from？

A．A text book.	B．A museum guide.
C．A news report.	D．A travel magazine.

3 . Twilight of the Brands

It's a truism of business-book thinking that a company's brand is its "most important asset," more valuable than technology or patents or manufacturing prowess．But brands have never been more fragile．The reason is simple: consumers are supremely well informed and far more likely to investigate the real value of products than to rely on logos．

Absolute Value, a new book by Itamar Simonson and Emanuel Rosen shows that, historically, the rise of brands was a response to an information-poor environment．    1     If a car was made by G.M, or a ketchup by Heinz, you assumed that it was pretty good．It was hard to figure out if a new product from an unfamiliar company was reliable or not, so brand loyalty was a way of reducing risk．

Today, consumers can read much research about whatever they want to buy．This started back with Consumer Reports, which did objective studies of products．    2     It has given ordinary consumers easy access to expert reviews, user reviews, and detailed product data, in an array of categories．

A recent study found that eighty per cent of consumers look at online reviews before making major purchases, and a host of studies have logged the strong influence those reviews have on the decisions people make．    3     An undesirable product can become a laughingstock（笑柄） in a matter of hours．In the old days, you might buy a Sony television set because you'd owned one before, or because you trusted the brand．Today, such considerations matter much less than reviews on Amazon and Engadget and CNET. As Simonson said, "each product how has to prove itself on its own．"

It's been argued that in a world where consumers are overwhelmed with information, the information will actually make brands more valuable．Indeed, the role a brand plays in people's lives has become all the more important, But information overload is largely a myth．    4     And this has made customer loyalty pretty much a thing of the past．Only twenty-five per cent of American respondents in a recent study said that brand loyalty affected how they shopped．

A．But what really weakened the power of brands is the Internet．

B．For consumers this is ideal: heightened competition has raised quality and held down prices．

C．When consumers had to rely on advertisements and their past experience with a company, brands served as a guarantee for quality．

D．A large quantity of consumers fail to get a great deal of information efficiently and effectively．

E．The rise of social media has sped up the trend to an astonishing degree．

F．Most consumers figure out how to find what they're looking for without spending huge amounts of time online．

4 . Here are four homes for sale around the U. S. with links to past presidents, as well as their close families.

John F. Kennedy’s Weekend Retreat

A modest farm near Middle burg, Virginia, was built by John F. Kennedy and his wife in the early 1960s. The former first lady designed it herself. The four-bedroom property is currently back on the market for $5.95 million, decreased by $10.99 million when it was first put up for sale in 2013.

Jackie Kennedy’s Summer House

Another Kennedy-linked property for sale is the “Lasata” estate in the Hamptons, designed by architect Arthur C. Jackson and built in 1917. Set on more than seven acres of land near the ocean, it includes a ten-bedroom house that was restored in 2007, including a three-car garage building. It’s on the market for $38.995 million, a little bit higher than last year.

Chester A. Arthur’s Summer White House

Chester A. Arthur, who became the 21st president in 1881, spent some of his down time here. The three-story, six-bedroom Victorian mansion, which was built in 1796 and has been recently restored, is for sale with a $14.2 million price tag. Features include a library with fireplace, a formal dining and living room and a family room overlooking the garden and the swimming pool.

Barack Obama’s Summer Rental

This Martha’s Vineyard home which was built in the late twentieth century served as the summer White House to former President Obama. It is currently for sale for $19.125 million, down from $22.5 million in July 2015. Set on nine-and-a-half acres of land and with its own private road, this property no doubt acts as a perfect summer hideaway for those who didn’t want his every movement seen. In addition to privacy, other features include a heated pool, a half-basketball court, outdoor terraces and a two-bedroom guest cottage.

1. Which house has the longest history?

A．Barack Obama’s Summer Rental.

B．Jackie Kennedy’s Summer House.

C．Chester A. Arthur’s Summer White House.

D．John F. Kennedy’s Weekend Retreat.

2. What is the feature of Barack Obama’s Summer Rental?

A．Privacy.

B．Architecture.

C．Location.

D．Price.

3. What do the four houses have in common?

A．Their prices are going down these years.

B．They have connections with U. S. presidents.

C．They have a history of more than a century.

D．They have more than 5 bedrooms in the house.

5 .

A．It’s convenient to shop in supermarkets.

B．Convenience stores are not really convenient.

C．Certain items sell well in convenience stores.

D．Customers pay more in convenience stores.

6 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. Where did the man find the ad?

A．From the newspaper．

B．From the Internet．

C．From a radio station．

2. What does the man want to buy at first?

A．A sofa．

B．A computer．

C．A washing machine．

3. Why does the woman want to sell the TV?

A．It is too old．

B．It doesn’t work．

C．She won a new one．

7 . Four Useful Products for Your Life

Electric Wine Opener

Cost: $19.89

Once you've tried this tool, you'll never go back to the old fashioned kind. This electric wine opener will remove the cork (瓶塞) easily within seconds, and can open up to 30 bottles with a single charge.

Fantastic Ice Cream Spoon

Cost: $14. 99

It’s always disappointing when you're really in the mood for ice cream, but have to wait forever for the ice cream to get to just the right softness. Well, this heated ice cream spoon exactly conducts heat from your hands, and will help soften the ice cream to make it ready to eat right away.

Express Baker

Cost: $58. 99

Making your own bread seems like a quite difficult job. But this baker makes it easier—within an hour. It has 12 different bread settings, and three different crust settings, so you can make bread, pizza and more. A quick look through the reviews shows that customers are pretty happy with it, too.

Corn Stripper

Cost: $7.99

There's no denying that corn on the cob (棒) is delicious But eating corn on the cob and dealing with all the little bits that get stuck in your teeth afterwards is a painful experience. This little device takes all the corns from the cob, by letting you strip (剥) your corn easily, without making a total mess.

1. What can people do with Express Baker?

A．Make some food.	B．Soften food.
C．Classify food.	D．Keep food fresh.

2. Which of the following applies the theory of heat conduction?

A．Electric Wine Opener.	B．Fantastic Ice Cream Spoon.
C．Express Baker.	D．Corn Stripper.

3. What do the four products have in common?

A．They are of the same price.

B．They are difficult to operate.

C．They make food more delicious to eat.

D．They make people's life easier.

8 . What does the woman ask for?

A．A dress of different size.

B．A dress of better quality.

C．A dress of a bright color.