单选题 Shopping has become a private affair. Obvious consumption does not look good during a depression, which explains why so many of us are accepting e-commerce. Online Shopping on these shores is projected to grow from sales of ￡ 8.9bn to around ￡ 21.3bn by the end of 2,011.
Often people proclaim they've accepted e-commerce because it's "green". This is understandable. If many shopping bags in a depression looks bad, bricks and mortar retail -- huge out-of-town shopping centres, retail shopping center that insist on leaving their doors open even in winter and grocery stores full of the most inefficient freezers -- look terrible during an ecological emergency.
Should we buy the idea that e-commerce is any better? Several studies have tried to answer this with cold, hard data.
A 2,000 study on Webvan, a now disappearing US online grocer, concluded that a wider adoption of e-commerce would not give us environmental gains, while a 2,002 study of US book retailing found no greater energy savings selling online. But the study that all e-tailers are talking about is a new one from Carnegie Mellon University, which has found that shopping online via Buy. corn's e-commerce model for electronic products uses 35 percent less energy consumption and CO₂ emissions than a traditional bricks model.
This is largely because it avoids the usual retail distribution model and, of course, the impact of consumers driving to a store. And, from the shopper's perspective, online buying often allows you to avoid the desire for retail.
But both models are flawed, because online or on the high street, retailers are dependent on a hydrocarbon-fuelled delivery system. Trucks deliver 4.8m tonnes of freight each day in the UK, which works out at about 80kg per person. To make matters worse, after a truck drops off the goods it often returns empty to the depot. A 2002 study of 20,000 transportation trips found that only 2.4% of return journey legs found suitable backloads. This journey represents a large part of the impact of what we buy.
Online shopping may prove marginally more green in terms of energy saving, but we shouldn't forget progressive retail. Places such as Ludlow in Shropshire, a fairtrade town based on ethical trading ideas, where the independent high street has been hard won. It brings consumers face to face with products with shortened supply chain and with values. This is a wiser and wider retail experience; anything else could leave you feeling short change.

单选题 The main idea of the first paragraph is

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】[命题目的]此题考查考生对文章概括推理能力。
[解题要点] A项意为经济处于萧条时期，根据原文第一段第2句“Obvious consumption does not look good during a depression…”，在经济萧条期间，该内容不是本段的中心；C项意为购物中心在增加，根据第一段第三句“Online shopping on these shores is projected to grow from sales of ￡8.9bn to around ￡21.3bn by the end of 2,011.”可知，网络商场在增加，而不是购物中心，该项小符合文意。D项意为网上购物比商场要便宜，该项文中没有提及。B项意为越来越多的人选择网上购物，根据第一段第二句“Obvious…so many of us are accepting e-commerce.”，该项符合文意，故正确答案为B选项。

单选题 What's true in the following statements?

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】[命题目的]此题考查考生对文章细节的捕捉能力。
[解题要点] A项意为网上购物污染环境，文章多处提到网上购物与环境的关系，但讨论的都是网上购物是否绿色，环保，故A项不符合文意。B项意为购物是绿色的、环保的，本文中只谈到网络购物，B项不符合文意。D项意为购物者对零售不狂热，根据第五段第二句“And, from the shopper's perspective, online buying often allows you to avoid the desire for retail.”可知D项与文意相反。C项意为网上购物对环境保护起着一定的作用，根据第七段第一句“Online shopping may prove marginally more green in terms of energy saving…”可知，C项符合文意，故正确答案为C选项。

单选题 According to the last paragraph, retail brings consumers face to face

【正确答案】 D

【答案解析】[命题目的]此题考查考生对文章细节的把握。
[解题要点] A项意为没有供应链的真实的产品，B项意为长的供应链，C项意为产品的价格，D项意为产品的价值。根据最后一段第二句“It brings consumers face to face with products with shortened supply chain and with values.”可知，它使消费者们能直接看到产品，缩短供应链和附加价值。D项符合文意，故正确答案为D选项。

单选题 The text implies that

【正确答案】 A

【答案解析】[命题目的]此题考查考生对文章归纳推理能力。
[解题要点] 根据第六段第一句“But both models are flawed, because online or on the high street, retailers are dependent on a hydrocarbon-fuelled delivery system.”可知，A项符合文意。同时可知，两种购物方式都需要消耗碳氧化合物，但并没有提及哪种方式消耗得少，B项意为网上购物要比在商场购物好，该内容文章没有提及。C项意为在商场购物淌耗更少的碳氢化合物，根据文意“online or on the high street, retailers are dependent on a hydrocarbon-fuelled delivery system”可知这这种购物方式都需要消耗碳氢化合物，根据“To make matters worse, alter a truck drops off the goods it often returns empty to the depot”可知在商业街购物应消耗更多的碳氢化合物，该项与文意相反。D项意为在商业街购物需要驾车，根据文意两种购物方式都需要驾车，该项不符合义意。此题选择A项。