Singles' Day, also called Double Eleven, began as a day for unmarried or uncoupled people to celebrate their lives on November 11, 1993. In China, however, Singles' Day has become the biggest online shopping day in the world, which was created in 2009 by Alibaba's CEO Daniel Zhang to increase online sales. Since then, it has grown into a cultural phenomenon. China Singles' Day, as a shopping day, takes place on November 11 each year. There are sharp _ and other promotions   designed by Alibaba to attract online customers. In 2015, E-commerce giant Alibaba broke records with sales of $14.3 billion on China Singles' Day, with online sales increasing 60 percent from last year, according to Alibaba. "Most people shop on mobile phones or ipads and online shopping has become a comfortable channel for most consumers", said Kitty Fok, China manager for market research. "China is a big market with close to one billion smart, connected device users. It is good news for both Alibaba and their competitors," she said. The company is focusing on international e-commerce for future Singles' Days, reported Reuters. "Within the next five years, we expect China will become the world's largest e-commerce market for imported products," President Michael Evans told reporters on Wednesday. Alibaba Chief Executive Daniel Zhang said in a statement that Singles' Day would mean that "the whole world will see the power of Chinese consumption." Over 130 million users visited Alibaba's marketplace app, Taobao, reported the BBC. What attitude does President Michael Evans hold toward the future of China Singles' Day? A) doubtful B) optimistic C) negative D) uncertain
B

The first English dictionary was published in 1604. The dictionary was actually nothing more than a list of about 3, 000 difficult words, each followed by a one-word definition. The author, Robert Cawdrey, made no attempt to include everyday words in his dictionary. No one, he reasoned, would ever have to look up a word in a dictionary if he already knew the meaning of the word. During the 1600's more dictionaries were published. Each followed Cawdrey's lead and presented a few thousand hard words. Around 1700 one dictionary maker, John Kersey, did define easy words as well as hard words. But until the 1750's all the dictionaries were rather crude and not very valuable. A man named Dr Samuel Johnson changed all this. In 1755 Dr Johnson produced the first modern dictionary. He included in his dictionary all important words, both easy and hard, and he gave good meanings. He also gave good sentences to show how each word was actually used in speech and in writing. By the end of the 1700's most dictionary makers had followed Johnson's example. Dictionaries were getting better and better. The 1800's saw the greatest improvement in the quality of dictionaries. In England scholars planned and prepared the Oxford English Dictionary, a twenty-volume (;;) work. One of the most interesting features of the Oxford Dictionary is its word histories. It traces (;) the history of each word from its earliest recorded use up to the time of the printing of the dictionary. The most interesting feature of the Oxford Dictionary was that   _  . A) it had a complete list of difficult words B) it gave sentences showing how each word was actually used C) it was a 20-volume work D) it showed the history of each word
D

As if there weren't enough of them in the world already, scientists have succeeded in cloning flies. The alike fruit flies are the first insects ever cloned, says the Canadian team that created them. The question everyone asks is why anyone would want to clone flies in the first place. She hopes that the insects , which are very easy to experiment with , will help to adjust the cloning process in other animals and even in humans, where the technique is being researched to aid production of therapeutic   stem cells. In cloning, the DNA-containing nucleus of an adult cell is injected into an egg whose own nucleus  has been removed. At the moment, the majority of cloned mice, sheep and other animals die before birth. It is thought this is because the adult DNA is not properly 'reprogrammed'. Using flies, researchers might discover genes that are important for this reprogramming, and that have matches in other animals. That is because it is relatively easy in flies to knock out the function of a single gene and then attempt cloning with these cells, which will test whether that gene is important. If such genes are confirmed, then in theory cloned mammalian embryos  might be grown in selected solutions that change the activity of those genes to improve the technique's success rate. Although some groups have attempted to clone insects before, Lloyd says this is the first time it has been successful. The team used a slight difference on the standard cloning process: they transferred nuclei taken from embryos rather than fully-grown adult cells. They sucked several nuclei (pl)out of developing fly embryos, and injected them into a fertilized  fly egg. From over 800 early attempts, they cloned five adult insects, the group reports in the journal Genetics. The failure of most cloned animals is due to   _  . A) the difference of other animals' genes B) the improper technique of clone C) the complex of other animals D) the improper rearrange of the adult gene
D

Expand your knowledge of natural history! The University of Michigan Exhibit Museum is located on central campus in the historic Alexander B.Ruthven Museums Building.With over 300displays on four floors,the museum offers unlimited opportunities for discovery.Exhibits,artifacts and habitat scenes help you expand your knowledge of prehistoric life,wildlife,geology,astronomy and more. Hours and Admission Fees The museum is open 9am to 5pm Tuesday through Saturday and 1pm to 5pm on Sunday.The museum is closed on Mondays and major holidays.There is no general admission fee for individuals. Groups All groups of more than 10must make reservations to visit the museum at least two weeks in advance,even if the group is only planning to browse in the museum on an"unguided visit".Unguided visits can be arranged for any day the museum is open.Groups may schedule guided tours,multimedia shows,and planetarium shows for any day Tuesday through Friday.Call the reservation desk at 313-555-1234between 9am to 4pm to make group reservations. Parking Parking is available in many of the nearby public parking structures for a $5.00daily fee.Buses may park in the museum lot only on weekends.Parking is free in the museum lot. Museum Shop The Exhibit Museum Shop is located on the basement level of the museum.The shop carries items for children and adults,including rocks,minerals,fossils,books,a variety of dinosaur merchandise,T-shirts and posters.A subscription  to the quarterly Newsletter of the Exhibit Museum is also available there. Planetarium Shows The planetarium is located on the fourth floor of the Exhibit Museum.On weekends,regularly scheduled planetarium shows are open to the general public.Show topics change seasonally.Currently showing:"The Brightest Stars"(no age limits) Sat.at 10:30and 11:30;"The New Solar System"(for age 8  up) Sat.at 12:30and 3:30; Sun.at 2:30.Tickets are 2.5per person.Planetarium shows are free for members of the Exhibit Museum Club. Visitors can make a subscription to the museum newsletter  . A) at the reservation desk B) in the museum lot C) at the Museum Shop D) on the fourth floor

C