Alibaba started taking the lead in China, simply enough, by connecting big Chinese manufacturers(制造商)with big buyers across the world. Its business-to-business site, Alibaba.com allowed business to buy almost everything. Alibaba’s advantage wasn’t hard to identify: size. Alibaba is just big, even by Chinese standards. Its marketplaces attract 231 million active buyers, 8 million sellers, 11.3 billion orders a year—and Alibaba is just the middleman. It encourages people to use its markets—not charging small sellers a percentage of the sale.
If you want a quick look into the influence of Alibaba on daily Chinese life, take my experience. I moved to Beijing almost a year ago and quickly got tired of visiting small stores across the crowded, polluted city of 20 million people in search of new electronics, bathroom furnishings, and anything else my wife wanted. “You’re looking for what exactly? Why not try it? ” my Chinese teacher asked me one day. With that, my wonderful new relationship with Alibaba began.
Alibaba’s original business-to-business model now is secondary to consumer buying. Chinese retail（零售）buying makes up 80% of Alibaba’s profit, and leading that group is Taobao, with 800 million items for sale and the most unbelievable selection of things you’ll ever find. TMall.com is Alibaba’s other big site, where you can find brand name goods from Nike and Unilever near the lowest prices.
What I have a hard time explaining to friends and family back in the U.S. is how China has gone beyond traditional shopping—big-box retailers especially —in favor of online purchases on Taobao and a few other sites. In smaller towns than Beijing, where big retailers have not yet traveled, shopping online is shopping, and shopping is Taobao.
I have a list of some of my recent purchases on Taobao for a sense of how extensive the marketplace is. Almost everything arrived a day or two after ordering with free shipping. I’m not even a big buyer, because I need friends to help me search the Chinese-language site. When I was searching my purchase history on my Chinese teacher’s iPad, which helps me buy goods, I looked through with great difficulty about 10 of her purchases for every one of mine.Alibaba’s advantage mainly lies in ___________.
| A．its big size |
| B．its business-to-business service |
| C．its not charging small sellers |
| D．its low price |
What can we learn from the underlined sentence in the passage?
| A．Alibaba is of middle size among all the online sites |
| B．Alibaba will continue to develop. |
| C．Alibaba stands out as the best online site. |
| D．Alibaba acts as a bridge between the buyers and sellers. |
What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 2 refer to?
| A．a new store | B．Alibaba |
| C．a business | D．a foreign website |
What can be inferred from the passage?
| A．The author’s Chinese teacher is also an online purchase lover. |
| B．Taobao has no obvious advantage over other similar online sites. |
| C．Alibaba’s business-to-business service earns more money than retail now. |
| D．TMall.com provides more profit than Taobao. |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．Shopping online is TaoBao. |
| B．The influence of shopping online goes beyond traditional shopping. |
| C．Alibaba greatly influences people’s daily purchase in China. |
| D．How the author purchases online in China. |
When I was eight, I saw a movie about an island that had an erupting volcano and jungles filled with wild animals. The island was ruled by a beautiful woman called Tondalaya, the Fire Goddess of the Volcano. It was a low budget movie, but to me, it represented the perfect life. But through the years, Tondalaya was forgotten.
The week I turned 50, my marriage came to a sudden end. My house, furniture and everything I’d owned was sold to pay debts that I didn’t even know existed. In a week I had lost my husband, my home and my parents who had refused to accept a divorce in the family. I’d lost everything except my four teenage children. I used every penny I had to buy five plane tickets from Missouri to Hawaii. Everyone said I was crazy to think I could just run off to an island and survive. I was afraid they were right.
I worked 18 hours a day and lost 30 pounds because I lived on one meal a day. One night as I walked alone on the beach, I saw the red orange lava（火山岩）pouring out of Kilauea Volcano in the distance. It was time to live my imagination!
The next day, I quit my job, bought some art supplies and began doing what I loved. I hadn't painted a picture in 15 years. I wondered if I could still paint. My hands trembled the first time I picked up a brush. But before an hour had passed, I was lost in the colors spreading across the canvas（画布）in front of me. And as soon as I started believing in myself, other people started believing in me, too. The first painting sold for $ 1500.
The past six years have been filled with adventures. My children and I have gone swimming with dolphins, watched whales and hiked around the crater rim（火山口边缘）of the volcano. We wake up every morning with the ocean in front of us and the volcano behind us. The dream I had more than 40 years ago is now reality. I’m living freely and happily ever after. Why did the writer go to Hawaii?
| A．To free herself from trouble. |
| B．To make a living. |
| C．To spend her holiday. |
| D．To realize her childhood dream. |
Which of the following is the writer’s dream?
| A．Become a successful painter. |
| B．Live in nature with animals. |
| C．Get close to wildlife. |
| D．Live a free and happy life. |
We can infer from the passage that __________.
| A．the writer wasn’t sure whether she could survive in Hawaii at first |
| B．the writer’s parents encouraged her to divorce |
| C．the writer’s husband took away most of her money |
| D．the writer had never done painting before |
A Book Review—The Snake-Stone by Berlie Doherty
The setting: Urban England (the cities), but also rural England (the countryside) including remote English villages．
The theme: The main theme is a teenage research of self-discovery, in this case the search for a mother from whom the hero was separated at an early age．Its other concerns are love, getting on with others, being persistent and courageous and trying to deal with doubts, troubles and worries．As the book moves to a close, James’ swimming coach says to him: “You are not like a kid obeying instructions any more．You are diving like a young man who knows where he is going．”
The characters: James is the hero of the story．He is a championship diver, and has a comfortable life with his foster parents (养父母)．Yet he also has the qualities to take him on a long journey to find his birth mother．The other characters in The Snake-Stone, James’ parents, his diving instructor, best friend, the villagers, people he meets on his journey, are pictured realistically．
The turning point: The turning point in the story comes while James’ foster parents are away in London, and he wonders about the identity of his birth mother．The only clue he has is a fossil, “the snake stone” which she left behind along with a note on which she had written: “Take good care of Sammie．It was written on a torn envelope with parts of an address still there．
The journey: Instead of going to London, James decides to find his birth mother．With help from his geography teacher, James sets out for the remote country village where his mother might be found．James has painful, challenging, but also humorous and happy travels．The mother he finally meets, Anne, has a minor yet powerful voice in the novel．He comes to understand why she left him at a stranger’s door fifteen years before．Although the meeting is not long, it leaves him with a feeling of completeness．As a journey of self-discovery The Snake-Stone also provides its readers with a happy ending．Its hero says, on returning to his foster parents, “I was home．”What is the main theme of the novel?
| A．A journey of self-discovery． |
| B．Life in the world of diving． |
| C．Life with foster parents． |
| D．A travel around the country． |
What do the coach’s words in Paragraph 2 suggest?
| A．James is a successful diver． |
| B．James is an independent young man． |
| C．James is an outgoing young man． |
| D．James is a hopeful swimmer． |
The snake stone in the novel is ．
| A．a stone with an address on it |
| B．a gift from the swimming coach |
| C．a clue left by the birth mother |
| D．a fossil left by the foster parents |
Which of the following is true about the novel?
| A．The story has a sad ending． |
| B．The story takes place in the city of London． |
| C．The characters are vividly described． |
| D．The turning point comes after the hero meets his birth mother． |
It can be concluded that James’ journey is _________．
| A．disappointing | B．boring | C．comfortable | D．worthwhile |
The Pacific island nation of Nauru used to be a beautiful place．Now it is an ecological disaster area．Nauru’s heartbreaking story could have one good consequence — other countries might learn from its mistakes．
For thousands of years, Polynesian people lived in the remote island of Nauru, far from western civilization．The first European to arrive was John Fearn in 1798．He was the British captain of the Hunter, a whaling ship．He called the island Pleasant Island．
However, because it was very remote, Nauru had little communication with Europeans at first．The whaling ships and other traders began to visit, bringing guns and alcohol．These elements destroyed the social balance of the twelve family groups on the island．A ten-year civil war started, which reduced the population from 1,400 to 900．
Nauru’s real troubles began in 1899 when a British mining company discovered phosphate (磷酸盐)on the island．In fact, it found that the island of Nauru was nearly all phosphate, which was a very important fertilizer for farming．The company began mining the phosphate．
A phosphate mine is not a hole in the ground; it is a strip mine．When a company strip-mines, it removes the top layer of soil．Then it takes away the material it wants．Strip mining totally destroys the land．Gradually, the lovely island of Nauru started to look like the moon．
In 1968, Nauru became one of the richest countries in the world．Every year the government received millions and millions of dollars for its phosphate．
Unfortunately, the leaders invested the money unwisely and lost millions of dollars．In addition, they used millions more dollars for personal expenses．Soon people realized that they had a terrible problem — their phosphate was running out．Ninety percent of their island was destroyed and they had nothing．By 2000, Nauru was financially ruined．Experts say that it would take approximately $433,600,000 and more than 20 years to repair the island．This will probably never happen．What might be the author’s purpose in writing the text?
| A．To seek help for Nauru’s problems． |
| B．To tell a heartbreaking story of a war． |
| C．To show the importance of money |
| D．To give a warning to other countries |
What was Nauru like before the Europeans came?
| A．Rich and powerful | B．Peaceful and attractive |
| C．Modern and open | D．Greedy and aggressive |
The ecological disaster in Nauru resulted from _______．
A．phosphate overmining B soil pollution
C．farming activity D．whale hunting Which of the following was a cause of Nauru’s financial problem?
| A．Its phosphate mining cost much money |
| B．It spent too much repairing the island |
| C．Its leaders misused the money |
| D．It lost millions of dollars in the civil war． |
What can we learn about Nauru from the last paragraph?
| A．The ecological damage is difficult to repair． |
| B．The leaders will take the experts’ words seriously． |
| C．The island was abandoned by the Nauruans |
| D．The phosphate mines were destroyed |
Barditch High School decided to hold an All-School Reunion．Over 450 people came to the event．There were tours of the old school building and a picnic at Confederate Park．Several former teachers were on hands to tell stories about the old days．Ms．Mabel Yates, the English teacher for fifty years, was wheeled to the Park．
Some eyes rolled and there were a few low groans(嘟囔声)when Ms．Yates was about to speak．Many started looking at their watches and coming up with excuses to be anywhere instead of preparing to listen to a lecture from an old woman who had few kind words for her students and made them work harder than all the other teachers combined．
Then Ms．Yates started to speak:
“I can’t tell you how pleased I am to be here．I haven’t seen many of you since your graduation, but I have followed your careers and enjoyed your victories as well as crying for your tragedies．I have a large collection of newspaper photographs of my students．Although I haven’t appeared in person, I have attended your college graduations, weddings and even the birth of your children, in my imagination．”
Ms．Yates paused and started crying a bit．Then she continued:
“It was my belief that if I pushed you as hard as I could, some of you would succeed to please me and others would succeed to annoy me．Regardless of our motives, I can see that you have all been successful in you chosen path．”
“There is no greater comfort for an educator than to see the end result of his or her years of work．You have all been a great source of pleasure and pride for me and I want you to know I love you all from the bottom of my heart．”
There was a silence over the crowd for a few seconds and then someone started clapping．The clapping turned into cheering, then into a deafening roar(呼喊)．Lawyers, truck drivers, bankers and models were rubbing their eyes or crying openly with no shame all because of the words from a long forgotten English teacher from their hometown．What activity was organized for the school reunion?
| A．Telling stories about past events． |
| B．A picnic on the school playground． |
| C．Sightseeing in the park． |
| D．Graduates’ reports in the old building． |
What can be inferred from Paragraph 2?
| A．Some graduates were too busy to listen to Ms．Yates’ speech． |
| B．Some people got tired from the reunion activities． |
| C．Many graduates disliked Ms．Yates’ ways of teaching． |
| D．Most people had little interest in the reunion． |
We can learn from Ms．Yates’ speech that she _____________．
| A．attended her students’ college graduations |
| B．gave her students advice on their careers |
| C．kept track of her students’ progress |
| D．went to her students’ wedding ceremonies |
What was Ms．Yates’ belief in teaching teenagers?
| A．Hard-pushed students are more likely to succeed． |
| B．Pressure on students from teachers should be reduced． |
| C．Teachers’ knowledge is the key to students’achievements． |
| D．Students’ respect is the best reward for teachers． |
Which of the following can best describe Ms．Yates?__________．
| A．Reliable and devoted． |
| B．Strict but caring． |
| C．Proud but patient． |
| D．Tough and generous． |
A. An Acrobatic (杂技) Soul
To celebrate its 50th anniversary, the China Acrobatic Troupe will present "The Soul of China", where the seemingly impossible is made real. Chills will run down your spine as you watch breathlessly as performers take their art and their bodies to the edge.
Time: 7:30pm, September 13-19
Place: the Capital Theatre, 22 Wangfujingdajie Street, Dongcheng District
B. Exhibitions Joint Show
A group ink painting exhibition is running at the ltuangshicheng Art Gallery in Beijing. About 50 works by 25 young artists including Ge Yun and Yu Yang are on display.
Time: 9am-5pm until September 10
Place: Huangshicheng Gallery, 136 Nanchizi Road, Dongcheng District
C. Oil Paintings
The Wanfang Art Galley will host a joint show of oil paintings by 10 young and middle-aged artists. On display are more than 30 of their latest works, which capture the wonderful variety of life in unique styles.
Time: 9am-4pm until September 15
Place: 136 Nanchizi Street, Dongcheng District
D. Literature Museum
The National Museum of Modern Chinese Literature offers a study of the evolution of Chinese contemporary literature from 1919 to 1949.
Time: 9am-4pm, daily
Place: 45 Anyuandonglu Road, Chaoyang District (Shaoyaoju area)
E. Concerts
Beijing rocks: "The Fashion Night of Chinese Rock" is set to bring rock fans out next month. Nine Chinese rock bands will perform at the concert, including older generation bands, middle generation and some recent arrivals. Audiences will be given a chance to decide what songs they want to hear, which is sure to bring a crowd.
Time: September 16
Place: The Olympic Center
F. Belgium Orchestra
La Petite Band, the Baroque Orchestra of Belgium, will perform in Beijing at Grand Theatre of the Cultural Palace of Nationalities as part of activities across the world to commemorate(纪念) the 250th anniversary of Bach's death.
Time: 7:30pm, September 11-14
Place: Grand Theatre of the Cultural Palace of Nationalities
阅读下面待选人的信息，然后匹配他／她所选的活动：Wang Lin: Wang Lin is a university student who studies music. He hopes to hear some live examples of foreign music from a western band.
Simon: Simon is interested in Chinese literature, so he came to China with his parents. During his stay in Beijing, he wants to learn more about Chinese contemporary Literature.
Li Hua: Li Hua is an eighteen-year-old boy. He is studying in a high school. After many months of hard studying, he is tired of his lessons. He would like to experience something adventurous.
Alice: Alice is an American girl who studies art at Beijing University. She has no classes on September 14. She hopes to enjoy some wonderful oil paintings.
Victoria: Victoria is fond of Chinese music. She hopes to listen to various songs performed by different bands. She doesn't care what kinds of songs they are.
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