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 “show rooming”．
Show rooming 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 show roomed 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 show rooming，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 show rooming 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 show rooming?
| 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 show rooming is _______
| A．critical | B．neutral | C．supportive | D．casual |
We can make all the jokes we want about taking baths ourselves, but if we are ill in bed and can't get up, we'll be thankful to the nurses who help us get clean. While I am not a nurse, and have never given anyone a bath, I would imagine that it would take a lot of sympathy (同情) and patience to do so.
Yet those who attended the International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems last month were introduced to Cody, a robot that can bathe human beings.
The robot has a base that can be turned to all directions, two humanlike arms, and movable wrists (腕). It uses a camera to locate parts of the human body. It then uses bath gloves to clean with a little pressure.
The robot was designed at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Charles Kemp of the Healthcare Robotics Lab is the senior researcher for the project. In a test run, Cody was able to remove 96% of a test subject's dirt—not bad for a robot.
But don't go asking for Cody yet—he's still a model. Yet researchers believe that one day Cody may take the place of nurses for this task. Researchers say that Cody will give patients dignity and protect their personal information. I suppose that would depend on the patient. I'm not sure whether a robot using a camera would make me feel very dignified.
Even so, I can appreciate the need. We don't have enough nurses to go around, and those places that are the most shorthanded, for example, nursing homes, are those that have the most patients who are unable to bathe themselves. Still, before I get there, I hope they think of a better way to solve the problem.The writer thinks bathing others must ________.
| A．be a lot of fun |
| B．make you feel thankful |
| C．take a lot of patience |
| D．make you feel dignified |
What is the third paragraph mainly about?
| A．Why and where Cody was designed. |
| B．What Cody looks like and who designed it. |
| C．What Cody can do and where it will work soon. |
| D．How Cody works and what has made that possible. |
We know from the fourth and fifth paragraphs that ________.
| A．Cody can bathe patients better than a real nurse can |
| B．robots like Cody are being produced in large numbers right now |
| C．Cody can take the place of nurses completely in hospitals |
| D．researchers think Cody can protect patients' personal information |
There is a need for Cody because ________.
| A．people are becoming lazier |
| B．it can bring down the cost of nursing |
| C．there are not enough nurses |
| D．there are too many nursing homes |
In the writer's opinion, Cody is ________.
| A．acceptable but not perfect |
| B．strange but not creative |
| C．clever and strong |
| D．lovely and careful |
Every school has an ugly girl. In my primary school, it was me.
From first grade through fourth, I had to wear heavy orthopedic(整形外科的)shoes because of my weak ankles. I sounded like overweight elephant wearing bricks whenever I took a single step.
“Hey, Bigfoot！”
“Geez, you're going to start an earthquake！”
Then in sixth grade I had to start wearing glasses. Mom asked for the least expensive ones and that made me look like a fool.
“Four eyes！”
“Couldn't you cover up more of your faces? Why stop at the eyes？”
In Seventh, I started competing on the city swim team, thinking that if I got a killer body, nobody would notice my face. Wrong again. I loved being fast and winning ribbons now and then, but now I had red, wet eyes from the chlorine(氯) in the pool. I also did not develop a killer body.
I changed my strategy at Eighth grade, the last year of middle school. I offered my help to anyone who needs. I worked for other girls, so they could hang out with their friends. My new program began to work. People who would never have acknowledged my existence before were suddenly seeking me out.
I'd been feeling pretty good until one day I went to Christine's house to help her fill envelopes. Going into each envelope was invitation to Christine's birthday party; it was a big event at a fancy hotel. Complete with dinner. She asked me to help her address these envelopes. There was no envelope for me.
My heart was broken. I tried to escape from all the eyes. High school had to be better, right? Yes and no. Now that I'm here, I know there are still lots of shallow people judging you on what you're wearing or how cool your hair is, but there are also kids who talk to you because they liked your answers or just as you're kind, honest, and a good friend.
I still do kind things because I like the feeling I get when I am helping people. I, with my friends, went to children's hospital, playing games and reading to the sick kids.
I still had wet red and not a smart look, but you cannot tell me I am not beautiful. Every time I visit hospital, fiveyearold Terry grasps my hand, “Morri, you are so nice. I want to grow up to be just like you.”Why was Morri laughed at by her classmates when she was in primary school?
| A．She had weak ankles and eyesight. |
| B．Her glasses couldn't cover up her face. |
| C．She couldn't get along well with them. |
| D．She looked like an overweight elephant. |
Which of the following is the real reason for Morri competing on the city swim team?
| A．To win more ribbons. |
| B．To shift others' attention from her face. |
| C．To develop a killer body. |
| D．To have red wet eyes. |
From what Morri experienced in the last year of middle school, we can learn that ________.
| A．her classmates thought highly of her |
| B．she was popular among her classmates |
| C．she was often cheated by her classmates |
| D．her classmates just took advantage of her |
The passage is intended to encourage people to ________.
| A．address as many as invitation envelopes as possible |
| B．take more sport activities including swimming |
| C．take others' comments into careful consideration |
| D．take positive attitude towards disadvantages in life |
As we know, the earth's climate has changed over time.The present rate of climate change depends, in large part, on human activities.Today, people all over the world are making everyday choices that help the environment.Small actions matter.In other words, climate change is your business.
A woman in Nicaragua buys fluorescent (荧光的) light bulbs that are 80 percent more energysaving than traditional ones. Many governments are now subsidizing energysaving lights to encourage people to turn to them.Consumers are discovering that the newgeneration bulbs help them save money in the long run.
Agriculture accounts for about 14 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions (排放) , and transporting the food around adds to the environmental cost.There is a team of young vegetable growers in the United Kingdom who want to encourage kids to start planting their own fruit and vegetables.
A young lawyer wearing business clothes rides her bicycle to work in a large U．S.city.She's been biking to work every day for the past two years and says it's a lot easier than many people think.A recent study shows that more Americans bike or walk to work today than before.
A university student from southeastern China carries a reusable shopping bag to cut back on disposable (一次性的) plastics.Some large shopkeepers have removed paper and plastic bags, and consumers are responding.
In Canberra, Australia, summers are hot and winters cold.To save electricity, Adam Wilson in Canberra uses an energysaving heating system, and he keeps the temperature lower than he did in years past.He still makes it through the summer without air conditioning.The passage mainly tells us that________.
| A．climate change is concerned with everyone |
| B．the global warming is getting worse |
| C．saving energy is of great necessity |
| D．human is to destroy the environment |
The underlined word “subsidizing” in Paragraph 2 probably means “________”．
| A．charging | B．producing |
| C．giving allowance to | D．taking advantage of |
According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?
| A．The governments don't expect consumers to use the newgeneration bulbs. |
| B．Agriculture should be responsible for part of the global gas emissions. |
| C．Many people in Nicaragua go to work on foot or by bike. |
| D．University students from China always carry disposable shopping bags. |
We can learn from the last paragraph that________.
| A．the climate in Canberra is mild all the year round |
| B．an energysaving heating system will come into use |
| C．Adam Wilson has a good habit of saving energy |
| D．Adam Wilson is skilled in inventing the energysaving equipment |
Around 200 million years ago, the earth was 18 degrees warmer than it is now. That might be a bit hot for humans, but it was just right for the giant dinosaurs that wandered about the earth during the Mesozoic (中生代的) era. A new study found that planteating dinosaurs may have contributed to the warming of the earthby releasing significant amounts of methane (甲烷)．
The study, published in science journal Current Biology, focused on sauropods, longnecked herbivores (食草动物) that munched (用力咀嚼) on the top of trees. They were the largest of the dinosaurs; food broke down in their stomachs for long periods of time. The researchers estimate that a sauropoda released 2,675 liters of methane per day—adding up to a large amount of the greenhouse gas being pumped from dinosaur's gut into the atmosphere.
Plant eaters naturally release methane as part of their digestive process. The larger the animal, the more methane it produces. Methane, a greenhouse gas, traps heat and remains in the atmosphere for approximately 915 years, which warms the atmosphere.
Today, some animals, such as cattle, goats and sheep, produce large amounts of methane as a byproduct to their food digestion. Methane is also released from human—influenced sources such as landfill, agricultural activities, coal mining and other industrial practices—which all contribute to today's climate change, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
The researchers estimate that earth's sauropods would have produced about 520 million tons of methane per year—similar to the total amount of methane produced today by natural and manmade sources. However, the researchers warn that their numbers are estimates based on multiple assumptions about the digestive systems and populations of dinosaurs.
The author of the study David Wilkinson says the emission of methane from dinosaurs would have been just one of the causes of warm climate during the Mesozoic era. Other causes include gases produced from volcanoes, swamps, shallow seas and so on. Still, Wilkinson says，“ The amount of methane from dinosaurs is large enough to have a measurable effect.”Scientists think dinosaurs may have led to the global warming because ________.
| A．they ate everything they found |
| B．they usually had a good appetite |
| C．they released a lot of methane |
| D．there were too many dinosaurs on earth |
What do we know about dinosaurs from Paragraph 2?
| A．Sauropods fed on plants. |
| B．Sauropods were of medium size. |
| C．Dinosaurs used to live on trees. |
| D．Dinosaurs digested food quickly. |
Which of the following activities doesn't produce methane?
| A．Coal is dug out by machine. |
| B．Trees and flowers are planted. |
| C．Goats digest grass under the tree. |
| D．Food is being processed in the factory. |
How does the author make his writing reliable?
| A．By listing some facts. |
| B．By making predictions. |
| C．By citing figures. |
| D．By using mind pictures. |
David Wilkinson seems to believe that ________.
| A．methane had little effects on the earth |
| B．many other factors contributed to warm climate |
| C．other causes for warm climate were worth considering |
| D．dinosaurs were mainly to blame for global warming |
When was the last time you did something really fun with one of your parents—just the two of you?
Parents who take their young children to music, swimming and art classes often stop arranging such activities once their kids are older and in school all day. But it doesn't have to be that way. Doing something enjoyable with your kids just might make you look at each other in a whole new way, especially if you do it through a class or an event. When parent and child become students together, it puts them on the same level, at least for a while.
“I really like parents to come to class with their kids—they start sharing things and talking about what they're doing and what they like，” said art teacher Pyper Dixon.
However, finding something new in common is a big choice for them, especially when kids get involved in sports and other afterschool activities. But it's possible to learn a new skill or hobby together.
That's certainly true of Lauren, 11, of Silver Spring, who is in Dixon's class with her father, Dennis. “I was just going to drop her off，” Dennis said, “but Dixon persuaded me to stay.”
Now Lauren gets to nag her father about doing his art homework. “He always leaves it to the last minute，” she said.“But then he'll turn around to do amazing drawings，” she added, “We have different styles of drawing, so it's interesting to talk it over with him.”
Without the Saturday morning art class, Dennis said, he would be reading the paper, and Lauren would be on her own in her room or on the computer. But they talk more now. “I can't think of an experience where you communicate with your kid so closely，” he said.The author raises the question at the beginning to ________.
| A．expect an answer |
| B．criticize some parents |
| C．introduce the topic |
| D．support his argument |
What does Dixon think is the benefit of parent and child studying art together?
| A．The two will become equal. |
| B．The two will communicate more. |
| C．The child will learn art much better. |
| D．The parent will learn something new. |
The underlined word “nag” in the text probably means ______.
| A．urge | B．help |
| C．ignore | D．teach |
We can learn from the text that ________.
| A．Lauren used to talk a lot with her father |
| B．Dennis enjoys studying art with Lauren |
| C．Lauren dislikes her father's drawings |
| D．Dennis likes playing computer games |
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