1 . The candy we eat, the tea we drink, the lotion we use---they all likely contain ingredients from wild plants. While natural ingredients can be beneficial to buyers, the way those plants are harvested could harm ecosystems. In a recent United Nations report, medicinal plant experts revealed the risks behind several of them, including Brazil nuts, frankincense, goldenseal, gum arabic, and licorice.

Plant derivatives （衍生物） in household products “sit there somewhere in the middle of the ingredients list” on product labels, often going unnoticed, says Caitlin Schindler, lead author of the report. Even if consumers do take note, there’s no information about what’s involved in obtaining or processing the derivatives.

Many of these plants are threatened with extinction from overharvesting, disease and pests, climate change, and habitat loss. The endangered state of more than 20,000 medicinal plant species has never been assessed, which means it’s impossible to know whether their use is sustainable.

Meanwhile, the trade in wild plants is booming. U. S. consumers spent more than $12.3 billion on herbal dietary supplements in 2021---up more than 9 percent from 2020. Wild plants have been used locally for centuries, but today’s global demand puts many at risk. And international customers often have no idea where these products originate.

Should consumers stop buying the products? No. Schindler says, because “the ingredients are really critical to a lot of people’s livelihoods.” Solutions for transforming the trade in wild plants are rooted in awareness. The first step for consumers is to “just notice that you’re buying something that has a wild ingredient,” she says. It’s generally safer to purchase local products and splurge on more expensive ones, if possible.

Consumers can also look for organic and fair-trade certifications. Various programs evaluate wild-plant supply chains for sustainability, and many companies advertise these certifications, either on the product or online. One of the most prominent is Fair Wild, which assesses environmental risks and recommends best sourcing practices. If certifications are missing, Schindler encourages people to challenge companies to do better. “Until businesses get a bit more pressure from consumers, we won’t see any changes happening,” she says.

A．

B．

C．

D．

2 . Letters to customers

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

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

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

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

3 . With brand new products constantly emerging, it can be hard to keep track of what things to sell in 2023. The secret to selling new popular products is to find winning products before they become mainstream. So if you’re looking for the best new products of 2023 before your competitors discover them, read on.

With most countries having four seasons in a year, smart temperature sensors will surely attract customers from around the globe. People can use the sensor to check the temperature, humidity level, etc. Then, they can share this data with other smart devices that regulate the temperature in their room (smart heaters, curtains, etc.). The rich functionality makes it one of the best products to sell in 2023.

Biomagnetic ear stickers     

We’d never imagined a day when earrings would help you improve blood circulation (循环), but that day has come. Biomagnetic ear stickers put pressure on your ears and stimulate blood flow. It’s said that magnets can also help with weight loss. However, be sure not to make any claims about how much weight your customers will lose. Not making definitive claims is a common practice in fitness and health care to avoid legal action.

Reusable straws     

Reusable straws make a great product, especially if you have an eco-friendly product store. You can position the product as good for the environment while protecting marine life from plastic waste. Remember: a business that makes the world a better place is the best kind of business.

4 . Changing the wording about expiration dates (保质期) on food items of easily going bad — which is currently unregulated (缺乏监管) and widely variable — could help reduce food waste, according to a new Cornell University study.

This work results from the “wild west” landscape of food date labels which is expected to be driven, to a large extent, by manufacturers’ (制造商) strong wish to sell more products. It is important for both the government’s decisions regarding date labels and the market impacts of reducing food waste.

A survey of consumers found that certain wording — “best by,” as opposed to “best if used by,” for example — had the possibility to reduce food waste, but that result differed depending on the type of food in question. The easier food is to go bad, the more likely it is to be thrown away.

“There are no practical rules about food date labels in the U.S. If you go into the yogurt section at a U.S. grocery store, you would see various date labels — ‘use by’, ‘best by’, ‘best if used by’, ‘fresh by’, or ‘sell by’, etc. Some consumers might smell the food to see if it is still good, while others might just look at the date label and drop it,” said Rickard, leader of the study team. “And the truth is that these date labels are not food safety dates; they’re just food quality dates.”

The 15 food items selected for the survey, including bread, cookies, chicken, packaged salad greens and canned soup, all typically use date labels with different wording variations. Survey results showed an increase in throwing intentions with the “use by” and the “sell by” date label, inferring that food with these date labels was more often thrown and replaced. So they think that the word “use” spoke more directly to the food safety impact of consuming food past the date listed on the package, and could therefore lead to an increase in food waste. However, the wording “best by” seemed to refer only to food quality beyond a certain date and led to less waste.

6 . Imagine stepping into your local supermarket, choosing your necessary things into a basket, heading to the bagging area and walking out with your weekly shopping. There is no need to make a payment, no counting coins, and no placement of a credit card in a terminal. In fact, there is no cashier at all. This is not a theft but a realistic picture of the future way to pay — when technology recognizes your presence, scans your shopping, and invisibly takes payment from your account.

Amer Sajed, the chief executive of Barclaycard, says it will result in the steady dying of the physical plastic credit card, which his company introduced to the UK over 55 years ago. Credit cards have evolved ever since 1966, but the basic procedure of payment has remained the same. A card is either handed over, or the number on it is read out or entered into a machine.

All that requires the existence of a plastic card, but Mr Sajed says this will be replaced by wearable items. At a display for Barclaycard staff, he shows off a plastic ring, a bracelet and a keychain which all contain a chip allowing the shopper to make payments on credit. This, he says, is just a bridge to technology that will recognize customers by their eye or fingerprint, so people will be able to shop without lining up at a checkout.

Although cash, cheques and indeed cards will remain a choice for shoppers, he says, these new ways of paying will take a growing share of the payments market in 10 years’ time. Such a future sounds frightening for anyone who already has concerns about the safety of payment. Mr Sajed argues that nothing will be done without permission.

As this digital market becomes more popular, and the technology advances, there will be a battle among banks, payment providers and others for their product to be used.