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 （湊錢） 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．
【小題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

Roger Alvarez, 22, was one of the 52 percent of students who didn’t make it through his senior year at Manual Arts High School in Los Angeles.

    He dropped out several years ago, but by the time he was in ninth grade, Alvarez says he already knew he wasn’t going to graduate.

    “There’s a certain amount of knowledge you have to have when you enter in a specific grade, and I didn’t have it.” Alvarez says,“Every class I used to go in, I was like, ‘Do I know this? I don’t know this.’”

    It was a shameful attitude, he tells his former English teacher, Antero Garcia, 29.

    “You were determined to help me, but what was I willing to give? I could have actually tried.”

    For his part, Garcia wants to know how he could have reached out to Alvarez better, but Alvarez says Garcia had always been helpful.

    “I mean, you could cheer me up, and then I see other students doing way better,” Alvarez says,“So then, I get nervous. I get stuck, and then my motivation goes to the floor.” He felt the situation was hopeless.

    “You talked to me like if I could do it, but inside me, I knew I couldn’t.” he tells Garcia,“I just didn’t want you to think that I’m…stupid.”

    Now, school is a life tool that Alvarez says he’s missing—but his teacher isn’t to blame.

    “Always, I just wanted you to know…you were a good teacher, and I always respected you.” he tells Garcia,“Some teachers, I felt like they only wanted to teach a certain group of people. But you looked at me and you paid attention.”

    “Maybe it didn’t get me to graduate, but there’re a lot of teachers, they don’t take the time to take a look. And it was never your fault.”

    Alvarez now works the night shift at a loading dock(碼頭). He still hopes to get his degree one day.

1.When Alvarez entered a grade, he was sure that ___________.

A. he wasn’t going to pass the class

B. he would do better than other students

C. he might learn an amount of knowledge

D. he would try his best to learn at class

2.By saying “my motivation goes to the floor”,  Alvarez meant __________.

A. he hid his goal from others              B. he lost heart gradually

C. he built up his motivation               D. he fell to the ground completely

3.In the opinion of Alvarez, most teachers _______.

A. paid no attention to teaching             B. had no time to read books

C. didn’t care about what he did             D. showed no respect to students

4.The passage mainly tells us that _________.

A. a dropout complains about being treated badly

B. a dropout plans to get his degree again

C. a dropout shows respect for not graduating

D. a dropout has thanks to his teacher not blame

An allowance is an important tool for teaching kids how to budget, save and make their own decisions. Children remem­ber and learn from mistakes when their own dollars are lost or spent foolishly.
How large an allowance is appropriate? Experts say there is not right amount. Actual amounts differ from region to re­gion, and from family to family.
To set an appropriate allowance for your child, work up a weekly budget. Allow for entertainment expenditures such as movies and snacks. Next, include everyday expenses such as lunch money, bus fare, school supplies. "If you make the child responsible for these ‘ ills’," says Josephine Swanson, a consumer specialist, " he or she will learn to budget for nec­essary expenditures."
Finally, add some extra money to make saving possible. If you can, keep your child’s allowance in line with that of his friends. A child whose purchasing power falls away below his peers’ can feel left out.
It can be tough, but avoid excusing your children when they make a mistake with their allowance. When Brooke Ste­phens was ten and growing up in Jacksonville, her mother gave her $5 a week, $1.75 of which was for bus fare and lunch." If you lose your money," Brooke’s mother told her, "you walk home."
One week the girl spent all her allowance in a candy store, then she called home for a ride. " Mom made me walk home," recalls Stephens, now a financial planner in Brook­lyn. " At first I was angry. But I finally realized that she was trying to teach me an important lesson. "
Experts advise that an allowance should not be tied di­rectly to a child’s daily chores. Kids should help around the house not because they get paid for it but because they share responsibilities as members of a family. You might, however, pay a child for doing extra jobs at home, which can develop his or her initiative.
63. Which of the following is the possible title of the passage?
A. How to develop a child’s initiative.
B. How to work up an amount of pocket money.
C. How to teach a child to save money.
D. How to teach a child about money.
64. It can be inferred from the passage that if a child is given an allowance, he or she may ________.
A. spend all the money very soon             
B. be spoiled and finally ruined
C. feel responsible and careful about money
D. lost the money and can not return home
65. In Paragraph 4, the words “his peers” refer to ________.
A. his parents      B. his teachers       C. his financial experts      D. his friends
66. The author implies in the passage that ________.
A. paying children for their housework is no good
B. a child’s initiative can be developed if he or she is paid for all the housework
C. children may feel lost and lonely if they have no pocket money
D. children may learn to put aside some money if they are given a great amount of pocket money

Do you love the holidays, but hate gaining weight? You are not alone. Holidays are times for  celebrating. Many people are worried about their weight. With proper planning, though, it is possible to keep normal weight during the holidays. The idea is to enjoy the holidays but not to eat too much. You don't have to turn away from the foods that you enjoy.

   Here are some tips for preventing（阻止） weight gain and maintaining（維持） physical fitness:   

Don't skip meals. Before you leave home, have a small, low-fat meal or snack. This may help to avoid getting too excited before delicious foods.

   Control the amount of food. Use a small plate (about 10 inches) and put aside the large ones that may encourage you to "load up". You should be most comfortable eating an amount of food about the size of your fist.

   Begin with soup and fruit or vegetables. Fill up beforehand on water-based soup and raw fruit or vegetables. Or drink a large glass of water before you eat to help you to feel full.

Stick to physical activity. Don’t let exercise take a break during the holidays. A 20-minute walk help to burn off excess calories.

Avoid(避免) high-fat foods. Dishes that look oily or creamy may have large amount of fat. Choose lean meat (瘦肉).Fill your plate with salad and green vegetables. Use lemon juice instead of creamy food.

1.Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?

A. You should never eat delicious foods.

B. Drinking some water or soup before eating helps you to eat less.[來源:Zxxk.Com]

C. Holidays are happy days but they may bring you weight problems.

D. Physical exercise can reduce the chance of putting on weight.

2.Which of the following can NOT help people to lose weight according to the passage?

A. Eating lean meat.                         B. Creamy food.

C. Eating raw fruit or vegetables.              D. Physical exercise.  

3. Many people can' t control their weight during the holidays mainly because they__________.

A. can' t help being tempted to eat constantly      B. take part in too many parties

C. enjoy delicious foods sometimes               D. can’t help turning away from foods.

4.If the passage appeared(出現(xiàn)) in a newspaper , which section（專欄） is the most suitable one ?

A. Holidays and Festivals section     B. Health and Fitness section

C. Fashion section                 D. Student Times Club section.

5.What is the best title of the passage ?

A. How to avoid holiday feasting and celebrating .

B. Do' s and don' ts for keeping slim and fit.

C. How to avoid weight gain over holidays.

D. Wonderful holidays, boring weight.

You may say it’s just a slip of the tongue. But as a senior official and a well-educated person, a professional who is supposed to be expert at using words shouldn’t have made such a remark like “Why did only two teachers commit suicide?” We use “only” to emphasize（強調(diào)） how small an amount is or how unimportant the matter is. When talking about death toll, such a word as “only” should never be appropriate.

Of course, it seems unfair to put all the blame on her, especially about the suicide of any individual. We should never indirectly encourage any self-destructive behaviour by making finger-pointing remarks afterwards. Any sensational accusation may help spread a very wrong message which will lead to even more copycat（模仿他人行為者）cases.

As expected, Professor Li has spoken out in her defence, saying that her remarks concerning the two suicides had been taken out of context, adding that she is a caring and warm-hearted person.

However, a seemingly “caring and warm-hearted person” without enough political sensitivity can hardly make a good government official. Mr. Tung used to be described as kind and selfless, but being kind is not enough. It is misleading to say such characteristics as kindness and devotion make somebody fit or capable.

Last time, her saying that students were the least qualified to criticize the Chief Executive had led to much criticism. Then she apologized. This time, a much more widespread furore（公眾的騷動） has been brought. Again, she apologized. How many times is she going to apologize before she is willing to step down?

We need a more diplomatic（外交的） person to calm teachers, students and parents alike.

1. The purpose of the passage is to _____.

A. encourage teachers to commit suicide

B. criticize professor Li

C. put stress on the official’s remarks

D. show her dissatisfaction with the senior official

2. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A. The official used improper words in her remarks.

B. The senior official’s apologies were not sincere.

C. Nobody could comfort the people.

D. The professional tried to mislead the people to continue their suicide.

3. The author thought ________.

A. the official was very fit for her office

B. the official used the word “only” not by mistake

C. it was quite right to blame the official

D. the official won’t make such mistakes any more

4. From the passage we can infer that ______.

A. the officials’ remark led to more suicide committing

B. the official was a sensitive politician

C. the official believed the students had rights to talk about the Chief Executive

D. professor Li showed favor to the official