The first thing sold online was a CD． It was sold in 1994 for ﹩12.48． In 1995， Amazon launched its online bookshop， and later that year the online auction site that would become eBay sold its first item．Fast-forward to the modern day and online shopping is huge business． In contrast to the recent UK announcements that many high-profileretail chains and department stores need to close retail outlets to save money， online shopping is thriving． In fact， the UK Office for National Statistics reported that growth in online sales has continued "year-on-year" and stands at just under 20% in April 2018． But why？ Maybe it's the convenience． Online shopping allows you to find what you need from the comfort of your own home． Then there's the variety． The wise shopper is able to select from a wide range of products from all over the world - while physical shops suffer from a more limited choice． Better yet， consumers are now better able to specify exactly what they want， and in some cases， even modify products to create specially-made items． Online companies are getting better at targeted advertising too． Our browsing history and prior purchases are run through algorithms， which generate advertisements that more closely link consumers to the products companies believe we would like to buy． And since these products are not physically on display in a shop， the company saves money on overheads like rent and electricity． This allows them offer their products at a more reasonable price． Then there's the reassurance． These days， the majority of online retailers offer a safe， convenient returns policy， often at no shipping cost to the buyer - just print out the returns label， affix it to the packaging the item was sent in and receive a full refund． Not only that， but hassle-free complaints procedures and policies mean that if your item is damaged， incorrect or even unwanted， the company can be easily notified and action taken． Many people still enjoy the experience of buying in a real shop． The dialogue and customer service received from staff and special events that may be taking place in store can be big pulls． However， the "year-on-year" growth in the online retail sector， as observed by the UK Office for National Statistics， seems to imply that online retail is here to stay and will continue to be a major avenue to shopping for many customers．（1）The purpose of the first paragraph is to tell us___．A．traditional shops in the UK have been decliningB．online sales have the advantage of retail chainsC．the rapid development of online sales in the UKD．the short history of online sales all over the world（2）The benefit from online shopping mentioned in the passage is that___．A．you might get something wonderful at a high priceB．you can do shopping without leaving your officeC．there are more options in physical shops than onlineD．what you need can be specially made to meet your demands（3）It can be learnt from the passage that___．A．most online shops offer you worry-free after-sales serviceB．you need not pay for shipping when doing shopping onlineC．online shops' ads aim at attracting new online customersD．online shops' low operating costs result from cheap labour .