Do you like shopping? Or does the thought of wandering around 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 “showrooming”.

Showrooming 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 showroomed 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 gifts.

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 showrooming, you get the best of both worlds!

1. The two questions in Paragraph 1 are raised to ________________.

   A. introduce the topic 　　　　　   B. give two examples

   C. compare different opinions 　　   D. get answers from readers

2. According to Amy Cashman, which is not the reason for showrooming?

   A. The lack of time.

   B. The comfort of the sofa.

   C. The shortness of money.

   D. The security of the product.

3. The author’s attitude towards showrooming is __________________.

   A. critical 　   B. neutral 　   C. casual 　   D. supportive

There is a very instructive incident involving the life of Alexander the Great, King of Greek.

Alexander, after conquering many kingdoms, was returning home. On the way, he fell ill and it took him to his death bed. With death staring him in his face, Alexander realized his conquests, his great army, his sharp sword and all his wealth were of no consequence. So, he lay helplessly waiting to

breathe his last. He called his generals and said, “I will depart from this world soon, and I have three wishes. Please carry them out without fail.”

“My first desire is that,” said Alexander, “My physicians alone must carry my coffin.” After a

pause, he continued, “Secondly, I desire that when my coffin is being carried to the grave, the path leading to the graveyard be spread with gold, silver and precious stones which I have collected.” The king continued, “My third and last wish is that both my hands should be kept hanging out of my coffin.” Alexander’s favourite general kissed his hand and pressed it to his heart. “Oh, King, we assure you that your wishes will all be fulfilled. But tell us why do you make such strange wishes?”

Alexander took a deep breath and said, “I would like the world to know of the three lessons I

have just learnt. I want my physicians to carry my coffin because people should realize that no

doctor can really cure any bodies. They are powerless and cannot save a person from the clutches of death. So let people not take life for granted.”

“The second wish of spreading gold, silver and other riches on the way to the graveyard is to

tell people that not even a bit of gold will come with me. I spent all my life earning riches but cannot take anything with me. Let people realize that it is just a waste of time to chase wealth.”

“And about my third wish of having my hands hanging out of the coffin, I wish people to know that I came empty-handed into this world and empty-handed out of this world.” With these words, the King closed his eyes. Soon he let death conquer him and breathed his last.

4. The first paragraph suggests that Alexander ________________.

   A. wanted to leave the world as he came empty-handed

   B. realized that what he got in his life was nothing to him at all

   C. was spending a lot time conquering many kingdoms and had earned a great amount of wealth

   D. regarded his conquests, his great army, his sharp sword and all his wealth as the most important

things

5. The underlined word “clutches” in Paragraph 3 means “___________”.

   A. sentence    B. attention    C. control    D. shadow

6. The author intends to ________________.

   A. tell us the story of Alexander

   B. stress the power of Alexander the Great

   C. persuade people to realized what Alexander said

   D. introduce readers to the instructive lessons of Alexander

7. What would be the best title of the passage?

   A. The Death of Alexander

   B. The Greed of Alexander

   C. Three wishes of Alexander

   D. The Life of Alexander

A new study shows students who write notes by hand during lectures perform better on exams than those who use laptops.

Students are increasingly using laptops for note-taking because of speed and legibility （清晰 度）. But the research has found laptop users are less able to remember and apply the concepts they have been taught.

Researchers performed experiments that aimed to find out whether using a laptop increased the tendency to make notes “mindlessly” by taking down word for word which the professors said.

In the first experiment, students were given either a laptop or pen and paper. They listened to the same lectures and were told to use their usual note-taking skills. Thirty minutes after the talk, they were examined on their ability to remember facts and on how well they understood concepts.

The researchers found that laptop users took twice as many notes as those who wrote by hand. However, the typists performed worse at remembering and applying the concepts. Both groups

scored similarly when it came to memorizing facts.

The researchers’ report said, “While more notes are beneficial, if the notes are taken

mindlessly, as is more likely the case on a laptop, the benefit disappears.”

In another experiment aimed at testing long-term memory, students took notes as before but were tested a week after the lecture. This time, the students who wrote notes by hand performed significantly better on the exam.

These two experiments suggest that handwritten notes are not only better for immediate

learning and understanding, but that they also lead to superior revision in the future.

8. More and more students favor laptops for note-taking because they can ____________.

   A. write more notes

   B. digest concepts better

   C. get higher scores

   D. understand lecture better

9. While taking notes, laptop users tend to be ________________.

   A. skillful    B. tireless    C. thoughtful    D. mindless

10. The author of the passage aims to _________________.

   A. examine the importance of long-term memory

   B. stress the benefit of taking notes by hand

   C. explain the process of taking notes

   D. promote the use of laptops

11. The passage is likely to appear in _________________.

   A. a finance report

   B. a computer textbook

   C. a science magazine

   D. a newspaper advertisement

If you don’t think technology can improve your trip, meet Judy Williams. When she and her

husband recently checked into Blu Hotel in Zurich, a clerk asked them to sign the dotted line on a

room rate hundreds of dollars higher than their online offer.

“It was not a cheap stay,” says Williams, a lawyer from Billings, Mont. But it became more of

one after her husband fired up the Booking.com app he’d used to book their room on his smartphone.

“As soon as we showed him the cost, he honored it,” Williams says.

Technology may create challenges for travelers but it can also solve them. It’s more than

making sure of a hotel cost. The latest Booking.com can help users select hotels by location, make a

secure booking and view the confirmed (已确认的) cost so they never need to re-discuss their hotel

price.

Another pain point for travelers is traffic that eats away precious vacation time. There’s a new app called Commute which is aimed at users who have to make the same trip every day. But if you’re headed to Los Angeles or Honolulu, where visitors can easily get stuck in hours of heavy

traffic, Commute can help.

Just input basic information about your destination and expected leaving time, and the app

will start sending you traffic information 15 minutes before you leave. Testing Commute proved to

be a challenge for me, because my home address is about 900 miles from my place of work. But if

you have only a short distance to travel through a heavily populated area, you can use Commute to

avoid traffic jams.

Another source of travel-related problems is money. That’s particularly true when you’re

dealing with a foreign currency. The latest Travel Money Tracker helps travelers prevent currency

mix-ups. It immediately changes a country’s native currency to yours, so you know exactly how

much that Espresso (浓咖啡) in Milan costs in dollars. It can also warn you when you’re

overspending, which can sometimes be a problem when you’re on vacation. The only catch, of

course, is that you have to remember to record all your purchases.

Taken together, these apps solve some of the most common travel problems. But not all of

them. Some things, no smartphone can fix, which means I get to keep my job – for now at least.

12. What does the writer want to tell through the example of Judy Williams?

   A. The cost of Blu Hotel was higher than that of others.

   B. The clerk was very friendly and patient.

   C. The smartphones have many functions.

   D. Technology can make our trips better.

13. Commute is not suitable for those who_______________.

   A. have a long journey

   B. go on the same trip every day

   C. can easily get stuck in traffic jams

   D. travel a short distance downtown

14. What is the function of Travel Money Tracker?

   A. It tells people how much Espresso costs.

   B. It warns people when they are shopping.

   C. It changes the native currency to yours.

   D. It records all people’s purchases.

15. What is the purpose of this passage?

   A. To encourage people to travel.

   B. To introduce some new apps.

   C. To help people with technology problems.

   D. To provide people with traveling information.

Is bottled water better for you than tap? Or should you choose vitamin-enriched water? Experts say, skip it all. None of these products is likely to make you any healthier. Below, we look at four major myths about the benefits of drinking water. 16 Experts say there’s an easy way to judge.

If you are not thirsty, your fluid intake is likely “just right”.

Myth No. 1: Drink eight glasses each day.

Scientist say there’s no clear health benefit of drinking so much water a day. 17 “Nobody

really knows,” says Dr. Stanley Goldfarb, a kidney expert at the University of Pennsylvania.

Myth No. 2: Lots of water equals healthier skin.

The body is already 60 percent water. 18 Adding a few extra glasses of water each day has

a limited effect. “It’s such a tiny part of what’s in the body,” says Goldfarb. “It’s very unlikely that

one’s getting any benefit.”

Myth No. 3: 19

A more accurate statement may be: drinking water is a helpful tool for dieters. “Water is a great

strategy for dieters because it has no calories,” says Madeline Fernstrom of the University of

Pittsburgh. “So you can keep your mouth busy without food and get a sense of satisfaction.” But

water is not magical, she adds, “Other zero-calorie options such as diet sodas are fine, too.”

Myth No. 4: It’s easy to get dehydrated （脱水的）during a workout.

Dehydration sets in when a person has lost 2 percent of his or her body weight. 20 “It’s

also obvious that individuals in hot, dry climates have an increased need for water,” says Goldfarb.

“But for a walk in the park, no water bottle is necessary.”

   A. So where does the standard advice come from?

   B. But it’s unclear whether these changes are clinically significant.

   C. So for a 200-pound man, this means losing 4 pounds of water.

   D. Drinking extra water leads to weight loss.

E. Drink as much water as you can.

F. So, if you take a 200-pound man, he’s 120 pounds of water.

G. But first, how do you know if you’re drinking enough water?