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.

4 . Why doesn’t the man buy clothes online?

A．He can’t try them on beforehand.

B．He thinks they are of poor quality.

C．He finds it inconvenient to do that.

5 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. Where is the button on the sunglasses?

A．Near the ear.

B．On the inside of the frames.

C．Under the front of the frames.

2. What might be considered a shortcoming of Bose Frames?

A．They aren’t lightweight.

B．They aren’t very fashionable.

C．They don’t provide protection from sunlight.

3. How much should you pay if you buy one pair of sunglasses?

A．$200.

B．$300.

C．$500.

4. What can people do with the Bose Companion Speaker?

A．Take phone calls.

B．Use it to protect eyes.

C．Wear it around the neck.

6 . “One, two, three, post the product links!” “Please press the button and give us a thumb-up” “exactly!” the “vibe group,” which means a group of people who are pumping some life into live-streaming and coordinating with live streamers to help steer customers to buy products. The group, also referred to as the “E-commerce straight man/crosstalk” by Chinese users, has stirred a craze in recent weeks on Chinese media platforms.

For the “E-commerce crosstalk” or people who help live streamers to sell their merchandise, it is their specialization. However, others believe that this is confusing to consumers.

The “E-commerce crosstalk” is also known as the center control of the live stream. The work of the center control spans across the pre, mid and post-stage of the live stream, and needs to be responsible for equipment debugging (调试), backstage operation, maintenance of the live stream order, data review and other contents.

They usually create a warming vibe to help live streamers sell products such as “I want 100k likes, could you guys help me to get them, please”, “Post product links!”, “Repost!” or “Let’s join the fan club”. These are normal psychological suggestions for customers which don’t break any of the rules of how to conduct business.

While the “E-commerce crosstalk” group doesn’t just control tempo, they also have another important role — they create a sense of exigency for customers, making them buy now, such as “My friends, the last one! Hurry, buy it now!” “How many are left? No, almost out of stock, only 30 left!” “Buy more today! Hurry up my friends! Go to the yellow cart, find the 1st link! Great price, great quality!”

“These practices are creating an illusion (错觉) of inventory constraints to mislead customers,” Fan Xiaolin, a Beijing-based lawyer told us. The unrealistic atmosphere created by the “E-commerce crosstalk” can easily mislead consumers, causing them to make irrational purchases. The 2020 China Live E-commerce Industry Research Report shows that the average return rate of live e-commerce is as high as 30 percent to 50 percent, which is much higher than the traditional e-commerce return rate of 10 percent to 15 percent.

1. What do “E-commerce crosstalk” specialize in?

A．Guiding staff to post the product lines.

B．Motivating followers to click the “like” button.

C．Assisting live streamers to sell goods.

D．Monitoring the live stream to function smoothly.

2. What is the “E-commerce crosstalk” group forbidden to do in live stream?

A．To ask for a great many thumb-ups.

B．To tempt the fans to shower the streamer with gifts.

C．To invite consumers to join fan clubs.

D．To share or forward the live stream to others.

3. What does the underlined word “exigency” in paragraph 5 mean?

A．Urgency

B．Rhythm

C．Involvement

D．Motivation

4. What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

A．E-commerce crosstalk can create an authentic atmosphere for viewers.

B．The customers of e-commerce tend to be irrational.

C．The traditional e-commerce return rate is relatively lower.

D．The products of live streamers are in short supply.

7 . If you have a car, you are probably considering buying some kind of car insurance. However, when you are actually purchasing car insurance, it can be difficult for you to decide which is your best choice. The ideal buying process is to first research and decide, then purchase.

Research first

Before buying car insurance, you should find out the purpose of your purchase and how the insurance meets your needs.

Decide on suitable Car Insurance Policies

A neglected part of car insurance is the part which covers medical bills. Medical payments can add up very quickly in an accident situation, and the insurance should cover the bills incurred both by you and by the passengers in your car. Make sure you know the full value that your insurance covers.

Purchase the best Car Insurance for your needs

You have a number of choices when it comes to flic actual purchase of the car insurance. Each has advantages and disadvantages, and these may be influenced by your individual taste and previous buying experience. Insurance companies may offer you good advice, but prices on the Internet are often better.

1. The underlined word “purchasing” in the first paragraph means _______.

A．buying

B．selling

C．meeting

D．researching

2. According to the first paragraph, when buying car insurance, one should first _______.

A．decide on the number of policies to purchase

B．do careful research on the different choices

C．choose the best insurance company

D．look for the lowest insurance rate

3. When buying car insurance, people often neglect _______.

A．the damage to the car

B．the bills paid by the passengers

C．the part covering the medical bills

D．the background of flic insurance company

4. Your choice of car insurance may also be influenced by _______.

A．your driving habits

B．your driving experience

C．the attitude of your family members

D．your own taste and buying experience

5. Which of die following might be the best title of the passage?

A．Disadvantages of Car Insurance	B．Advice on Buying Car Insurance
C．Importance of Doing Research	D．Advantages of Car Insurance

8 . 听下面一段长对话，回答小题。
1. What do we know about the jacket?

A．It was unsuitable for the man.

B．It was large for the man’s son.

C．It was bought at a reduced price.

2. What does the woman ask the man for?

A．The jacket.

B．The receipt.

C．The credit card.

3. What will the man do next week?

A．Get his money back.

B．Take a credit note.

C．Visit the store again.