Question

    Do you like shopping? For shopaholics in the UK, the place to head to used to be the “high street”. It was the place where you could find familiar fashion brands and essential everyday items in the centre of a town. But change in our shopping habits has taken its toll on the British high street.

News about shops losing money and shutting is now common. Some city-centre department stores have closed and even long-established retailers (零售商) have reported profit slumps. According to a recent survey, a record 2,481 shops disappeared from UK high streets last year — up by 40 percent.

As the BBC’s Emma Simpson writes, things have become a lot harder for traditional retailers in recent years. They have faced rising costs from wages, business rates and the requirement to introduce Europe’s new data law. But the biggest threat has come from online shopping. She says “Consumers now spend one in every five pounds online — and if businesses are seeing 20 percent fewer sales on the shop floor, as well as their fixed costs rising, then profit margins will be squeezed.”

While some of us like to window shop — browsing for things to buy, only to purchase them online at a discount — the fact is that, overall, shoppers are making fewer visits to high streets. Eventually, town centres could become like ghost towns. If people aren’t out and about shopping, they won't use other services, like cafes, restaurants and cinemas, which leads to job losses. The high street has also suffered from the arrival of big shopping malls, which offer a retail experience under one roof, with free parking, away from the bad weather!

Meanwhile, back on the high street, some shops still exist. Analysts have said it's those that have moved away from traditional retailing that are surviving. These include beauty salons, nail bars and independent coffee shops — but are these kinds of shops enough to keep the British high street open for business?

1.What do we know about “high street” according to the passage?

A.It sold only fashionable daily items.

B.It has changed people’s shopping habits.

C.It was a big shopping mall in downtown Britain.

D.It was the destination for people who love shopping in the UK.

2.Which is closest in meaning to the underlined word “slumps”?

A.Sharp fall. B.Steady rise.

C.Slow increase. D.Slight loss.

3.What’s the hardest part for traditional shop owners to run their shops?

A.The rising costs from wages.

B.The boom of window shopping.

C.The popularity of shopping online,

D.The introduction of Europe’s new data law.

4.What change is taking place in the British high street at present?

A.Discounts are offered to attract more consumers.

B.Parking is free of charge in time of bad weather.

C.Better service is provided to satisfy the customers.

D.Some conventional retailer turn to other businesses.

Answer

1.D

2.A

3.C

4.D

【解析】

这是一篇议论文。文章以英国商业街high street的没落为切入点，指出网购的流行给传统零售模式带来的巨大打击。不仅如此，因为人们出门的几率变小，网购还会让其它行业遭受损失，最终导致大量失业。

1.

细节理解题。根据第一段的For shopaholics in the UK, the place to head to used to be the “high street”. It was the place where you could find familiar fashion brands and essential everyday items in the centre of a town.(对于英国的购物狂来说，过去值得去的地方是high treet。它在城市的中心，是一个你可以找到熟悉的时尚品牌和生活必须品的地方)可知，high street是一个英国购物狂去的地方。D. It was the destination for people who love shopping in the UK.(它是英国购物狂们的目的地)符合以上说法。故选D项。

2.

词义猜测题。根据第二段的News about shops losing money and shutting is now common. Some city-centre department stores have closed and even long-established retailers (零售商) have reported profit slumps.可知，关于商店赔钱关门的消息现在很常见。一些市中心的百货商店已经关门，甚至那些长期存在的零售商也公布了利润的slumps。根据句意，尤其是losing money and shutting和even可猜测划线部分的意思“大幅度减少”。A. Sharp fall.(暴跌)符合以上猜测。故选A项。

3.

细节理解题。根据第三段的As the BBC’s Emma Simpson writes, things have become a lot harder for traditional retailers in recent years.(英国广播公司的Emma写道，近年来传统零售商的处境变得更加艰难)和But the biggest threat has come from online shopping.(但最大的威胁来自网购)可知，传统商家所面临的最大困难是网购。C. The popularity of shopping online.(网购的流行)符合以上说法，故选C项。

4.

细节理解题。根据最后一段的Analysts have said it's those that have moved away from traditional retailing that are surviving. These include beauty salons, nail bars and independent coffee shops — but are these kinds of shops enough to keep the British high street open for business?(分析人士说，只有那些从传统零售走出来的人才能生存下来。其中包括美容院、美甲店和独立咖啡店。但这些类型的商店足以让英国的行业姐继续营业吗？)可知，high street的一些传统零售商转向了其他行业，这样才得以生存。D. Some conventional retailer turn to other businesses.(一些传统零售商转向其它行业)符合以上说法，故选D项。