In the more and more competitive service industry, it is no longer enough to promise customer satisfaction. Today, customer “delight” is what companies are trying to achieve in order to keep and increase market share.
It is accepted in the marketing industry, and confirmed by a number of researches, that customers receiving good service will promote business by telling up to 12 other people; those treated badly will tell their tales of woe to up to 20 people. Interestingly, 80 percent of people who feel their complaints are handled fairly will stay loyal.
New challenges for customer care have come when people can obtain goods and services through telephone call centers and the Internet. For example, many companies now have to invest(投资)a lot of money in information technology and staff training in order to cope with the “phone rage”—caused by delays in answering calls, being cut off in mid-conversation or let waiting for long periods.
“Many people do not like talking to machines,” says Dr. Storey, Senior Lecturer in Marketing at City University Business School. “Banks, for example, encourage staff at call centers to use customer data to establish instant and good relationship with them. The aim is to make the customer feel they know you and that you can trust them —the sort of comfortable feelings people have during face-to-face chats with their local branch manager.”
Recommended ways of creating customer delight include: under-promising and over-delivering (saying that a repair will be carried out within five hours, but getting it done within two); replacing a faulty product immediately; throwing in a gift voucher(购物礼券)as an unexpected “thank you” to regular customers; and always returning calls, even when they are complaints.
Aiming for customer delight is all very well, but if services do not reach the high level promised, disappointment or worse will be the result. This can be eased by offering an apology and an explanation of why the service did not meet usual standards with empathy (for example, “I know how you must feel”), and possible solutions (replacement, compensation or whatever fairness suggests best meets the case).
Airlines face some of the toughest challenges over customer care. Fierce competition has convinced them that delighting passengers in an important marketing tool, while there is great potential for customer anger over delays caused by weather, unclaimed luggage and technical problems.
For British Airways staff, a winning telephone style is considered vital in handling the large volume of calls about booking and flight times. They are trained to answer quickly, with their name, job title and a “we are here to help” attitude. The company has invested heavily in information technology to make sure that information is available instantly on screen.
British Airways also says its customer care policies are applied within the company and staff are taught to regard each other as customers requiring the highest standards of service.
Customer care is obviously here to stay and it would be a foolish company that used slogans such as “we do as we please.” On the other hand, the more customers are promised, the greater the risk of disappointment.We can learn from Paragraph 2 that__________.
| A．complaining customers are hard to satisfy |
| B．unsatisfied customers receive better service |
| C．satisfied customers catch more attention |
| D．well-treated customers promote business |
The writer mentions “phone rage” (Paragraph 3)to show that__________.
| A．customers often use phones to express their anger |
| B．people still prefer to buy goods online |
| C．customer care becomes more demanding |
| D．customers rely on their phones to obtain services |
What does the writer recommend to create customer delight?
| A．Calling customers regularly |
| B．Giving a “thank you” note |
| C．Delivering a quicker service |
| D．Promising more gifts |
If a manager should show his empathy (Paragraph 6), what would he probably say?
| A．“I know how upset you must be.” |
| B．“I appreciate your understanding.” |
| C．“I’m sorry for the delay.” |
| D．“I know it’s our fault.” |
Customer delight is important for airlines because__________.
| A．their telephone style remains unchanged |
| B．they are more likely to meet with complaints |
| C．the services cost them a lot of money |
| D．the policies can be applied to their staff |
Which of the following is conveyed in this article?
| A．Face-to-face service creates comfortable feelings among customers |
| B．Companies that promise more will naturally attract more customers |
| C．A company should promise less but do more in a competitive market |
| D．Customer delight is more important for airlines than for banks |
Britain is set to face an increase in cold winters, with up to one-in-seven hitting the UK with longer periods of time when temperatures are below freezing, a study has suggested．The prediction was based on research that found out how low solar activi
ty affected winter weather patterns．
However, the researchers were eager to stress that their findings did not suggest that the region was about to fall suddenly into a "little ice age"．The findings appear in the journal Environmental Research Letters．"We could get to the point where one-in-seven winters are very cold, as we had at the start of last winter and all through the winter before last," said co-author Mike Lockwood, professor of space environment physics at the University of Reading．
Using the Central England Temperature （CET） record, the world's longest instrumental data series that dates back to 1659, the team said that in general temperatures during recent winters had been obviously lower than the longer-term temperatures．"The mean CET for December, January and February for the recent relatively cold winters of 2008 ~ 2009 and 2009~2010 were 3．50℃ and 2．53℃ respectively," they wrote．
"However, the mean value for the previous 20 winters had been 5．04℃．The series of lower winter temperatures in the UK during the last three years had raised questions about the probability of more similar, or even colder, winters occurring in the future．"
Last year．Professor Lockwood and colleagues published a paper that found a link between fewer sunspots and atmospheric conditio
ns that "blocked" warm westerly winds reaching Europe during winter months, opening the way for cold easterly winds from the Arctic and Russia to sweep across the region．Professor Lockwood, while acknowledging that there were a range of possible meteorological factors （气象因素） that could influence blocking events, said the latest study moved things forward by showing that there was "impro
vement in the predictive skill" when solar activity was taken into consideration．We can know from the second paragraph that _____．
| A．research shows that Britain will soon fall into an ice age |
| B．Mike Lockwood's research focuses on space environment physics |
| C．it was quite cold in Britain over the entire winter last year |
| D．so far one-in-seven winters have been very cold in Britain |
The．underlined word "mean" in Paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to "_____"．
| A．average | B．stable | C．ungenerous | D．changeable |
What can we infer from the last paragraph?
| A．It was sunspots that blocked warm westerly winds reaching Europe． |
| B．Meteorological factors hardly have any influence on blocking events． |
| C．The latest study done by Professor Lockwood was of little practical value． |
| D．Considering solar activity or not affects the accuracy of weather forecasting． |
What's the best title of the passage?
| A．Another big danger approaching the UK |
| B．Research finds out solar activity is to blame for the cold |
| C．UK faces more cold winters due to weaker solar activity |
| D．Changes in weather patterns should be responsible for low solar activity |
When T was a child I never said, "When T grow up, I want to be a CEO," but
here T am．When I look back on my career, I realize the road to becoming a CEO isn't a straight, clearly clarified path．In fact, no two paths are the same．But whether you want to be a boss one day or not, there's a lot to learn from how leaders rise to the top of successful companies．
As this series of stories shows, the paths to becoming a CEO may vary, but the people in that position share the qualities of commitment, work ethic （守则） and a strong desire for building something new．And every CEO take risks along the way—putting your life savings on the line to start a software company or leaving a big business to be one of the first employees at a startup．
I grew up in Minnesota, and learned how to be an entrepreneur （企业家） from my f
ather, who has run a small business for almost 30 years．I went to Georgetown University and tried a lot of business activities in college with varying degrees of success．And I always had a dream job pattern: to walk to work, work for myself and build something for consumers．
I'm only 29, so it's been a quick ride to CEO．Out of college, I worked for AOL as a product manager, then moved to Revolution Health and ran the consumer product team．In mid-2007 I left Revolution Health and started LivingSocial with several other colleagues, where I became a CEO．
Career advice; Don't figure out where you want to work, or even what industry you'd like to work at．Figure out what makes you do so．What gives you a really big rush? Answer why you like things, not what you like doing．．．and then apply it to your work life．Also, just because you're graduating, don't stop learning．Read more books than you did in college．If you do, and they're not, you're really well-positioned to succeed in whatever you do．What can we know from the first paragraph?
| A．The author hasn't achieved his childhood ambition． |
| B．The author thinks there is some easy way to become a CEO． |
| C．The author had an ambition of becoming a CEO in his childhood． |
| D．The author believes success stories of CEOs can be beneficial to everybody． |
According to the author, successful CEOs should _____．
| A．try not to take risks |
| B．stay in the same business |
| C．have a strong sense of creativity |
| D．save every possible penny |
What can we know about the author from the passage?
| A．His father had far-reaching influence on him． |
| B．He used to run the consumer product team for AOL． |
| C．His business activities at college ended up in more failure than success． |
| D．He started LivingSocial when he was still a student of Georgetown University． |
Which of the following proverbs may the author agree with according to the last paragraph?
| A．Well begun is half done． |
| B．One is never too old to learn． |
| C．Time and tide wait for no man． |
| D．Everything conies to him who waits． |
Ideal for anyone who wants a good time, the Gold Coast is packed with enough fun for everyone in Australia．It's impossible to be bored on the Gold Coast．Below are the attractions;
Dream World
This is a fun place for everyone, whether you are a family with young kids, older kids, or out with your mates．This theme park is actually a series of parks, made up of such places as preschooler heaven Wiggles World and such attractions as Big Brother for inner reality TV fans．Dream World also owns the theme park White Water World．It is possible to buy tickets from Dream World that covers several different parks．
Sea World
Get up close and personal with dolphins, sharks and polar bears．This theme park also offers the right mixture of shows, exhibits, animal fights and thrill rides such as roller coaster．This is a must-see for your Gold Coast adventure．
Warner Bros Movie World
This theme park has the best combination of fast-paced entertainment．Visitors can have fun living as though they're in the movies．Kids will see all their cartoon favourites on parade and in shows．Bigger kids and grown-ups can pretend they're on real movie sets with their favourite action heroes, and then put themselves into some serious action．
How to get there梇ou can easily travel to the Gold Coast by plane．Fly straight into Gold Coast International Airport, or to Brisbane and then catch the '"airtrain" service to the Gold Coast．All of the major airlines have daily flights, some with several per day depending on your departure city．If you want to save money, you can get there by train．
Accommodation—Want something truly unusual? Consider staying in the world's largest residential tower （塔式住宅） and enjoy beautiful views．The accommodation choices on the Gold Coast are just as varied and interesting as the activities, so whether you are a single, couple, family, friends, a large or small group, you will find options perfect for you at TakeABreak．corn．an．From the pas
sage, we know _____．
| A．visitors can go t．o the Gold Goast only by air |
| B．the Gold Coast is famous for its golden beach |
| C．it is difficult for a family to find a right place to stay |
| D．the theme park "Sea World" will attract animal lovers |
Which is NOT included in the theme parks?
| A．Children can see their favorite cartoons． |
| B．Visitors have opportunities to take roller coasters． |
| C．Some famous movie actors often act with visitors． |
| D．Visitors can share the joy from animals． |
This passage is mainly ______．
| A．to describe the theme parks in Australia |
B．to draw  more visitors to go to the Gold Goast |
| C．to tell some exciting shows, adventures, etc． |
| D．to introduce how to get to the Gold Coast |
Satellites are an important part of our ordinary lives．For example, the information for weather forecasts is sent by satellite．Some satellites have cameras which take photographs of the Earth to show how clouds are moving．Satellites are also used to connect our international phone calls．
Computer connections of the World Wide Web and Internet also use satellites. Many of our TV programs come to US through satellites．Airplane pilots also sometimes use a satellite to help them find their exact location．
We use satellites to send television pictures from one part of the world to another．They are usually 35，880 kilometers above the equator．Sometimes we can see a satellite in the sky and it seems to stay in the same place．This is because it is moving around the world at 11，000 kilometers an hour—exactly the same speed that the earth rotates．A satellite must orbit the Earth with its antennae(天线)facing the earth．Sometimes, it moves away from its orbit，So there are little rockets on it which are used to put the satellite back in the right position．This usually happens about every five or six days．
Space is not empty! Every week, more and more satellites are sent into space to orbit the Earth．A satellite usually works for about 10-12 years．Satellites which are broken are sometimes repaired by astronauts or sometimes brought back to Earth to be repaired．
Often，very old or broken satellites are left in space to orbit the Earth for a very long time．This is very serious because some satellites use nuclear power and they can crash into each other．Which of the following is NOT done by satellites according to the passage?
| A．Sending information for weather forecast | B．Taking photographs of the Earth |
| C．Sending TV pictures | D．Providing food for airplane pilots |
What’s the speed the
earth rotates at?
| A．35,880 kilometers per hour | B．335,880 kilometers per hour |
| C．11,000 kilometers per hour | D．110,000 kilometers per hour |
Which of the following is right according to the passage?
| A．There are little rockets on the satellite to put it in the right position every day. |
| B．Because some satellite use nuclear power, they can crash into each other. |
| C．A satellite seems to stay in the same place in the sky |
| D．In order not to move away from its orbit, the satellite puts the rockets in the right position. |
Which is true of satellites?
| A．A satellite usually works for over 10 years． |
| B．Every time a satellite gets broken，it is brought back to the Earth to be repaired． |
| C．A broken satellite is never left in space． |
| D．They often crash into each other． |
Do you enjoy reading? Do you read newspapers or magazines? Chances are, if you do any of these activities, your pre-school child is on his way to becoming a reader.
The process of learning to read is complex, and one of the most important things to know is that parents can help their children learn to read. As children have conversations with adults, they hear both ne
w and familiar words and their vocabulary grows.
There are many opportunities for adults and children to talk together, such as when riding in the car or in a bus, doing housework like fixing dinner, or bathing and getting ready
for bed. A major part of conversation is listening. When children talk, adults listen and respond. Then children listen and respond, and so the flow of conversation happens.
Have you watched you pre-school child pretend to read to his younger sisters or brothers? Have you read his favorite story over and over? These experiences tell children that reading is fun. And when things are fun and they are repeated, your child will see letters. He begins to connect them to familiar words, especially the letters that make up his name. A natural next step for him to take is to write the letters.
When children see parents make a grocery list, they want to use a pencil and paper to make their own list. To encourage these beginning writing activities, have pencils, markers, crayons and scrap paper within your children’s reach.
The more children get connected with talking, listening, reading and writing, the easier it is for them to become active readers. While you as a parent have a big influence on these early 
behaviors, it is important to remember that opportunities for literacy experiences happen when you and your child share in the basic routines（日常生活）of everyday life. The third paragraph tells us that parents can talk with their children__________.
| A．during daily routines | B．only in quiet places |
| C．in their spare time | D．when they are eager to walk |
During the process of learning to read, children may _________.
| A．copy the action of the adults. |
| B．prefer to talk with those of their own age. |
| C．show no interest in reading at all. |
| D．waste a lot of paper and other materials. |
When do children want to learn to write?
| A．When their parents ask them to do so. |
| B．When they believe they can write well. |
| C．When they know what they want to know |
| D．When they can connect letters with familiar words. |
The passage is written to _____________.
| A．talk about parents’ influence on their children’s behavior |
| B．encourage parents to set a good example to their children |
| C．advise parents to make reading a part of their children’s daily life |
| D．make parents believe in the importance of early reading |