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.
1.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
2.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.
3.What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 2 refer to?
A. a new store B. Alibaba
C. a business D. a foreign website
4.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.
5.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.
Agatha Christie (1890-1976) was born Agatha May Clarissa Miller in Devon, England in 1890, the youngest of three children in a conservative, well-to-do family. Taught at home by a governess and tutors, as a child Agatha Christie never attended school. She became skillful at creating games to keep herself occupied at a very young age. A bashful child, unable to adequately express her feelings, she first turned to music as a means of expression and, later in life, to writing.
In 1914, at the age of 24, she married Archie Christie, a World War I fighter pilot. While he was off at war, she worked as a nurse. It was while working in a hospital during the war that Christie first came up with the idea of writing a detective novel. Although it was completed in a year, it wasn’t published until 1920, five years later.
“The mysterious Affair at Styles” gave the world the unique Hercule Poirot, a retired Belgian police officer who was to become one of the most enduring characters in all of fiction. With his waxed moustache and his “little grey cell,” he was “meticulous (careful to do things correctly), a tidy little man, always neat, orderly and a bit absurd.”
Christie wrote more than 30 novels featuring Poirot. Among the most popular were” The Murder of Roger Ackroyd”(1926), “Murder on the Orient Expredd”(1934), and “Death on the Nile” (1937).
Another of Christie’s most well-known and beloved characters was introduced in “Murder at the Vicarage” in 1930. Miss Jane Marple, an elderly single in the old- fashioned English village of St. Mary Mead, solved all manner of mysteries with intense concentration and instinct.
Christies ultimately (finally)became the acknowledged Queen of the Golden Age. In all, she wrote over 66 novel, numerous short stories and screenplays, and a series of romantic novels using the pen name Mary Westmacott. Several of her works were made into successful feature films, the most notable being Murder on the Orient Express (1974). In short, she is the single most popular mystery writer of all time. In 1971 she was awarded the high honor of becoming a Dame of the British Empire.
1.Which of the following is the correct order in which the events happened?
a. Agatha became a Dame of The British Empire.
b. Agatha worked as a nurse
c. The Mysterious Affair at Styles was published.
d. Murder on the Vicarage Express was published
e. Murder on the Orient Express was filmed
f. Archie Christie went to the front as a fighter pilot.
A. f-b-d-c-e-a B. f-b-c-d-a-e
C. f-d-b-c-a-e D. f-d-c-b-e-a
2.What does the underlined word “bashful” probably mean?
A. Shy B. Conservative C. Stupid D. Sensitive
3.Mary Westmacott is_________________.
A. Agatha’s governess
B. the name of Agatha’s novel
C. another name for Agatha
D. the heroine of Agatha’s novel
4.Which of the following is NOT true about Hercule Poirot?
A. He was once a policeman
B. He paid much attention to details
C. He sometimes seems rather foolish
D. He solved mysterious with a sixth sense
5.In Agatha Christie’s life, What were the most popular novels that she wrote?
A; biography B. detective novel
C. romantic fiction D. science fiction
When 1. (ask) to point out one or two things that are most important to themselves, many put friends ahead of homes, jobs, clothes and cars.
A true friendship carries a long history of experience that determines 2._ we are and keeps us connected. It is a treasure we should protect. Unfortunately, the ___3. (good) friends you are, the more probable you’ll have disagreements. And the result can be what you don’t want 4. end to the relationship.
The good news is that most troubled friendships can be mended. First, don’t let your pride get in your way. Most of us can forgive each other when differences _5._____(bring) out in the open. Second, apologize when you’re wrong - even if you have been wronged .Over the course of a friendship, even the best people make mistakes. Sometimes, it may be best, 6. the wronged person takes the lead and apologizes. When you apologize, give your friend a chance to admit that he has been wrong. Third, see things 7. your friend’s point of view. And finally, accept that friendships change as 8. needs and lifestyle change. Making friends can sometimes seem easy. The hard part is keeping the connections strong during the 9. (nature) ups and downs that have an effect 10. all relationships. My suggestion: Consider friendship an honor and a gift, and worth the effort to treasure and nurture (培养).
When most people travel, they pick up all sorts of things: souvenirs, T-shirts, postcards and so on. However, Harry Loomer is . When he travels, he leaves something behind, something of lasting value — his .
Harry began donating blood at a college blood drive four decades ago. Since then, he has donated his blood . Not once or twice a year, but every 56 days — as often as the law . Even though he is now retired and extensively, it has not slowed him down at all.
For people who need blood, Harry is a/an . Since up to four people can _ from a single pint of blood, Harry Loomer, with a donation of 480 pints of blood, has played a big role in helping save hundreds of lives.
Connie Smith also gives blood regularly. She knows that donating blood requires little work and almost no while helping to save a life. “People need to know how vital it is to have blood on hand,” she says. “There is absolutely no for it.”
Connie is participating in a Red Cross programme designed to pair closely _ donors with people who need blood regularly because of long-term . She is paired with a child who needs a pint of blood every two weeks. To ensure an adequate _ for this young patient, Connie and another donor donate their blood every 56 days.
“It’s not always ,” Connie admits, “but it’s more than worth it to know that I’m helping that precious child. I’m sure if other people know how vital blood donations are, they would be to sacrifice too.”
1.A. unlucky B. strange C. different D. brave
2.A. help B. blood C. money D. smile
3.A. regularly B. monthly C. occasionally D. gradually
4.A. suggests B. allows C. requires D. believes
5.A. drives B. travels C. exercises D. researches
6.A. doctor B. father C. example D. hero
7.A. benefit B. suffer C. choose D. start
8.A. surprising B. fair C. generous D. reasonable
9.A. condition B. courage C. pain D. time
10.A. substitute B. access C. place D. reward
11.A. matched B. balanced C. linked D. involved
12.A. developments B. illnesses C. tests D. processes
13.A. support B. application C. supply D. attention
14.A. necessary B. helpful C. effective D. convenient
15.A. excited B. willing C. lucky D. able
An absolute description of the threat hanging over the world’s mammals, reptiles, amphibians(不如、爬行、两栖动物) and other life forms has been published by the well-known scientific journal, Nature. A special analysis carried out by the journal indicates that an astonishing 41% of all amphibians on the planet now face extinction while 26% of mammal species and 13% of birds are similarly threatened.
Many species are already critically endangered and lose to extinction, including the Sumatran elephant, Amur leopard and mountain gorilla. But also in danger of vanishing for the wild, it now appears, are animals that are currently rated as merely being endangered.
In each case, the finger of blame points directly at human activites The continuing spread of agriculture is destroying million of hectares of wild habitats(栖息地)every year, leaving animals without homes, while the introduction of newly-come species, often helped by humans, is also damaging native populations. At the same time, pollution and overfishing are destroying ocean ecosystems.
“Habitat destruction, pollution or overfishing either skill off wild creatures and plants or leaves them badly weakened,” said Derek Tittensor, an ocean ecologist at the World Conservation Monitoring Centre in Cambridge. “The trouble is that in coming decades, the additional threat of worsening climate change will become more and more common and could then kill off these survivors.”
The problem, according to Nature, is worsened because of the huge gaps in scientists knowledge about the planet’s biodiversity. Evaluations of the total number of species of animals and plants alive vary from 2 million to 50 million. In addition, evaluations of current rates of species’ disappearances vary from 500 to 36, 000 a year. “That is the real problem we face,” added Tittensor. “The scale of uncertainty is huge.”
In the end, however, the data indicate that the world is heading cruelty towards a mass extinction-which is defined as one involving a loss of 75% of species or more. This could arrive in less than a hundred years or could take a thousand, depending on extinction rates.
1.What’s the main idea of the first two paragraphs?
A. Figures about some wild animals are astonishing.
B. “Nature” is the famous journal around the world.
C. Many endangered species are close to extinction.
D. Some rare species have appeared around the world.
2.The direct reason for the extinction of some species is _____.
A. continuous appearance of new species
B. destructive activities of human beings
C. more and more homeless animals
D. the great change of ocean ecosystem
3.From paragraph 4 we know that another future threat is ______.
A. destruction of habitats
B. overfishing and pollution
C. the worsening climate change
D. killing off wild creatures and plants
4.What is the real problem we are facing now according to paragraph 5?
A. The killing of wild creatures and cutting of trees.
B. The global warming caused by human beings.
C. The destruction of ocean ecosystem by pollution.
D. Evaluation of current rates of species’ disappearances.
5.What does “This” in the last sentence refer to _____?
A. mass extinction
B. extinction rates
C. extinction time
D. 75% of species or more
If you are a sleep deprived(被剥夺) teacher, you may not be aware of the term woodpeckering(啄木鸟式点头), but you’ve probably done it. It happens the day following a bad night’s sleep. You’re sitting in a long meeting and you can barely keep your eyes open, so you support your head up with your hand. Next thing you know, you are moving your sleeping head back to its upright position. Do this a few times and you are woodpeckering.
I thought I knew sleep deprivation when I did my medical internship(实习) in hospital. That year I frequently went 36 hours with no sleep. When I finished my stay in neurology(神经内科), I welcomed the promise of full nights of sleep ever after. It went pretty well for the next 10 years until I became a school teacher and experienced a whole new level of sleep deprivation.
Teachers’ working hours go far beyond the 8 am to 5 pm schedule of kids in school. There are hours spent at staff meetings, correcting homework, preparing for the next day- and then there is the worrying. What I did in a hospital emergency room required no more intensive mental energy than what is need to keep 30 kids attentive enough to learn what I was teacher.
Good teachers are like magicians keeping a dozen balls in the air to come at right time, with alarm set for 6 am to finish grading papers, memories of the day that’s gone- including the students who didn’t understand something, forgot their lunch or were embarrassed by wrong answers. All these will become sleep-resistant barriers. And also with some financial stress, you’ll have a cycle of insomnia(失眠) with unwelcome consequences.
With inadequate sleep comes irritability(易怒), forgetfulness, lower tolerance of even minor annoyances, and less efficient organization and planning. These are the very mental useless that teachers need to meet the challenges of the next day. In wanting to do a better job the next day, the brain keeps bringing up the worries that deny the rest it needs.
1.After a bad night’s sleep, usually the direct effect for the next day is to ______.
A. keep one’s eyes open all the time
B. move head back and forth
C. raise one’s head in upright position
D. keep nodding like a woodpecker
2.The writer’s new level of sleep deprivation began since he _____.
A. did his medical internship in hospital
B. began to teach in a school
C. left hospital ten years ago
D. went 36 hours with no sleep
3.From paragraph 3 we can infer that ____.
A. teachers’ work is comfortable
B. correcting homework needs less time
C. working in hospital is even tougher
D. teaching needs more mental energy
4.Good teachers’ sleep problems are mainly due to the _____.
A. common sleep-resistant barriers
B. embarrassment for wrong answers
C. diligence and devotion to teaching
D. misunderstanding of their students
5.What does the writer really want to tell us in the last paragraph?
A. Unfavorable effects of inadequate sleep are various
B. Lay down worries and sleep well first for the next day.
C. Teachers should often practice mental muscles.
D. Better job has nothing to do with inadequate sleep.
