input: Local businessmen are increasingly facing competition from on line retailers. Larry Pollock, owner of Camera Co/Op on South Congress, said he has been dealing with this kind of problem for years, even before the Internet. The struggle began with mail-order catalogues, which are similar to online retailers in that they have few employees to pay, no sales tax fees and no business venue to lease and manage.

"Their overhead is lower, but they don't offer a service like we do," Pollock said.

Pollock, however, said providing a valuable service to customers does not always guarantee continued sales.

"We spend 30 minutes to an hour with somebody and they go home and buy it online," he said.

According to the state comptroller's office, online shopping is developing at a more rapid rate than traditional businesses.

In spite of how fair or unfair online shopping may be to the local businessmen, consumers will continue to turn to the Internet for its variety and accessibility, said Mitch Wilson, an online shopper. "You have a larger selection and it's easier to compare prices."

Wilson said he built his personal computer and paid a third of the price by shopping online.

"Before the Internet, I would have had to go and buy an assembled computer from somebody like Dell," he said. "Before I started shopping online I could never find all the pieces I wanted. No single store had everything needed, so shopping online saved me from having to buy from Dell."

Janny Brazeal, a psychology freshman, said online shopping is too impersonal.

"I'd rather see it in person, touch it, know that I'm getting it," she said.

Brazeal also said she would not give out her credit card number or other personal information online no matter how safe the site claims it is. 1. When did the difficultly begin?
2. What is the difference? Return numbered answers in your output.

output: 1. The struggle began with mail-order catalogues
2. they don't offer a service like we do

input: Maupassant(*)was born in 1850 in northern France. His early life was not happy. His parents separated when he was 11. Most of his education came informally from Gustave Flaubert--his mother's friend and his godfather, a journalist and novelist. Often Flaubert would let him take a walk and then ask him to write 100 lines about what he saw. This type of training developed in Maupassant a sense of observation, which he later put to use in his writing. Flaubert also allowed Maupassant to attend his Sunday gatherings with others in his literary circle

For a few years, Maupassant was connected with the Ministry of Public Instruction. It is interesting to note that Monsieur Loisel, a poor man character in The Necklace, worked there. He also served in the French army during the Franco-Prussian War. His favorite writing subjects were peasants, servants, in the city, and the Francd-Prussian War.

At an early age, Maupassant started writing short stories. In 1880, some of his works were published and he received a wide reputation for Boule de Suif (Ball of Tallow). With this success, he began to work full-time on writing. During the next ten years, he wrote over 300 stories, including six novels, three travel books, and a book of verse. Through them, he earn a lot of money.

His writing was classical and simple, avoiding social comments and dirty details. His works often showed a real world and an accurate knowledge of the subject. Although Maupassant wrote in many forms, he received widest recognition for his short stories. By 1890, Maupassant was suffering from the latter staged of syphilis . He died in 1893 in Paris. 1. Did MAupassant have a happy life?
2. why?
3. What was his schooling?
4. who was that?
5. What would he have him do?
6. did this help in his learning?
7. how?
8. What did he write at an early age?
9. Did he write a lot?
10. How many novels?
11. Did he write any travel books?
12. how many? Return numbered answers in your output.

output: 1. No
2. His parents separated when he was 11
3. Most of his education came informally from Gustave Flaubert
4. his mother's friend and his godfather, a journalist and novelist
5. Flaubert would let him take a walk and then ask him to write 100 lines about what he saw
6. Yes
7. It helped develop in Maupassant a sense of observation, which he later put to use in his writing.
8. short stories.
9. Yes
10. six novels
11. Yes
12. three

input: "Are you happy?" The simple question usually makes people confused . Even Mo Yan, who won a Nobel Prize, replied to it by saying, "I don't know." When a migrant worker was asked, "Are you happy? (Ni Xing Fu Ma?)" by a CCTV reporter, he looked confused before replying, "My family name is Zeng. (Wo Xing Zeng.)" This has become a joke. But his answer showed migrant workers and TV reporters live in different worlds and they cannot even communicate with each other. Similarly, when asked, "Are you happy?" a 73-year-old man, collecting used plastic bottles in a street in Zhejiang, said, "The bottles can be sold for 0.1 yuan each." Asked again, he said, "The government is good." The reporter went on, "My question is 'Are you happy?'" The old man answered, "My hearing is not good." The reporter probably tried to reach the same answer that the interviewees including the migrant worker and the old man are "happy". In fact, when the question is asked, we should learn about people's true situation and their true wishes and opinions but their "Yes" or "No". Luckily, the government has paid more attention to the importance. Now there are many TV programs giving common people the chance to give their opinions. "Everything we do is aimed at letting people live more happily." At last year's National People's Congress , Wen Jiabao said and agreed that increasing happiness would be a top aim for the 12th five-year plan. 1. What goal does China have?
2. For which plan?
3. According to who?
4. When did he state this?
5. At which convention?
6. What question did the reporter ask?
7. How does that translate into Chinese?
8. Who responded with his family name, instead?
9. Who responded with his opinion of the government?
10. Was he hard of hearing?
11. How did he feel about the government?
12. What award did Mo Yan win?
13. Is he happy?
14. What should we really be looking for, when we ask the question?
15. What answer do we usually receive?
16. Has the government taken notice of the issue?
17. What steps have they taken?
18. How do they want their people to live?
19. Has the disconnect been made into a running joke?
20. What was the old man doing when he was asked the question? Return numbered answers in your output.

output:
1. Increasing happiness.
2. The 12th five-year plan.
3. Wen Jiabao.
4. Last year.
5. National People's Congress
6. Are you happy?"
7. Ni Xing Fu Ma?
8. A migrant worker.
9. A 73-year-old man.
10. Yes.
11. It's good.
12. Nobel Prize.
13. He doesn't know.
14. People's true situation.
15. "Yes" or "No".
16. Yes.
17. There are many TV programs giving common people the chance to give their opinions.
18. More happily.
19. Yes.
20. Collecting used plastic bottles in a street.