Pre-reading questions:
- Do you always use your computer?
- Where do you shop?
The Chinese online company called Ali Baba has sold several products on Singles Day. They have earned 121 billion yuan ($18 billion) that day. It is 12 percent higher than what they earned last year. They said 82 percent of the customers have bought a new smartphone, but some people wonder if it’s true. Also, others say some online sellers sell fake products. Still, analysts think online shopping is a good business because even the people in rural areas have smartphones so they can shop online now.
Vocabulary:
Singles’ Day – シングルズ・デイ[noun] November 11, a festival popular in young Chinese people to celebrate the fact that they are single
single – 独身の[adjective] not married
wonder – ～かなと思う[verb] wanting to know or learn something
analyst – 分析者[noun] a person who studies something
rural – 田舎の[adjective] relating to a country and country people
online shopping – オンラインショッピング[noun] buying things from the Internet
True or False:
- Ali Baba is a Korean online company.
- Ali Baba has sold several products on New Year’s Day.
- They have earned 121 billion yuan that day.
- Others say some online sellers sell fake products.
- Even the people in urban areas have smartphones.