Showrooming

One of the biggest challenges facing brick-and-mortar retailers(实体零售店) in recent years has been the “showrooming”.Driven by the desire to get the best prices, many shoppers are now visiting brick-and-mortar stores to personally check on products that interest them, only to leave and then buy the items online.The new trend is forcing retailers to find out new ways to keep consumers from leaving their store for cheaper prices online.

Recent research found that 40 percent of U.S.shoppers have showroomed previously, with big-box retailers suffering the most.Specifically, the study shows that Best Buy, Walmart and Target are the most likely brick-and-mortar stores to have shoppers test out a product in-store and then purchase it online later, while Amazon is benefiting most from the practice, with nearly 60 percent of shoppers using the online retail giant(巨人) most often to make their showrooming purchases.

Smartphones have pushed showrooming into the front.Shoppers no longer have to wait until they get home to see if they can find a cheaper price for the products they’re considering buying.With smartphones, consumers can now compare virtual prices, at both other brick-and-mortar stores and online ones while still inside a retail store.If they can find what they’re seeking for less online, the majority will be seeking the first exit.A recent study showed that 45 percent of customers shopping at brick-and-mortar stores walk out and buy their purchase online for a discount of as little as 2.5 percent.

This puts pressure on retailers to provide both an in-store experience worth staying for and an online presence that can attract shoppers who are showrooming in other businesses.

To cut down on showrooming, many retailers are adopting new methods to keep shoppers in their stores.Among the steps they’re taking are price-matching guarantees that allow shoppers to pay a discounted price if they find it cheaper online.This ensures that even a showrooming shopper can make the purchase in the store—regardless of whether they find the cheaper price online.

Another popular method to fight against showrooming is to give shoppers the ability to buy something online and pick it up at the store.This reduces shipping costs and gets customers in the store, where they may be encouraged to make an additional purchase.

It is also important for businesses to take into consideration what makes shoppers purchase something in-store rather than online, and meet those needs.Research has found that more than 8 in 10 Americans consider being able to take the goods home immediately and the ability to touch and feel them—the most important aspects when deciding to purchase in a store rather than online.

1.According to the passage, a showrooming shopper tends to ______.

A. pay for everything online

B. have better bargaining skills

C. rush to buy things in a store

D. purchase online for a lower price

2.What contributes to the growing popularity of showrooming?

A. The wide use of smartphones.

B. The competition between big stores.

C. The advertisement by online retail giants.

D. The decline of the brick-and-mortar stores.

3.The underlined words “seeking the first exit” in Paragraph 3 probably mean ______.

A. searching for lower prices

B. leaving as soon as possible

C. locating the first exit quickly

D. making a purchase on the spot

4.The last three paragraphs mainly talk about ways of ______.

A. increasing sales at stores

B. preventing purchase online

C. satisfying customers’ needs

D. advising shoppers to buy more

阅读下面短文,掌握其大意,然后从1—20各题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中,选出最佳选项。

I was required to read one of Bernie Siegel’s books in college and was hooked on his positivity from that moment on. The stories of his unconventional and the exceptional patients he wrote about were so to me and had such a big on how I saw life from then on. Who knew that so many years later I would look to Dr. Bernie and his CDs again to my own Cancer experience ?

I’m an ambitious , and when I started going through chemo( 化疗 ),even though I’m a very ________ person, I lost my drive to write. I was just too tired and not in the . One day, while waiting to go in for , I had one of Dr. Bernie’s books in hand. Another patient what I was reading and struck up a conversation with me ________ he had one of his books with me as well. It ________ that among other things, he was an eighty—year---old writer. He was ________ a published author, and he was currently ________ on a new book.

We would see each other at various times and ________ friends. Sometimes he wore a duck hat, and I would tell myself, he was definitely a ( n ) ________ of Dr. Berline. He really put a ________ on my face. He unfortunately ________ last year due to his cancer, ________ he left a deep impression on me and gave me the ________ to pick up my pen again. I ________ to myself, “If he can do it, then so can I. ”

1.A.ideas B.tastes C.notes D.memories

2.A.amazing B.shocking C.amusing D.strange

3.A. strike B. push C. challenge D. impact

4.A. learn from B. get through C. go over D. refer to

5.A. reader B. writer C. editor D. doctor

6.A. honest B. agreeable C. humorous D. positive

7.A. state B. position C. mood D. way

8.A. advice B. reference C. protection D. treatment

9.A. viewed B. knew C. noticed D. wondered

10.A. because B. while C. although D. providing

11.A. came out B. turned out C. proved out D. worked out

12.A. naturally B. merely C. hopefully D. actually

13.A. deciding B. investing C. relying D. working

14.A. became B. helped C. missed D. visited

15.A. patient B. operator C. fan D. publisher

16.A. smile B. sign C. mark D. mask

17.A. showed up B. passed away C. fell down D. set off

18.A. since B. but C. so D. for

19.A. guidance B. trust C. opportunity D. inspiration

20.A. promised B. swore C. replied D. thought

Towards evening, Jennifer was walking on the beach with a gentle breeze blowing through her hair. Looking up at the golden red sun ball, she was surprised by its color, deep red in the middle, softly fading into yellow. She could hear nothing but the waves and the seagulls flying up above in the sky.

The atmosphere relaxed her. This was what she needed. “It’s getting late,” she thought, “I must go home. My parents will be wondering where I am.” She wondered how her parents would react when she got home after the three days she was missing. She kept on walking, directing herself to bungalow 163, where she spent every summer holiday. The road was deserted. She walked slowly and silently. Just in a few hundred meters, she would have been safe in her house.

It was really getting dark now. She wished she had her favorite coat on. It might keep her really warm. She imagined having it with her. This thought dissipated(消散) when she finally saw her front door. It seemed different. Nobody had taken care of the outside garden for a few days. She was shocked: her father was usually so strict about keeping everything clean and tidy, and now…

She entered the house. First, she went into the kitchen and saw a note written by her father, “Dear Ellen, there’s some coffee ready; I went looking.” But where was Ellen? On the right side of the hallway was her parents’ room. She went in and saw her. Her mother, lying on the bed, was sleeping. Her face looked so tired, as if she hadn’t slept for days. She was really pale. Jennifer would have wanted to wake her up, but she looked too tired. So Jennifer just fell asleep beside her. When Jennifer woke up something was different. She wasn’t in her mother’s room and she wasn’t wearing the old clothes she ran away in. She was in her cozy bed in her pajamas(睡衣).

It felt so good being back home. Suddenly she heard a voice. “Are you feeling better now, dear?

You know you got us very, very scared.”

1.The author mentions the views of the beach in Para. 1 in order to __________.

A. tell us the time of the story

B. show Jennifer’s eased mind

C. show Jennifer’s loneliness

D. indicate the beauty of nature

2.Jennifer decided to go home because __________.

A. it was getting cold

B. she realized her parents were worried

C. she began to miss her parents

D. she knew nobody would take care of the garden

3.What can we infer from the passage?

A. Jennifer went home to fetch her favorite coat.

B. Jennifer’s father was so worried that he couldn’t take care of the outside garden.

C. Jennifer understood why the outside garden was left uncared for.

D. Jennifer’s father used to be too strict with her.

4.Which of the following shows the change of Jennifer’s feeling?

A. Relaxed→Lonely→Tired→Upset.

B. Angry→Relaxed→Fearful→Comfortable.

C. Fearful→Relaxed→Cheerful→Lonely.

D. Relaxed→Anxious→Shocked→Comfortable.

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