iphone4

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Monday, December 13, 2010

Online shoppers are set to spend a total of £537m today in what is predicted to be the busiest internet shopping day of the year. Total spending on the day called Manic Monday is forecast to hit £22.4m an hour, according to shopping comparison website Kelkoo. The cold weather and a strike by London Underground workers are also expected to boost the number of shoppers choosing to buy online.
Visa Europe said the busiest online shopping day in the previous two years had been on the last Monday in November. It predicted transactions would peak in the lunch hour between 1pm and 2pm and again at around 7pm as shoppers go online after returning home from work.
A study found 74% of consumers planned to buy presents online this Christmas, with 30% looking to do more shopping on the internet than last year. Visa Europe commercial director Steve Perry said: "Shopping online is now a natural part of the gift-buying process for consumers and a key part of Christmas sales strategy for retailers.
The combination of monthly salaries being paid and people taking delivery times into consideration should combine to deliver a record day for internet shopping."
Retailer Argos also said it was predicting today to be the busiest for online delivery orders, falling after the last pay day before Christmas but still allowing time for delivery and wrapping before December 25. The busiest day on the high street is expected to be December 18.

Vocabulary exercise
All the words below are in the text. Match the words and expressions on the left to the words with the same meaning on the right.
1 splash out a shoppers choosing to buy online
2 buy online b forecast
3 predict c an order
4 a transaction d spend money
5 online shoppers e a gift
6 a present f shop on the internet

Question 1 (2 points)

Indicate whether the following statements are true or false and write down which part of the text justifies your answer.
a) More money is usually spent on buying items online on the last Monday in November.
b) The number of people shopping for Christmas presents online will grow by 30% this year..
c) If you buy something online today, it will arrive before Christmas.
d) The day when city shops will be busiest will probably be December 18th.

Question 2 (2 points)

Answer the following questions in your own words.
a) Why will there be even more people shopping online this year?
b) What times of the day will most people buy things online today?

Question 3 (1.5 points)

Find words or phrases in the text that correspond in meaning to the words and definitions given.
a) to increase (Paragraph 1)
b) reach the highest point (Paragraph 2)
c) important, crucial (Paragraph 3)

Question 4 (1.5 points)

Complete the following sentences without changing the meaning.
a) Shopping comparison website Kelkoo predicts that the cold weather and the London Underground strike will boost total spending.
Shopping comparison website Kelkoo predicts that total spending …………………. ……….............

b) ‘People have just been paid and they will want their gifts to be delivered in time for Christmas.’, said Steve Perry.
Steve Perry said that people …………...…………………………………………………....................
c) Shopping on the internet is convenient, but there are many risks involved and you should be very careful.
Although ....................................................., you should .................................................. because ............................................................................................................................

Question 5 (3 points)
Write a short essay (120-150 words) on the following topic:
‘Nowadays, it is possible to buy absolutely anything’. Do you agree?

Online shoppers splash out

Schoolboy to climb Mount Everest

A 13-year-old is planning to make history by becoming the youngest ever person to climb the world's highest mountain, Mount Everest.
Jordan Romero from the USA will attempt to summit the 8,850 metre peak which is above the height some planes fly at.
Jordan will be joined by his dad and stepmum on the expedition, both are experienced climbers.
Climbing so high can be dangerous though, the cold and lack of oxygen has killed lots of climbers in the past.
It's likely Jordan will use bottled oxygen as he climbs higher up the mountain as there is less oxygen to breathe in the higher up you go.
Record books
At age 10, he became the youngest American to summit Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest peak.
The current record holder for the youngest person to climb Mount Everest is Temba Tsheri from Nepal who was 16.
Because of the extreme cold though he lost five fingers during his climb due to frostbite.

True or False?

1. Jordan Romero is 13 years-old.
2. Romero is from Canada.
3. The 13-year-old is planning to climb Mount Everest.
4. Jordan will climb the mountain with his father and uncle.
5. Jordan's father has never climbed a mountain before.
6. It can be dangerous to climb mountains.
7. Lack of oxygen can kill climbers.
8. The peak of Mount Everest is above the height at which some planes fly.
9. Jordan will probably use oxygen when he climbs the mountain.
10. There is less oxygen at the bottom of Mount Everest.

What is the missing word?

1. The summit of Mount Everest is 8,850___________tall.

2. The cold has _____________lots of climbers in the past.

3. Jordan became the_______________American to climb to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro when he was 10.

4. Temba Tsheri____________five fingers when he climbed to the top of Mount Everest.

KEY

1. TRUE
2. FALSE
3. TRUE
4. FALSE
5. FALSE
6. TRUE
7. TRUE
8. TRUE
9. TRUE
10. FALSE

1. metres
2. killed
3. youngest
4. lost

Schoolboy to climb Mount Everest

True or False?

1. TRUE
2. FALSE
3. TRUE
4. FALSE
5. FALSE
6. TRUE
7. TRUE
8. TRUE
9. TRUE
10. FALSE

1. metres
2. killed
3. youngest
4. lost

Warning about falling icicles

Kids in Scotland are being warned to look out for falling icicles, as the weather warms up this weekend.
Parts of Scotland have experienced temperatures as low as -20 degrees over the past few weeks.
Weather forecasters say temperatures are rising, and icicles that were frozen solid are starting to melt and could snap off buildings.
People are also being warned to be careful, as melting ice could make roads and pavements very slippery.
Forecasters said Friday would be a milder day but it would start to get cold again on Saturday night.
They said there might be more snow towards the end of next week too.

True or False?

1. Children in Scotland are being given icicles.
2. The weather is warming up this weekend.
3. Parts of Scotland have been as cold as minus 40 degrees.
4. Weather forecasters say temperatures are going to stay cold.
5. Icicles may melt and snap off buildings.
6. People are being warned as roads and pavements could be slippery.
7. Friday is going to be a hot day.
8. The weather will get colder again on Saturday.
9. There will be no more snow.

Which word or phrase means the same as the one in italics?
warms up

a) the same as gets colder
b) the same as gets warmer
c) the same as starts raining
low

a) the same as hot
b) the same as cold
c) the same as interesting

rising
a) the same as getting colder
b) the same as getting warmer
c) the same as starting to snow

starting
a) the same as beginning
b) the same as ending
c) the same as happening

KEY
1. FALSE
2. TRUE
3. FALSE
4. FALSE
5. TRUE
6. TRUE
7. FALSE
8. TRUE
9. FALSE

1. B
2. B
3. B
4. A