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．

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

2.Where can we most probably read this text?

3.What does “it” mean in the 2^nd paragraph?

4.It can be inferred from the text that ______．

When I was an official of a school in Palo Alto, California, Polly Tyner, the president of our board, wrote a letter that was printed in the Palo Alto Times. Polly’s son, Jim, had great difficulty in school. He was classified as the educationally handicapped and required a great deal of patience on the part of his parents and teachers. But Jim was a happy kid with a great smile that lit up the room. His parents knew his difficulties, but they always tried to help him see his strengths so that he could walk with pride. Shortly after Jim finished high school, he was killed in a motorcycle accident. After his death, his mother submitted this letter to the newspaper.
“Today we buried our 20-year-old son. He was killed in a motorcycle accident on Friday night. How I wish I had known that the last time I had talked to him would be the last time. If I had only known that, I would have said to him, ‘Jim, I love you and I’m always so proud of you.’ I would have taken the time to count the many blessings he had brought to the lives of the people who loved him. I would have taken the time to appreciate his beautiful smile, his laughter, and his genuine love to other people.
“When I put all the good things on the scale and try to balance them with all the irritating (恼人的) things such as the radio that was always too loud, the haircut that wasn’t to our liking, the dirty socks under the bed, etc., I find that the irritations really don’t amount to much.
“I won’t get another chance to tell my son all that I would have wanted him to hear, but, other parents, do have a chance. Tell your young people what you would want them to hear as if it may be your last conversation. The last time I talked to Jim was the morning of the day when he died. He called me to say, ‘Hi, Mom! I just called to say I love you. You have to go to work now. Bye.’ That day, he gave me something to treasure forever. ”
If there is any purpose at all for Jim’s death, maybe it is to make others appreciate life more and to tell people, especially family members, that they should take the time to let each other know just how much they care. You may never have another chance. Do it today!
【小题1】Who was Jim?

阅读下面短文，从短文后所给各题的四个选项（A、B、C、D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

My ears are recently full of joyous remarks from my friends such as, “Oh, Beckham is so handsome, so cool, that I can’t help falling in love with him!” or “What perfect skills he has!” Yeah, I  26  to some degree, though I sometimes do want to  27  them how much they know about Beckham, apart from his      28  and how much they know about football apart from  29  goals. It seems funny that we are  30  for things, with which we are unfamiliar or about which we are  31 , but we all, my friends as well as I, consider this one of life’s     32  .

We need these pleasures to brighten up our lives. But that doesn't amount to craziness or nonsense. As an old saying goes: “Don't judge a book by its cover.” We  33  not judge anything from its appearance. We should all know, it is one’s good  34  and great contribution that make one a star and unforgettable. Therefore we’d better say  35  about Beckham’s good looks.

If we close our eyes, falling in deep thought, we can find that the things that move us to be really happy or sad have a  36  meaning. If we don't go deeper and are just satisfied with  37  things, sooner or later we will find that we have not really gained anything because our first  38  has blinded and misled us, and we’ll remain ignorant  39  we realize that and make some changes.

It is believed that thinking and going deeper than before is a sign of great progress. If one day we are willing to go deeper into everything, no matter how much it pains us, we will finally prove how much we have  40  up, how much more sensible, mature, and intelligent we have become.

1.A. like                     B. agree                                 C. hope                      D. think

2.A. ask                     B. tell                                  C. teach               D. doubt

3.A. skills                      B. fame                       C. team                     D. appearance

4.A. kicking               B. hitting                       C. scoring                 D. controlling

5.A. thankful            B. crazy                                C. curious                 D. anxious

6.A. uncertain                   B. unhappy                        C. displeased     D. careful

7.A. aims                            B. qualities                        C. pleasures             D. truths

8.A. dared                    B. would                             C. could                    D. should

9.A. thinking            B. character                 C. looks                     D. ability

10.A. more                        B. something               C. less                        D. no

11.A. clear                         B. puzzling                         C. moving                 D. valuable

12.A. material                  B. deep                          C. surface                 D. pleasant

13.A. conclusion            B. experience                        C. lesson                   D. impression

14.A. since                         B. although                        C. unless                   D. before

15.A. given                   B. sent                                C. built                       D. grown

第四部分：阅读理解（共20小题，每题2分，满分40分）
There are three kinds of goals: short-term, medium-range and long-term goals.
Short-range goals are those that usually deal with current activities, which we can apply on a daily basis. Such goals can be achieved in a week or less or two weeks, or possible months. It should be remembered that just as a building is no stronger than its foundation, out long-term goals cannot amount to very munch without the achievement of solid short-term goals. Upon completing our short-term goals, we should date the occasion and then add new short-term goals that will build on those that have been completed.
The intermediate goals are built on the foundation of the short-range goals. They might deal with just one term of school or the entire school year, or they could even extend for several years. Any time you move a step at a time, you should never allow yourself to become discouraged or overwhelmed. As you complete each step, you will enforce the belief in your ability to grow and succeed. And as your list of completion dates grow, your motivation and desire will increase.
Long-range goals may be related to our dreams of the future. They might cover five years or more. Life is not a static thing. We should never allow a long-term goal to limit us or our course of action.
56. Our long-term goals mean a lot__.
A) if we complete our short-range goals
B) if we cannot reach solid short-term goals
C) if we write down the dates
D) if we put forward some plans
57. New short-term goals are bulid upon__.
A) two years
B) long-term goals
C) current activities
D) the goals that have been completed
58. Once our goals are drawn up,__.
A) we should stick to them until we complete them
B) we may change our goals as we have new ideas and opportunities
C) we had better wait for the exciting news of success
D) we have made great decision
59. It is implied but not stated in the passage that ___.
A) those who have long-term goals will succeed
B) writing down the dates may discourage you
C) the goal is only a guide for us to reach our destination
D) every should have a goal

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