Chinese consumers' crazy appetite for luxury goods and services appears unstoppable,with just 2 percent of the Chinese population responsible for one-third of the world's luxury items.
As China's economic miracle develops,the market opportunities for all sorts of luxury goods and services are increasing.Luxury consumption in China now extends ways beyond well-known car,clothing and jewelry brands.For example,the luxury jet market in China is the fastest-growing in the world,even outstripping that of the United States, with a market share of 25 percent.This trend appears to continue,with 20 to 30 percent growth expected in China, compared with only 2 to3 percent in the US.But more importantly,China's luxury jet market growth represents a major development in the private consumption of luxury items.
China's high-quality red wine market also provides evidence of the growth in private consumption of luxury goods.In 2013,China became the largest market for red wine in the world,even overtaking France,with l.86 billion bottles consumed in China last year.Over the past five years,China's red wine consumption has grown 136 percent.
According to my ongoing consumer research in this area while working at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing,public consumption of such expensive global luxury brands such as Prada and Armani is easily explained by the desire to "gain face" and publicly display social climbing through material possessions.On the other hand,it is "self-reward" that lies behind consumer motivation in this area.Chinese consumers who have experienced rapid financial and economic gains appear particularly prone to the need to reward themselves for their success.But this has little to do with "gaining face" and impressing others and much more to do with the need for personal contentment.
Finally,the growth in private luxury consumption in China is set to continue in part due to the maturity of the Chinese consumer and advancement of Chinese consumer culture generally.
1.What do you think the author would most probably be?
A. A news reporter. B. An accountant.
C. A professor. D. A conductor.
2.The underlined word "outstripping" in Paragraph 2 probably means" ".
A. falling far behind of B. going out of
C. going far ahead of D. keeping pace with
3.What can we learn from Paragraphs 2 and 3?
A. China's luxury jet market growth is only 2% to 3%.
B. France was once the largest market for red wine in the world before 2013.
C. The luxury jet market in the US shares 25%of the jet consumption in the world.
D. China's red wine consumption has increased to 1.86 billion bottles since 2013.
4.What can be the best title for the passage?
A. Future Private Luxury Consumption in China
B. Chinese Appetite for Luxury Goods and Services
C. The Potential Luxury Jet Market in China
D. The Maturity of the Chinese Consumers
The Board Meeting had come to an end. Bob started to stand up and pushed the table, spilling his coffee over his notes. “How embarrassing! I am getting so clumsy in my old age.”
Everyone had a good laugh, and soon we were all telling stories of our most embarrassing moments. It came around to Frank who sat quietly listening to the others.
Frank began,“My Dad was a fisherman. He worked hard and would stay out until he caught enough to feed the family. Not just enough for our family, but also for his Mom and Dad and the other kids that were still at home.”
Frank's voice dropped a bit. “When the weather was bad he would drive me to school. He would pull right up in front, and it seemed like everybody would be standing around and watching. Then he would lean over and give me a big kiss on the cheek and tell me to be a good boy. It was so embarrassing for me. Here I was twelve years old, and my Dad would lean over and kiss me good-bye!”
He paused and then went on, “I remember the day I thought I was too old for a good-bye kiss. When we got to the school, he had his usual big smile. He started to lean toward me, but I put my hand up and said, ‘No, Dad.’ It was the first time I had ever talked to him that way, and he had this surprised look on his face. I said, ‘Dad, I'm too old for a good-bye kiss. I'm too old for any kind of kiss.’ My Dad looked at me for the longest time, and his eyes started to tear. I had never seen him cry. He turned. ‘You're right,’ he said. ‘You are a big boy ... a man. I won't kiss you anymore.’”
For the moment, the tears began to well up in Frank's eyes. “It wasn't long after that when my Dad went to sea and never came back.”
I looked at Frank and saw that tears were running down his cheeks. Frank spoke again.“Guys, you don't know what I would give to have my Dad give me just one more kiss on the cheek.”
1.Why did Frank feel embarrassed when his father kissed him good-bye at that time?
A. Because he didn’t want his father to drive him to school.
B. Because his classmates would laugh at him.
C. Because everybody was standing around and watching him.
D. Because he thought he was too old for a good-bye kiss.
2.When Frank refused his father's kiss that day, his father__________.
A. felt surprised and didn't know what to do
B. felt a little angry but agreed not to kiss him anymore
C. felt very sad but agreed not to kiss him anymore
D. felt very relieved because his son grew up
3.According to the passage, which of the following statements is NOT correct?
A. Frank's father was hardworking and very responsible.
B. Frank's father drove him to school everyday when he was 12.
C. Frank regretted refusing his father's kiss very much.
D. Frank didn't think the good-bye kiss an embarrassment anymore.
4.Frank told us this when everyone told a story about the embarrassing moment maybe because the following reasons EXCEPT__________.
A. he regretted to have refused his father's kiss
B. he wanted to remind us to cherish the time with family
C. he still thought this was the most embarrassing thing
D. he understood his father's love and missed him
Guide to Stockholm University Library
Our library offers different types of studying places and provides a good studying environment.
Zones
The library is divided into different zones. The upper floor is a quiet zone with over a thousand places for silent reading, and places where you can sit and work with your own computer. The reading places consist mostly of tables and chairs. The ground floor is the zone where you can talk. Here you can find sofas and armchairs for group work.
Computers
You can use your own computer to connect to the wifi specially prepared for notebook computers; you can also use library computers, which contain the most commonly used applications, such as Microsoft Office. They are situated in the area known as the Experimental Field on the ground floor.
Group-study Places
If you want to discuss freely without disturbing others, you can book a study room or sit at a table on the ground floor. Some study rooms are for 2-3 people and others can hold up to 6-8 people. All rooms are marked on the library maps.
There are 40 group-study rooms that must be booked via the website. To book, you need an active University account and a valid University card. You can use a room three hours per day, nine hours at most per week.
Storage of study material
The library has lockers for students to store course literature. When you have obtained at least 40 credits(学分), you may rent a locker and pay 400 SEK for a year’s rental period.
Rules to be followed
Mobile phone conversations are not permitted anywhere in the library. Keep your phone on silent as if you were in a lecture and exit the library if you need to receive calls.
Please note that food and fruit are forbidden in the library, but you are allowed to have drinks and sweets with you.
1.Library computers on the ground floor .
A. help students with their field experiments
B. contain software essential for schoolwork
C. are for those who want to access the wi-fi
D. are mostly used for filling out application forms
2.What condition should be met to book a group-study room?
A. group must consist of 8 people
B. Three-hour use per day is the minimum
C. One should first register at the university
D. Applications must mark the room on the map
3.A student can rent a locker in the library if he .
A. can afford the rental fee B. attends certain courses
C. has nowhere to put his books D. has earned the required credits
听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1.What is the speaker mainly telling us?
A. The importance of body language.
B. The importance of politeness.
C. The importance of watching TV.
2.How can you sometimes learn more about a person according to the speaker?
A. By talking with him.
B. By listening to him.
C. By watching him.
3.What would be a sign that a person is listening to you?
A. His eyes are moving around.
B. He is standing still.
C. He is tapping his foot.
4.What can we learn from the speaker?
A. Signs can help one follow a speaker along.
B. A fast speaker seldom uses body language.
C. Signs are not usually used on TV.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.What is the woman?
A. A teacher. B. A reporter. C. A shop assistant.
2.What skills of English does the man think he is poor in?
A. Speaking. B. Reading. C. Writing.
3.What will the man do after the conversation?
A. Go back home. B. Meet his brother. C. Have his class.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.When is the football match?
A. In the morning. B. In the afternoon. C. In the evening.
2.Where are the speakers going to eat on Saturday evening?
A. At the woman’s house. B. At a public house. C. At a restaurant.
3.What will the man do on Sunday afternoon?
A. See Carlos off. B. Go to the cinema. C. Drive to the country.
