Nowadays it is common that people are buying more products and services than ever before through the Internet, so do Americans. And experts say the popularity of online sales is likely to spread to other countries. Online sales now represent as much as 10% of all retail sales in the United States. This has led traditional stores to seek new ways to keep their customers loyal.

Taking Lynne for example, she made good use of the Internet. She used the Internet to buy everything she needed for her Wedding and holiday gifts for her husband and daughter. Other than food, 90% of her purchases were made on her home computer. "I find that, by being able to go online, choose the things that I need, and have them delivered to me right at my doorstep, I eliminate all the driving, all the crowds, all the noise of that, and I usually get a better selection."

    There are a lot of people like her. Experts say American online shopping hit records in both November and December.57% of Americans have bought something electronically. Store owners worry that this growing amount of online sales will hurt their business. Cornell University marketing professor Ed Melaughlin says they can keep their customers by selling goods like clothing, which buyers may want to see and try on before purchasing. The stores could also offer things that are difficult to ship. Besides, some stores can please customers by offering to repair electronic products.

Bill Martin is the founder of Shopper Trak. His business helps stores learn about their customers. He said, "There is still a lot of emotion in the buying decision, you know, that takes place. Often you need that last sense of "Boy, this is exactly what I want before you are ready to part with money, and you can't always get that online. It's a rather cold process."

    While e-commerce worries some business owners, the only worry for delivery services is keeping up with the number of packages. UPS manager Dana Kline says her company is very busy at this time of the year.

    UPS is so busy that it has filled 55,000 temporary work positions during the holiday season.

    Opening week specials at Munchies Food Hall

    At the corner of Green and Brown Streets in the city

    Monday, 7th of January until Sunday, 1 3th of January 2008

    Feast until you're full!

    Come down to Munchies this week to enjoy the special dishes on offer at all of our food outlets. Order from the following:

    Succulent chicken rice     • Spicy satay beef            •DeliciOus noodle dishes

    Plump pork chops            • Seafood specialties         • Crunchy vegetables

    Sweet tropical fruit

    10% discount on all orders above $ 20.00

    Halal food is available at the stall Malay Food Heaven.

    Win Prizes and Gifts!

    Spend $ 20.00 or more and win instant prizes from our lucky draw box.

    Collect a free party balloon and whistle for each young diner.

    Enjoy a free meal if you are the first customer of the day at any of our stalls.

    Win a holiday to Westem Australia. A free raffle ticket is given with every receipt. Just fill in your information and place your entry in the box provided.

    Winner to be announced in The Straits Times on the 15th of January.

    Join in the Fun!

    Between 7:00 pm and 8:00 pm each evening until the 10th of January, your favorite Channel 3 television actors and singers will entertain you:

    May Lee      • Jackie Chen       • Kim Yap             • Kamal

    Autograph sessions will follow each performance! And who will be our extra special mystery star? Come down on Saturday at noon to find out.

    Not sure what gift to get your loved ones? Think technology! You may even find something special for yourself!

    Mini Quadcopter

    Would you like to have a flying toy, but lack space to fly one? Consider a Mini Quadcopter that is small enough to fit inside your hand. This Mini Quadcopter can be controlled to fly in any direction with its remote control. The Mini Quadcopter is available from Hammacher Schlemmer for $39.95.

    Selfie Toaster

    Does your sweetie like taking selfies and eating toast? Well, why not combine the two with the Selfie Toaster? The Selfie Toaster crates an image on the piece of toast so you can smile at yourself every morning. The Selfie Toaster is available from Etsy for $10.95.

    Amazon Echo

    Give the knowledge of the world with the Amazon Echo.

    The advice can answer questions, tell you about weather conditions, tell jokes, play music and more. The Echo also acts as a Bluetooth speaker so you can connect your phone and listen to your favorite songs. The Echo is available from Amazon for $179.

    Indoor Snowfall Light

    Get into the spirit of the holiday season in your home with the Indoor Snowfall Light. The light shows snowflake shapes in your room to give you the feeling of a winter snowfall. You can control the speed of the snowfall, unlike the real whether. The Indoor Snowfall Light is available from Sharper Image for $59.99.

    In America, the number of people killed in car crashes in 2016 was above 40, 000 for the first time in a decade, data released on Wednesday shows.

    "Americans believe there is nothing we can do to stop crashes from happening, but that isn't true. We are behind the rest of the developed world in addressing highway fatalities(死亡). We just haven't been willing to do what needs to be done, "said Deborah A. P. Hersman, president of the National Safety Council.

    The National Safety Council data shows a 6 percent increase in deaths in 2018 when compared with 2015 and a 3 percent increase in the number of miles Americana drove in 2016.

    "Motor vehicle fatality numbers have been ringing the alarm for two years, "Hersman said." Unfortunately, we have been blind to the data and the killings on our roadways. If we fail to take action, the death tell will continue to rise. "

    "The trend is clear：After years of progress, highway deaths are heading in the wrong direction, "said Jonathan Adkins, a state safety official.

    The number of people killed reached a record low of 32, 675 in 2014, according to NHTSA statistics. That record followed a fairly steady downward track for the past six years that experts attributed it primarily to safety features that have been built into cars and trucks.

    Safety advances including increased seat-belt use, air bags, anti-lock braking, stability controls and electronic warnings and cameras.

    The bad economy and high gas prices also influenced the reduction in deaths. Now, with unemployment and gas prices both low, more people are driving for work and pleasure trips.

    "It's not just that Americans drive more miles when the economy improves; it's the kind of miles they drive,"said Adrian Lund, president of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

    Go to NYU Precollege Summer Program

    Make the most of your summer vacation with this six-week academic summer camp for high school juniors and seniors. Earn college credits, explore New York City(NYC), and experience academic and student life at New York University(NYU), Scholarships are available.

    Participants

    NYU Precollege summer camp offers rising high school juniors and seniors the opportunity to experience academic and student life at New York University. Teens take college-level courses for academic credits which may be applied to a future degree. Residential（住校的）and non-residential choices are available.

    What to do

    Participants take credit-bearing（学分计的）courses with current college students. Courses are available in over 36 subjects. Students can explore the archeological（考古学的）history of New York City, visit major New York sports equipment, learn the business of sports management, begin to master the Chinese language, practice the art of news reporting, or dig into the service industry while going behind the scenes at Manhattan hotels and restaurants.

    Additionally, students have the opportunity to participate in free noncredit seminars taught by NYU's distinguished writing experts. The seminars offer students an opportunity to improve writing skills and focus on college-level writing.

    Harvest Outside the classroom, NYU Precollege offers seminars regarding the college admissions and application process, as well as a variety of on-and-off-campus social event and activities. NYU Precollege summer camp allows outstanding teens to get a taste of college while still having time to work or volunteer outside of school, and enjoy the summer vacation.

    It was a quiet village in which there was a military camp(军营). It was far from the towns and cities and there were some high mountains around. Of course it was a good place for training the new soldiers. But it was difficult for the young men to go outside. Mr White, an officer of forty, was strict with them and he hardly let them leave the camp.

    Once Mr White was ill in bed. He couldn't work and a young officer, Mr Hunt, began to train the new soldiers instead of him. He knew the young men well and let nine soldiers go to the nearest town to have a holiday. But night fell and none came back to the camp. He was worried about it and stood at the gate. It was five to twelve when Mr Hunt decided to go to the town and see what was happening to the young men. He started the car quickly and set off. At that moment the nine soldiers came back. It seemed they drank wine. Of course they found the officer was angry.

    "I'm sorry, sir," said the first soldier. "I left the town on time. But something was wrong with my bus on my way here. I had to buy a horse and made it run fast. Bad luck! It died and I had to run back."

    And the other seven soldiers said they were late for the same reasons. It was the last soldier's turn. He said, "I'm sorry, sir. I got on a bus on time, but……"

    Having heard this, the officer became even angrier and stopped him at once. He called out, "If you say something was wrong with your bus, I'll punish you at once!"

    "No, no, sir," said the young man. "My bus was all right, but the dead horses were in its way!"