词汇：shopping 购物

Most of us know what it's like to get presents from friends. Whether it's for a birthday or other celebration, it's hard to beat the excitement of opening a carefully wrapped box to find something that's both unexpected and suits you perfectly. Now, imagine if you could get the same feeling when you go shopping for yourself. That's the feeling that mystery boxes hope to replicate.

Mystery boxes are not a new idea – they were a feature of department stores in Japan in the early 20th Century. They contain a range of different products, which are sold at a lower price than their combined value. The key thing is that customers don't know what's in the box before they buy. All kinds of mystery boxes are available: fashion boxes, food boxes, beauty boxes, even loot boxes, which are virtual items for video games.

The pleasant surprise is not the only attraction of mystery boxes. They also allow people to try things that they otherwise wouldn't. Seasonal vegetable subscription boxes might lead people to learn to cook new meals. They can also potentially offer great savings – as the recommended retail price of the contents is often far higher than the purchase price. For retailers and suppliers the benefits are clear – it allows them to sell unwanted stock for a profit. British fashion mystery box entrepreneur Mario Maher highlights how mystery boxes can help reduce the amount of waste in the fashion industry. People might discover product ranges that would otherwise be thrown away. 

There is an obvious downside to mystery boxes – when you buy them, you don't know what you'll get! It may be that the goods inside are not to your taste, but there is also the potential for fraudsters to exploit the unpredictability of mystery boxes to send items that have a much lower value than the price of the box.

So, are mystery boxes a fun way of reducing waste and making shopping more exciting, or more an opportunity for disappointment, or worse – deception?

词汇表

wrapped 有包装的，包裹好的
suit 适合
department store 百货商店
product 产品
price 价格
combined value 总价值
customer 顾客
fashion 时装，时尚
beauty 美容
loot box （电子游戏中的）虚拟战利品盒
subscription box 订阅盒
savings 省下的钱
recommended retail price 建议零售价
purchase price 购买价格
retailer 零售商
supplier 供应商，供货商
unwanted stock 多余的库存
product range 产品系列
goods 商品，货物
item 商品，物品
waste 浪费

测验与练习

1. 阅读课文并回答问题。

1. True or false? Mystery boxes are a modern trend.

2. Which country's department stores does the article mention?

3. What are loot boxes?

4. What could food boxes convince people to do?

5. How could fraudsters exploit mystery boxes?

2. 选择意思恰当的单词或词组来完成下列句子。

1. Mystery boxes can be very good _______.

waste                  

value                   

savings           

fashion

2. Mystery boxes allow manufacturers to get rid of unwanted ________.

waste                  

stock                    

profits             

value

3. The price of boxes in the shops is the ________ price.

supplier               

fashion                

retail               

item

4. Retailers fill boxes with products from different ________.

goods                  suppliers             prices              customers

5. ________ boxes contain a selection of the latest clothes.

beauty                  

loot                     

fashion            

food

答案

1.阅读课文并回答问题。

1. True or false? Mystery boxes are a modern trend.

False. According to the article, mystery boxes were available in Japanese department stories in the early 20th Century.

2. Which country's department stores does the article mention? 

The article mentions Japanese department stores.

3. What are loot boxes?

Loot boxes are virtual items in video games.

4. What could food boxes convince people to do?

The article says that food boxes could lead people to cook new things. 

5. How could fraudsters exploit mystery boxes? 

According to the article, fraudsters may fill mystery boxes with low-value items.

2. 选择意思恰当的单词或词组来完成下列句子。

1. Mystery boxes can be very good value.

2. Mystery boxes allow manufacturers to get rid of unwanted stock.

3. The price of boxes in the shops is the retail price.

4. Retailers fill boxes with products from different suppliers.

5. Fashion boxes contain a selection of the latest clothes.

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