2 . 选词填空

A. allow B. bothering C. gap D. inaccessible E. inefficient F. jumped G. personalized H. place I. purchase J. skipping K. strategies

Grocery shopping in person or online: Which is better?

Karen Spade knows how to collect coupons (优惠券) and price match. She runs her own savings website to teach others to shop and save as she does.

Yet when a nearby grocery store started offering online shopping about a month ago, Spade     1     at the chance to try it. She didn’t even care there was a delivery fee and the store did not     2     paper coupons or price matching for online orders. Why would a power shopper be willing to give up some of her favorite savings     3     to shop online?

“For shoppers     4     to collecting coupons and price match, shopping in-store will bring bigger savings,” Spade explained. “But many people are never going to do that and, for them online shopping is another way to save, because you can keep an eye on your running total as you shop to stick to your budget.”

So Spade took the plunge and managed to     5     her first order. “I went to the store afterwards to test out what the price     6     would have been”, she said, “and I found everything ordered was the same price at the store.”

So if this is the case, then it’s all about whether you can make back the delivery fee. Stores charge between $7.95 and $12.95 to deliver your groceries, depending on the size of your     7    .

You offset (抵消) little of that money right away because you do not have to pay for gas, but the biggest benefit is the time saved by     8     the trip. Shopping online saves time in another way. Even on your very first online shopping trip, if you enter your loyalty card number, all the products you’ve bought before at the store should pop up as a(n)     9     shopping list. Just click the ones you’d like to buy again and you’re done. No     10     wandering in the store.

3 . 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. constantly             B. concern             C. impact             D. emphasis             E weight F. trendy                  G. generation          H. pattern             I. alternative             J. surrounded K. elegantly

The Rise of Retro Fashion

Do you care about what you wear? Some people are very fashion-conscious, carefully selecting the clothes they buy and how they dress. Fashionistas (时尚达人) always want to be seen in the latest designer gear. But that trend is changing as retro or vintage clothing is becoming a popular and often cheaper     1    .

Of course, “vintage” clothing is really second-hand clothing, worn before but given a second life. The fashion industry has rebranded this stuff to make it look     2     and possibly give it a higher price tag. Whereas we may have seen an old faded pair of jeans or a dress with a flower     3     sold at a jumble sale (旧货拍卖会), now we are     4     with boutique and pop-up shops dedicated to the stuff. And in the UK, one supermarket chain has started selling second-hand clothes in some of its stores. According to managing director Steve Lynam, the more people invest in the circular economy and shop vintage, the bigger     5     we will have on climate change.

Certainly, buying vintage puts     6     on extending the life of clothing. It cuts down on waste and helps to reduce the environmental damage caused by manufacturing new clothes. It’s also led to the rise of retro-fashion-items that your mum or dad wore decades ago that now look     7     cool again! It’s a big thing with younger people and has been helped by the rise of platforms like Depop and Vinted, which sell “worn” clothes online. As lanina Lucca, Senior Vice President at Depop explained: “The new     8     is looking to make choices that reduce their impact on the environment, with 77% of Gen Z saying that their biggest environmental     9     being that they want their choices to reduce waste.”

Another popular way of buying old clothes is in a vintage kilo sale. People pick what they want and then pay according to     10     rather than per item. Some items are upcycled — re-modelled or re-worked by adding embroidery, patches and other additions. However, these second-hand clothes are worn or re-designed, the sustainability of vintage fashion means it’s here to stay for some time to come.

4 . 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.

6 . 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.

7 . Directions: Complete the following passages with the words in the box. Each word can only be used once and can be capitalized. There is one extra word which you don’t need.

A. surrounded	B. covered	C. possessions	D. phenomenon	E. notice	F. cost
G. slave	H. tendency	I. eventually	J. especially	K. define

What Makes You Want More and More?

The Diderot effect, which states obtaining something new often creates a series of consumption which leads you to acquire more new things, is perhaps one of the strangest aspects of buyer behaviour, namely the     1     to consume more and more. As a result, we end up buying things that our previous selves never needed to feel happy or fulfilled.

The effect was first described in Diderot’s essay “Regrets on Parting with My Old Dressing Gown.” He tells how the gift of a beautiful red gown results in unexpected results,     2     plunging him into debt. Initially pleased with the gift, Diderot came to regret his new gown. Compared with his new dressing gown, the rest of his     3     began to seem cheap. He replaced his old straw chair, for example, with an armchair     4     in leather. “I was absolute master of my old dressing gown,” Diderot writes, “but I have become a     5     to my new one ...”

This effect today refers to excessive consumerism. Oftentimes people feel the need to be     6     with goods that match in terms of value. Advertising, media and social environment often push us to buy things that we have not considered buying at all. This consumer buying behaviour is pretty common. Having bought an expensive sofa in the living room, a person starts to     7     that the rest of his furniture looks rather old-fashioned compared to the new furnishings.

Simply being aware of this     8     will probably go a long way toward preventing it. Still, writer Joshua Becker has a few other suggestions.

Analyse and predict the full     9     of future purchases. A store may have a great sale on a new outfit — but if the new outfit makes you feel a need to buy a new pair of shoes or handbag to match it, it becomes a more expensive purchase. Stop trying to impress others with your stuff and start trying to impress them with your life. Remind yourself that possessions do not     10     you. Abundance of life is not found in the things that you own.

9 . 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     .

10 . 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. launched   B. appears C. numberD. remain   E. impress F. matchG. encouraged   H. expanded I. trendJ. introduced   K. suggesting

Long lines and sellouts of Apple’s new tablet don’t appear to     1     Wall Street much. The company’s stock takes another dip.

Despite shoppers lining up around the world for Apple’s freshly     2     tablets, Wall Street appears to be unimpressed.

Shares of Apple’s stock closed at $576.67, down $19.87, or 3.33 percent, on Friday, continuing a downward     3     since late September.

The dip comes amid what     4     to be brisk sales of the iPad Mini, though at a noticeably smaller scale than that of other major product launches. Analysts expect the company to sell anywhere from 800,000 to 1.5 million of the devices this weekend, which would be half the     5     of third-generation iPads Apple sold earlier this year in the same time period.

Despite the smaller estimates, Apple today proved that it could still draw lines for the new products, which went on sale at 8 am local time in 34 countries. Droves of people were waiting to buy the product, which sold out of Apple’s flagship store in New York City in two hours.

All eyes were on Apple’s shares earlier this week when the US stock exchange reopened following a two-day closure due to Hurricane Sandy. On Monday, the company announced a major restructuring among its top executives, including the immediate departure of its retail chief, John Browett, and planned exit of iOS chief Scott Forstall, who Apple says will     6     at the company until “next year”.

Related stories

★ iPad Mini fails to boost Apple stock

★ iPad Mini launch expected to     7     product’s name

★ Apple’s iPad Mini doesn’t merit a grand launch

Following the news, Wall Street analysts were     8     by the changes, saying what really mattered is that design chief JonyIve was still at the company, and in fact had his role     9     to include parts of Apple’s software.

Apple’s stock price is up 40.81 percent for the year, but has seen a 12.44 percent decline in the past 30 days. Nonetheless, many analysts expect the stock price to rebound, with one target published this morning     10     it will hit $1,111 in the next 12 months.