Question

       Shopping in the United States changes a lot．About ninety years ago most people shopped in small stores that were owned by one person or a family．Women went from the bakery to the butcher’s to the grocer and on to the fruit and vegetable seller in order to get their food for the week．Then, about sixty years ago, supermarkets were born．In a supermarket, people could get all the different kinds of food they needed without going to different stores．

       The next big change in shopping in the United States was the shopping mall．A shopping mall is a group of stores under one roof．Because malls allowed people to shop without worrying about the weather, they soon became very popular．The mall became a place for people to socialize in addition to shopping．If you walk through a mall, you will see older people sitting, chatting and drinking coffee．Malls are places for teenagers to hang out．Many teens will often just “go to the mall” and spend time with their friends．

       The recent change in American shopping was the superstore．Large chain stores such as Wal-Mart, Office Depot and Toys“R”Us have been built all across the United States．Because they are so large, they can buy goods at a great discount and sell them much cheaper than smaller stores．Sometimes, when they are built near small towns, many of the small town stores have to close．They just cannot compete with their giant neighbors．

       And now, online shopping is becoming more and more popular all over the States．People are too busy to go to the physical stores, so they go shopping over the Internet．Online shopping has lots of advantages．For instance, online stores are usually available 24 hours a day．Searching or browsing online shops can be faster than browsing the physical stores．While, online shopping also has its disadvantages．People are at higher risk of being cheated on the part of the merchant than in a physical store．And privacy of personal information may be let out．

1.Which of the following shows the right order of shopping development in the United States?

       ①small stores  ②superstores  ③shopping malls  ④shopping online                   ⑤supermarkets

       A．①②③④⑤        B．①⑤②③④         C．②③④①⑤        D．①⑤③②④

2.Which is the place for people to spend time with others according to the passage?

       A．Small stores．     B．Shopping malls． C．Supermarkets．   D．Superstores．

3.Why can the superstores sell products at much lower prices?

       A．Because they can buy goods at a reduction in price．

       B．Because they are across the United States．

       C．Because they sell all kinds of products people need．

       D．Because they are built near small towns．

4.What’s the disadvantage of online shopping according to the passage?

       A．Wasting time．                                    B．Fixed prices．

       C．Leaking personal information．             D．No chance to do physical activities．

Answer

1.D

2.B

3.A

4.C