A used book or nearly-new kitchen gadget (配件) may not be at the top of every Christmas wish list, but hard economic times coupled with a new green awareness are changing attitudes about gift-giving in France.
French holiday shoppers are choosing larger numbers for “green” gifting this Christmas, studies show. About 30 percent of French consumers will give second-hand items as gifts to stretch out their tight budgets but also to do their little bit for recycling, according to a study by international consulting firm Deloitte.
The survey of Christmas consumer behaviors in 18 European countries found the French were more than twice as likely as other Europeans to give second-hand items. Websites promoting re-gifting and green gifting are popular in France, with many reporting a rise in business.
“Concerns about the ecology and the economy have come together and we are now seeing people who accept the types of gifts that were not appreciated just a short time ago,” said Sebastien Ravut, who runs a website promoting eco-friendly consumerism. His site lists shops in France that offer fair trade products, bio-friendly goods and recycled items. Over the Christmas holidays, the number of visits to the site has doubled from last year, reaching 60,000 a month.
A study by online survey firm Vivodi for PriceMinister showed eight out of 10 people would be happy to receive a used item as a gift and that younger consumers were more open to the idea.
But Gilles Goldenberg, author of the Deloitte study, said that environmental concerns are not why customers buy used goods. “The number one concern is getting the lowest possible price,” said Goldenberg. “Eco-friendly products are drawing a lot of interest, but not if that means paying more.”
Theatre tickets and other low-carbon gifts are fashionable, and eco-friendly websites are also encouraging gift givers to offer time and services instead of stuff. “The order of the day is to spend less time shopping and more time connecting” over the holidays, said Florence de Monclin from the Nicolas Helot foundation for Nature and Humanity.
【小题1】We can judge from the Deloitte study that _________.

A．they want to be eco-friendly	B．they want to save money
C．it is encouraged by websites	D．it is a new fashion in Europe

In the modern world more and more people meet the problem of identity．The most interesting example is that of a so – called “banana”, which refers to an American who has an Asian face but holds Western values．
In Shanghai, there now live a group of people from abroad．They look no different from the locals and speak fluent Chinese or even Shanghai dialect, but when it comes to writing Chinese characters, they are almost illiterate（文盲）．Jack is such an example．He never learned to read or write Chinese characters, which he finds mysterious and difficult．From time to time, he files to the US as he does not feel Shanghai is where he comes from．“But when I am in the States, I feel that’s not my home either,” he said．
At De Gaulle Airport in France, there is a Swiss man who has been living in the waiting – room for a long time because he lost h is passport during his travels．He was refused entry into several countries．But when he was eventually allowed to return to Swizerland, he refused to leave the airport．His reason was very simple—“I am sure who I am．I need no acknowledgement from others,” he said during an interview．For th is reason  he was honored by the Western media as “the Hero of identity．”
As the Internet becomes more and more popular, the problem of identity becomes more serious．In a virtual world, people can have different addresses registered with different names．In the Internet chat room, even one’s gender（性别） is hard to determine．It seems that in the glohal village, people are saying hello every day to each other without knowing whom they are talking to．
What will be the next crisis（危机） of identity? With the development of cloning technology, it might be: who is the real “I”?
【小题1】What does the passage mainly talk about?

A used book or nearly-new kitchen gadget (配件) may not be at the top of every Christmas wish list, but hard economic times coupled with a new green awareness are changing attitudes about gift-giving in France.

    French holiday shoppers are choosing larger numbers for “green” gifting this Christmas, studies show. About 30 percent of French consumers will give second-hand items as gifts to stretch out their tight budgets but also to do their little bit for recycling, according to a study by international consulting firm Deloitte.

    The survey of Christmas consumer behaviors in 18 European countries found the French were more than twice as likely as other Europeans to give second-hand items. Websites promoting re-gifting and green gifting are popular in France, with many reporting a rise in business.

    “Concerns about the ecology and the economy have come together and we are now seeing people who accept the types of gifts that were not appreciated just a short time ago,” said Sebastien Ravut, who runs a website promoting eco-friendly consumerism. His site lists shops in France that offer fair trade products, bio-friendly goods and recycled items. Over the Christmas holidays, the number of visits to the site has doubled from last year, reaching 60,000 a month.

    A study by online survey firm Vivodi for PriceMinister showed eight out of 10 people would be happy to receive a used item as a gift and that younger consumers were more open to the idea.

    But Gilles Goldenberg, author of the Deloitte study, said that environmental concerns are not why customers buy used goods. “The number one concern is getting the lowest possible price,” said Goldenberg. “Eco-friendly products are drawing a lot of interest, but not if that means paying more.”

    Theatre tickets and other low-carbon gifts are fashionable, and eco-friendly websites are also encouraging gift givers to offer time and services instead of stuff. “The order of the day is to spend less time shopping and more time connecting” over the holidays, said Florence de Monclin from the Nicolas Helot foundation for Nature and Humanity.

1.We can judge from the Deloitte study that _________.

   A. over a quarter of the French give second-hand Christmas gifts

   B. the French are less willing to buy eco-friendly gifts than other Europeans

   C. 80% of French people are happy to receive second-hand gifts

   D. less than 10% of European consumers are likely to give second-hand gifts

2.According to Goldenberg, the main reason for customers to buy used goods is that _______.

   A. they want to be eco-friendly        B. they want to save money

   C. it is encouraged by websites        D. it is a new fashion in Europe

3. All the following might be a promoted gift EXCEPT ________.

   A. a theatre ticket

   B. a second-hand book

   C. a nearly-new digital toaster

   D. a box of heavily packaged chocolate

4.Which of the following statements is TRUE?

   A. Old people are not open minded enough to accept second-hand gifts.

   B. People wish to receive second-hand gifts because of the economic downturn.

   C. Ravut’s website received a sharp decrease in visits during the Christmas holidays.

   D. In de Monclin’s opinion, people should spend more time with friends and family during holidays

In the modern world more and more people meet the problem of identity．The most interesting example is that of a so – called “banana”, which refers to an American who has an Asian face but holds Western values．

In Shanghai, there now live a group of people from abroad．They look no different from the locals and speak fluent Chinese or even Shanghai dialect, but when it comes to writing Chinese characters, they are almost illiterate（文盲）．Jack is such an example．He never learned to read or write Chinese characters, which he finds mysterious and difficult．From time to time, he files to the US as he does not feel Shanghai is where he comes from．“But when I am in the States, I feel that’s not my home either,” he said．

At De Gaulle Airport in France, there is a Swiss man who has been living in the waiting – room for a long time because he lost h is passport during his travels．He was refused entry into several countries．But when he was eventually allowed to return to Swizerland, he refused to leave the airport．His reason was very simple—“I am sure who I am．I need no acknowledgement from others,” he said during an interview．For th is reason  he was honored by the Western media as “the Hero of identity．”

As the Internet becomes more and more popular, the problem of identity becomes more serious．In a virtual world, people can have different addresses registered with different names．In the Internet chat room, even one’s gender（性别） is hard to determine．It seems that in the glohal village, people are saying hello every day to each other without knowing whom they are talking to．

What will be the next crisis（危机） of identity? With the development of cloning technology, it might be: who is the real “I”?

1.What does the passage mainly talk about?

   A．The importance of identity．

   B．The crisis of identity．

   C．Differences between Eastern and Western cultures．

   D．Difficulty in living in foreign counties．

2.The Swiss man had to live in De Gaulle Airport in France because       ．

   A．he needed to board a plane at any time

   B．he couldn’t afford to live in a hotel

   C．he needed others acknowledgement

   D．he couldn’t prove who he was

65．A “banana” in the passage is in fact an      ．

   A．American traveling to Asia                                          B．American keeping Eastern culture

   C．American born in Asia                                               D．America – born Asian

3.We can infer from the passage that the author believes       ．

   A．there will be more problems relating to identity in the future

   B．Internet technology helps solve problems of identity

   C．only people traveling abroad have problems of identity

   D．people don’t need to worry about identity