Women turn to online shopping

Women have jumped ahead of men for the first time in using the Internet to do their holiday shopping, according to a study published last week in the US.

For years men have been more likely to shop on the Internet than women, but during the 2004 holiday season, 58 percent of those making online purchases were women.

“It shows how mainstream the Internet is becoming,” said Lee Rainie, director of the Pew Internet and American Life Project group, which carried out the study.

Rainie said it was only a matter of time before women shoppers caught up with men. This is because women traditionally make decisions about spending.

Users were more likely to shop online to save time. Internet users between the ages 18 and 29 were responsible for some of the most dramatic increase in the online gift-buying population this time around.

However, three- quarters of the US Internet users did not buy holiday gifts online in 2004. They worried about credit card security, or just compared online prices with off-line prices, then dashed off to the shops to get the best deals.

“ But even if shoppers don’t buy online , websites are becoming promotion tools for stores,” said Dan Hess, vice president of ComScore Networks Inc. Hess said that actually most stores’ websites can make customers fully believe the security of their credit card numbers. And most are able to ensure that gifts arrive on time.

“ It’s all about making the shopping experience more efficient, more reliable and more comfortable.” Hess said.

1.Which of the following statements is true?

2.From the passage we can infer that______.

3.According to Dan Hess, shopping online_______.

4.What can we know from the passage?

Friendship Day in India falls on the first Sunday of August every year. It is celebrated with many activities.
Young people in India spend the day with their closest friends and have fun together. Most youngsters in India plan a movie or have a meal with their friends. Many friends may go on a drive to tourist places or go camping. Some friends go to the supermarket for shopping. On Friendship Day, most stores offer discounted(打折的) prices for customers and it is the perfect day to buy something for friends.
Some friends go to parties that are organized by many restaurants in order to attract youngsters. Such parties are very enjoyable. You can get food at a discounted price. Some friends just decide to meet up (碰头，相聚) at someone’s home and talk about their happy time. The time good friends spend sitting together and talking over a cup of coffee is unforgettable.
Long-distance friends call up each other on this day and wish each other with warm feelings. Some of them even plan to meet up on this day. Yet some others plan a surprising visit just to see their friend gasp (喘息) in shock!
【小题1】When is Friendship Day celebrated in India?   

Last Sunday I made a visit to some new neighbors down the block. No specific purpose in mind, just an opportunity to sit at the kitchen table, have some tea and chat. As I did so, it occurred to me how rare the Sunday visit has become.
When I was a kid in the New Jersey of the 1960s, Sunday visits were routine. Most stores were closed, almost nobody worked, and the highways, as a result, were not the desperate steeplechases（障碍赛跑） they have become today. My family normally traveled eight city blocks to the home of my grandmother—the same house my father was raised in, where adults would sit on the front porch and chat while we children played hide-and-seek.
The Sunday visit was something to desire strongly. It was the repetition to church, our reward for an hour of devotion, an opportunity to take advantage of the fact that Dad was not at work, we were not in school, and there were no chores that couldn’t wait until Monday. Sunday was, indeed, different from all the other days of the week, because everyone seemed to be on the same schedule, which means that there was one day when everyone seemed to have time for everybody else.
Sunday as a day of rest is, or was, so deeply rooted in the culture that it’s surprising to consider that, in a short span of time, it has almost entirely lost this association. In my childhood, it was assumed that everyone would either be home or visiting someone else’s home on Sunday. But now the question is, “What do you plan to DO this Sunday?” The answer can range from going to the mall to participating in a road race to jetting to Montreal for lunch. If one were to respond, “I’m making a Sunday visit to family,” such an answer would feel sepia-toned, an echo from another era.
I suppose I should be grateful to live in Maine, a state of small towns, abundant land and tight relationships. Even though folks work as hard here as they do anywhere else, the state’s powerfully rural cast（特质）still harbors at least remnants of the ethic of yesterday’s America, where people had to depend on one another in the face of economic vagaries（反复无常的情况）and a challenging environment.
63．The writer’s general impression of the Sunday in the past was a day when _______.
A. everyone was paying a visit to some relative far away
B. everyone seemed to be free and could have some leisure
C. Dad was not at work while Mom was busy cleaning the house
D. nearly every adult would go to church and children were not at school
64．In the fourth paragraph, the writer compares the response “I’m making a Sunday visit to family” to an echo from another era because _______.
A. people nowadays prefer staying at home on Sunday
B. such answers are rarely heard in our modern society
C. people in the city dislike being disturbed on Sunday
D. visiting someone on Sunday might take a lot of time
65．From the last paragraph we may infer that _______.
A. people in Maine suffer more from economic depression and the changed environment
B. people in Maine has abandoned their tradition and lived an absolute new life
C. land in Maine is short, thus the relationship between people is tense
D. people in Maine always help each other when they are in need
66．Which word we may use to describe the writer’s attitude towards the Sunday today?
A. Unsatisfied.          B. Anxious.          C. Treasured.          D. Teased.                 

Connie Lau hates smoking. “It smells awful, and it’s so bad for you. It breaks my heart to see my friends smoking. I try to get them to give up smoking.” She says.

So why does Connie walk into convenience stores and try to buy cigarettes? She is testing to see if stores will sell cigarettes to a kid who is younger than 18. “You have to be 18 to purchase cigarettes, and I’m 16, so if they sell to me, they’re breaking the law,” Connie says.

Connie isn’t a vigilante (治安队员); She works with local police in her town of Castro Valley, California. Officers drive her to stores, and she goes in alone to try to buy cigarettes. If the person behind the counter sells her a pack, an officer comes in and writes the business a ticket for breaking the law.

Most stores obey the law and don’t sell her cigarettes. The law requires that customers show ID if store employees ask them to. “When they ask your age, you can’t lie,” Connie says. “Most stores don’t sell to me. In a year, we’ve visited almost 150 stores and had only 15 sales.”

Working undercover can be scary, even with police nearby. Connie said one cashier refused to sell her cigarettes and then got angry when he found out her age. He threatened to call the authorities. “To calm him down, the police went in to explain that I was undercover,” she says.

Most teens wouldn’t think of going undercover for the police. What’s Connie’s motivation (动机)? For starters, she can’t stand smoking. But she also believes it’s important for young people like her to try to make a real impact in their communities. In her view, teens can do more than get good grades in school, do chores at home, and do well in out-of-class activities.

Every time she stops the sale of cigarettes to children, she’s helping to uphold the law. “A single teenager can make a big difference,” Connie says. “For the most part, when stores get caught, they learn their lesson and don’t do it again.”

1.According to the law what age of person can the store be allowed to sell cigarettes to?

A．Under 18.         B．More than 18.      C．16.              D．More than 16.

2.Connie goes to convenience stores to ________.

A．discover whether stores can sell cigarettes to kids

B．see which stores can sell cigarettes to her friends

C．look for her friends

D．arrest the smokers

3.What would happen if an owner sells cigarettes to kids?

A．The owner would be arrested.             B．The owner would be fined.

C．The kids would be punished.               D．The kids would be removed from school.

4.One reason that Connie works undercover is that ________.

A．she wants more smokers to quit smoking

B．she wants to get good grades in school

C．she hopes to make a difference in the area

D．she hopes to be excellent in out-of-class activities

5.Which of the following might be the main idea of the text?

A．Smoking can be forbidden with the help of a girl.

B．A good way to stop a store from selling cigarettes to kids.

C．Connie Lau — a brave girl who goes undercover for the policeman.

D．Connie Lau goes undercover to stop stores from selling cigarettes to kids.

Women turn to online shopping

    Women have jumped ahead of men for the first time in using the Internet to do their holiday shopping，according to a study published last week in the US.

    For Years men have been more likely to shop on the Internet than women，but during the 2004 holiday season 58 percent of those making online purchases were women.

    “It shows how mainstream the Internet is becoming”，said Lee Rainie，director of the Pew Internet and American Life Project group，which carried out the study.

    Rainie said it was only a matter of time before women shoppers caught up with men. This is because women traditionally make decisions about spending.

    Users were more likely to shop online to save time. Internet users between the ages of 18 and 29 were responsible for some of the most dramatic（显著的）increases in the online gift-buying population this time around.

    However，three-quarters of the US Internet users did not buy holiday gifts online in 2004．They worried about credit card security，or just compared online prices with off-line prices，then dashed off to the shops to get the best deals.

“But even if shoppers don’t buy online，websites are becoming promotion tools for stores，”said Dan Hess，vice president of Comscore Networks Inc．Hess said that actually most stores’ websites can make customers fully believe the security of their credit card numbers. And most are able to ensure that gifts arrive on time.

“It’s all about making the shopping experience more efficient，more reliable and more comfortable，” Hess said.

Which of the following statements is true?

    A．There were fewer women online shoppers than men in 2004．

    B．Most of the Internet users between the ages of 18 and 29 are women.

    C．People in the US were more likely to buy gifts online.

    D．More women shopped online than men in 2004.

From the passage we can infer that________.

    A．men usually decide how to spend money in the family

    B．women usually decide what to buy in the family

    C．the Internet is used in all the shops.

    D．more and more shops will sell their goods online.

According to Dan Hess，shopping online___________.

A．is unsafe   B．is convenient      C．is a waste of time   D．is cheaper

What can we know from the passage?

    A．American people only buy gifts in holidays.

    B．Shopping online is fun for women.

    C．Shopping off-line provides better service.

D．Young people like to do gift-shopping online.