Amazon is opening its 12th high-tech convenience store Tuesday in New York. The spot will be the first of the chain to allow customers to pay with cash. The move comes with growing resistance against cashless stores, which critics say refuse to serve people who don’t have bank accounts.
At other locations of the store, shoppers enter by scanning the Amazon Go app. That's still the case for customers paying with a credit card, but people paying with cash will have an “entry associate” scan them through the turnstiles (旋转栅门). Once they’re finished, those shoppers will check out with an Amazon Go employee and receive a paper receipt. Cashless customers can still walk out by scanning a phone that has the Amazon Go app at the turnstiles. Customers using the Go app can exit without waiting and get a digitized receipt.
The 1,300-square-foot New York store-the first Amazon Go store on the East Coast-will offer prepared foods, such as sandwiches and salads, It will also have Amazon Meal Kits and locally made options.
Amazon says it will begin accepting cash at its other Go stores “over time.” A number of retailers (零售商) and restaurants, such as Sweetgreen and Dos Toros Taqueria, are facing roadblocks to their cashless recommendations.
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy recently signed a law banning cashless stores in that state. Philadelphia also passed a law to prohibit cashless stores earlier this month, and officials in New York City, Washington and San Francisco are considering similar moves. The federal government does not require retailers to accept cash.
“While card-only may be convenient for some businesses, it can actually be discriminatory against poor communities that don’t have as much access to banks or lines of credit,” said New Jersey State Senator Nellie Pou, who sponsored the state’s new law. Not accepting cash could also be bad for business. Americans use it in 30% of all business deals, according to a 2017 report from the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco.
1.Why is Amazon opening a new store accepting cash?
A.To persuade those critics. B.To obey the local regulations.
C.To improve its retail service. D.To compete with cashless stores.
2.What will shoppers paying with cash do at the new store?
A.Exit in line with a digitized receipt.
B.Walk out by scanning a phone with the Go app.
C.Enter through the turnstiles by scanning a phone
D.Check out with an employee and get a paper receipt.
3.How did some states and cities react to cashless stores?
A.By making laws to stop them.
B.By requiring retailers to run them.
C.By learning from Amazon to improve them.
D.By following the federal government to accept them.
4.What is the main idea of the last paragraph?
A.It s necessary to make cashless stores easily accessible.
B.More banks should be built in poor communities.
C.Card-only payment is convenient for business.
D.Not accepting cash has its disadvantages.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Independence is something that can be difficult to achieve. But don’t worry because here we have four books that can help you. If you don’t buy less than three of them, you’ll be given a 20% discount!
The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey
Taking care of your finance is hard. Dave Ramsey, a famous businessman, is here to take you on the whole process of planning your finance, and show the myths of cash advances and debt consolidation (债务重整), to make sure your finance is healthy.
Price: $14.49
Grace’s Guide by Grace Helbig
Grace Helbig shared her tips to becoming a grown-up. The book is full of personal stories of Helbig, her struggles and the lessons she learnt from failing many times. This book is your on-the-go fun read with pictures and drawings of Helbig, and worksheets (作记录) to practice.
Price: $7.95
The Oh She Glows Cookbook by Angela Liddon
Having suffered from eating disorder and living on diet, Angela Liddon promised to eat healthily forever. She threw out her fat-free butter spray (黄油喷雾) and low-calorie frozen dinners after learning how to properly cook. This book contains more than 100 recipes (食谱) covering breakfast, salads, soups, power snacks and the main dishes for a healthy meal at any time of the day. We all know that healthy eating is all part of being independent.
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Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed
Life can be hard, especially when it comes to relationships with others. In the book, Strayed gives advice on love and life. She writes about different subjects: a son rejected by his parents, a mother who has lost her child. And the message hidden throughout all her advice is always that, if you want a good life, you have to create it.
Price: $8.76
1.How much will you save at least if you buy three of the listed books?
A.$5.68. B.$6.24. C.$8.95. D.$9.10.
2.What is special for the book Grace’s Guide?
A.It is about how to grow up healthily.
B.It is mainly about how to work better.
C.It is based on its author’s life experience.
D.It teaches readers to learn from others’ life stories.
3.Which book should you choose for someone who is bad at getting along with others?
A.Grace’s Guide. B.Tiny Beautiful Things.
C.The Total Money Makeover. D.The Oh she Glows Cookbook.
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
One-year-old Tallulah turned purple and stopped moving after the sweet became stuck in her throat. Her mum Leigh-Anne said the drama began during a visit to her grandma’s house when her grandparents gave her older kids some sweets.
“Then at about 4:45 pm, Tallulah started to choke—we all went into a panic.”
“It seemed like it went on for ages. Not one of us knew what to do.”
“I rang an ambulance while my grandma and granddad tried to get the sweet to come up.”
“Tallulah was panicking at first but then she started to go purple—she almost had no oxygen left in her.”
With her daughter limp (无力的) and time running out, Leigh—Anne knew she couldn’t afford to wait for the ambulance to arrive.
“The only thing I could think was to go out into the street.” She said.
“I rushed out and screamed for someone to help while my grandma rushed out crying with Tallulah.”
At exactly the moment, Caitlin, who is studying public services at Redcar College, was passing by Queen Street. She said, “I was waiting to go to work when I heard someone screaming for help, so I ran straight over.”
The 17-year-old girl added, “Something just clicked and I went into auto mode. The little girl was completely limp, so I checked her airways and tilted (使倾斜) her over and started hitting her back. I turned her round and tapped on her chest, then after what felt like forever she coughed up the sweet and spat it out.
As soon as she started crying I felt a huge relief. I was just so pleased I was able to help.”
Caitlin was taught her lifesaving skills when she joined the Army Cadets four years ago.
1.When did Tallulah get choked?
A.While eating sweets. B.While enjoying a drama.
C.While having a meal. D.While taking some medicine.
2.Why did the family go out into the street?
A.To buy some needed tools. B.To search for timely help.
C.To get a breath of fresh air. D.To wait for the ambulance to arrive.
3.Which of the following can best describe Caitlin?
A.Brave and selfless. B.Kind and energetic.
C.Determined and generous. D.Quick-thinking and helpful.
4.What may be the best title for the text?
A.First aid skill sounds important. B.Screaming for help makes sense.
C.Eating sweets endangers baby girl. D.Heroic teenager saves baby girl’s life.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
The bad health effects of sleep loss during the week can’t be repaid by longer weekend sleep, according to a new study.
Researchers have long known that sleep deprivation (剥夺) can cause weight gain and increase other health risks. But for those who force themselves out of bed every weekday after too few hours of shut eye, they hope turning off the alarm on Saturday and Sunday will repay the weekly sleep debt and remove any ill effects.
The research, published in Current Biology, crushes those hopes. Despite complete freedom to sleep during a weekend recovery period, people in a sleep lab who were limited to five hours of sleep on weekdays gained nearly three pounds over two weeks and experienced disorders that would increase their risk for diabetes over the long term. While weekend recovery sleep had some benefits after a single week of sleep loss, those gains were wiped out when people fell right back into their same sleep deprived schedule the next Monday.
''If there are benefits of catch-up sleep, they're gone when you go back to your daily schedule. It's very short lived'', said Kenneth Wright, director of the sleep and chronobiology lab at the University of Colorado at Boulder. ''These health effects are long term. It's kind of like smoking once was-people would smoke and wouldn't see an immediate effect on their health, but people will say now that smoking is not a healthy lifestyle choice. I think sleep is in the early stage of where smoking used to be.''
Wright said that the study suggests people should put sleep in the first place cutting out the ''sleep stealers'' such as watching television shows or spending time on their phones. Even when people don't have a choice about losing sleep because of child-care responsibilities or job schedules, they should think about getting sleep in the same way they would get a healthy diet or exercise.
1.What does the underlined word ''rushes'' mean?
A.Ruins. B.Guarantees.
C.Deepens. D.Arouses.
2.What will Kenneth Wright agree with?
A.Smoking is more harmful than sleep loss.
B.Weekend recovery sleep has many benefits.
C.Smoking and sleep loss have the same bad effects.
D.It takes long for people to see the effects of sleep loss.
3.What does Kenneth Wright advise people to do?
A.Take regular exercise every day.
B.Reduce the screen time before sleep.
C.Watch some TV shows before bedtime.
D.Sleep as long as possible during weekdays.
4.What is the main purpose of this passage?
A.To share some unhappy experiences. B.To show some unknown facts.
C.To promote a healthy lifestyle. D.To introduce a new study.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
What do you want to be when you grow up? 1.When you are asked the question, did you have an answer at the ready, or did you need a few minutes to think about it? We all have dreams of becoming something great, like a fireman, a teacher, or a rock star. Well, how did you do? Maybe you never desire to be what you set out to be or said that you would become. 2. The older we get, our tastes change, our view of the world changes, even our goals change.
One of the most important lessons I've learned during my career path is to do something you love to do. I feel that if you enjoy what you make a living at, you end up being happy in more ways than one. 3.
While no job or business is perfect, the important thing is to enjoy it, even learn from it. If you are unhappy in your current situation, why not take steps now to change it? 4.If you are already there, I applaud (鼓掌) you. If not, realize that it may take some time to figure out what you really want to do, and even more time to actually get there. That’s all right! I can tell you from experience that finding and doing what you love are absolutely worth it. All of the research, training, and hands-on experience have made me a stronger, happier person.
5.You'll be happier for it. Trust me. I promise you will never look back.
A.But then again, things change.
B.Do what you love and love what you do.
C.Life itself becomes much more interesting and fun.
D.Perhaps you've been asked the question some times.
E.You must have met with such situation as a little child.
F.Maybe you will find that the new job is more suitable for you.
G.Somewhere out there is a job or business that is perfect for you.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
One morning when I was visiting a poor woman, I noticed her dog was suffering from a terrible case of mange (癞疥). I asked why she didn’t _________him and she told me there was nothing she could do about it for being short of _______ .
My heart broke as I watched him slowly trying to stand his _________from the illness. I asked her if she would mind if I tried to _______ him. I told her I would try to get some _________ to make him feel comfortable. Instead of going to a _______chemist’s shop, I went to the local animal doctor and told him what the dog _________like and he told me what I needed. When I _________ to the woman’s home I asked her if she would be sure to_________the dog in the medicine liquid every day until it was__________ .
Two weeks later when I returned to the house, this __________ little ball of dog with red fur ________ me at the door. It was him, shaking his tail__________. I smiled and told the woman she did a great__________ .I called the dog Firecracker because his fur was so red and lively. Every time I went to her home, Firecracker always greeted me with a wave of his tail.
That was the best $16 I____________spent.
1.A.feed B.sell C.treat D.donate
2.A.time B.ability C.food D.money
3.A.pain B.noises C.looks D.hopelessness
4.A.change B.please C.help D.buy
5.A.medicine B.love C.water D.milk
6.A.rural B.food C.strange D.regular
7.A.sounded B.looked C.smelled D.felt
8.A.returned B.hurried C.rushed D.turned
9.A.raise B.protect C.walk D.bathe
10.A.cut down B.taken apart C.used up D.paid off
11.A.weak B.funny C.energetic D.naughty
12.A.drove B.ignored C.attacked D.recognized
13.A.honestly B.carefully C.anxiously D.happily
14.A.service B.job C.favor D.attempt
15.A.even B.never C.ever D.then
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
阅读短文内容，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。
The Chinatown in San Francisco is the biggest in America, and also the oldest. It is a very popular tourist draw that1. (receive)more visitors each year than even the Golden Gate Bridge. The climate is mild all year round, meaning it is always a good time 2.(visit).
Historically, Chinese immigrants settled in the area during the railroad 3.(construct) and gold rush period. What started as a residential area for Chinese immigrants then turned into a centre for Chinese culture.4.majority of residents in Chinatown are still ethnic Chinese, many of whom do not speak English5. (fluent). This allows visitors to experience a real taste of China.
Most of Chinatown 6. (destroy) in the 1906 earthquake, but the city and residents rebuilt it, taking care to include lots of Chinese architecture. Usually, visitors enter China town through the legendary Dragon Gate,7. was built using materials donated from China. Other famous sites include the Tin How Temple and Bank of Canton, to name 8.a few. Visitors can also spend hours just 9. (explore) the interesting sights, smells, and sounds of China.
Chinatowns are an important part of the diverse culture of the USA. They allow visitors who have never been to China to experience 10. (tradition) Chinese culture first hand.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
根据汉语及首字母提示写出单词的正确形式，每空仅限一词。
1.The harvest festival takes place after all the crops have been g__________(收割) in.
2.Over 300.000 lives were c__________ (失去生命) death in the1906 San Francisco earthquake and the series of fires that occurred after it.
3.Carl and his friends stayed with a g_________ (慷慨的) family who offered them bread with butter and honey that was homemade.
4.The country has a long history of producing great writers and p________ (诗人).
5.He wanted to m_________ (保持) a good relationship with the ambassador in case others found out just how poor he really was.
6.The Sputnik 1 satellite was I________ (发射) by the USSR in1957and successfully orbited around Earth.
7.I a________ (绝对地) enjoyed the archery, but the horse race were my favourite part.
8.To be f________ (坦率的), the fireworks going off through the night was really annoying.
9.To a person nothing is more p_______ (珍贵的) than their life.
10.However, others feel this is a s___________ (肤浅的) view which fails to realize how exploring space helps us.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
假定你是李华，你的英国笔友 Peter将要到你校交流学习，请你给他写一封邮件，内容包括：
1.表示欢迎；
2.提出建议（关注气候差异，准备日常汉语等）；
3.表达祝愿；
注意：1.词数80左右；
2.可以适当增加细节.以使行文连贯。
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难度: 中等查看答案及解析
阅读下面短文，根据其内容和所给段落的开头语续写一段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。续写的字数应为80词左右。
One day Mom and I were driving through the countryside. Back then I was 13 years old and always felt unhappy with Mom. However, little did I know that this trip was going to be a special one.
A pot of flowers sat in the back seat, whose pleasant smell filled the car. Suddenly, Mom pulled over. She hopped out of the car, grabbing the flowers from the back seat.
''It'll just be a minute,'' she said.
Impatiently, I caught sight of a little sign showing that it was a nursing home. I looked back to the building, somewhat annoyed, as my mom reappeared empty handed.
Before she started the car, curiosity drove me to ask, ''Do you know someone there?'' She shook her head. ''Then what did you do with the flowers? '' She smiled slightly, ''I gave them to the receptionist. '' ''What?'' She laughed at my confusion. ''I told the receptionist to give the flowers to whoever needed them.''
I kept silent for a moment. Then I asked her, ''Did you leave your name? '' To this she answered instantly, ''No. Leaving flowers there for someone who will appreciate them makes me feel good, which is enough of a thank for me.''
Lost in thought, I heard something burst loudly. It was our car that broke down! Nothing could be worse, because neither my mom nor I understood how to repair it, and we didn't know where the garage was.
Not knowing what to do, Mom and I decided to walk back to the nursing home and seek help. When we arrived, the receptionist was surprised, but warmly helped us contact the garage. There, the old men who had received the flowers were excited to meet us, talking about how great that day was. It amazed us what random actions of kindness could mean to the people who received them. While we were laughing and talking merrily, we received the news that the garage had got our car repaired.
As we drove along the road, a flower shop came into sight. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
难度: 中等查看答案及解析