Chat Time 1 - Online Shopping

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Questions

1. What are the advantages of online shopping?
   a. It is convenient and the prices can be lower.
   b. Obviously, online shopping brings us lots of advantages. Online shopping is so convenient that we can purchase from home and the prices are relatively lower.  It also provides us with a wide variety of products from all over the world.

2. What are the dangers of online shopping?
   a.We might buy pirated goods and our personal information may be stolen.
   b. We should be aware of the dangers of online shopping. We might mistakenly buy pirated goods and our personal information may be stolen by hackers. The goods we buy might be damaged or different from what we have ordered.

3. How can students be wise consumers?
   a. They should check the price of a product and make sure the seller is honest.
   b. To be a wise consumer, we should only shop on reputable stores’ sites. If we are not familiar with a company, we should search for its information. It is also wise to compare a product’s price from several suppliers.

Individual Response

1. Have you or your friends ever bought anything online?
   a. We seldom buy things online because online shopping is dangerous.
   b. Surely, we buy brand name products online as online shopping is so convenient and the prices are so attractive.

2. What would you say to a friend who is deciding to buy sports clothes online?
  a. I would advise my friend to compare a product’s price from several suppliers.
  b. I would advise my friend to be cautious and do some research first, collecting all the necessary information and choosing a company with a good reputation.

3. Do you think shopping online might encourage impulse buying?
   Definitely, impulse buying is sure to happen. We are often misled by advertisements and buy expensive goods we don't need.

4. Do you think there should be an age limit for online shoppers?
   It is certainly a good idea to set an age limit for online shoppers. As you know, teenagers are less mature and they may be easily cheated by dishonest sellers.

5. Would you feel safe buying something online?
   Definitely not. There are always dishonest people selling damaged or sub-standard goods. It’s a pity there’s no way to ensure the products we buy are in good quality.