1. In 2011, many shoppers chose to avoid the frantic crowds and do their holiday shopping from the comfort of their computer. Sales at online retailers gained by more than 15%, making it the biggest season ever. But people are also returning those purchases at record rates, up 8% from last year. What went wrong? Is the lingering shadow of the global financial crisis making it harder to accept extravagant indulgences? Or that people shop more impulsively—and therefore make bad decisions—when online? Both arguments are plausible. However, there is a third factor: a question of touch. We can love the look but, in an online environment, we cannot feel the quality of a texture, the shape of the fit, the fall of a fold or, for that matter, the weight of an earring. And physically interacting with an object makes you committed to your purchase.
2. The basic delivery system for the distance-education mega-universities is television, supplemented by other technologies or even some online instruction in more developed countries. Some distance-education systems use two-way interactive video connections to particular locations where students gather; others supplement with the Internet, and still others deliver only by Internet. With video-and audio-streaming now available, the Internet appears to be the technology of choice for systems where students have access to computers. Of course, these technologies merely add to the radio-delivered courses that have been offered for years in many countries around the world.
1.2011年，许多消费者选择避开疯狂的人潮，在假日里舒服地坐在电脑前浏览商品。网上销售额超过了15%，成为了有史以来最热火朝天的购物旺季。但是消费者退货的速度也急剧加快，比去年增加了8%。到底是哪里出问题了？难道是全球金融危机挥之不去的阴影让人们难以接受购物时的放纵吗？还是说人们在网上购物时更容易冲动消费从而导致买了些糟糕的商品吗？这两种解释都看似十分合理。但是，还有第三个因素便是购物过程中是否感受到商品的手感的问题。在网络环境下，我们会被商品好看的外表所吸引，但是我们不能切身感受商品的质地、形状、垂感，尤其是耳环的重量。而这种对商品的实际考察使你更倾向购买它。
2.巨型大学远程教育的基础传输系统是电视，辅以技术支持，而在发达地区的国家中，这些电视还具备在线指导的功能。部分远程教育系统采用双向交互视频连接方式与在某个特定地区的学生进行在线教学，还有部分系统则是辅以互联网进行交互连接，甚至有一些远程教育还是仅依赖于互联网教学。随着视频流和音频流的普及，互联网已成为远程教育系统的最佳技术选择，因为只要学生能够登录电脑，他们就能够使用系统。当然，这些技术只是增加了长期以来世界各国都开设的无线电课程的数量。