1 . Are you frustrated by the holiday shopping rush? From money-saving tricks to out-of-the-box gift ideas, read on for more ways to help make this year’s holiday shopping stress-free, safe, and fun.
One of the biggest concerns of holiday shopping is overspending, so be sure to create a budget before you hit the stores.
Small Business Saturday, which encourages shoppers to spend within their communities the Saturday after Thanksgiving, hit a record high last year. It is a hopeful sign for independently owned shops who need holiday dollars more than ever this season.
Sure, promotional emails can block your inbox. However, if you’re a devotee of a particular store they’re worth signing up for as they often include discount codes and sale previews.
A.Be sure to investigate loyalty programs, too. |
B.Check people off your gift list and do some good. |
C.Figure out the total you can afford to spend on gifts. |
D.Shopping experience should extend beyond physical stores. |
E.Keep your eyes open for holiday presents all the year round. |
F.Using an App or an online shopping site helps to save you a lot of money. |
G.Check out the Shop Small map to find stores and restaurants in your area. |
2 . Personal safety is more than just avoiding dark streets at night. Having one of these gadgets(小玩意) at hand will help keep you out of harms.
Heart Trinket Alarm
$9.99, from www. safe-girl. co. uk
It appears to be a shiny heart. However, inside the shell lies an alarm. If you feel threatened, pull the chain and instantly draw attention thanks to the warning sounds it sends out. Hang it from a bag, or use it as a key ring so it is close to hand. Powered by two LR44 batteries, it has an"on-off' switch. Moreover, it is not ugly, so fashion-conscious teens will be happy to use it.
Swam OM-DOORST Doorstop Intruder Alarm
$3.99, from www. maplin. co. uk
If you feel nervous about staying at home alone or arriving at a hotel and are concerned about safety, this device can help. Put the doorstop as close as possible to the closed internal door. Then if someone tries to force his way into the room, the door will push against the gadget and it will sound an alarm. It requires a DC 9V battery that isn't included.
Walking Stick With Built-in Alarm & Light
$24.99, from www. betterlife. co. uk
This walking stick is height-adjustable and it's foldable(可折叠的). In addition to aiding you in walking, it comes with several extras. For example, you'll find a flashlight at the front of the stick — great if it's dark and you want to see clearly. There's also an alarm function — just press the button on the side if you want to draw attention.
WD My Passport Ultra
$49.99, from www. westerndigital. com
This device will help keep your documents safe. You can easily set passwords so others can't access it. Even if it ends up in the wrong hands, they won't be able to view what's in the device. You can also back up your files. It transfers files quickly due to the USB3.0 port and is available with 1-3TB capacity(容量).
1. What should we do in order to sound the Heart Trinket Alarm?A.Use its key. | B.Push against it. | C.Pull its chain. | D.Press its button. |
A.www. maplin. co. uk. | B.www. safe-girl. co. uk. |
C.www. betterlife. co. uk. | D.www. westerndigital. com. |
A.It is attractive to fashion-conscious teens. |
B.It is powered by two batteries. |
C.It is intended for the old. |
D.It is a space saver. |
A.$3.99. | B.$9.99. | C.$24.99. | D.$49.99. |
3 . Toys and Games for Kids Ms.Monopoly
Hasbro launched a new version of this game in an attempt to solve the gender pay gap. Female players start the game with S1,900 in Monopoly Money and males with S1,500.The gap continues every time a player passes with women collecting $240 and men $200. It remains possible that a boy wins the game.
On sale for S19.99 and available at major retailers(零售商).
Barbie dolls that use a wheelchair
This summer,Barbie expanded its fashion line to showcase dolls in a wheelchair with a removable prosthetic leg(假肢).“We can start the conversation around physical disabilities by including them into our fashion doll line, "the creator Mattel said.
On sale for only $19.99 and available on Amazon.
The doll inspired by children with autism(自闭症)
Lottie Dolls offers a doll inspired by a boy with autism. The Hayden doll play set includes an astronaut's suit and a companion dog named Cookie. Lottie Dolls, an Irish company,offers a host of dolls that highlight diversity,including the Mia doll, a wildlife photographer that wears a hearing aid, and the Sinead doll,the world's first doll with dwarfism (侏儒症). The Hayden doll play set is $30.
The Mia doll is $25.The Sinead doll is $ 20. All can be found on Amazon.
Plastic Army Women
A 6-year-old girl wanted to play with female plastic soldiers.She got her wish,when a Pennsylvanian company BMC Toys promised to make Plastic Army Women.When completed, a pack of 24 figurines will include six different poses and should be available on the company's website and on Amazon.The price of this set of dolls is pre-set at $12.29.
1. Why did Hasbro update the game Ms.Monopoly?A.To attract more female players. |
B.To improve the gender pay gap. |
C.To raise the game's difficulty level. |
D.To make women win the game more. |
A.They were both inspired by a special kid. |
B.They both become popular on the market. |
C.They were both made by the same company. |
D.They both include a special group of people in the design. |
A.They haven't come onto the market. |
B.They were made by a young girl. |
C.They are fit for elder children. |
D.They have exact prices. |
1. 写信目的;
2. 投诉内容:夹克颜色和尺寸出错等;
3. 期望得到的解决方式。
注意:
1. 书信内容包括以上要点;
2. 词数80左右(书信格式已给出,不计入总词数);
3. 可适当增加细节,以使行文连贯。
Dear Sir or Madam,
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
I am looking forward to your early reply.
Yours sincerely,
Li Hua
Double 11 falls
Double 11
Each year Tmall has a different theme on Double 11. In 2019, Tmall's Double 11 theme is: "Make your dream come true." Recently, the rapid expansion of the e-commerce market
6 . AI, 5G, cloud computing and other digital technologies are not only changing our lives but shaping the economy as well.
China’s six major commercial banks are stepping up digital wallet efforts to provide new drive for the e-CNY (数字人民币) trials in the country, as reported by Shanghai Securities News on March 23.
“The functions and properties of the-CNY are exactly the same as those of the paper currency, except that the form is digital,” said Mu Changchun, head of the People’s Bank of China’s Digital Currency Research Institute.
Many people are puzzled by e-CNY and electronic payments. “Digital currency has the characteristics of both paper money and electronic payment,” said Wu Qianhong, a professor at the School Electronic and Information Engineering, Beihang University. “In theory, digital currency can replace paper money, Alipay and WeChat payments.”
Compared with Alipay and WeChat payments, e-CNY features anonymity (匿名性) and security. E-commerce platforms that accept payments via e-CNY will not have access to user’s personal information. E-CNY users can open an anonymous digital wallet by registering a mobile phone number, and telecom operators cannot disclose (泄露) customer information to the central bank or any third-party institutions. Mu noted that e-CNY user’s privacy protection is at the highest level among all the existing payment tools.
Similar to Alipay and WeChat payments, using e-CNY requires an account. After obtaining the other party’s account number, users can enter the amount of digital money to transfer (转钱) and then enter the payment password to complete the transaction (交易). However, the process behind these transfers are different. For electronic payments, the transfer has to go through a third party, and the receivers will get the transferred money only when they withdraw money from banks. But e-CNY transfers only need a payer and a receiver to complete a transaction. Therefore, it guarantees risk-free payments, according to Wu.
In simple terms, e-CNY can be considered “money”, while electronic payments are like “wallets”.
1. What can we know about e-CNY?A.It is issued by six major commercial banks. |
B.It combines paper money and electronic payment. |
C.It is designed to replace Alipay and WeChat payments. |
D.It has exactly the same function as other payment tools. |
A.By limiting access to personal information. |
B.By storing personal data in the central bank. |
C.By opening a unique digital wallet for each user. |
D.By linking telecom operators to a mobile phone number. |
A.E-NCY transfers require to go through a third party. |
B.E-NCY is more convenient than other electronic payments. |
C.E-NCY can be transferred without the receiver’s information. |
D.E-NCY and electronic payments ensure security in the same way. |
A.To promote the use of e-NCY. |
B.To inform readers of digital RMB. |
C.To compare different types of payments. |
D.To describe the impact of digital technologies. |
7 . At first glance, there is nothing unusual about BingoBox’s convenience store–shelves packed with snacks line the walls, attracting passers-by through the glass windows. But upon closer look, BingoBox is no ordinary store. The door unlocks only after customers scan (扫描) a QR code to enter, and there is no cashier — just a lone checkout counter (柜台) in a corner. The Shanghai-based company is one of many unmanned store operators (运营者) opening outlets all over China, hoping to improve slim profit by reducing staff costs.
“If staff costs rise quickly, that puts greater pressure on low-profit businesses like convenience stores and supermarkets,” said Andrew Song, an analyst at Guotai Junan Securities. “In China, manpower costs have been rising relatively quickly.”
However, the future vision of shopping without a check-out person is still a work in progress. A Post reporter who visited a BingoBox store in Shanghai was briefly locked in when trying to exit without buying anything. Although a sign near the exit stated that empty-handed customers can leave by scanning a QR code, no QR code was to be found. Repeated calls to the customer service hotline went unanswered.
The idea of unmanned stores first caught the world’s attention in December last year. Equipped with technology such as RFID tags, mobile payment systems and facial and movement recognition, such stores collect large amounts of data that give operators a better idea of consumer preferences and buying habits, which can then be used to optimize (使最优化) operations and make more efficient inventory decisions. For companies like BingoBox, lower operating costs also mean it can afford to expand its reach to areas with less foot traffic or fewer people, according to its founder and chief executive Chen Zilin.
1. What makes BingoBox store look like an ordinary convenience store?A.No cashier to check out. |
B.A lone checkout counter. |
C.Shelves packed with goods. |
D.Entering by scanning a QR code. |
A.The customers prefer mobile payment systems. |
B.The unmanned stores help improve profit with lower labor costs. |
C.The employees focus on consumer preferences and buying habits. |
D.The operators care more about operations and inventory decisions. |
A.To show his anger and dissatisfaction. |
B.To warn people not to go to a BingoBox store. |
C.To explain unmanned stores still have a long way to go. |
D.To complain that QR code service is not convenient at all.. |
A.Nowadays all stores should be equipped with advanced technology. |
B.The operators collect data about consumer preferences and buying habits. |
C.BingoBox made wiser decisions based on the data collected in those unmanned stores. |
D.The operators can open unmanned supermarkets in more distant places with low cost. |
8 . When Brian McCarthy’s daughter opened an Amazon package from her grandmother late last month, she discovered a mini Babycakes brand waffle (华夫饼) maker meant to be her Christmas gift.
But when she opened the new waffle maker, she found an old, crusty-looking waffle already inside, her father said.
Amazon sold the item directly through its Prime service, rather than by a third-party merchant that uses the Amazon platform to sell goods to Amazon customers. And the product was not advertised as used or refurbished (翻新过的), according to the screenshot (截图).
Amazon said it was investigating the incident and wouldn’t speculate on possible reasons for the experience unless it had enough evidence. Either way, the case of the crusty waffle serves as a reminder that Amazon customers can still face uncertainty about the origins and authenticity (真实性) of the products they purchase from the site, even when Amazon itself is fulfilling the order. That’s remarkable, considering Amazon accounts for nearly 40 percent of online US retail sales today, according to eMarketer, and considering that Amazon says it cares so much about quality that it employs a vice president of “customer trust.”
Just in the last few months alone, media reports have highlighted the ease with which shoppers on Amazon can — intentionally or unintentionally — purchase everything from fake products, to banned and unsafe products, to items that had previously been thrown in the trash.
In most of these instances, the products in question came from third-party sellers, which account for nearly 60 percent of all products sold on Amazon today. The Wall Street Journal, for example, reported last month that some marketplace sellers list products for sale on Amazon that they have picked up from the trash.
1. How did Brian McCarthy’s daughter probably feel when she opened the new waffle maker?A.Nervous. | B.Surprised. | C.Guilty. | D.Relieved. |
A.Guess. | B.Rely on. | C.Invest. | D.Insist on. |
A.can totally trust the quality of Amazon products |
B.prefer to buy the products from third-party sellers |
C.are not definitely sure where the products they buy come from |
D.always purchase fake products which are picked up from the garbage |
A.make up half of all the products sold on Amazon |
B.are more reliable than Amazon’s Prime service |
C.guarantee authenticity of the products they sell |
D.are more likely to sell the products in question |
9 . You may have recently heard of NFT technology, which permits digital works of art to be collected and sold for millions of dollars.
But why would people pay so much money for something they cannot even touch? And what is driving the current rise in NFTs?
What is an NFT?
NFT stands for non-fungible token(非同质化代币).
What kinds of things are NFTs?
What do critics say about NFTs?
Critics note that traditional art, like a painting, can be placed on a wall and looked at.
What are some prices for NFTs?
In February, a 10-second video showing an image of former U. S. President Donald Trump sold on an NFT marketplace for over $6 million. The first-ever published tweet from Twitter founder Jack Dorsey recently sold for nearly $3 million.
It is too early to say if NFTs are good investments. But so far, many people have items that are worth more than what they paid for them. This is no guarantee, however, that such buyers will be able to sell their digital objects for a profit.
A.But digital art is different. |
B.Why do people like NFTs? |
C.Are NFTs good investments? |
D.It is something that only exists in the digital world. |
E.NFTs can exist in the form of images, video, music and text. |
F.Here are some basics to help you understand the technology. |
G.An NFT can be attached to other things existing in the digital form. |
A.$2. | B.$25. | C.$50. |