1 . Directions: Fill in each blank with a proper word chosen from the box. Each word can be used only once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. justify B. trend   C. theory     D. restricted   E. diversifying F. obviously G. termed H. climate     I. suddenly     J. seeking   K. evident

The Lipstick Effect

In 2020, the world was plunged into an economic downturn as the COVID-19 pandemic caused widespread closures to businesses. Under these circumstances, millions of people     1     found themselves facing financial insecurity. During such times of economic hardship, one may naturally expect that consumer markets will see a decline in expenditure, as people everywhere feel     2     to making only “essential” purchases. However, a curious phenomenon known as the “lipstick effect” can often be observed.

The lipstick effect refers to the phenomenon of consumers spending on small luxury goods even when an economic depression occurs. This phenomenon was     3     the “lipstick effect” in 2001 by Leonard Lauder, chairman of luxury cosmetic company Estée Lauder. He had not only witnessed the phenomenon at work but also realized that it was especially     4     in the case of lipstick and other cosmetic products.

So, how exactly do consumers who are short of cash     5     making such purchases? First and perhaps most     6    , consumers may simply wish to give themselves treats now and again to provide distractions from their financial insecurity. Another     7     has to do with labour markets. Specifically, during the economic depression, job seeking tends to become more competitive. Thus, people     8     employment may perceive a need to spend money on certain products to improve their physical appearance. By using products such as lipstick, they may feel more confident during job interviews.

Whatever the causes of the lipstick effect, this phenomenon is no short-lived     9    . During the global depression of 2007-2009, sales of cosmetic in the United States increased by around 5%. Based on such data, it seems that even in the current insecure economic     10    , the luxury cosmetics industry is one that will be sticking around.

2 . Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can be used only once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. deliberately B. justifiable C. accumulating D. consume E. spills F. spent   G. potential H. charging I. boost J. subscription K. collected

Is rental fashion the future?

With a cost-of-living crisis and climate awareness sitting heavily at the forefront of our minds, many of us are having to make choices about what we    1    . Fashion is one of them. As of 2021, UK households    2    approximately 57.3 billion British pounds on clothing, significantly contributing to the very real effects of climate change that can be felt around the world.

Even the fastest of fashion retailers are taking note; this summer, BooHoo announced that they will be    3     a returns fee to try and help customers reflect on overshopping habits. Meanwhile, Love Island teamed up with eBay as their official partner for 2022’s series,     4     avoiding their usual tie-ins.

However, there will still be times where a new item feels like a    5    treat: to attend a wedding, to suit the requirements of a job interview, for that much-needed; confidence    6    on a date. For those who love to shop, getting oneself completely out of retail seems a little like a punishment, taking away yet another source of joy during already-undesirable times.

So here comes rental fashion. The set-up is simple. Rent three, five or ten items and swap (替换) every month, with prices starting from £39 a month for a three-item. In the case of any accidents, do not fear     7    and light damages (think broken zips and small stains) are accounted for in the pricing, as is laundry. If you fall in love, there are options to keep certain items longer, or if you’re not in the market for anything new, your     8    can be easily paused or cancelled.

At the end of each cycle, you’ll receive an email reminding you to choose your next box. With a three-item return, items can be returned at a local drop-off point, whilst bigger parcels will be     9    when the team make their next delivery. Think of it a kind of clothing library, where items are rotated in and out of your life instead of     10     dust.

3 . Directions: Fill in each blank with a proper word chosen from the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. prediction          B. automates          C. resemble          D. images            E. diverse F. cooperate             G. sourced            H. rough             I. crucial             J. patented             K. streams

Fashion has always been at the forefront of innovation—from the invention of the sewing machine to the rise of e-commerce. Like tech, fashion is forward-looking and cyclical.

And today, fashion technology is growing at a faster pace than ever.

Robots that sew and cut, AI algorithms (算法) that forecast style trends, clothes that are worn in virtual reality—a collection of innovations show how technology     1     the fashion design process.

To seize the opportunity to produce more income     2     and business models, fashion companies try to     3     with technology providers, grab startups, and even build their own tech.

Meanwhile, as the industry faces an overdue count of its environmental and social impacts, it is reexamining processes across the value chain in an attempt to reinvent itself.

For example, artificial intelligence will reshape brands’ approach to product design and development, with a focus on the     4     of what customers will want to wear next. But algorithms aren’t taking the place of human designers any time soon. If there’s anything that fashion houses’ experiments have shown, it’s that human involvement is     5     to commanding the new ideas provided by AI and translating them into appealing, wearable clothes for now.

Tech companies are pouring in. One IT giant has already tested the water of user-driven AI fashion design with Project Muze. The project trained a system to understand     6     colors and style preferences, based on trend data     7     from an online fashion platform. From there, Project Muze used an algorithm to create designs to tailor to customers’ real needs.

As a new player, another e-commerce giant, with the project Lab 126, is trying to learn about a particular fashion style and then create similar     8     . Without designers or past experiences, it’s like creating from scratch. If that sounds like “fast fashion for sale,” it’s because it probably is. The company has already     9     a manufacturing system to make on-demand clothes-making a reality.

Of course, the outcomes of these AI designs aren’t always runway-ready. Many designs created for users of Project Muze were unwearable drafts and some people consider the designs of the Lab 126     10     .

4 . Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. address	B. changes	C. confidence	D. limited	E. options	F. personalized
G. redefine	H. resistant	I. stuck	J. tailoring	K. ventured

Perfect Fashion by Numbers

It’s the disadvantage of online clothes shopping. You come across a shirt you simply must have only to find that what you receive doesn’t fit despite being in your size. How can you order clothes with     1     when you can’t try them on?

A new wave of start-ups are finding clever ways to     2     the problem. One of them wants to     3     our system for sizing clothes. “We think it’s kind of ridiculous that despite all of us coming in so many different shapes and sizes, we’re     4     with small, medium and large,” says Matt Hornbuckle, co-founder of Stantt, a New Jersey-based firm that manufactures men’s shirts to fit 70 sets of body measurements.

To arrive at these, Hornbuckle hired another company to analyse 200,000 measurements of men’s bodies, looking for correlations. It found that three numbers—chest size, waist and sleeve length-are enough to predict which of those 70     5     would best fit someone. Stantt’s first shirts, priced at $98, will ship in May. The company’s recent Kickstarter campaign raised $120,000 and collected pre-orders for around 1000 shirts—a sign, Hornbuckle says, that customers are eager for     6    . “The retail store itself, and how they operate, is becoming out of date,” he says.

Another start-up, Arden reed, based in New York, wants to take this     7     approach a step further with its suits. Six months ago, the company began sizing customers using a remodelled truck equipped with a 3D body scanner. It has 14 Kinect sensors that record around 1.5 million body contour (外形，轮廓) points in a process lasting10 minutes. The readings are turned into measurements for the     8     to be outsourced to producers, and customers receive their suit six weeks later for between $500 and $1500. They can order more in the same size online.

The scanner has     9     to Boston and Washington DC, and will make its first appearance in Miami this year. “The truck concept allows us not to be     10     to a store,” says Carlos Solorio, Arden Reed’s co-founder. Stantt and Arden Reed now want to expand their range to include women’s clothing.