Taste is such a subjective matter that we don’t usually conduct preference tests for food. The most you can say about anyone’s preference is that it’s one person’s opinion. But because the two big cola companies-Coca-Cola and Pepsi Cola-are marketed so aggressively, we’ve wondered how big a role taste preference actually plays in brand loyalty. We set up a taste test that challenged people who identified themselves as either Coca-cola or Pepsi fans: Find your brand in a blind tasting.
We invited staff volunteers who had a strong liking for either Coca-Cola Classic or Pepsi. Diet Coke, or Diet Pepsi. These were people who thought they’d have no trouble telling their brand from the other brand.
We eventually located 19 regular cola drinkers and 27 diet cola drinkers. Then we fed them with four unidentified samples of cola one at a time, regular colas for the one group, diet versions for the other. We asked them to tell us whether each sample was Coke or Pepsi; then we analyzed the records statistically to compare the participants’ choices with what mere guesswork could have accomplished.
Getting all four samples right was a tough test but not too tough, we thought, for people who believed they could recognize their brand. In the end, only 7 out of 19 regular cola drinkers correctly identified their brand of choice in all four trials. The diet-cola drinkers did a little worse-only 7 out of 27 identified all four samples correctly.
Both groups did better than chance would predict, but nearly half the participants in each group made the wrong choice two or more times. Two people got all four samples wrong. Overall, half the participants did about as well on the last round of tasting as on the first, so tiredness, or taste burnout, was not a factor. Our preference test results suggest that only a few Pepsi participants and Coke fans may really be able to tell their favorite brand by taste and price.
71. According to the passage the preference test was conducted in order to___________.
A.show that a person’s opinion about taste is mere guesswork
B.compare the ability of the participants in choosing their drinks
C.find out the role taste preference plays in a person’s drinking
D.reveal which cola is more to the liking of the drinkers
72. The statistics recorded in the preference tests show that____________.
A.there is not much difference in taste between Coca-Cola and Pepsi
B.few people had trouble telling Coca-Cola from Pepsi
C.people`s tastes differ from one another
D.Coca-Cola and Pepsi are people`s two most favorite drinks
73.It is implied in the first paragraph that __________
A.the competition between the two colas is very strong
B.blind tasting is neccssary for identifying fans
C.the purpose of taste test is to promote the sale of colas
D.The improvement of quailty is the chief concern of the two cola companies
74.The underlined word "burnout" here refers to the state of __________
A.being seriously burnt in the skin
B.Being badly damaged by dire
C.Being unable to burn for lack of fuel
D.Being unable to function because of too much use
75.The author`s purpose in writing this passage is to __________
A.emphasize that taste and price are closely related to each other
B.Recommend that blind tasting be introduced in the quality control of colas
C.Show that taste preference is highly subjective
D.Argue that taste testing is an important marketing strategy
Shopping for clothes is not the same experience for a man as it is for a woman. A man goes shopping because he needs something. His purpose is settled and decided in advance. He knows what he wants, and his objective is to find it and buy it; the price is a secondary consideration. All men simply walk into a shop and ask the assistant for what they want. If the shop has it in stock, the salesman promptly produces it, and the business of trying it on goes forward at once. All being well, the deal can be and often is completed in less than five minutes, with hardly any chat and to everyone's satisfaction. For a man, slight problems may begin when the shop does not have what he wants, or does not have exactly what he wants. In that case the salesman, as the name implies, tries to sell the customer something else, he offers the nearest he can to the article required. No good salesman brings out such a substitute without least consideration; he does so with skill and polish(完美): “I know this jacket is not the style you want, sir, but would you like to try it for size. It happens to be the color you mentioned." Few men have patience with this treatment, and the usual response is: “This is the right color and may be the right size but I should be wasting my time and yours by trying it on.
Now how does a woman go about buying clothes? In almost every respect she does so in the opposite way. Her shopping is not often based on need. She has never fully made up her mind what she wants, and she is only “having a look round". She is always open to persuasion: indeed she sets great store by what the saleswoman tells her, even by what companions tell her. She will try on any number of things. Uppermost in her mind is the thought of finding something that everyone thinks suits her. Contrary to a lot of jokes, most women have an excellent sense of value when they buy clothes. They are always on the lookout for the unexpected bargain. Faced with a roomful of dresses, a woman may easily spend an hour going from one rail to another, to and fro often retracing her steps, before selecting the dresses she wants to try on. It is a tiresome process, but apparently an enjoyable one. Most dress shops provide chairs for the waiting husbands.According to the passage, a man’s shopping is based on _______.
A.his money | B.his hobbies |
C.his need | D.his friends |
Why does a lady welcome suggestions from anyone while buying a dress?
A.Because she wants to buy a dress that every one thinks suits her. |
B.Because she doesn’t know how to buy a dress. |
C.Because she doesn’t know whether to buy it or not. |
D.Because she wants to show herself off in public. |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A.Most men have patience with trying it on while buying a jacket. |
B.Most women have a poor sense of value when buying a dress. |
C.A woman’s shopping is based on her need. |
D.A man doesn’t pay much attention to the price of the clothes he wants to buy. |
The passage mainly talks about the ______ between men shoppers and women shoppers for clothes.
A.similarities | B.differences |
C.varieties | D.intentions |
American high school students are terrible writers, and one education reform group thinks it has an answer: robots. Or, more accurately, robot-readers-computers programmed to scan student essays and spit out a grade.
Mark Shermis, professor of the College of Education at the University of Akron, is helping to hold a contest, set up by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation ( WFHF), which promises $ 100,000 in prize money to programmers who write the best automated grading software. "If you're a high school teacher and you give a writing task, you're walking home with 150 essays, " Shermis said, "You're going to need some help. "
Automated essay grading was first proposed in the 1960s, but computers back then were not up to the task. In the late 1990s, as technology improved, several textbook and testing companies jumped into the field. Today, computers are used to grade essays on South Dakota's student writing assessments and a handful of other exams, including the TOEFL test of English fluency, taken by foreign students.
The Hewlett contest aims to show that computers can grade as well as English teachers---- only much more quickly and without all that depressing red ink. Automated essay scoring is "objective," Shermis said, " And it can be done immediately. If students finish an essay at l0 pm, they get a result at 10 :00 pm . "
Take, for instance, the Intelligent Essay Assessor, a web-based tool marketed by Pearson Education, Inc. Within seconds it can analyze an essay for spelling, grammar, organization, and help students to make revisions. The program scans for key words and analyzes semantic (语义的) patterns , and Pearson claims that it can understand the meaning of text much the same as a human reader. The text is written to introduce________.
A.Hewlett contest |
B.education reform in America |
C.robot-readers |
D.William and Flora Hewlett Foundation |
What does the underlined phrase "spit out "in Paragraph I probably mean?
A.Analyze. | B.Organize. |
C.Give. | D.Check. |
What does Paragraph 4 focus on?
A.The application of automated essay scoring. |
B.The advantages of automated essay scoring. |
C.The prize of Hewlett contest. |
D.Teachers' opinions about Hewlett contest. |
Americans like to travel on their yearly holiday. Today, more and more travelers in the United States are spending nights at small houses or inns (客栈) instead of hotels. They get a room for the night and the breakfast the next morning.
Rooms for the night in private homes with breakfast have been popular with travelers in Europe for many years. In the past five to ten years, these bedandbreakfast places have become popular in the United States. Many of these America's bedandbreakfast inns are old historic buildings. Some bedandbreakfast inns have only a few rooms. Others are much larger. Some inns do not provide telephones or televisions in the rooms, others do.
Staying at a bedandbreakfast inn is much different from staying at a hotel. Usually the cost is much less. Staying at an inn is almost like visiting someone's home. The owners are glad to tell about the areas and the interesting places to visit. Many vacationists say they enjoy the chance to meet local families.Americans take a holiday trip ________.
A.every year | B.for years |
C.all the year round | D.every other year |
According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?
A.The bedandbreakfast inns have been popular in America for a long time. |
B.The bedandbreakfast inns are private homes opened to vacationists. |
C.Some Americans like to stay at bedandbreakfast homes instead of hotels. |
D.The bedandbreakfast inn owners provide a morning meal for their visitors and a room |
for the night.Why do American travelers prefer staying at bedandbreakfast inns?
A.They can meet local families. |
B.The money they spend there is much less. |
C.It is like visiting someone's home |
D.All of the above. |
Staying at the bedandbreakfast inns, ________.
A.the owners will show the travelers around the area |
B.the travelers don't have to pay for the telephone or television |
C.the travelers can meet and talk with the local people |
D.the travelers needn't pay anything |
Two students started quarreling at school. One student shouted dirty words at the other, and a fight began. What can be done to stop fights like this at school? In some school, the disputants sit down with peer mediators(同龄调解者). Peer mediators are students with special training in this kind of problems.
Peer mediators help the disputants to talk in a friendly way. Here are some of the ways they use:
1)Put what you think clearly but don’t say anything to hurt the other. Begin with “I feel…” instead of “You always…”
2)Listen carefully to what the other person is saying. Don’t stop the other person’s words.
3)Keep looking at the other person’s eyes when he or she talks.
4)Try to see the other person’s side of the problem.
5)Never put anyone down. Saying things like “You are foolish” makes the talk difficult.
6)Try to find a result that makes both people happy.
Peer mediators never decide the result or the winner. They don’t decide who is right and who is wrong. Instead, they help the two students to find their own “win-win” result. The underlined word “disputants” refers to the students ________.
A.who are lazy | B.who give in |
C.who make peace | D.who quarrel |
When there is a fight at school, ________.
A.the students who quarrel decide who the winner is |
B.the peer mediators and the disputants talk together |
C.the peer mediators decide who the winner is |
D.the two students sit down and listen to the peer mediators |
Peer mediators’ work is ________.
A.to give students some special training |
B.to find out who starts a quarrel |
C.to give lessons to disputants |
D.to help find a way to make both sides happy |
During the talk, if you say “You are lazy” or “I feel angry”, ________.
A.the other person will understand you better |
B.it’s hard for you to get a “win-win” result |
C.it’s easy for you to decide who is right |
D.the other person will know he or she is wrong |
A car needs gas to run and your body also needs food to work for you. Eating the right kind of food is very important. It can help your body grow strong to take care of what you eat.
There are four main food groups altogether. The dairy group has food like milk, cheese and sour milk. The other three groups are the meat and fish group, the fruit and vegetable group, and the bread and rice group. Each meal should have at least one food from all four main groups. With all these food together, you will be given enough energy during the day.
It is easy to get into bad eatinghabits. You may eat your breakfast in a hurry to get to school on time. Or you may not have time for a good lunch. It may seem easy to finish your supper with fish and chips all the time. But you will find yourself tired in these days and you can not think quickly.
Watching what you eat will help your body remain healthy and strong. It is also good to take some exercise. It will help you eat more if you take a walk or play games in the open air. Having a good eating habit with some exercise is the key to your health.Which of the following diets do you think is the best one?
A.Milk, bread, cabbages and beef. |
B.Eggs, tomatoes and chicken. |
C.Corn, fish, cream and pork. |
D.Rice, beancurd, apples, fish and chicken. |
Which of the following is a good eating habit?
A.Eating fish and chips for supper all the time. |
B.Finishing your lunch in a very short time. |
C.Going to school without any breakfast. |
D.Having at least one food from all four groups in each meal. |
In this passage the writer mainly tells us that ________.
A.every person needs food to grow well |
B.taking exercise can keep your body strong |
C.the right kind of food with exercise will keep you healthy |
D.enough energy helps people think more quickly |
The underlined word “dairy” in the second paragraph means ________.
A.a farm where cows are kept |
B.the food made out of cows such as milk and butter |
C.the shop that sells milk and butter |
D.a place where milk products are made |