| A．2. | B．4. | C．6. |
Tmall Genie Tmall Genie is a smart speaker developed by Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba Group. Introduced in July 2017, the device consists of 360-degree speakers and an LED light ring at the bottom. Like other smart speakers, the Genie can search the Internet, control home automation devices, and order products from Tmall.com. Voice interaction is currently only available in Mandarin. |
Ding Dong Ding Dong is created by Chinese company LingLong. It was released in 2016 and has a height of 9.5 inches and has a square base. The device is capable of reading the news, weather updates, and online shopping. Versions are available that speak either Mandarin or Cantonese. |
Mi AI The Mi AI Speaker, developed by Xiao Mi, will wake you up in the morning, read off your schedule, take notes and tell you about the weather. It can control other Mi Home devices such as the Mi Kettle, lights, and rice cooker. What’s more, you can even have it serve as a tutor for your kids, but it can only follow the command in Chinese. |
Amazon Echo Amazon Echo is developed by Amazon, com. The device connects with the voice- controlled intelligent assistant service Alexa. The device is capable of voice interaction (in English, French, Chinese), music playback, setting alarms, and providing weather, traffic and other real-time information. It can also control several smart devices acting as a home automation system. The interesting function is that the latest version can order milk or other food materials on Amazon.com. |
1. Who is most likely to buy a Ding Dong?
| A．A young man who likes sports. |
| B．A student who likes learning English. |
| C．An old man who likes listening to the radio. |
| D．A kid who likes playing games online. |
| A．Tmall Genie | B．Mi AI |
| C．Ding Dong | D．Amazon Echo |
| A．Its voice interaction is in different languages. |
| B．It has an easier access to the Internet. |
| C．It can be controlled by voice. |
| D．It controls home automation devices. |
3 .
 | A Woman Endures Marilyn Hering www.iuniverse.com Paperback | E-book $10.95 | $3.99 |  | The Diary of an Iraqi National Saad H Al Ajeel www.authorhouse.com Paperback | E-book $36.00 | $6.00 |
Following the loss of her baby and marriage, Eleanor decides to move to South Carolina to run an inherited tea plantation. There she will learn to grow tea, and possibly something more: romance. | In the almost one hundred years of the life of modern Iraq （from 1921 onwards）, Saad H Al Ajeel describes the different stages that Iraq has passed through. | ||
 | Hot Horse Harry Jerry Lee Miller www.xlibris.com Paperback | E-book $21.99 | $3.99 |  | Cat Tales : Da Real Pussy Mick E. Jones www.authorhouse.com Hardback | Paperback | E-book $15.99 I $12.99 | $3.99 |
Hot Horse Harry lived up to his name, mad at the world. But when a series of unfortunate events came, the quick-tempered Harry changed. The book is designed for children under 12. | Cat Tales: Da Real Pussy reveals that the spirit of a supreme being exist in all things living. The book also supports the concept that cats are creatures of myth and mystery. | ||
1. If you are a history lover, which book suits you best?
| A．The Diary of an Iraqi National | B．Hot Horse Harry |
| C．Cat Tales: Da Real Pussy | D．A Woman Endures |
| A．Marilyn Hering’s | B．Saad H Al Ajeel’s |
| C．Jerry Lee Miller’s | D．Mick E. Jones’s |
| A．$7 | B．$12 | C．$30 | D．$18 |
1. What is the price of the shoes at Maxine’s?
| A．$160. | B．$200. | C．$245. |
| A．Expensive. | B．Special. | C．Cheap. |
Is Fast Fashion Taking Over?
The fashion industry has changed significantly in recent years. Traditionally, fashion retailers(零售商) created two clothing collections per year, called seasons. Nowadays, in contrast, they can design and manufacture(生产) clothes in as little as four weeks. Fast Fashion means that the latest designs shown at the fashion shows in Paris, London, New York, and Milan can be coped and sold in shopping malls within a month.
The advantages of rapidly changing fashions are clear. Shortening the life cycle of a product means that if a design doesn’t sell well within a week, it is taken out of the stores and replaced with a new one. This is good for manufacturers, as it means a greater volume of sales. It is also good for customers, who can keep up with fast-moving trends cheaply and who can enjoy finding something new every time they visit the store.
However, there are also a number of disadvantages to the fast-fashion approach. Perhaps the biggest concern is the impact of wasted clothes on the environment. The low cost of most fast fashion enables shoppers to buy several new sets of clothes each season. This means that huge amounts of clothing are thrown away. Furthermore, with fashions changing so quickly, cotton growers need to produce more cotton more cheaply, and that means using more pesticides and chemicals. A third problem is the theft of ideas. Fashion houses invest a lot of time and money in new designs, only to see these ideas stolen and copied by fast-fashion companies.
In short, these days it seems that the fashion industry is changing almost as fast as the fashion it produces. What do you think of this?
6 . Want to pick up that new best-seller for your flight, but not sure you want to spend the money?
This will change your mind.
If you’ve done a lot of traveling, you’ve probably noticed that the bookstores at airports all look pretty similar. They’ve all got familiar logos, the walls of inviting plane snacks, and, of course, the towers of new hardcover books. Chances are you’ve wanted to grab one of those books for the plane ride. However, those hardcover books are a little pricey. Is it worth it to splurge, just to relieve the midair boredom?
Yes it is—because of a cool program that these bookstores have in place. These similar airport stores are all owned by the company Paradies Lagardère, and all of those stores take part in what’s called the “Read and Return program.” It’s exactly what it sounds like. Whenever you buy one of those books, you’ve got six months to finish it and bring it back to the same, or another, Paradies Lagardère location. When you do that, you get half your money for the original purchase back.
If you’re going on a trip, buy that book you’ve been dying to read. When you go back to the airport for the return trip, bring the book back with you and get half the money back. While you’re still in the bookstore, go ahead and get that other book you’ve been dying to read. Or the sequel to the book you read on the way there. Either way, your boredom on the flight back will be cured. And it gets better: the book you gave back will be re-sold for half price! Here’s what you can get for free at an airport.
There are two things you do need to make sure of. You have to bring back the receipt to get your money back. Also, the book needs to be in decent condition. But other than that, this program couldn’t be easier. In a way, it’s like a buy-one-get-one-half-off deal for books. Or get two books for the price of one-and-a-half. Either way, count us in.
1. What does the underlined word “splurge” in paragraph 2 mean?| A．Spend the money. | B．Take the effort. |
| C．Take the trouble. | D．Spend the time. |
| A．You can read books for free in any Paradies Lagardère store. |
| B．You can buy books for half price in airport bookstores. |
| C．You need to return the book to the same store where you buy it. |
| D．You can get half your money back if you return the book timely. |
| A．It is difficult to take part in the program. |
| B．The receipt is necessary if you want to return the book. |
| C．The program is popular with readers. |
| D．The program runs successfully. |
| A．To encourage people to read on airplanes. |
| B．To introduce Paradies Lagardère company. |
| C．To advertise the “Read and Return program”. |
| D．To show the advantages of reading on airplanes. |
| A．She will go to the supermarket. |
| B．Her teeth are in bad condition. |
| C．She dislikes chocolates and candies. |
| A．Size seven. | B．Size six. | C．Size five. |
| A．$4. | B．$8. | C．$12. |
| A．$1000. | B．$800. | C．$200. |
