Group buying is one of the fastest growing trends in South Africa today. Industry leaders are confident the growth potential remains strong since group buying is location-specific. Start-up costs are low and profit room remains high, so many sites continue to receive invested money despite widespread criticism and Facebook’s decision to phase out of deal business due to privacy concerns.
In the early stages of all industries, some companied fail because they cannot compete with stronger companies in difficult economic conditions. To deal with difficult conditions, an alarming number of businesses are developing group buying websites in places like China and India, so the increase of group buying in South Africa is nothing more than a natural progression into the international mainstream.
The group buying concept is fairly new and consumers have accepted this concept because they can now make full use of the rich information available on the Internet. Group buying is convenient and easy so it works. Anyone can view a site, join a mailing list, subscribe to RSS or print out a coupon(优惠券). The current group buying structure offered by the industry leaders works although there are still challenges to overcome.
Perhaps, the future of group buying is tied to the joining together of social media and mobile devices. Mobile devices are with us wherever we go and almost everyone is using some type of social media site like Facebook or Twitter to stay informed. Using GPS and social media technology to provide real time location-specific promotions would be beneficial to every consumer looking for the best deals in town.
Pause for a moment and think about it! What is better than signing on to your phone while having fun in town and you receive a real time information that your favorite shop across the street is offering a killer dial?
The future of the group buying in South Africa is bright and we can expect to see more advanced approaches to this concept in the future. In addition to the technological advances consumers will see the range of promotions expand to include new products and services.What does the underlined phrase “phase out of” mean in the passage?
| A．Gradually stop | B．Gradually increase | C．Begin to develop | D．Continue to enlarge |
The author sets China and India as examples to show that .
| A．China and India are powerful countries |
| B．China and India are in difficult economic conditions |
| C．group buying is successful worldwide |
| D．group buying is an international trend |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．People have accepted group buying because it’s a new concept |
| B．Social media and mobile devices have been joined |
| C．GPS and social media technology will be helpful in group buying |
| D．Shops usually offer a killer deal when their customers are having fun |
The author’s attitude towards the future of group buying is .
| A．pessimistic | B．optimistic | C．objective | D．subjective |
What does the passage mainly tell us?
| A．The history of group buying |
| B．Group buying in South Africa |
| C．The feature of group buying |
| D．The group buying concept |
Reseachers at the University of Kansas say that people can accurately juage 90 percent of a stranger's personality simply by looking at the person’s shoes．“Shoes convey useful information about their wearers，’’the authors wrote in the new study published in the Journal of Research in Personality．
Lead researcher Omri Gillath said the judgments were based on the style，cost，color and condition of someone’s shoes．In the study，63 University of Kansas researchers looked at pictures showing 208 different pairs of shoes worn by the study’s participants．Volunteers in the study were photographed in their most commonly worn shoes，and then filled out a personality questionnaire．
Some of the results were expected：People with higher incomes most commonly wore expensive shoes，and flashier shoes were typically worn by outgoing people．However，some of the more specific results are strange enough．For example，“practical and functional’’ shoes were generally worn by more “pleasant" people，while ankle boots were more linked with ‘‘aggressive’’ personalities．The strangest of all may be that those who wore‘ ‘uncomfortable looking” shoes tend to have “calm” personalities．And if you have several pairs of new shoes or take extreme care of them，you may suffer from “attachment anxiety"，spending lots of time worrying about what other people think of your appearance．There was even a political calculation in the mix with more liberal(主张变革的)types wearing “shabbier and less expensive” shoes．
The researchers noted that some people will choose shoe styles to mask their actual personalities，but researchers noted that volunteers were also likely to be unaware that their footwear choices were showing the deep side of their personalities．What does this text mainly tell us?
| A．Shoes Call hide people’s real personalities． |
| B．Shoes convey false information about the wearer． |
| C．People’s personalities call be judged by their shoes． |
| D．People know little about their personalities． |
The participants were asked to
| A．provide pictures of their shoes |
| B．look at pictures of different shoes |
| C．design a personality questionnaire |
| D．hand in their commonly worn shoes |
Which of the results is beyond people’s expectation?
| A．Wealthy people often wear expensive shoes． |
| B．Pleasant people like wearing uncomfortable shoes． |
| C．Aggressive people are likely to wear"ankle boots． |
| D．Fashion shoes are typically worn by outgoing people． |
People suffering from“attachment anxiety” tend to
| A．wear strange shoes | B．worry about their appearance |
| C．have a calm character | D．become a political leader |
The author wrote the text in order to
| A．inform us of a new study | B．introduce a research method |
| C．teach how to choose shoes | D．describe different personalitie |
Today，we are told，children don’t spend enough time in the fresh air．Many of them are addicted to a screen either on a computer or a TV—they seem to be living in a virtual world．They have lost touch with nature．
But now 400 organizations in the UK，from playgroups to the National Health Service，are encouraging children to have some“wild time”．They want kids to swap at least 30 minutes of watching TV or playing computer games for time playing outside．Activities such as building dens, climbing trees, rummaging for conkers and playing hide and seek are just some of the things kids can do. Even if they live in a city，they can go on adventures in the garden or the park．
Children often need a helping hand from mum and dad．They need to be shown what to do and where to go．Andy Simpson from National Health Service says，“We want parents to see what this magical wonder product does for their kids’ development，independence and creativity，by giving wild time a go”．
So despite the complicated world that young people grow up in now，it seems that going back to basics and experiencing“nature’s playground”is what modern children need．David Bond from Project Wild Thing says，“We need to make more space for wild time in children’s daily routine，freeing this generation of kids to have the sort of experiences that many of us took for granted”．
This might sound a bit old fashioned to you or maybe，like me，it’s made you think about sticking on your boots，getting outdoors and reliving your childhood．There’s no age limit on enjoying yourself!What is the best title of the text?
| A．Wild time for children | B．Benefits of wild time |
| C．More space for children | D．Adventures of children |
Children are encouraged to do the following activities except
| A．building dens | B．climbing trees |
| C．playing hide and seek | D．watching TV |
According to Andy Simpson，we know that
| A．wild time is hard to design |
| B．wild time is beneficial for children |
| C．parents know the importance of wild time |
| D．parents like keeping their children indoors |
What’s the main idea of Paragraph 4 ?
| A．Modem children need wild time． |
| B．Adults value outdoor activities． |
| C．The present world is complicated． |
| D．This generation of kids have no freedom． |
The last paragraph suggests that
| A．people like recalling the past |
| B．it is out of date to go outdoors |
| C．it is too late for adults to enjoy nature |
| D．people at any age can enjoy wild time |
Do you like shopping? Or does the thought of wandering round the shops fill you with terror? For some of us，shopping is an enjoyable way of spending our spare time and our money. For me．it's something I would rather avoid．Thank goodness for the Internet! It's more convenient to buy CDs，electrical items，even food，from the comfort of your sofa．But that’s not the only reason：price is an important factor．We can buy goods and services cheaper online. But sometimes the problem is knowing what to buy．This has led to a type of shopping called “showrooming”．
Showrooming is something I've done．I will go to a shop to see，touch and try out products but then go home and buy them online at a knock—down price．I'm not alone in doing this．Research by a company called Foolproof，found 24％of people showroomed while Christmas shopping in 2013．
Amy Cashman，Head of Technology at TNS UK，says the reasons for this new shopping habit are that“people are lacking time，lacking money and they want security about the products they are buying．”She explains that consumers are not only shopping online at home but they are using the Internet in store or on their smartphones to shop around．
But does this mean technology will kill shops? Certainly shops will change．They will have to offer more competitive prices or encourage people to buy more by giving in—store discounts or free girls．
We mustn’t forget that buying in a shop means you can get expert advice from the sales assistant and you can get good aftercare．It’s good to speak to a real human rather than look at a faceless computer screen but at least by showrooming，you get the best of both worlds!The two questions in Paragraph l are raised to
| A．introduce the topic | B．give two examples |
| C．compare different opinions | D．get answers from readers |
What does showrooming mean in the text?
| A．Trying in shops and buying online． |
| B．Showing products in a room． |
| C．Buying something in a store． |
| D．Shopping on the Internet． |
According to Amy Cashman，which is not the reason for showrooming?
| A．The lack of time． | B．The comfort of the sofa． |
| C．The shortness of money． | D．The security of the product． |
What can be inferred from Paragraph 4 ?
| A．Online shops will disappear． |
| B．Free gifts will surely promote sales． |
| C．Shops need necessary changes． |
| D．Shops will be replaced by online shops． |
The author's attitude towards showrooming is
| A．critical | B．neutral | C．supportive | D．casual |
Starting in l972，the National Park Service established a policy for forest fires calle Natural Burn．It was acknowledged that some forest fires，such as those caused by lightning were necessary for forests to maintain balanced ecosystems，so the fire should be allowed to burn．However, a big fire in Yellowstone National Park in l988 caused this policy to be abandoned since the fire was initially allowed to burn yet soon out of control．As a result，the fire of l988 destroyed much of Yellowstone，which is America’s oldest and most beloved national park．Massive areas of plants were destroyed，and large empty spaces and acres of burned and blackened trees greeted visitors．The rivers and streams were choked with ash，and the ecosystem of the park was changed beyond repair.
In addition，great numbers of animals were killed by the fires that bumed out of control. The fires were driven by high winds，moving as many as ten miles a day．Many small animals died in the flames．The fires’ rapid advances gave the wildlife little chance to escape. Even today，few of these small forest animals have returned to live in the park. In the years immediately following the fires，the numbers of visitors declined rapidly．No one was interested in seeing a blackened and treeless park on vacation．Yellowstone had previously been famous for its amazing views and unique geological formations such as the geyser Old Faithful. But now its reputation as America's wonder is damaged permanently.Natural Burn was adopted because some forest fires were
| A．hard to put out |
| B．started by lightning |
| C．good for the balance of nature |
| D．approved by National Park Service |
The big fire in Yellowstone in 1988 ．
| A．became out of control at first |
| B．destroyed the park completely |
| C．was allowed to burn continuously |
| D．brought the natural burn policy to an end |
Why were so many animals killed in the big fire?
| A．Because winds were blown from high places． |
| B．Because the animals moved only ten miles a day． |
| C．Because the animals lived in lower places． |
| D．Because strong winds contributed to the fire a lot． |
Yellowstone was famous for its ．
| A．rare animals | B．unique plants | C．beautiful scenery | D．little streams |
The text probably comes from ．
| A．a science fiction | B．a news report |
| C．a commercial ad | D．a geography magazine |
Shirley Temple(1928—2014)，an American actress，was considered among the most successful child stars in the history of film．Born by an ambitious mother，Temple first appeared in a film at the age of three，and at six she starred in Stand Up and Cheer (1934)．Known and recognized for her ability to sing and tapdance in several films，Temple became a famous figure in 1934．At the end of that year she was given a special Academy Award “in grateful recognition of her outstanding contribution．’’
During the Great Depression of the l930s，Temple was celebrated by an adoring public．At the height of her popularity，from l935 to 1938，Temple was the biggest box-office attraction in Hollywood．Temple made a number of films as a teenager，but her appeal had faded，and the films were not successful．In l949, Temple depaaed elegantly from Hollywood．
Two decades later，she reappeared into the spotlight by announcing her qualification as a candidate for Congress．She lost the election，but Temple displayed her determination and went on to enjoy a long and successful：career with the United Nations and the State Department．
After retirement，she reposed that she was at peace with her life and proud of her accomplishments in two of the nation’s most influential areas．“If I had to do it all over again．’’Shirley Temple once declared，‘‘I wouldn’t change anything．’’
Temple became famous at the age of
| A．3 | B．6 | C．10 | D．2l |
What do we learn from Paragraph 2 ?
| A．Temple was still popular in l949． |
| B．Temple was a failure as a child star． |
| C．Hollywood made a big fortune because of Temple. |
| D．People became tired of Temple in the Great Depression. |
Temple attracted people’s attention again when
| A．she entered Congress |
| B．she worked for the UN |
| C．she went on with the pohtical life |
| D．she announced to participate in the election |
We know-from the last paragraph that Temple
| A．wanted to lead a different life |
| B．regreued having left Hollywood |
| C．was content with her experiences |
| D．was sorry about her election failure |
Which of the following best describes Temple?
| A．3pecial and generous． | B．Patient and sensitive． |
| C．Attractive and humorous． | D．Talented and determined． |
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