EBay will launch an online group gift-buying service today designed to make it easier for several people to chip in, buy and pay for gifts using their social-network and e-mail contacts．
EBay North America Vice President Christopher Payne says it is going to be a major step forward in social commerce, which is the still-small practice of selling products through social networks．Online retail experts aren't as certain, but eBay says the new tool makes it easier for friends and relatives to chip in （凑钱） for gifts because it eliminates the headache of collecting contributions．It can also be used for family members to pitch in to buy, say, an expensive child seat for a mother．
Anything on eBay that's available immediately, rather than up for bid, can be purchased this way starting today at groupgifts．eBay．com．If members of an extended family wanted to buy a gift for one member, one person would choose a gift — or have one recommended by eBay — and invite family members to chip in using Facebook or e-mail．Those who wanted to join in would choose an amount to contribute （or agree to pay a requested amount） and pay using either PayPal or a credit card．They could also add a personal note．
If enough people don't chip in, the organizer can ask people to contribute more or choose a less expensive gift．
"I see myself using this most in cases when I typically might not buy someone what they want because of price," says Nitzan Shaer of Boston, who was part of an online test of the site．
EBay, with its 200 million products, millions of sellers and mobile commerce proficiency, is a logical place to pull together the products, groups of buyers and payment tools, Payne says．
At least 12 sites, such as FrumUs．com and eDivvy．com, facilitate （便于,利于） group purchases but don't sell products．Although a handful of retailers, including Victoria's Secret and 1-800-Flowers, sell products through Facebook, Payne says he expects social commerce will take off as rapidly as shopping using mobile devices．EBay did more than $600 million in sales on mobile devices last year and expects mobile sales to increase to $1．5 billion this year．
Although one in five consumers surveyed said they'd used Facebook for shopping in the past year, 88% said they would not be buying holiday gifts through a social network, mobile phone or smartphone．Of these, 26% were reluctant because of security or privacy concerns, and 20% were unclear about the benefits of using phones or Facebook to shop．
【小题1】What procedure should be followed if your extended family intends to buy your grandpa an 80^th birthday gift?
①Asking family members to contribute more money if enough members don’t chip in
②Choosing a gift at groupgifts．eBay．com
③Paying using PayPal or a credit card
④Contributing or agreeing to pay a requested amount of money via Facebook or e-mail

A．②-①-③-④	B．①-③-②-④
C．②-④-①-③	D．②-③-④-①

【小题2】Where can we most probably read this text?

A．In a research paper	B．In a travel magazine
C．In a microblog	D．On a website

【小题3】What does “it” mean in the 2^nd paragraph?

A．The online group gift-buying service

B．People’s social-network and e-mail contacts

C．A major step forward in social commerce

D．The still-small practice of selling products through social networks

【小题4】It can be inferred from the text that ______．

A．through eBay’s new tool, 200 million products on eBay are available to online shoppers

B．social commerce can eliminate the headache of collecting contributions

C．eBay’s new tool will gain mass adoption by online shoppers

D．with the help of eBay’s new tool, FrumUs．com and eDivvy．com will also sell products

When milk arrived on the doorstep
When I was a boy growing up in New Jersey in the 1960s, we had a milkman delivering milk to our doorstep. His name was Mr. Basille. He wore a white cap and drove a white truck. As a 5-year-old boy, I couldn’t take my eyes off the coin changer fixed to his belt. He noticed this one day during a delivery and gave me a quarter out of his coin changer.
Of course, he delivered more than milk. There was cheese, eggs and so on. If we needed to change our order, my mother would pen a note----“Please add a bottle of buttermilk next delivery”----and place it in the box along with the empty bottles. And then, the buttermilk would magically appear.
All of this was about more than convenience. There existed a close relationship between families and their milkmen. Mr. Basille even had a key to our house, for those times when it was so cold outside that we put the box indoors, so that the milk wouldn’t freeze. And I remember Mr. Basille from time to time taking a break at our kitchen table, having a cup of tea and telling stories about his delivery.
There is sadly no home milk delivery today. Big companies allowed the production of cheaper milk, thus making it difficult for milkmen to compete. Besides, milk is for sale everywhere, and it may just not have been practical to have a delivery service.
Recently, I saw an old milk box in the countryside. I took it home and planted it on the back porch （门廊）. Every so often my son’s friends will ask what it is. So I start telling stories of my boyhood, and of the milkman who brought us friendship along with his milk.
【小题1】Mr. Basille gave the boy a quarter out of his coin changer____.

A．to show his magical power

B．to pay for the delivery

C．to satisfy his curiosity

D．to please his mother

【小题2】What does “this” in the third paragraph refer to?

A．The milkman’s magic power

B．The milkman’s kindness to me

C．The note to change an order

D．The home delivery service

【小题3】What can be inferred from the fact that the milkman had the key to the boy’s house?

A．He wanted to have tea there.

B．He was a respectable person.

C．He was treated as a family member.

D．He was fully trusted by the family.

【小题4】Why does home milk delivery no longer exist?

A．Nobody wants to be a milkman now.

B．It has been driven out of the market.

C．Its service is getting poor.

D．It is forbidden by law.

【小题5】Why did the author bring back home an old milk box?

A．He missed the good old days.

B．He wanted to tell interesting stories.

C．He missed it for his milk bottles.

D．He planted flowers in it.

V. 信息匹配：（共5题，每小题2分，共10分）
阅读下列短文及相关信息，并按照要求匹配信息：

A．When I take notes I always rewrite them. I also add things as I go, especially from the readings that I feel are important. This helps me remember things better and as I look things up in the text and add notes, it brings a deeper understanding of the material.

B．When I have to learn a new word, I write down the word and its meaning in the back of my notebook. Then I make sure to use the word at least 7 times in the next week. I put a check next to the word each time I use it to be sure. This way I can remember that word better.

C．I sit in the front of the classroom. That way there are no distractions between me and the teacher. The further back you sit, the more kids there are in front of you who can distract you.

D．I watch my teachers carefully for clues about what’s most important. Some start moving around a lot, some raise their voice, and some start moving their hands about. When this happens, I write down what they’re saying in my notebook.

E. Here are some tips on how to create a good study environment: Find a place to study and keep it for study only. Tool-up the environment with all study needs. Control the noise level at acceptable levels. Avoid relaxing while working.
F. When I work on math problems, I write each step as I do it. This makes me think carefully about what I am doing. If the answer doesn’t seem right, I can go back through the steps I wrote to see where I went wrong.
阅读下列学习方面的问题，并与上面的经验相匹配。
51. I love learning new words, but I’m confused about how to remember them well. Whenever I meet a new word, I look it up in the dictionary for its meaning and write it down. However, a few days later, I’ll forget what the word means. It’s really a headache.
52. I can’t concentrate on what the teacher says in class. I sit at the back of the classroom. What the students in the front row do always attracts my attention. I’m wondering if anyone else has the same problem.
53.  It’s impossible to write down everything the teacher says in my notebook. I have been told to take down the important points, but how can I tell which points are important?
54. I take good notes in class. I’m curious to know how to make good use of these notes to improve my understanding. I’m often confused about how to deal with the notes.
55. I enjoy studying at home at night or over the weekend. But sometimes I just can’t focus. I think it’s the study environment that makes me not feel like studying. Who can tell me how to improve the study environment?

----Why? A different figure ________ each time I add them, you see.

----Something must be wrong with the calculator.

A．comes out

B．wipes out

C．turns out

D．works out

 

When I was a boy growing up in New Jersey in the 1960s, we had a milkman delivering milk to our doorstep. His name was Mr. Basille. He wore a white cap and drove a white truck. As a 5-year-old boy, I couldn’t take my eyes off the coin changer fixed to his belt. He noticed this one day during a delivery and gave me a quarter out of his coin changer.
Of course, he delivered more than milk. There was cheese, eggs and so on. If we needed to change our order, my mother would pen a note—“Please add a bottle of buttermilk next delivery”—and place it in the box along with the empty bottles. And then, the buttermilk would magically（魔术般）appear.
All of this was about more than convenience. There existed a close relationship between families and their milkmen. Mr. Basille even had a key to our house, for those times when it was so cold outside that we put the box indoors, so that the milk wouldn't freeze. And I remember Mr. Basille from time to time taking a break at our kitchen table, having a cup of tea and telling stories about his delivery.
There is sadly no home milk delivery today. Big companies allowed the production of cheaper milk thus making it difficult for milkmen to compete (竞争). Besides, milk is for sale everywhere, and it may just not have been practiced to have a delivery service.
Recently, an old milk box in the countryside I saw brought back my childhood memories. I took it home and planted it on the back porch (门廊). Every so often my son's friends will ask what it is. So I start telling stories of my boyhood, and of the milkman who brought us friendship along with his milk.
【小题1】Mr. Basille gave the boy a quarter out of his coin changer     .

A．to show his magical power	B．to pay for the delivery
C．to satisfy his curiosity	D．to please his mother

【小题2】What can be inferred from the fact that the milkman had the key to the boy's house?

A．He wanted to have tea there.	B．He was a respectable person.
C．He was treated as a family member.	D．He was fully trusted by the family.

【小题3】Why does home milk delivery no longer exist?

A．Nobody wants to be a milkman now.	B．It has been driven out of the market.
C．Its service is getting poor.	D．It is forbidden by law.

【小题4】Why did the author bring back home an old milk box?

A．He missed the good old days.	B．He wanted to tell interesting stories.
C．He needed it for his milk bottles.	D．He planted flowers in it.