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, and 80 percent of the 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 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 |
What does the writer recommend to create 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 |
I will never forget what my old headmaster taught me. Normally when you are only 15 years of age you do not remember most of the things that are taught by your teachers. But this particular story is one such lesson that I will never forget. Every time I drift off course, I get reminded of this story.
It was a normal Monday morning, and he was making a speech to the students on important things in life and about devoting ourselves to what is important to us. This is how the story went:
An old man lived in a certain part of London, and he would wake up every morning and go to the subway. He would get the train right to Central London, and then sit at the street corner and beg. He would do this every single day of his life. He sat at the same street corner and begged for almost 20 years. His house was dirty, and a stench(恶臭)came out of the house and it smelled horrible. The neighbors could not stand the smell any more, so they asked the police officers to clear the place. The officers knocked down the door and cleaned the house. There were small bags of money all over the house that he had collected over the years.
The police counted the money, and they soon realized that the old man was a millionaire. They waited outside his house to tell the good news to him. When he arrived home that evening, he was met by one of the officers who told him that there was no need for him to beg any more as he was a rich man now, a millionaire. He said nothing at all; he went into his house and locked the door. The next morning he woke up as usual, went to the subway, got into the train, and sat at the street corner and continued to beg. Obviously, this old man had no great plans, dreams or anything important for his life. We learn nothing from this story other than staying focused on the things we enjoy doing.
59. The headmaster told the story to the students to__________.
A. make the students relaxed in the lesson B. remind the students to think deeply
C. show how poor the old man was D. encourage the students to become rich
60. After hearing what the officer said, the old man_________.
A. believed the officer was playing a joke on him. B. didn't know many people respected him a lot.
C. was very angry to find his house broken into. D. was not so excited as the officer had expected.
61. What did the author learn from the story?
A . One should devote himself to his dream. B. The old man was foolish not to stop begging.
C. What the headmaster taught was very important.
D. People must have a plan before taking action.
62. Which word can best describe the author's attitude towards the old man?
A. Pity. B. Disappointment. C. Respect. D. Anger.
63. We know from the passage that ___________________.
the author had a big dream at the age of 15.
B. the headmaster was popular with the students.
the old man begged every day without stopping.
D. the neighbors took great pity on the old man.
BDACC
Blue Collar
Graduates from China's " blue-collar " vocational schools have an employment rate of 95. 6 percent, but many lose their jobs because of unrealistic expectations, according to a senior official with the Ministry of Education(MOE).
MOE figures show a total of 3. 64 million students graduated from vocational schools last year, of whom 3. 48 million found jobs. The employment rate for these students was 95. 6 percent.
"The employment rate for blue-collar workers has stayed high since 1999 and above 90 percent since 2002," Wang Jiping, the MOE's deputy head of vocational education section, said on Wednesday. "However, the figure is not the cause for optimism because it only indicates that people get employed. "
He said many students find jobs, but are unable to stay in the posts for reasons such as overly high expectations for salaries or poor performance.
Wang said vocational school graduates needed more guidance to find jobs that could use their skills and meet "rational" demands for wages (工资), so that they can stay in the posts.
"The government is to set up a national information platform to better show market demand for blue collar talents", he said.
MOE figures show 73. 23 percent of the 3. 64 million graduates from vocational middle schools found jobs in companies and factories, 10 percent started their own businesses, and 16. 37 percent went on to further study.
Wang said the demand for highly skilled workers boosted the development of vocational education. _____________ , the MOE called for vocational schools to set up more market-oriented training courses with which students could easily find jobs.
55. Many vocational school graduates lose their jobs for the following reasons EXCEPT _________according to the text.
A. their high expectations for salaries B. their poor performance
C. their lack of working experience D. their unrealistic expectations
56. The underlined word boosted in the last paragraph can be replaced by _______.
A. improvedB. prevented C. ended D. started
57. Among the vocational school graduates last year about ________took up their own business.
A.540,000 B360,000 C.150,000 D.70,000
58. Which of the following is the best sentence to be put into the blank of the last paragraph?
A. To develop vocational education B. To build up graduates' own business
C. To offer graduates more jobs D. To meet the demand
Most people think the first pies were made by early Romans. They may have learned about pie making from the Greeks. These pies were sometimes made in"reeds (芦苇叶)", which were used for the purpose of holding the filling (馅 ), and were not eaten.
The Romans spread the word about pies around Europe and the word"pie"became a popular word in the 14th century. The first pie recipe (食谱) was also published by the Romans.
Pies first appeared in England as early as the twelfth century. The early pies were mostly meat pies. There was actually more crust(皮)than filling. Often these pies were made from fowl ( 家禽) and the fowl's legs were left to hang over the side of the dish and used as handles. Fruit pies were probably first made in the 1500s. It is said that Queen Elizabeth I made the first cherry pie.
Pie came to America with the first English settlers. The early settlers cooked their pies in long narrow pans. As in the Roman times, the early American pie crusts were often not eaten, but simply used to hold the filling during baking(烘焙).
Over the years, pie has become what it is today --- "the most traditional American dessert". Pie has become so much a part of American culture that we now often use the phrase "as American as apple pie".
51. Which people might probably first grasp the skill to make pies?
A. The Romans. B. The Greeks. C. The Englishmen. D. The Americans.
52. Which of the following is NOT true about pies?
A. English settlers brought pies to America.
B. Early Romans ate not only pies but also the crusts.
C. The Romans first published pie recipe.
D. The word “pie ” became popular because of the Romans` efforts.
53. What can best show pies have become part of American culture?
A. Americans use long narrow pans to cook pies.
B. People use "as American as apple pie" to show something about American characteristics.
C. Americans don't eat crusts but use them to hold the filling during baking.
D. Pies are the most traditional American dessert.
54. The best title of this passage is "______________".
A . The History of Pies B. Pies, the Delicious Food
C. Pies, American Dessert D. How to Make Pies
Alone in the wilderness. Nothing but jungle. A world of shadow with the rays of light falling like blonde hair from the crowns of the giant trees. Jungle in the midday sun. Everything motionless. Not a sound from sky or earth. Complete silence. Only some coconuts falling, at long intervals, very far away. The world reduced to the soft touch of cool grass along my naked back, and a sweet smell of rich soil and vegetation. Stretched out with closed eyes beside my heavy burden of fruit and firewood, I enjoyed the feeling of fresh blood streaming through every part of my body and fresh jungle air filling every corner of my lungs.
Resting motionless, I could see the sun through my closed eyelids, alone in the sky, as lonely as I, and as motionless and silent as everything else. The earth had surely stopped turning and somewhere on this planet there was supposed to be roaring traffic in busy streets. What a crazy, unbelievable thought!
Another coconut fell, to make the world come to a complete standstill. I had to roll over onto my stomach to feel that at least I could move and make noises. Then I found company. A little brown ant was struggling to find its way with a bit of dry straw through the jungle of leaves and grass below my nose. I wondered if I could give the little fellow a lift with its burden, but it showed not the slightest sign of tiredness and struggled on with all six legs, head first or head last, waving its feelers energetically as if the trip had just started. Who ever saw a tired ant? Tiredness, disagreeable tiredness, is restricted to hunted animals, slaves and modern man. It is as great an effort for an office clerk to walk five blocks with a loaded brief-case as it is for a jungle-dweller to cross a valley with a goat on his back. It is as hard to get up and climb or run when you have been seated for years as it is to get up and walk when you have been in bed for months. The body is strange. Spare it, and you get really tired for almost nothing; use it, and almost nothing makes you really tired.
I rose to my feet. I had heard a horse neighing down in the valley. Above me, on the open highland plains, there were wild horses. But down in the valley there was never a horse unless there was a man on it. Somebody was making his way up the valley and my wife was alone.
71．The author mentions coconuts’ falling to .
A．show his loneliness B．add beauty to the jungle
C．express his love of nature D．stress the absolute silence
72. What’s the right order of the following events?
① I heard a horse neighing down in the valley.
② I went to the jungle.
③ I found an ant carrying a bit of dry straw.
④ I lay on the ground to have a break.
⑤ I picked fruits and chopped firewood.
A. ②③⑤①④ B. ⑤③②④① C. ②⑤④③① D. ⑤④③②①
73．How does the author feel about the ant?
A．He admired its attitude toward work.
B．He was amazed at its tireless efforts.
C．He showed sympathy for the little ant.
D．He was content to have it as a companion.
74．It can be inferred from the last paragraph that the author would probably .
A．work harder than before B．talk to the man on the horse
C．make his way home D．stay in the valley
75．We can learn from the passage that the author .
A．enjoyed being alone B．experienced a world of quietness
C．missed his busy life in the city D．had an unforgettable adventure
Sports can help you keep fit and get in touch with nature．However, whether you are on the mountains, in the waves, or on the grassland, you should be aware that your sport of choice might have great influence on the environment.
Some sports are resource-hungry．Golf, as you may know, eats up not only large areas of countryside, but also tons of water．Besides, all sorts of chemicals and huge amounts of energy are used to keep its courses (球场) in good condition．This causes major environmental effects．For example, in the dry regions of Portugal and Spain, golf is often held responsible for serious water shortage in some local areas．
There are many environment-friendly sports．Power walking is one of them that you could take up today．You don’t need any special equipment except a good pair of shoes; and you don’t have to worry about resources and your purse．Simple and free, power walking can also keep you fit．If you walk regularly, it will be good for your heart and bones．Experts say that 20 minutes of power walking daily can make you feel less anxious, sleep well and have better weight control.
Whatever sport you take up, you can make it greener by using environment-friendly equipment and buying products made from recycled materials．But the final goal should be “green gyms”．They are better replacements for traditional health clubs and modern sports centers．Members of green gyms play sports outdoors, in the countryside or other open spaces．There is no special requirement for you to start your membership．And best of all, it’s free.
67．The author thinks the golf is resource-hungry because of the following EXCEPT that ________.
A．Golf wastes large areas of countryside
B．Golf runs out of much water
C．Golf is bad for people’s health
D．Keeping golf court in good condition needs too much energy
68．According to the passage, which of the following is an environment-friendly sport?
A．hiking in the hills B．swimming in the pool
C．playing basketball in the gym D．motor racing in the desert
69．The reason why the author uses power walking as an example mainly is that ________.
A．it improves our health B．it is an outdoor sport
C．it is recommended by experts D．it uses fewer resources
70．The passage is developed mainly by ________.
A．examples and explanation B．comparison and persuasion
C．facts and descriptions D．figures and conclusion