In 1998 consumers could purchase virtually anything over the Internet. Books, compact discs, and even stocks were (1) from World Wide Websites that seemed to (2) almost daily a few years earlier, some people had predicted that consuners accustomed to shopping in stores would be (3) to buy things that they could not see or touch (4) . For a growing number of time-starved consumers, however, shopping from their home computer was proving to be a convenient (5) to driving to the store.
A research estimated that in 1998 US consumers could purchase $ 7.3 billion of goods over the Internet, double the 1997 total. Finding a bargain was getting easier, (6) the rise of online auctions and Websites that did comparison shopping on the Internet for the best (7) .
For all the consumer interest, (8) in eyberspaee was still a largely (9) business, however. Internet pioneer Amazon. eom, which began selling books in 1995 and later (10) into recorded music and videos, posted (11) of $ 153.7 million in the third quarter, up from $ 37.9 million in the same period of 1997. Overall, (12) , the company’ s loss widened to $ 45.2 million from $9.6 million, and analysts did not expect the company to turn a profit (13) 2001. (14) the great loss, Amazon. tom had a stock market value of many billions, reflecting investors’ (15) about the future of the industry.
Internet retailing appealed (16) investors because it provided an efficient means for reaching millions of consumers without having the cost of operating (17) stores with their armies of salespeople. Selling online carried its own risks, however, (18) so many companies competing tor consumers’ attention, price competition was (19) and profit (20) thin or nonexistent.

6（）

A. responsible
B. meaningful
C. fatal
D. harmful

A.And the problem is likely to grow. Over the past 30 years the proportion of children in the U. S. who are overweight has doubled, from 5% to 11% or 4.7 million kids.
B.According to a recent report in the journal Circulation, 19 of 30 children with high blood pressure developed a dangerous thickening of the heart muscle that, in adults at least, has been linked to heart failure. “No one knows if this pattern holds true for younger patients as well, ” says Dr. Stephen Daniels, a pediatric cardiologist who led the study at Children’s Hospital Medical Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. “But it’s worrisome. ”
C.Feed your children nutritious foods three times a day to keep his immune system healthy. Make sure the meals include all the food groups to ensure they are getting plenty of vitamins.
D.Fortunately the abnormal thickening can be spotted by ultrasound. And in most case, getting that blood pressure under control — through weight loss and exercise or, as a last resort, drug treatment — allows the overworked muscle to shrink to normal size.
E.If the doctor finds an abnormal result he will repeat the test over a period of months to make sure the reading isn’t a fake. He’ll also check, whether other conditions, like kidney disease, could be the source of the trouble, because hypertension is hard to be detected. The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute recommends annual blood-pressure checks for every child over age 3.
F.High blood pressure isn’t just an issue for adults; keeping kids blood pressure levels in a healthy range is also important. In a new study reported in Hypertension, researchers found that increased exercise duration among kids leads to lower blood pressure levels, however the same cannot be said for increased intensity.
G.Meanwhile, make sure your kids spend more time on the playground than with their PlayStation. Even if they don’t shed a pound, vigorous exercise will help keep their blood vessels nice and wide, lowering their blood pressure. And of course, they’ll be more likely to eat light and, exercise if you set a good example.