1 .

New big pack from Sierra Designs The latest pack from Sierra Designs is the Gigawatt 60L. The pack has an adjustable back system that fits back lengths from 40cm to 53cm. It’s made from durable 300D polyester. Features include a zipped top and side access, oversized side and front pockets. The Gigawatt 60L weighs 1.84kg and costs £130. sierradesigns.com

Scarpa upgrades its Maestrale boots Maestrale Re-Made ski boots are made from Polymer taken from around three tons of leftover materials. Creating a Re-Made boot from Polymer emits 27% less carbon dioxide than creating a “classic” boot from plant-based Pebax Rnew, which emits 32% less carbon dioxide than Fossil-based Plastics. The design and manufacturing process behind the Re-Made boot were developed by Scarpa’s Green Lab, the production department dedicated to sustainable solutions. A pair costs £500. scarpa.co.uk / ellis-brigham.com

Vasque Breeze gets sustainable update The well-established Vasque Breeze hiking boot has been modernised with environmentally friendly materials. It’s now made with recycled polyester and is the first boot to have a VasqueDry Waterproof membrane, which is made from 25% recycled materials. The Breeze is also comfortable to wear with its soft footbed. The Breeze weighs 1120 grams and comes in two widths. It costs £140. vasque.com

The North Face launches new ski touring clothing The Dawn Turn clothing provides a layering system for ski touring designed to keep you warm, dry and freely moving. It includes a shell jacket, midlayers, trousers and accessories. The Dawn Turn 2.0 jacket won the innovation award at ISPO for its breathable layer. The cost is £350. The Dawn Turn 1.0 Jacket is made from waterproof DryVent. It features a windproof hood and oversized front pockets, and costs £325. thenorthface.co.uk

1. If you you want to buy a pair of Maestrale Re-Made ski boots and a waterproof jacket, what is the total cost?

A．£ 500

B．£ 825

C．£ 850

D．£ 840

2. According to the passage, what information can we get?
①The back system of the Gigawatt 60L can adjust itself to suit any back length.
②The layering system of The Dawn Turn clothing ensures you to be flexible when skiing.
③The Vasque Breeze boots have been updated with high-end materials that are environmentally friendly
④The manufacturing process of Maestrale Re-Made ski boots is more sustainable than that of classic ones from plant-based Pebax Rnew.

A．②④

B．①②

C．②③

D．①④

3. Where can you probably find the text?

A．In a book review	B．In the newspaper
C．In a science magazine	D．In a magazine

2 . How much will the woman pay?

A．$38.

B．$19.

C．$36.

3 . L. Bean Quad backpack

If you need a backpack that can carry large and small objects and is comfortable to wear, this is the backpack for you. The reasonable price and customers’ 100% satisfaction makes this a great buy any way you look at it. While it’s not the most beautiful backpack on the planet, it does look nice at first sight.

Kanken 15” backpack

This Kanken bag is a great choice for school kids of grade one to six or adults with narrow shoulders. Weighing under 450g, it’s easy and comfortable to carry this bag around. The simple design with a lot of eye-catching colors may have you fall in love with it at once.

Timbuk2 Command backpack

If you want to safely carry your laptop and look stylish, the Timbuk2 Command backpack is the one for you. The soft back is made for a comfortable wearing experience. The clean coloring and lines of the bag may make you more “grown-up”.

Amazon Basics backpack

With a lowest price among all these backpacks, the Amazon Basics backpack is a great choice for college students on a tight budget. There are tons of storage choices in this backpack, so it’s easy to forget exactly where you placed a certain object. It is a basic black backpack with a few designs and is never going to appear on a fashion T stage.

1. What makes L. Bean Quad backpack attractive?

A．The color and the design.

B．The style and the quality.

C．The cost and the public praise.

D．The lightweight and the simplicity.

2. Which backpack might be the most suitable one for a Grade-3 student?

A．Kanken 15” backpack.

B．L. Bean Quad backpack.

C．Amazon Basics backpack.

D．Timbuk2 Command backpack.

3. Which of the following is an advantage of Amazon Basics backpack?

A．Fashion.

B．Price.

C．Comfort.

D．Storage.

4 . How much will the man pay?

A．$70.

B．$ 80.

C．$100.

6 . 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．

7 . What does the woman suggest the man do?

A．Buy neither of the two items.

B．Save money for a better laptop.

C．Make a quick decision.

8 . What does the man want to buy?

A．A pet dog.

B．A shelf.

C．Pet food.

9 . What will the man buy for the woman?

A．Notebooks

B．Pencils.

C．paper.

10 . What will the woman probably do?

A．Catch a train.

B．See the man off.

C．Go shopping.