Never go into a supermarket hungry! This is a good piece of advice. If you go shopping for food before lunchtime, you’ll probably buy more than you plan to. Unfortunately, however, just this advice isn’t enough for consumers these days. Modern shoppers need an education in how and how not to buy things at the store. First, you check the weekly newspaper ads. Find out the items that are on sale and decide if you really need these things. In other words, don’t buy anything just because it’s cheaper than usual! “New and Improved!” or “All Natural” on the front of a package influence you. Instead, read the list of ingredients(contents) on the back. Third, compare prices: that is, you should examine the prices of both different brands and different sizes of the same brand.
Another suggestion for consumers is to buy ordinary items instead of famous brands. Ordinary items in supermarkets come in plain packages. These products are cheaper because producers don’t spend much money on packing or advertising. The quality, however, is usually as good as the quality of well-known name brands. In the same way, in buying clothes, you can often find high quality and low prices in brands that are not famous. Shopping in discount clothing stores can help you save a lot of money. Although these stores aren’t very attractive, and they usually do not have individual dressing rooms, not only are the prices low, but you can often find the same famous brands that you find in high-priced department stores.
Wise consumers read magazine ads and watch TV commercials, but they do this with one advantage: knowledge of the psychology behind the ads. In other words, well-informed consumers watch for information and check for misinformation. They ask themselves questions: Is the advertiser hiding something in small print at the bottom of the page? Is there any real information in the commercial, or is the advertiser simply showing an attractive image? With the answers to these questions, consumers can make a wise choice.All the following statements are true about the phrase “ordinary items” in Paragraph 2 EXCEPT __________.
A.ordinary items never say “New and Improved” or “All Natural” |
B.ordinary products are usually cheaper than famous brands |
C.producers spend less money on packaging of ordinary items |
D.the quality of ordinary items is usually as good as that of famous brands |
What does the writer think about ads? __________
A.They are believable. | B.They are attractive. |
C.They are full of misinformation. | D.They are helpful to consumers. |
One of the author’s suggestions to consumers is __________.
A.to make use of ads |
B.not to buy items with words like “New and Improved” or “All Natural” |
C.to buy high quality items such as famous brands after lunch |
D.to buy any ordinary items instead of famous brands |
The author implies that __________.
A.going into the supermarket hungry, you may buy more than you plan to |
B.the quality of ordinary items is usually high and the prices are relatively low |
C.discount clothing stores are good places to go to |
D.ads sometimes don’t tell the truth |
" Vi-Lasata!I can't believe it--a Vi-Lasata!” —You see some attractive young ladies looking at a sweater in a department store and you listen to their conversation:
“ Vi-Lasata is almost impossible to find. Isn't it beautiful? And it's a lot cheaper than the one Terry bought in Rome."
When they leave, you go over to see this unbelievable sweater. It's nice and the price is right.You've never heard of Vi-Lasata, but those girls looked really stylish. They must know. So, you buy it. You never realize that those young women are employees of an advertising agency. They are actually paid to go from store to store, talking loudly about Vi-Lasata clothes.
Every day we notice what people are wearing, driving and eating. If the person looks cool, the product seems cool, too. This is the secret of undercover (暗中影响的)marketing. Companies from Ford to Nike are starting to use it.
Undercover marketing is important because it reaches people that don't pay attention to traditional advertising. This is particularly true of the “thumb generation” -- consumers between the age of 18 and 34. It is a golden group. They have a lot of money to spend, but they don't trust ads.
So advertising agencies hire young actors to "perform" in bars and other places where young adults go. Some people might call this practice cheating, but marketing director Jonathan Ressler calls it creativity. "Look at traditional advertising. Its effectiveness is falling."
However, one might ask what exactly is "real" about of young women pretending to be enthusiastic about a sweater? Advertising agent would say it's no less real than an ad. The difference is that you know an ad is trying to persuade you to buy something. You don't know when a conversation you overhear is just a performance.Vi-Lasata is __________.
A.a very popular department store |
B.the brand name of a sweater |
C.a clothing company in Rome |
D.an advertising agency |
The attractive young women were talking so that they could ________.
A.get the sweater at a lower price |
B.be heard by people around |
C.be admired by other shoppers |
D.decide on buying the sweater |
Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?
A.Traditional advertising is becoming less effective as it's too direct. |
B.The “ thumb generation” tends to be more easily influenced by ads. |
C.The two girls are in fact clerks in the Vi-Lasata Company. |
D.Undercover marketing is surely against the law in that country. |
Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
A.Performance in Shops | B.Vi-Lasata Sweaters |
C.Ways of Advertising | D.Undercover Marketing |
Dear Customers,
I feel quite pleased to announce Amazon Prime, our latest membership program, which provides “all-you-can-eat” express shipping. It’s simple: for a directly yearly membership fee, you get unlimited two-day shipping for free on over a million in store items. Members also get overnight shipping for only $3.99 per item—order as late as 6:30PM ET.
Amazon Prime takes the effort out of ordering: no lowest purchase and no combining orders. Two-day shipping becomes an everyday experience rather than an occasional excitement.
We are offering Amazon Prime membership at the introductory price of $79 per year, which includes sharing the benefits with up to four family members in your household. Considering that we normally charge $9.48 for two-day shipping on a single book and $ 16.48 for overnight, many of our customers will find the program very rewarding. It works across books, DVDs, music, electronics, kitchen, tool, health, personal care, etc, etc.
We expect Amazon Prime to be expensive for Amazon.com in short term. In the long run, we hope to earn even more of your business, which will make it good for us too. We hope you enjoy our latest transformation(转变).
You can sign up for membership with one click HERE.
Sincerely,
Jeff Bezos
Founder & CEOWhat’s the purpose of the letter delivered by the CEO?
A.To encourage customers to join in a special program for free. |
B.To ask for the feedback of the customers. |
C.To express festive greetings to the consumers. |
D.To encourage customers to consume more on line. |
How much can you save compared with the ordinary customers if you have two orders each with a two-day shipping and a over-night shipping?
A.$ 21.97 | B.$ 25.96 |
C.$ 16.48 | D.$ 9.48 |
What does “all-you-can-eat” mean in the first paragraph?
A.direct | B.unlimited |
C.convenient | D.cheap |
What does the last part infer?
A.They lose much in the special program. |
B.The customers spend more in the future. |
C.This program can offer a double-win in a long term. |
D.Amazon.com is a very popular on-line bookstore. |
From Chengdu to Jiuzhaigou, you can travel along the East Line not only the other line going past Dujiangyan and Wenchuan. Take a regular bus from Chengdu Chengbei Bus Station from 9:00 to 16:30. It only takes about three hours to Jiangyou. The ticket is CNY50.00 net per person. Up along Fujiang River, you will pass the second largest city in Sichuan, Mianyang and enjoy the picturesque scenery.
There is bus available to the destination from 6:30 to 13:30 in Mianyang Pingzheng Bus Station,The one way ticket is about CNY95.00 net per person. In this case, you can not get stop at Jiangyou and Pingwu. This is one option for you.
In Jiangyou, visit the Former Residence of Li Bai, the famous poet in Tang Dynasty. If time permits, you can also take a look at the Doutuan Mountain, which is famous for its unique sceneries and also holdsnational gliding (滑翔) campaigns every year. Take bus at Jiangyou Bus Station to Pingwu and stay there for one night. Our recommendation is to stay at the Pingwu Hotel, which is the first hotel that can serve foreigners in the small city. The contact phone number is 0816 - 8822022. Pingwu has the best royal Buddhist temples in Ming Dynasty, Bao'en Temple and the historic relics in the period of Three Kingdoms (220-280).
The next day, take bus to Huanglong, which is 120 kilometers away from Pingwu. It only takes about 2 hours to arrive at one of the world's most naturally fantastic locations - the Huanglong Scenic and Historic Areas. The bus ticket is CNY30.00 net per person.
You can easily find the bus from Chuanzhusi to Jiuzhaigou. The journey time is 1.5 hours. Here we would like to recommend another hotel in Jiuzhaigou for you, Mofang Hotel. The contact number is 0837-7764926.
Two days in Jiuzhaigou Valley can give you enough time to explore there. Sometimes, you need to purchase the extra charge for entering the valley twice.What is the tour route of the East Line from Chengdu to Jiuzhaigou according to the passage?
A.Chengdu - Mianyang - Jiangyou - Huanglong - Pingwu - Chuanzhusi - Jiuzhaigou |
B.Chengdu - Mianyang - Fujiang - Jiangyou - Pingwu - Huanglong - Jiuzhaigou |
C.Chengdu - Mianyang - Jiangyou - Pingwu - Huanglong - Chuanzhusi - Jiuzhaigou |
D.Chengdu - Mianyang - Jiangyou - Pingwu - Chuanzhusi-Huanglong - Jiuzhaigou |
Where is this passage likely to appear?
A.An advertisement of local hotels. |
B.A travel guide for foreign travelers. |
C.A geography book of Sichuan Province |
D.A newspaper for English learners. |
If you take the bus from Pingzheng Bus Station to Jiuzhaigou, you can________.
A.directly get to the destination |
B.get on the bus before 2 o’clock pm |
C.also visit Bao’en Temple halfway |
D.enjoy the scenery along Fujiang River |
From this passage, which of the following statement is TRUE?
A.Pingwu Hotel is the only choice for foreign guests in Pingwu. |
B.We’d better pay the entrance fee twice in Jiuzhaigou. |
C.We can travel from Chengdu to Jiuzhaigou along different routes. |
D.Doutuan Mountain is famous for the Former Residence of Li Bai. |
Where we live, on the eastern shore of Maryland, the gentle waters run in and out like fingers slimming at the tips.
The Canada geese know this place, as do the white swans and the ducks. In autumn, they come home for the winter. Once or twice each year, snow and frozen rain move into the area. When this happens, if the river is at its narrowest, there is a freeze which hardens the water to ice.
One morning, a friend of mine set the breakfast table beside the huge window, which overlooked the Tred Avon River. Suddenly she leaned forward and cried out, “There is a goose out there.”
We saw the figure of a large Canada goose, very still, its wings folded tight to its sides, its feet frozen into the ice.
Then from the dark skies, she saw a line of swans. They floated from the top of the sky downward and at last landed on the ice. My friend was on her feet now, with one hand against her mouth, unbelieving. As the swans surrounded the frozen goose, she feared that life it still had might be pecked(啄) out by those great swan bills.
Instead, those bills began to work on the ice. The long necks were lifted and curved down, again and again. It went on for a long time. At last, the goose’s head was lifted. Its body was pulled. Then the goose was free and stood on the ice. And the swans stood in the air watching. Then, as if it had cried, “I cannot fly.” Four of the swans came down around it. Their powerful beaks chipped off the ice held in the feathers. Slowly, the goose spread its wings as far as they would go, and moved slowly into the sky.
This is a true story. I just think of it in the bad moment, and from it comes only one hopeful question: If so for birds, why not for man?Which would be the best title for the passage?
A.Why Not for Man? | B.Graceful Swans |
C.Swans’ Brave Act | D.I Just Couldn’t Believe It! |
What happened to the Canada goose?
A.It was deserted by other geese. |
B.It was stuck in the ice. |
C.It was wounded and couldn’t fly. |
D.It was lost in the water. |
At first the author’s friend was worried that________.
A.the swans would not help the Canada goose |
B.she didn’t care about this matter any more |
C.the swans wouldn’t identify with the Canada goose |
D.the swans would peck the Canada goose to death |
What did the swans do when they saw the Canada goose couldn’t fly?
A.They chipped off the ice held in its feathers. |
B.They waited patiently for the ice held in its feathers to melt. |
C.They came down and lifted it up to the sky together. |
D.They stayed with it and protected it. |
Every kid wishes to be an adult. Do you remember playing houses as a child pretending to be a grownup like your parents? Did you imagine you were a doctor, a soldier or a teacher? At that time, anything seemed more exciting than young.
But now as grownups, some adults find they cannot leave childhood behind. They become “kidults”(kid+adult). Being a kidult has become a lifestyle choice among young people across Asia. Some kidults collect toys they once played with. Hello Kitty, Garfield, and Snoopy have many adult fans around the world. It is not unusual to see a 20something woman with a big, Garfieldshaped cushion on her sofa or a Hello Kitty mobile phone accessory(饰物). Other kidults still enjoy children’s stories and fairy tales. For example, even an edition of the Harry Potter novels with an adult cover came out in Britain. That way, no one else on the subway will know that an adult is actually reading a children’s book!
“Kidults can be like vitamins to society. Adults who value their childhood and hold on to pure, childlike emotion may be needed in such a rough and dry society,” said a professor in a Korean University. He added that kidult culture might fill the generation gap between adults and kids. It could give children and their parents books, movies, and cartoon shows to enjoy together.
Tim Greenhalgh, a professor in London explained that some kidults just refuse to grow up. They cling to(舍不得放弃) childhood because life in a busy and stressful city frightens them. Kidults would like to forget their age and openly show their fear of society and adulthood.
“So, they look for an escape from increasingly complex and stressful life that are hard to deal with,” Greenhalgh said.We can learn from the passage that kidults are________.
A.children who can’t wait to grow up |
B.grownups who hold on to childlike emotion |
C.people who enjoy playing sports |
D.young people who pretended to be grownups when young |
According to the passage, kidults would like to do the following except________.
A.buy Hello Kitty mobile phone accessories |
B.read a children’s book on the subway |
C.work in a busy and stressful city |
D.collect toys they once played with |
In the opinion of the Professor in a Korean University, kidults are________.
A.immature (不成熟) and weak |
B.necessary to our society |
C.looked down upon |
D.getting more and more |
The main reason of the kidult culture lies in that________.
A.some companies are taking advantage of it |
B.modern life is stressful and hard |
C.some people like to stay young and energetic |
D.some people wish to bridge the generation gap |