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, 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 left 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— 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(购物礼卷)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 is 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 bookings 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 |
If a manager should show his empathy (Paragraph6), 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. |
Jenny found her old bicycle at the back of the garage．It was a lot smaller than she remembered．When she sat on it and put her feet on the pedals，her knees nearly touched her chin. She then asked her dad for a new bicycle．
“Well，I’m sorry，but I can’t afford a bicycle now，“said Dad．“Why don’t you work and earn some money? You can save up for a bicycle yourself．”
Jenny began to work．That day she earned five dollars for cutting the grass and ten dollars for mowing the lawn for her dad．
That night Jenny went on the computer．She wrote“Gardening and Housework—Ten dollars an hour．Call Jenny at 23 Roseville Lane．“She decorated the page with pictures of cleaning and gardening equipment．She printed it fifty times．Then she posted the pages through all the doors on her street．
That week，Jenny was very busy! Lots of people had jobs to do，but they didn’t have time to do them．So they called Jenny．Every day，Jenny rushed home from schoo1．She did her homework quickly，and then she went out to work．
At the end of the week．she had$65! She told her father．
“That’s enough for a second hand bicycle.”he said．
“Yes，but if I work for one more week，I might have enough money for a new bike，“said Jenny．“In two more weeks，I could buy a really good bicycle! I think that's what I'll do. I want to have the best bicycle in the class，because I earn it myself!”
Jenny’s dad hugged her．“I think you learned something important．We appreciate things a lot more when we earn them．When we get something without earning it，we do not realize its true value．”What was the problem with Jenny’s old bicycle?
| A．It was broken． | B．It was too dirty． |
| C．Jenny didn't like it． | D．It was too small． |
Why didn’t Jenny’s dad buy her a bicycle?
| A．He wanted to teach her a lesson． |
| B．He was too busy． |
| C．He had just bought Jenny a birthday present. |
| D．He didn’t think it was a good idea． |
How much money did Jenny earn on the first day?
| A．＄10． | B．＄5． | C．＄65． | D．＄15． |
How did Jenny tell her neighbors about her new business?
| A．She mailed letters to them． |
| B．She delivered messages by hand． |
| C．she sent them an email． |
| D．She talked to all her neighbors． |
We can infer from Jenny’s words at the end of the story that she was ___________．
| A．pleased because she had learnt a useful lesson |
| B．grateful to her father for his advice |
| C．optimistic about making more money |
| D．disappointed because she couldn’t afford a new bicycle |
DAVID Beckham. Cristiano Ronaldo and Rnfacl Nadal while you watch sports and admin* the players’ skills, do you ever notice how handsome the players are?
Yes, sportsmen tend to be handsome. And they haven’t only attracted the interest of the audience even scientists are now studying their good looks.
In a recent study, Erik Postma, a biologist at the University of Zurich in Switzerland, collected the headshots（头像）of 80 professional athletes from I hr 2012 Tour He France, a bicycle race held in Franco. The race, which covers 3,200 kilometers in 23 days, is often considered to In* one of the hardest endurance（耐力）events, according to The Telegraph.
Postma then asked female participants to score the cyclists’ attractiveness.judging them only based on their facial appearances. So, if a participant recognized any of the cyclists, meaning she knew how good he was at the sport, her score wouldn’t count.
After comparing all the scores with the cyclists’ performances in the 2012 race, Postma was surprised to find that the best riders were rated on average 25 percent more attractive than the worst ones. For example, one of the cyclists, Maxime Monfort , came third in terms of attractiveness and sixth in terms of performance, reported Discovery News.
But where did women get the ability to single out a good rider by simply looking at his face?
According lo Postma, evolution (进化) seems to be the answer. In ancient times, women preferred to marry strong men because they would provide good genes for their children. A man with great endurance was also able to cover long distances to hunt for food, which would allow him to better feed the family. “That’s why endurance performance was a key evolutionary factor.” Postma told Discovery News.
As you can see, it’s not that sportsmen ate more attractive themselves, women were just born to think of them that way.
Perhaps surprisingly, when Postma did the same test with male participants, he found that men actually had a quite similar view on which riders were handsome. Even
though most men aren’t aware of it. they inherited (继承) this ability from their ancient past, when it was necessary to “spot potential competitors” , explained Postma.What did Erik Postma ask female participants to do in his study?
| A．To help collect the headshots of professional cyclists from the Tour de France. |
| B．To pick out the cyclists whom they are familiar with or appreciate most. |
| C．To rate the cyclists’ attractiveness according to facial appearance. |
| D．To predict the cyclists ’ performances based on facial appearance. |
What did Postma discover from his study?
| A．The more attractive a cyclist was, the better he performed in the race. |
| B．Generally, a cyclist’s endurance had nothing to do with his attractiveness. |
| C．Attractive cyclists proved to have less endurance than those who were less attractive. |
| D．Those who performed best in the games were considered more attractive than those who performed worst. |
What can we conclude from the last three paragraphs?
| A．Women and men hold quite different views on male attractiveness. |
| B．Men with good looks tend to lie less popular than men with great endurance. |
| C．A man with great endurance appealed to women in ancient times and this remains the same today. |
| D．Most men don* t have the same ability as women to single out a good sportsman by simply looking at his face. |
Northern Lights Tour
Located in the middle of the northern lights belt, Troms can offer some of the highest level* of northern lights activity on earth. Perhaps Tromso is the world's best place for a Northern Light? Tour.
Join one of our Northern Lights Holidays this winter. It could become one of the greatest experiences in your life.
DESTINATION Troms county. Norway.
PRICE $450 per person
WHEN 2th September until 31st March.
PICK-UP Each evening at 6PM outside your hotel.
DROP-OFF Earliest at 12AM. When we have a sighting we often stay out later, at no extra cost. t
SIZE OF GROUP Maximum 8 participants is recommended and normal, but not absolute A small group allows more freedom in terms of chasing the northern lights.
INCLUDED
-Transportation each day in a comfortable car
-A meal each day
-All necessary equipment such as snowshoes , flashlight, water-filled bottle. woolen
underwear, a warm hat, warm shoes. warm stockings, and reindeer skin In lie on. if needed.
-A guide who will do anything necessary to find the northern lights.
EXCITING CHASE
A Northern Lights Holiday means an intense and exciting chase to the coast or deep into the wild, perhaps even to the Finnish holder. Each day on a Northern Lights Tour we contact meteorologists shortly before departure to get accurate information. In order
to find out where we will have best chances to see the northern lights.
WE GUARANTEE A GREAT TRIP
The northern lights are unpredictable, but we guarantee that we’will do everything to find it. Patience is a keyword on Northern Lights Tour.
ECO-TOURISM
We offer ecologically sustainable and responsible tours Travelling in small groups is an essential part of the ecotourism concept, as small groups have lesser impact on nature and will not disturb the wildlife unnecessarily.A small group is preffcrrd for the following reasons EXCEPT that .
| A．a small group is free to run after thr northern lights |
| B．a small group has less effect on cost |
| C．a small group can serve the travel < ost |
| D．a small group will not disturb wildlife |
The underlined word “it” refers to “”.
| A．the northern lights tour | B．patience |
| C．equipment | D．the northern lights |
We can infer that .
| A．if tourists stay out late, they have to pay more |
| B．every tourist group is not sure to see the northern lights |
| C．every tourist group get the money back if they don’t see the northern lights |
| D．the northern lights can be seen every day from 20th September to 31st Marth |
The passage is most likely to be taken from a(n).
| A．advertisement | B．news report | C．science textbook | D．tourist brochure |
ARE you a dog person or a cat person?
With so many photos and videos of cats and dogs doing cute things online, it’s easier than ever to answer which of these furry friends you like more. There are many reasons why people prefer one type of pet over the other. So, have you ever wondered what your preference for cats or dogs says about you?
In fact, a 2010 study done by Sam Gosling , a psychologist at the University of Texas, US, and his graduate student Carson Sandy found that dog people are more extroverted（外向的）agreeable and serious than cat people.
“Cats will occasionally engage in social activities, but usually after only a few minutes they will abandon the game. Dogs, on the other hand, will often engage in play, like fetching a thrown lull, for hours at a lime," said Modem Dog magazine.
Just on the basis of dogs' nature being more sociable than cats’, you may expect that the personalities of dog people also reflect higher sociability. And Cosling’s study found that dog people are generally about 15 percent more extroverted and 13 percent more agreeable, both of which are associated with social altitude.
In addition, dog people are 11 percent more conscientious than cat people.
“Conscientiousness" is a tendency In show self-discipline（自律）,to complete tasks and aim for achievement. This quality also shows a preference for planned rather than spontaneous （一时冲动的） behavior.
In comparison, cat people an; about 12 percent more anxious, but they are also 11 percent more “open” than dog people, due to a general appreciation for art, emotion, imagination, curiosity, adventure, unusual ideas and variety of experience. And people high on openness are more likely to hold unconventional beliefs.
Despite vast differences, there an some things that cat people and dog people have in common. “Both types of people consider themselves close to nature, dislike animal-print clothing and generally optimists. ” noted Mother Nature Network.What does the article mainly talk about?
| A．Differences between dogs and cats in their personality qualities. |
| B．Factors that influence people’s preference for dogs or cats. |
| C．How raising a pet helps shape your personality. |
| D．What your preference for dogs or cats reveals about you. |
The underlined phrase “engage in ”in the fourth paragraph probably means .
| A．get involved in | B．benefit from |
| C．take little interest in | D．perform well in |
According to the study done by Sam Costing, dog owners tend tothan cat owners.
| A．be more imaginative and creative |
| B．live a more organized life |
| C．love to get close to nature more |
| D．be more easygoing and adventurous |
According to the article, both dog people and cat people .
| A．are generally self-disciplined |
| B．are usually positive and care about nature |
| C．are likely to hold unconventional beliefs |
| D．like to wear animal-print clothing; |
I IMCKKD up the phone. Without so much as a hello ,a voice said: “What’s new? We have an eagle in the backyard.
It look me three second* lo recognize my nephew’s a voice. He was excited.
“He’s sitting on top of a dead tree in the backyard .He’s been there a long lime. We’re tilling in the sunroom watching him."
But actually, my nephew is blind.
Ketinitis pigmentosa（色素性视网膜炎）brgan stealing his sight when he was 12. He’ s in his 20s now.
“It’s a big thing. Dad said it must have a wingspan of 6 feet (1.88 meters). We’ve got an eagle out hack!"
I could believe they had the rare pleasure of spotting an eagle. What I couldn’t believe was that my nephew, without sight, was giving the comment. It shouldn’t have been that surprising,really?
His sight might be gone, but he sees plenty. From memory, mostly; from conventions around him; from listening to television and radio. He has an amazing memory. We took him into town with us when we were visiting his parents once. Our GPS wasn’ t working, so he gave us directions turn by turn, complete with landmarks, approximate distances and cautions on curves（拐弯处）in the road. He knew exactly where we were and got us to where wanted to go.
Second to his family, there are two things that have been important in this young man’s life: a guide dog and a job.
The guide dog gave him the confidence he didn’t know he had.
The job, “well” as his dad said: “Having a job makes him like everybody else. Now, he has something to come home and complain about at the end of the day."
I never have a conversation with my nephew without asking about his job in case lie wants to complain. But I know-and I know that he knows work is a gift.
We were created to work. We were made to produce goods and services, to invent and solve problems. Work is what drags us out of bed in the morning.
Work gives us something to do and somewhere to go. If that doesn’t I sound like a big deal, talk to someone who’ s unemployed. It is working hard that enhances the lime that you don’t work, from kicking back and reading a book to watching an eagle in your backyard.What surprised the author when she received her nephew’s phone call?
| A．An eagle remained in her nephew’ s backyard for a long time. |
| B．The sight of an eagle made her nephew so excited. |
| C．Her nephew regained his sight after he had been blind for several years. |
| D．Despite being blind, her nephew described the eagle as if he could really see it. |
By mentioning her nephew lending her amend when site visited his parents, the author intends to .
| A．show that she got along well with her nephew and his family |
| B．fell us of her nephew’s good sense of direction |
| C．show how good a memory her nephew has |
| D．prove that her nephew had no trouble living by himself alone |
According lo the article, a job is very important lo the author's nephew mainly because .
| A．a job make* him confident and slops him from complaining |
| B．a job enables him lo feel normal |
| C．with a job he can afford to raise his guide dog |
| D．with a job he can help his parents support I he family |
What can we conclude from the lust two paragraphs?
| A．Everyone has to work, so make sure to play. |
| B．The hander you work, the more successful you w ill lie. |
| C．Work enriches our lives, so we should appreciate it. |
| D．Work is just a way for us to kill time and make a living. |