Alibaba Group Holding is sparing no effort to turn its annual Singles' Day shopping festival into a universal celebration. The challenge for billionaire Jack Ma's(Ma Yun)online kingdom is to break another sales record after a decade of rapid developments. With rising strong competition from smaller platforms such as JD.com Inc. and Pinduoduo Inc., Allibaba is seeking to add new growth engines.
Now the retail(零售)celebration on Nov.1 has become an important signal not just for the company, but also the world's second largest economy, China. This year, shoppers in China have broken last year's record by making the sum of $30.8 billion in sales, as the tradition marked its 10th year. "Singles' Day has now become a stage for Alibaba to present its power across all its platforms." Daniel Zhang (Zhang Yong), chief executive officer(CEO), said at an October news conference in Beijing. He's taking over after Ma steps down as executive chairman next year.
It was Zhang who came up with the idea of turning Singles' Day into a shopping festival a decade ago. Now that this year's one-day fair will be Ma's last as chairman, Zhang will need to prove he can carry on the wonder. "We think I billion packs will become a daily event in the future." he said.
To fuel growth, Alibaba is speeding up its global exploration. Eleme, the company it took control of this year, will provide services for selected Starbucks stores across 11 cities in China. Rural Taobao, aiming at the customers in the countryside will offer special discount(折扣)for goods across 800 counties.
Although it's been three years since Ma said he wants to make Singles' Day a global shopping event, that hasn't happened yet. International expansion will be a key part of Zhang's plan to keep breaking sales records.
【小题1】According to paragraph 1, Alibaba is exploring more growth engines because .| A．other companies are competing for the market |
| B．it has broken a new sales record |
| C．Jack Ma's dream has come true |
| D．it has developed swiftly in the last ten years |
| A．shoppers in China doubted whether Zhang will be a successful CEO |
| B．the Singles' Day shopping festival started over ten years ago |
| C．the idea of the-retail celebration on Nov l I was put forward by Jack Ma |
| D．Zhang has a long way to go before he sets another sales record |
| A．giving an explanation | B．making a comparison |
| C．listing examples | D．offering data |
| A．challenging and hopeless | B．challenging but hopeful |
| C．worrying and doubtful | D．worrying but promising |
【小题1】The word “address” in the first line probably means .
| A．talk about | B．deal with | C．fight for | D．write to |
| A．39% of the population. | B．200 million people. |
| C．About 3 million people. | D．About one-fifth of the population. |
| A．they have no home addresses |
| B．they mostly have a drinking problem |
| C．they aren't supported by government programs |
| D．they often don't have enough work experience |
| A．The passing of new housing laws. |
| B．The fast growth of family size. |
| C．The slow construction of houses. |
| D．The ever-rising price of housing. |
This month Angelina Horsefield writes about an animal rescue （援救） society in Australia: WIRES |
WIRES （Wildlife Information and Rescue Service） began in 1985 when someone found an injured bird in a park in Sydney, Australia. At the time, no one knew how to help this “native” animal. WIRES help animals like snakes, kangaroos and, of course, birds. However, they can only help Australian wildlife, so they can’t help other animals like cats or rabbits. Like other animal rescue groups, WIRES need more people. I believe they are helping the local animals, but they can only continue if others join in. They hold excellent courses, where people can learn what to do when they find an injured animal. They also explain what happens to the animals in their care. Many of the people who help also lake care of the animals themselves in their own gardens or on their farms. I spoke to 15-year-old Guy McKenzie, whose dad helps WIRES in his free time. Guy told me about the work they do. “Dad usually gets a phone call at home and drives immediately to where the animal is, to rescue it. He has special equipment and always wears gloves. The animals are wild, after all.” Guy also talked about a woman who found a bat in her garden. She thought it might be dead but then she noticed that there was a baby bat too. Guy’s dad brought it back to the centre, where it grew into a healthy adult. Then, WIRES returned it to nature. Guy showed me a baby kangaroo that his dad was looking after and told me that one day he’ll be doing the same thing. Yes, he will, for sure. |
【小题1】WIRES aim at helping ________.
| A．pet animals | B．wildlife animals |
| C．small animals | D．farm animals |
| A．who started WIRES | B．how one helps WIRES |
| C．why people join WIRES | D．how WIRES study animals |
| A．Live in nature. | B．Take care of his dad. |
| C．Study bats. | D．Work for WIRES. |
| A．describe a course on animals | B．introduce an animal scientist |
| C．call on people to join the rescue group | D．give advice on keeping pets |
Last week the British university system offered a record number of places. That sounds like good news—but do we really need more people to go to university? For that matter, does the world need more universities?
The answer feels like it should be yes.
Education is good, is it not? But everything has a cost.
Education takes time. We could insist that everyone study full-time until the age of 45 but that would surely be too much. And perhaps half the population studying until they’re 21 is also too much. As for universities, they consume financial and intellectual resources—perhaps those resources might be better spent elsewhere.
My own personal opinion is strongly in favour both of going to university, and of simply having universities around.
The main skill I learnt at university was to write about economics, and I use that skill every day of my professional life, even an abstract education seems practical to me. And I now live in Oxford, one of the world’s most celebrated (著名的) university cities. Oxford’s experience certainly suggests that universities have much to offer.
The city’s architecture and green spaces have been shaped—greatly for the better, on balance —by the 900-year-old institution at its heart. The beauty attracts tourists and locals too.
But these are samples of one. Many people do not find themselves using the skills and knowledge they accumulated at university. And Oxford’s dreaming spires (尖顶) aren’t terribly representative of global universities as a whole.
【小题1】Which of the following is the most proper title?| A．Does the world need more universities? |
| B．Is education really necessary? |
| C．Is British university system the best? |
| D．Do you prefer universities abroad? |
| A．He is an economist now. |
| B．He likes Oxford’s architecture and green spaces most. |
| C．The skill he learnt at university is practical in his career. |
| D．He holds the view that going to univeristy is a waste of resources. |
| A．comparing his experience with others’ |
| B．persuading us with his own experience and opinion |
| C．describing and sharing his own university experience |
| D．informing us of the advantages of universities |
| A．list more supporting details about his opinion |
| B．show more disadvantages about going to universities |
| C．present some opposite opinions about universities |
| D．draw a conclusion about the topic |
组卷网是一个信息分享及获取的平台，不能确保所有知识产权权属清晰，如您发现相关试题侵犯您的合法权益，请联系组卷网
