At a click of mouse consumers can purchase the goods and service they need at online shops. What they have to do is waiting for the goods sent to their homes. We shall all be grateful to the pioneers of online shopping for bringing us such convenience.

Michael Aldrich(the UK)

Online shopping was invented and pioneered by Michael Aldrich in the UK. In 1979 he connected a television via a telephone line to a real-time multi-user transaction(交易)processing computer. He sold mainly Business-to-Business systems. There were a number of significant world firsts with new applications in several business fields.

Jeff Bezos(the USA)

Jeff Bezos defined online shopping and rewrote the rules of commerce. Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web server and browser(浏览器)in 1990. In 1994, Jeff Bezos read an article about how the World Wide Web was growing by 2,300 percent a year. He knew he had to tap into such a great potential for commerce. On July 6, 1995, Bezos launched Amazon.com, which operated out of the garage of his two bedroom home in suburban Seattle, Washington. With almost no publicity, sales took off immediately. The company has now expanded into dozens of product categories, forcing the world’s biggest retailer(零售商)to rethink their business models, and finally changing the way people shop.

Jack Ma(China)

As a child, Jack Ma was bad at maths but fascinated by English. He travelled to the United States in 1995 as a translator to help a Chinese firm recover payment. The attempt failed. But a friend in Seattle showed Ma the Internet, and an idea began brewing.

In 1999, Mr Ma gathered 17 friends and founded Alibaba in his apartment in Hangzhou. Alibaba’s model was simple: allow small and medium-sized Chinese companies to find global buyers they would otherwise only be able to meet at trade shows. It works brilliantly. Alibaba’s sales are now more than those of eBay and Amazon combined.

1.What made Amazon.com a success?

A. Business-to-Business systems. B. The World Wide Web server and browser

C. Commercial publicity. D. Help from retailers.

2.How did Jack Ma have the idea of founding Alibaba?

A. A translator helped him. B. A Chinese firm inspired him.

C. lie was introduced to the Internet. D. lie was funded by some companies.

3.What do the pioneers have in common?

A. They have improved computers.

B. They have sold goods worldwide.

C. They have enlarged product categories.

D. They have contributed to online shopping.

As an instructional coach, I like to keep my candy boxes full in my office, with a variety of treats for my teachers. So this particular Saturday, I headed over to Walmart to check out the latest shipment of sorted Christmas candy. Sure, enough, the shelves were freshly stocked with all the latest Reese’s White Crème and Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Trees! I picked up a couple of big bag items and headed on my way.

Remembering my husband told me to be sure to get the tires repaired, I swung into Les Schwab to see if they could help me. Sure enough they got me in right away. It wasn’t going to take long, so I just stayed in the vehicle. 6 or 7 guys in the shop worked together like a race track pit(修理加油站) crew and I was done in minutes. Then I remembered my candy bag, thinking I’ll bet these guys would appreciate some peanut butter and chocolate.

So I handed a handful of individually wrapped trees to one of them and told him to share with his buddies. It was a small thing, but nearing the end of the busy day at the tire shop, I saw them standing around like kids with treats. You would have thought I gave them gourmet desserts! “Thanks so much for coming in today and your sweet candies!” I heard one of them say.

As I drove out of the garage I thought, it truly is the little things in life that make a difference! I’m going to keep looking for those small opportunities of kindness! I challenge you, the next time you get your tires repaired, take along a bag of candy!

1.The author went into Les Schwab in order to ________.

A. get the tires repaired

B. buy Christmas candies

C. show off her chocolate

D. help the workers in the garage

2.What can we know about the guys according to Paragraph 2?

A. They appreciated eating chocolate.

B. They were eager to eat peanut butter.

C. They were skillful in their repair work.

D. They helped the author to get in the car.

3.What does the underlined word “gourmet” in Paragraph 3 probably mean?

A. Proper. B. Abundant.

C. Ridiculous. D. Delicious.

4.What may be the best title for the passage?

A. Chocolate Treats at the Tire Shop

B. People Around Me Love Chocolate

C. An Instructional Coach Enjoys Candy

D. Looking for Opportunities of Kindness

If you are looking for something fun and educational to do in Maryland, why not visit the Maryland Science Center? It is located at 601 Light Street, Baltimore, MD21230. The ticket prices vary depending on ages, groups and the exhibits you choose.

Introduction

The Maryland Science Center is basically a museum, but it gives everyone a chance to learn through experience and play, rather than just glance at an exhibit.

Activities

You can learn about various topics, including outer space, the human body, dinosaurs, electricity, marine (海洋的) biology, energy, and much more. You can also take part in the interactive activities, such as racing bubbles, digging for dinosaur fossils, using puzzle pieces to construct cars, and so much more.

The Davis Planetarium (天文馆)

At the Davis Planetarium, you can lie back in a chair and look at the stars while still inside the Science Center. The stars will appear on the ceiling of the theatre as you watch them.

There are different shows to catch at the Davis Planetarium. You can learn about the galaxy and astronomy during the Dark Matters show and learn about the stars and planets during the Sky Live show. The One World One Sky show allows children to explore the stars. The Live from the Sun show will teach you all about the hot sun.

The Kids Room

For children, they can’t miss the Kids Room. They will be able to play in a water area, construct dams and water towers, push buttons, ring doorbells, build with blocks and Legos, and more, and definitely they will learn a lot. In addition, there is also an area for kids of two years old and under, where they can crawl, walk and explore safely with soft toys.

1.What do we know about the Maryland Science Center?

A. It charges different prices for parents and children.

B. It is regarded as the most popular museum in Maryland.

C. It is just a museum where there are many famous exhibitions.

D. It is mainly designed for children and their families to play together.

2.Which activity is not included in the Maryland Science Center?

A. Taking part in bubble competition.

B. Learning the structure of human body.

C. Watching famous science fiction films.

D. Gaining knowledge of marine creatures.

3.Which show should you choose if you want to know why the sun shines?

A. The Dark Matters show.

B. The Live from the Sun show.

C. The One World One Sky show.

D. The Sky Live show.

4.Which of the following is TRUE about the Kids Room?

A. It is designed for parents who have children.

B. It provide s a good opportunity for parents to relax.

C. Children there need to be companied by their parents.

D. It is a good place for children to learn and play at the same time.

To understand meditation(冥想)through an experiment, you can take two pictures with a camera. Hold your camera still and take the first picture. Now, shake your camera and take the second picture. The difference in clarity(清晰度)between the two pictures is the difference in clarity of a life with and without meditation.

Meditation means different things to different people. There are many methods to reach the state of meditation. Our intention in this Life School Message is not to compare different practices. What we'd like to do is to give you a glimpse into what benefits can arise as a result of meditation.

One of the most important functions for human survival is the ability to adapt and adjust to our surroundings. The brain and body are dealing with an unbelievable amount of stimuli(刺激) in every single moment of life. Focusing on all of them at once would be impossible. So, the mind tends to shift as many stimuli as possible to the subconscious back burner.

For example, you probably aren't paying attention to the feel of your shirt on your body until you read this sentence. Now that I've mentioned it, I've brought it back into your conscious thoughts, and you do notice it. Somewhere in the next few paragraphs, your mind will place it on the back burner again to be able to focus on understanding this article. Fascinating, isn't it? Our minds do this constantly.

Meditation helps you to increase your awareness and helps you to stay focused on the right things of life. It ensures you do not get distracted and helps you do stay alert. It helps you to understand the past, live the present and create the future.

For the people who have no knowledge or experience of this particular subject, let me share a basic yet one of the most powerful methods that can lead you to meditation.

1.What is the main purpose of taking two pictures?

A. To tell people how to take a good picture.

B. To compare the difference between two photos.

C. To show the effect meditation has on life.

D. To give us a clear definition of meditation.

2.What is the aim of the book Life School Message mentioned in Paragraph 2?

A. To teach you how to adapt to our surroundings.

B. To tell you how to reach the state of meditation.

C. To make you understand the benefits of meditation.

D. To teach you the right way to deal with stimuli.

3.Although you have the shirt in your conscious thoughts, why will you place it on the back burner again later?

A. Because shirt is not important.

B. Because you've brought it back into your conscious thoughts.

C. Because your minds do this constantly.

D. Because you need to move on to understanding this article.

4.The benefits of meditation include the following EXCEPT ________.

A. increasing your awareness

B. helping you keep alert

C. helping you stay focused on the right things

D. helping you solve the problems in life

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