今日口语计划： 热点话题素材：购物

图片陈述

According to the chart, it is clear that online shopping is more and more popular among people. As early as 2001, the volume of online trade was very small.  Then 15 years later, the turnover of online shopping in this city soared sharply to almost 400 million yuan.

There are many reasons accounting for the tremendous growth. For one thing, with the growing amount of goods, online shopping satisfies the individual needs of customers, which will surely gain popularity in a society where more and more people attach great importance to their personal preferences. For another, online shopping is convenient and time-saving, through which people can get whatever they like at home. 

As far as I am concerned, with the ongoing Internet technology, the convenient online shopping has attracted more people and it has become an indispensable part of our life.

问答/陈述

1. Do you enjoy shopping?

Yes, I do my shopping online or at the small shops near my home. Online, I can look at the products and buy the ones I like. I actually took part in an experiment to see if I could survive by shopping online with a limited amount of money. I was successful! I still think there are some things I should buy at the shop, like milk and vegetables.

2. Do you usually do your shopping at one place or several different places?

I shop for clothes at a place which is owned by a friend, because she gives me a discount and gives me some useful fashion tips. I do food shopping at a few different places, according to what I want to buy.

3. What kinds of shops are there near your home?

There are several small shops on my street. There is a small shoe shop, specializing in women’s shoes. There are two small supermarkets. One is a little more expensive, but has a wider range of products and, most importantly, is open 24 hours a day. Oh, and there’s a camera shop. You can get photographs developed there and buy photo albums.

4. Do you think that small shops can compete with large department stores and supermarket chains?

I don’t think they can! Small shops benefit from serving the local area and are able to provide more personal service. But they are often more expensive than the supermarket and do not have as much choice and variety in what they sell.

5. Do young people and older people have different attitudes to shopping?

I think that older people tend to be more thrifty and economical in making purchases and will have more brand loyalties. Younger people, on the other hand, are more likely to do the impulse shopping and buy things according to the style and image rather than from practical considerations.

6. Do people in your hometown prefer buying things in several different small shops or in one or two large ones?

I think that shopping has mainly been done in small shops but that was simply because there were not many large ones. Now that supermarkets and shopping malls are here, large shops will take a bigger slice of the cake.

7. When people around you are shopping, do they pay more attention to the quality or the price?

This probably depends on the people and what they are buying. It also depends on their budget. Not everybody can afford to buy the best regardless of the price. There is a big demand for cheaper staple food but people are prepared to pay more for the quality as quality products are more economical in the long run.

8. How often do people in your family go shopping?

That really depends on the person, but girls and women do it more frequently than boys and men.  My sister often purchases things on the Internet while my mother likes to visit her friends at the mall on weekends for visiting and shopping.  My father and I do very little shopping and when we do it’s usually online. My father must go to the shopping mall to buy his clothes because his size is very big and he needs to try on the clothing before he purchases it.

9. Do you think online shopping will replace traditional shopping?

In fact, I don’t think it would happen in a short time since despite the benefits of online shopping, there are a lot of things that are special about shopping in a mall. For example, if you go to a fancy clothes store, you probably will receive good service from the sales people, and you get to feel the material, try the clothes on in front of big mirrors, and those are the feelings you won’t get by waiting at home for your package. So online shopping still needs some improvements to totally replace the functions of traditional shopping. However, the potential of online business is so huge that it will certainly take a great share in the trade market.

10. Have you ever had a bad shopping experience?

Yes, I bought a wallet online that in the pictures online looked very good. Once I received it, it had scratches all over one side of it. I asked the seller to replace it but they said the wallets were out of stock and couldn’t be got any more. If I wanted a refund, I had to ship it back. But the shipping was almost the price of the wallet so I just gave up!

11. What would you do if you buy something disappointing on the Internet?

The only option is to send it back and get a refund, but that takes time and will cost your money for shipping. It’s not worth sending back unless the item is either insured or expensive.

12. How can we shop safely and wisely online?

We need to keep a few tips in mind. First, always shop on secure sites. Second, be familiar with the name or reputation of any company you’re dealing with. Third, check for expected delivery dates, shipping and handling fees, warranties, return policies and other important information. Fourth secure your computer. Finally, be wary of identity theft. You’d better not give out your ID card number.

13. Can you tell something about the benefits of online shopping?

Yes. There are a number of advantages of online shopping. First, the convenience is the biggest benefit. Online shopping gives us the opportunity to shop 24/7. Second, cheap deals and better prices are available online, because products come to you direct from the manufacturer or seller without the middleman being involved. Third, we can get more variety. The choice online is amazing. One can get several brands and products from different sellers all in one place. You can get in on the latest international trends without spending money on airfare.

14. What are the disadvantages of online shopping?

Firstly, online shopping lacks the intuitional impression of goods. Sometimes the photos offered by the sellers are beautified with software, and you will be disappointed to find the actual item is far from your expectation. Secondly, returning goods in online shopping is quite troublesome, and sometimes you only can achieve your goal at the cost of the payment of the postage by yourself. Finally, there are too many fake products and cheats in online shopping, and the quality of goods cannot be guaranteed as those in traditional shops.

15. Can you tell me about the different attitudes of men and women to shopping?

It is a pleasure for women to look around in the shop. They often ask the price but don’t buy. It is a good psychological experience to them, from which they can gain satisfaction. But on the contrary, men dislike shopping and even hate it. They would like to enjoy the fruit only, so do I. Men feel painful to accompany their girlfriends to go shopping.

16. Why does group-purchasing become more popular?

Firstly, group-buying websites usually offer incredibly low prices and appealing discounts on a daily basis. Secondly, online group-buying means convenience and efficiency for time-starved consumers. Thirdly, retailers treasure such a business model of meeting a large number of potential buyers every day without huge advertising costs.

双人互动

Topic：Is shopping a pleasure or torture?

A: Do you often go shopping?

B: Yes. I usually go shopping for a whole day.

A: What? A whole day?

B: Yes. It is worth the time and we women get great pleasure from it.

A: Forgive me.  I only see torture instead of pleasure.  It would be a great blessing in life if men can do without shopping.

B: So don’t take a shopping lunatic as your girlfriend, then! Manage all your business by yourself, and never ask the girl to buy stuff for you.

A: Shopping is not a big deal! I can certainly manage that.  It’s just a go-and-take thing!

B: Yeah. That’s why you boys often get ripped off! That’s why you can never get yourselves properly dressed on different occasions!

A: How about you women? You idle your time in stupid manners! You tire yourselves out by high-volume bargaining!

B: To begin with, a satisfactory deal entails a careful examination and tactical bargaining, and we feel fulfilled from that.  Besides, shopping is also fair body shape exercise for us. We make a witty and sound mind out of it, and we build a fit and healthy body from it.  So what?

A: OK. As a man, I really admire your inexhaustible energy for shopping. I just wish shopping could become an Olympic sport someday and you could win a gold medal!

B: Definitely! You can count on that! In that case, you men were bound to take the back seat.

黄金必背句

1. Everything has the pros and cons, and shopping online is no exception.

任何事物都有两面性，网购也不例外。

2. Many people choose to shop online mainly because products there are much cheaper than those in stores. 

许多人选择网上购物主要是因为网上的产品比商店的产品要便宜得多。

3. The number of people shopping online is growing at an alarming rate. 

网上购物的人数正在以惊人的速度增长。

4. Online shopping is one part of electronic commerce, whose prosperity is beneficial to other industries among which logistics take the lead.

网上购物是电子商务的一部分，电子商务的繁荣有益于其他产业，其中受益最大的是物流业。

5. People should treat online shopping with caution and think twice before purchasing goods on the Internet.

人们应该谨慎对待网购，在网上购买东西时要三思而后行。

6. It’s very convenient to buy books from dangdang.com.

从当当网购书非常方便。

7. Online shopping is becoming a fashion.

网购正成为一种时尚。

8. This seller has a good credit record.

这个卖家的信用记录良好。