It is "one of the few bright spots in the Chinese economy," says Zeng Ming． He is talking about e-commerce． Mr Zeng, the chief strategy officer for Alibaba, a giant Chinese Internet firm, predicts that digital transactions on his firm's platforms will top l trillion yuan （$159 billion） this year-more than Amazon's and eBay's combined． That is a bold claim, but consider what happened on Singles Sunday．
Invented a few years ago by students and seized upon by digital marketers, this festival for lonely hearts falls annually on the llth day of the llth month （since l is the loneliest number）．It is like St Valentine's Day, only worse． Singletons shower each other with tender gifts: a barrage of pearls; a storm of sweets．
This November llth they spent a surprising 19 billion yuan on Alibaba's online platforms-a fourfold increase on a year ago, and more than double what Americans spent online last Cyber Monday （the Monday after Thanksgiving, when retailers urge Americans to shop online）． About 100m purchases were logged, accounting for 80% of the packages shipped that day． Couriers（怏递员） were buried in parcels．
So life is good for China's e-tailers, then? Not exactly． The number of digital marketers is increasing and online sales are booming． Consumers are enjoying lower prices, better service and more variety． The problem? The pressure on profits in Chinese e-commerce is worse than in America, reckons Elinor Leung of CLSA, a broker． "Almost no one makes money," she says．
The fiercest battles are being fought between online retailers and their bricks-and-mortar（实体的） rivals．Dangdang, a firm． that resembles Amazon,．and 360buy, another online retailer, have cut prices fiercely． Tencent, a cash-rich online giant known for its instant-messaging software, is splashing out to win market share． 360buy has also just raised $400m from investors to do the same． But it is unclear how much longer such firms can burn through capital．What's the best title of this passage?
| A．The Ambition of Alibaba |
| B．Fierce Competition between Retailers |
| C．A Newly Sprung Festival for the Singles |
| D．Chinese Booming and Developing E-commerce |
According to Zeng Ming, this year Alibaba will ．
| A．outweigh Amazon and eBay in worldwide influence |
| B．rank top among all the Internet firms |
| C．have more than 159 billion dollars' sale |
| D．create another sales miracle just like the one on Singles Day |
How many packages were shipped on November ll th from Alibaba's online platforms?
| A．About 80 million． | B．About 100 million． |
| C．About 125 million． | D．About 180 million． |
What's the author's attitude towards online retailers in China?
| A．Optimistic． | B．Concerned． |
| C．Sympathetic． | D．Indifferent． |
Most people know that awkward feeling when you step into an elevator with other people and try not to make eye contact.
But new research suggests it may be down to a subconscious（潜意识的）power struggle being played out as you make your way up or down.
A study found that people decide where they stand based on a micro social grading, established within seconds of entering the lift.
Rebekah Rousi, a Ph.D. student in cognitive science, conducted an study of elevator behaviour in two of the tallest office buildings in Adelaide, Australia.
As part of her research, she took a total of 30 lift rides in the two buildings, and discovered there was an established order to where people tended stand.
In a blog, she writes that more senior men seemed to direct themselves towards the back of the elevator cabins.
She said: 'In front of them were younger men, and in front of them were women of all ages.'
She also noticed there was a difference in where people directed their stare half way through the ride.
Men watched the monitors(监控器), looked in the side mirrors (in one building) to see themselves, and in the door mirrors (of the other building) to also watch others.
'Women would watch the monitors and avoid eye contact with other users (unless in conversation) and the mirrors,' she writes.
The student concluded it could be that people who are shyer stand toward the front, where they can't see other passengers, whereas brave people stand in the back, where they have a view of everyone else.According to Rebekah Rousi, senior men intend to stand ______ of the elevator cabins.
| A．in the front | B．in the middle |
| C．near the side mirrors | D．at the back |
The underlined word “ them ” in paragraph 7 refers to ______.
| A．senior men | B．younger women |
| C．younger men | D．Women |
Why do women choose to stand in the front?
| A．Because they are too shy to make eye contact with others. |
| B．Because they can have a view of everyone else. |
| C．Because they want to show their power. |
| D．Because they want to watch the monitors. |
Carrot juice, because of its many healthy benefits, is commonly called the "magic juice". It has been found that adding carrot juice to people’s diets greatly improves their health. And its delicious taste makes it popular with all members of the family as a beverage.
Carrot juice is one of the richest sources of vitamin A that can be used in the daily diet. Lack of vitamin A can cause dryness and damage to the skin, nails and hair. Drinking carrot juice to increase the vitamin A in the diet is said to be good for many parts of the body, including the bones and teeth.
Drinking carrot juice is thought to be extremely helpful to the liver (肝脏), because vitamin A helps to clean the liver and reduce fat in it. And it is suggested that drinking carrot juice should be done regularly, rather than just from time to time.
Drinking carrot juice is also thought to improve the eyesight because of the vitamin A in the juice. Lack of vitamin A can lead to night blindness, which can be very dangerous, especially when the person is driving a car. An easy way to find out if you are lacking in vitamin A is to walk from a bright room into a dark room. Your eyes may have some trouble in getting used to the change of light if you are lacking in vitamin A.
How can you make carrot juice? Wash some carrots well in cold water. Scrape (刮) them lightly, but do not peel them, as this will take away valuable vitamins and minerals that lie close to the skin. Lack of vitamin A can lead to _____.
| A．broken bones | B．complete blindness |
| C．skin dryness | D．liver cancer |
According to the passage, carrot juice ______.
| A．does a lot of good to the teeth and other parts of the body |
| B．is popular because it is a magic cure for many diseases |
| C．can wash away the waste from the body |
| D．may be harmful to the body if it’s drunk too much |
We can learn from the fourth paragraph that _____.
| A．you will find it easy to get used to the change of light if you lack vitamin A |
| B．driving cars at night may lead to night blindness |
| C．walking from a bright room into a dark room may lead to night blindness |
| D．drinking carrot juice helps to protect your eyesight |
Which would be the best title for this passage?
| A．Tips on How to Make Carrot Juice |
| B．The Great Benefits of Carrot Juice |
| C．The Way to Keep Good Health |
| D．A Healthy Diet for Patients |
UFO stands for "unidentified flying object"(不明飞行物). Many people reported having seen UFOs in the sky. A lot of countries tried to research into them and in 1952 they got the name of UFO.
There were several reports published in the 19th century which were related to UFOs. Denison Daily News in its report of 25th January, 1878 wrote that a farmer, Martin saw a flying object in the sky and it was just like a plate. This was the first time that the word plate had been related to the UFO.
First reports on UFOs came during the World War II. In 1947 the pilot Kenneth Arnold said while he was flying near the Mount Rainer he saw a very bright object in the sky. He told that it was like a plate, too. The information given by Kenneth got lots of attention from the media and people.
Several research organisations gave their reports on the UFOs. They showed direct or indirect physical evidence of UFOs, and sometimes UFOs’ appearance was found in the radar (雷达) screen. Many people try to take video tapes or photos of UFOs as proof. Most UFOs are in plate shape while many UFOs are like cigarettes or half balls.
Many films and TV shows are made about UFOs. There are two famous movies which are created on the topic of UFOs and aliens (外星人), War of the World and Star Wars. UFOs have created a new field in science which is known as Ufology (飞碟学).Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．People named the flying object UFO in the 19th century. |
| B．The UFOs Martin and Kenneth Arnold saw were in different shapes. |
| C．Kenneth Arnold was given much attention for his discovering the UFO. |
| D．Martin was the first person that described the flying object as a plate. |
What does the underlined word "proof" in the fourth paragraph mean?
| A．Research. | B．Evidence. |
| C．Appearance. | D．Exhibition. |
The next paragraph following the passage probably talks about ________.
| A．the introduction to UFOs’shapes |
| B．famous movies on UFOs |
| C．the new science —Ufology |
| D．effects of UFOs on humans |
This passage is mainly telling us ______.
| A．how to discover UFOs |
| B．who discovered UFOs |
| C．a new field in science |
| D．UFOs’ discoveries and research |
I told my friend Graham, "I often walk two miles from my house to the town centre. Unfortunately, there is a big hill on the way." He replied, "You should say 'fortunately’." He explained that I should be glad for the extra exercise that the hill gave.
I thought he was right. My attitude to the hill has now changed. As I approach the foot of the hill and prepare to climb, I tell myself that this hill will help me lose weight and get fit. This hill is my friend. I have a smile of satisfaction as I reach the top of the hill.
Problems are to be faced. We cannot achieve anything with an easy life. Helen Keller once wrote that "Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experiences of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened ..."
Our attitude towards difficulties is of importance in life. From time to time, we all face problems, accidents and difficulties. We cannot choose the situation but we can choose our attitude toward the situation.
How can you change your attitude towards difficulties? Try these steps:1. Face the problem. Do not avoid it. 2. Take a positive attitude. 3. Imagine how you will feel when you solve the problem. 4. Develop an action plan for how to deal with it. 5. Smile.
Many great people like Helen Keller, took these steps to deal with their problems. They chose their attitude. They chose to be positive. They accepted the challenge. They won.We can infer from the passage that_____.
| A．the author’s favorite sport is climbing hills |
| B．the author has to climb a hill to go to work |
| C．Graham helped change the author’s attitude |
| D．Graham often climbs hills to exercise |
The underlined word "approach" in Paragraph 2 means "_______".
| A．come near | B．look at |
| C．look for | D．come across |
The author used Helen Keller’s words to_____.
| A．tell us to learn from successful people |
| B．tell us to do more exercise to keep fit |
| C．prove that we should choose a hard life |
| D．prove that difficulties make a man great |
The author tries to prove his idea by____.
| A．giving numbers | B．giving examples |
| C．comparing facts | D．using old sayings |
London’s Chinese community dates back to the 18th century, when a small number of Chinese sailors moved to the city to work in Limehouse, east London. As time went by, other Chinese people came to this area and Limehouse began to be known as "Chinatown". At the start of the 20th century, there were just 545 Chinese people in Britain. However, this situation changed greatly after the Second World War. At this time, many farmers in Hong Kong lost their jobs, and decided to move to London. In the 1950s, a small Chinese restaurant opened in central London. Many British people visited it and said that Chinese food was wonderful! Suddenly, Chinese restaurants started opening in every part of the city. Instead of too little work, the new Chinese immigrants (移民) now found that they had too much! Most of the new immigrants enjoyed their lives and the chances they were offered. Many asked their friends and relatives to join them from their hometowns, and a lot of families were reunited again at this time.
As time went by, London’s Chinese community became more and more successful. The sons and daughters of the first restaurant workers, encouraged by their parents, studied very hard at school and university. And most got highly-paid jobs. As a result, increasing numbers of Chinese families left Chinatown and moved to the more expensive places. Chinatown, however, is still as lively as ever, and a must-see for any visitor to London.From the passage, we can learn that the first members of "Chinatown" were _____.
| A．early Chinese sailors | B．restaurant workers |
| C．Hong Kong farmers | D．visitors to London |
What does the author mean by the underlined sentence in Paragraph 1?
| A．Limehouse was influenced by World War II. |
| B．The new immigrants found it hard to find jobs during the war. |
| C．Many Hong Kong farmers lost their jobs because of the war. |
| D．The number of Chinese people in Britain increased after the war. |
Which of the following statements is NOT true?
| A．Before the 20th century, "Chinatown" in London was still very small. |
| B．In the 1950s, Chinese food became quite popular in Britain. |
| C．Most of the new immigrants could find a job in the 1950s. |
| D．With the help of the British government, Chinatown was very successful。 |
The passage is mainly about _______.
| A．"Chinatown" in World War II |
| B．the history of "Chinatown" in London |
| C．the successful Chinese in London |
| D．an old Chinese restaurant |
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