Showrooming One of the biggest challenges facing brick-and-mortar retailers  in recent years has been the "showrooming".Driven by the desire to get the best prices, many shoppers are now visiting brick-and-mortar stores to personally check on products that interest them, only to leave and then buy the items online.The new trend is forcing retailers to find out new ways to keep consumers from leaving their store for cheaper prices online. Recent research found that 40 percent of U.S.shoppers have showroomed previously, with big-box retailers suffering the most.Specifically, the study shows that Best Buy, Walmart and Target are the most likely brick-and-mortar stores to have shoppers test out a product in-store and then purchase it online later, while Amazon is benefiting most from the practice, with nearly 60 percent of shoppers using the online retail giant  most often to make their showrooming purchases. Smartphones have pushed showrooming into the front.Shoppers no longer have to wait until they get home to see if they can find a cheaper price for the products they're considering buying.With smartphones, consumers can now compare virtual prices, at both other brick-and-mortar stores and online ones while still inside a retail store.If they can find what they're seeking for less online, the majority will be seeking the first exit.A recent study showed that 45 percent of customers shopping at brick-and-mortar stores walk out and buy their purchase online for a discount of as little as 2.5 percent. This puts pressure on retailers to provide both an in-store experience worth staying for and an online presence that can attract shoppers who are showrooming in other businesses. To cut down on showrooming, many retailers are adopting new methods to keep shoppers in their stores.Among the steps they're taking are price-matching guarantees that allow shoppers to pay a discounted price if they find it cheaper online.This ensures that even a showrooming shopper can make the purchase in the store--regardless of whether... What contributes to the growing popularity of showrooming? A) The wide use of smartphones. B) The competition between big stores. C) The advertisement by online retail giants. D) The decline of the brick-and-mortar stores.
A


If you're in Florence, Italy, and see a man on a ladder wiping the dust off statues and buildings, don't worry.It's just Alessandro Ricci gathering material for his famous smog paintings. Ricci is not a common artist, because he used smog as the main medium of his artworks. Unlike other painters seeking fast recognition of their talent, he doesn't really care about "being this big artist".Instead he is more concerned about bringing attention to how much smog there really is in his home town and how it's destroying both its monuments and people. Although he did take a couple of art classes a few years back, he is mainly self-taught, doesn't work in a studio, donates most of his work, and refuses to play by the rules of the Florentine Art Gallery, which he considers corrupt.Alessandro Ricci believes selling his smog paintings will not only compromise his principles, but also contradict the very thing he's trying to do-raise awareness about smog pollution in this city. Alessandro lives with his parents nearby Florence, but almost every day he visits the streets of the city, and collects smog for his paintings.He gets it from several meters above ground, from clean surfaces like marble, plastic and stone, using damp pieces of cotton.Then he applies the smog directly onto a cloth and creates street scenes and reproductions of the very buildings from which he got the dangerous material.Finally, he seals his paintings with a natural resin  . His actions helped win a small victory for the people of Florence, as in October 25, 2012 the Duomo area of the city was made pedestrian-only.But there is still a long way to go, the artist believes, and only cleaning the thick layer of smog that has accumulated throughout Florence would take several years.Still, he continues to paint his unique smog artworks and let the people know how polluted the environment they live in really is. Ricci paints his unique smog artworks aiming to  _  . A) fight government corruption B) advertise the monuments C) create more street scenes D) raise awareness about pollution
D


Q: Scientists in Colombia have trained a team of rats to help remove land mines from the countryside. Land mines are small bombs hidden in the ground and designed to explode  when someone steps on them. When trained, the rats can smell special metals in the mines and then signal  to their human team. Then why use rats for such an important job? In the past, dogs have been used to find bombs. Rats have a good sense of smell and can respond to orders, just like dogs do. But rats are much lighter than dogs. They stand less of a chance of setting off the mines, which explode under a certain amount of weight. What's more, the best rats are cheaper to keep than dogs. It costs about the same amount of money to take care of one dog as it does 70 rats. The rats have already been used in Tanzania, an African country with many land mines. Luisa Fernanda Mendez and her team in Colombia are training the even lighter Wistar rats. These are the white rats with red eyes that scientists often use in laboratory experiments. " _ even train their babies to perform their jobs, which saves us a lot of time, " Mendez said. Colombia has the second-highest rate  of deaths from land mine accidents in the world. Last year, land mines killed 695 people -- 56 of whom were children. A criminal group called the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, as well as other organizations, have placed the mines. FARC are strongly against Colombia's government. The group has placed mines all around its own bases and in many places in the countryside. In the past, the Colombian government hired peasants and poor farmers to find mines. Many of them died trying to find the well-hidden bombs. Colombian police official Erick Guzman hopes the team of rats can come to the rescue . "These rats will be a great help," he said. The advantage of rats over dogs in finding bombs is that   _  . A) they are cleverer. B) they run faster C) they have a better sense of smell D) they don't make mines explode as easily
A: D


Many people think walking is a good way to exercise and many fat people are advised to lose weight by walking. In fact, you can do it everywhere. Here's how to prepare for walking: ^Find a pair of shoes. It is easy to find a pair of shoes, but what matters most is comfort. ^Check your shape. The following tips will help you stay comfortable and get the most out of your walk:   * Stand up straight. Imagine a string  pulling you up from the center of the top of your head. Let that   string pull you up as straight as possible. Relax your shoulders.   * Look ahead. Keep your neck straight and your head held high to avoid unnecessary strain to your neck and shoulders. If you have to look down to see where you're going, lower your eyes, not your head.   * Move your arms. Bend your elbows and let your arms swing naturally at your sides. You'll burn up to 15 percent more calories by keeping your arms moving. ^Stay safe walking is one of the safest activities you can do. Still, it's wise to take a few precautions .   * If you're walking at night, wear a piece of reflective clothing.   * When the weather's warm, be sure to drink a tall glass of water before you set out and another when you return.   * If your path is rough, protect your ankles. Wear a comfortable elastic bandage  for support, and keep your eyes focused on the path. The best title of the passage is   _  . A) Walking--A good way of exercise B) How to have a walk C) Tips on preparing for walking D) Walk to lose weight

C