单选题 Shopping has always been something of an impulsive activity, in which objects that catch our fancy while strolling are immediately bought on a whim. Advertisers and sellers have taken advantage of this fact, carefully positioning inexpensive but attractive items on paths that we are most likely to cross, hoping that our human nature will lead to a greater profit for them. With the dawn of the Internet and its exploding use across the world, the same tactics apply.
Advertisers now place "banners", links to commercial web sites decorated with attractive pictures designed to catch our eyes while browsing the webs, on key web sites with heavy traffic. They pay top dollar for the right, thus creating profits for the hosting web site as well. These actions are performed in the hopes that during the course of our casual and leisurely web surfing, we'll click on that banner that sparks our interest and thus, in theory, buy the products advertised.
Initial results have been positive. Web sites report a huge inflow of cash, both from the advertisers who tempt customers in with the banners and the hosting web sites, which are paid for allowing the banners to be put in place. As trust and confidence in Internet buying increases and information security is heightened with new technology, the volume of buying is increasing, leading to even greater profits.
The current situation, however, is not quite as optimistic. Just as magazine readers tend to unconsciously ignore advertisements in their favorite periodicals, web browsers are beginning to allow banners to slip their notice as well. Internet users respond to the flood of banners by viewing them as annoyances, a negative image that is hurting sales, since users are now less reluctant to click on those banners, preferring not to support the system that puts them in place. If Internet advertising is to continue to be a viable and profitable business practice, new methods will need to be considered to reinvigorate the industry.
With the recent depression in the technology sector and slowing economy, even new practices may not {{U}}do the trick{{/U}}. As consumers are saving more and frequenting traditional real estate businesses over their Internet counterparts, the fate of Internet business is called into question. The coming years will be the only reliable indication of whether shopping on the worldwide web is the wave of the future or simply an impulsive activity whose whim has passed.

单选题 In discussing online shopping, the text centers on ______.

A. its characteristics and rise
B. its problems and their solutions
C. its development and future
D. its promoting strategy

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】[考点] 篇章主旨题 [解析] 篇章主旨题的解题思路之一是把各段首句信息做比对或概括。具体来讲：本文的首段首句是引子，阐述了人们购物时的一般心理；第二段首句导出本文主题“网络广告(购物)及其形式”；第三段首句讲述“其最初的(initial)积极效果”；第四段首句则指出其当前(current)的问题；尾段首句又对其未来(may not)发表评论。综上所述(注意“时间”措辞)，本文的主题是“网络购物的发展(initial，current)与未来(may not)”，故答案为C。

单选题 It can be inferred from the fourth paragraph that ______.

A. Internet advertising has to be modified over time to remain effective
B. Internet users tend to see banners as annoyances
C. for all its current profits, Internet advertising will fade in the long run
D. magazine readers are liable to ignore advertisements in reading their favorite periodicals

单选题 Judging from the context, the phrase "do the trick" (Line 2, Para.5) most probably means ______.

A. accomplish the trick
B. attain their goal
C. turn fruitless
D. come true

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】[考点] 短语推断题 [解析] 根据题干信号词do the trick以及出处提示Line 2, Para.5可回文定位到尾段首句With the recent depression in the technology sector and slowing economy, even new practices may not do the trick. (随着技术领域近来的不景气，以及经济发展的缓慢，甚至新的实践也可能不会do the trick)，鉴于短语推断题需要在问题短语的上文或下文中寻找信息线索，并作分析推断，考生可将上文第四段尾句视为本题目的“题眼”。题眼句：If Internet advertising is to continue to be a viable and profitable business practice, new methods will need to be considered to reinvigorate the industry. (如果网络广告要继续成为可行并盈利可观的商业行为，就需要考虑新的方法以为该行业注入活力)，此句强调只有“新方法”才能实现“继续可行并盈利的目标”，由此可知：new practices对应题眼句的new methods，而do the trick则对应to continue to be...这一“目标”，因此do the trick意思是“实现目标”答案为B。补充讲解：第四段尾句讲要实现“网络广告持续可行并盈利”这一目标，就需要考虑“新的方法”，第五段首句则接着讲“由于技术领域与经济领域都不景气，即使这些新方法可能也无法做到这一点”，因此do the trick的意思是“实现目标”。

单选题 Which of the following does NOT belong to factors responsible for the uncertainty of Internet business?

A. the technological depression
B. consumers' reduction in expenditure
C. the poor economic performance
D. the passing of impulsive activity

【正确答案】 D

【答案解析】[考点] 排除性判断题 [解析] 根据题干信号词factors responsible for the uncertainty of Internet business可回文定位到尾段第二句As consumers are saving more and frequenting traditional real estate businesses over their Internet counterparts, the fate of Internet business is called into question. (由于消费者要节俭，要频繁地前往传统的实体店而非网店，所以网络经济的命运将是一个问题)，此处为本题目的“题眼”。

单选题 The author's attitude toward online shopping is ______.

A. conservative
B. positive
C. negative
D. objective

【正确答案】 D

【答案解析】[考点] 作者态度题 [解析] 尾题设置作者态度题，考生应重点关注尾段的主观感受词或态度提示词。根据尾段尾句The coming years will be the only reliable indication of whether shopping on the world wide web is the wave of the future or simply an impulse activity whose whim has passed. (网络购物究竟是一个未来的趋势还是一个激情逝去的冲动性行为，只有未来数年才会证明这一切)，此句中whether...or...(是……还是……)是涉及两种完全不同结果的表达，对此作者认为“只有未来才能回答”(only reliable indication)，显然作者的态度是辩证性的，即“客观的”，故D为正确项。