Winning the lottery (彩票) is not the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow for many past winners. Sad stories do exist in large numbers for the past lottery winners and that's why some financial experts say "70 percent of lottery winners will squander away (乱花) winning within a few years." Some end up losing all within two years, family relationships destroyed or even worse.
Wayne Schenk was an old soldier diagnosed with lung cancer. When he won a million dollars in a lottery he thought his troubles were over and he would get the advanced medical treatment that might save his life. But Lottery officials refused to pay him the total sum in a single payment and they said they could not make an exception to the regulations. When Schenk died in 2007, he'd only received one payment of $34,000.
Another lottery winner, Billy Bob Harrell, Jr. killed himself two years after winning 31 million dollars in the Texas lottery in 1997.He'd spent large amounts of money and given large amounts away, but he didn't end me expected peace that should have come with the freedom of money.
Other lottery winners have ended up in prison for crimes. Many suffer bankruptcy (破产) after the big jackpot (头奖) is spent and given away, including some of the eight people who won the 365 million Powerball in 2006.
The examples given paint a sad picture of what can happen if you win a big lottery jackpot, but fortunately, these examples don't tell the stories of all jackpot winners.What is the main idea of the first paragraph?
| A．Most lottery winners use up money quickly. |
| B．Most lottery winners don't really end up well. |
| C．Winning lottery means relationships destroyed. |
| D．Financial experts are against the lottery industry. |
Why did lottery officials refuse to give Wayne Schenk the million dollars in one payment?
| A．He was diagnosed with lung cancer. |
| B．He was unwilling to give away his money. |
| C．They had to observe the official rules. |
| D．They didn't want to disturb his peace. |
The author supports his main idea by ____.
| A．giving examples | B．making comparisons |
| C．listing numbers | D．listing reasons |
In the following paragraph, the author will probably talk about_____.
| A．advice given by financial experts |
| B．happy stories of the lottery winners |
| C．conclusion drawn by the author |
| D．regulations about lottery winning |
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 researchers, that customers receiving good service will promote business by telling up to 12 other people; those treated badly tell 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 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 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 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 names, 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 regular. |
| 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 be 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 air lines then for banks. |
One evening in February 2007, a student named Paula Ceely brought her car to a stop on a remote road in Wales. She got out to open a metal gate that blocked her path. That's when she heard the whistle sounded by the driver of a train. Her Renault Clio was parked across a railway line. Seconds later, she watched the train drag her car almost a kilometre down the railway tracks.
Ceely's near miss made the news because she blamed it on her GPS (导航仪). She had never driven the route before. It was dark and raining heavily. Ceely was relying on her GPS, but it made no mention of the crossing. "I put my complete trust in the device and it led me right into the path of a speeding train." she told the BBC.
Who is to blame here? Rick Stevenson, who tells Ceely's story in his book When Machines Fail Us, points the finger at the limitations of technology. We put our faith in digital devices, he says, but our digital helpers are too often not up to the job. They are filled with small problems. And it's not just GPS devices: Stevenson takes us on a tour of digital disasters involving everything from mobile phones to wireless keyboards.
The problem with his argument in the book is that it's not clear why he only focuses on digital technology, while there may be a number of other possible causes. A map-maker might have left the crossing off a paper map. Maybe we should blame Ceely for not paying attention. Perhaps the railway authorities are at fault for poor signalling system. Or maybe someone has studied the relative dangers and worked out that there really is something specific wrong with the GPS equipment. But Stevenson doesn't say.
It's a problem that runs through the book. In a section on cars, Stevenson gives an account of the advanced techniques that criminals use to defeat computer-based locking systems for cars. He offers two independent sets of figures on car theft; both show a small rise in some parts of the country. He says that once again not all new locks have proved reliable. Perhaps, but maybe it's also due to the shortage of policemen on the streets. Or changing social circumstances. Or some combination of these factors.
The game between humans and their smart devices is amusing and complex. It is shaped by economics and psychology and the cultures we live in. Somewhere in the mix of those forces there may be a way for a wiser use of technology.
If there is such a way, it should involve more than just an awareness of the shortcomings of our machines. After all, we have lived with them for thousands of years. They have probably been fooling us for just as long.What did Paula Ceely think was the cause of her accident?
| A．She was not familiar with the road. |
| B．It was dark and raining heavily then. |
| C．The railway workers failed to give the signal. |
| D．Her GPS device didn't tell her about the crossing. |
The phrase "near miss" (Paragraph 2) can best be replaced by ________.
| A．close hit | B．heavy loss |
| C．narrow escape | D．big mistake |
Which of the following would Rick Stevenson most probably agree with?
| A．Modern technology is what we can't live without. |
| B．Digital technology often falls short of our expectation. |
| C．Digital devices are more reliable than they used to be. |
| D．GPS error is not the only cause for Ceely's accident. |
In the writer's opinion, Stevenson's argument is ________.
| A．one-sided | B．reasonable | C．puzzling | D．well-based |
What is the real concern of the writer of this article?
| A．The major causes of traffic accidents and car thefts. |
| B．The relationship between human and technology. |
| C．The shortcomings of digital devices we use. |
| D．The human unawareness of technical problems. |
For five days, Edmonton’s Downtown Park is transformed into one huge stage where artists are able to share their talents, and where people are able to celebrate and enjoy themselves .Since is beginning in 1980,the Edmonton Folk Music Festival has been commemorating(念）the ture feeling of what folk music is all about and that's the traditional togetherness(友爱）that is felt when people gather to share stories and feelings through song.
This year will be the sixth year when volunteer Riedel will be offering up her time to the festival. "People coming off a busy spring and summer have a moment of relaxation ," Riedel said. "It's really east to relax, and it's great seeing family and friends have fun together." These families and friends come from all different kinds of musical tastes. People who take pleasure in Blues are there, so are people who love Bluegrass. This festival does its best to develop everyone's musical interests.
With so many years of expenence .the festival has become a well-oiled machine, and does whatever it can to make attendees feel as possible. There are free water stations throughout the venue(举办地）for people to fill up their travel cups. When people buy food, reusable ashes are given a $2 plate fee, but that is returned when the plate is brought back.
The festival has completely sold out of tickets, and in record time. But with big names such as Van Morrison and Jakob Dylan, it’s easy to see how that was going to happen. There is no parking area during the festival, so using the Park & Ride system or Edmonton Transit is highly recommended. A bike lock-up area is provided and will be available Thursday until Sunday one hour before the gates open until 45 minutes after the gates close.
The Edmonton Folk Music Festival begins on Wednesday, Aug.4 with Van Morrison playing the special donation fund （基金）concert, and will finish up on Sunday, Aug.8.The Edmonton Folk Music Festival is held mainly to ___________.
| A．gather people with different musical tastes |
| B．remind people of the real sense of folk music |
| C．exhibitive good voices of great talents in folk music |
| D．collect old stories of folk music |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Riedel has volunteered for the festival for at least 5years. |
| B．It’s hard for people to appreciate Blues. |
| C．It costs people a little to fill up their cups from water stations. |
| D．People have to pay ﹩2 for a plate of food. |
We can learn from the passenger that____.
| A．people can get tickets easily for the festival |
| B．the Edmonton Folk Music Festival is highly recommended. |
| C．driving one’s own car to the festival is highly recommended |
| D．bikes are available at the festival from Wednesday to Sunday |
What would the best title for the passenger?
| A．Folk Music of Blues |
| B．One Festival Family Gathering |
| C．Festival for family Gathering |
| D．Edmonton’s Downtown Park |
More American people take their troubles with them on holiday, according to a new survey. Although 40 percent said that the main reason for going away is to escape pressure from work, almost all said they worry more than they do at home. Only four in every 100 said that they are happy and free of care.
The most common worry is burglary(入室盗窃), with four out of 10 worrying about their homes being broken into while they’re abroad. More than a quarter fear they will feel crazy with some other noisy and rough holiday-makers and 22 percent worry they may be attacked or their possessions will be missing. One in five think the car may break down, and the same number worry about the chances of bad weather.
The survey also showed that the stay-at-home Americans are no more. Three out of every five want to have a holiday abroad, a great increase from the figures only three years ago. The hotel holiday is still a winner, with about one third of all Americans preferring to go on a self-catering(自助) holiday.The underlined word “survey” in the first paragraph most probably means _______.
| A．research | B．review | C．exhibition | D．examination |
according to the text, about _____ of people worry more on holiday than when they are at home.
| A．25% | B．40% | C．80% | D．95% |
The third most common worry of American holiday-makers is that they may______.
| A．be attacked or lose their possessions |
| B．have problems with their cars on the road |
| C．have bad weather on holiday |
| D．get mixed with some rough fellow holiday-makers |
Where do American holiday-makers like to stay most?
| A．At a hotel. | B．In a quiet place. |
| C．At a friend’s house. | D．Where they can cook for themselves. |
There are two kinds of physical activity which require special training. The first demands exact careful movements of the muscles. This kind of activity must be strictly controlled because even a slight movement in the wrong direction will lead a mistake. To type quickly, for example, a person needs training; the slightest movement of a finger in the wrong direction may cause a spelling mistake. A dancer who has to dance on the point of her shoes or turn around on one foot must be trained for a long period of time before she can sense her own center and balance herself. You may have seen a girl walking on a rope across an empty space, which, too, requires a lot of practice.
The second kind of physical activity needs greater strength or extra effort. Most of us get tired if we try to run half a mile without stopping, but a specially-trained person can do this without much effort. Three years ago, some scientists carried out experiments, which produced meaningful and unexpected results. They wanted to find out whether a certain amount of physical exercise would injure those suffering from heart problems. They selected some male patients and trained them in continuous bicycle riding. They were surprised to find that the harmful effect of given amount of physical effort was actually less on the hearts of these trained patients than on those of the patients who were not similarly trained. This is important because it shows that regular physical exercise enables us to make better use of the oxygen we breathe in and that this training, in fact, reduces the amount of work our hearts do. Many tasks which are hard for untrained people are not hard at all for trained people.The first kind of physical activity must be strictly controlled because _________.
| A．a mistake in the wrong direction is dangerous to the fingers |
| B．a wrong movement in a direction will cause no mistakes |
| C．a movement in the wrong direction will cause a mistake |
| D．a slight movement of a finger will lead to a mistake |
What must a dancer do before she can balance herself?
| A．She must dance on the point of her shoes. |
| B．She must receive long-time training. |
| C．She must turn around on one foot. |
| D．She must perform again and again. |
The experiments done by some scientists showed that ________.
| A．some male patients were asked to ride bicycles regularly in the experiments |
| B．the physical exercise had more harmful effect on the hearts of the untrained patients |
| C．the physical exercise was harmless to the male patients with heart trouble |
| D．the physical exercise could be helpful for the patients to take in more oxygen |
What would be the best title for this text?
| A．Training Our Bodies | B．Physical Activities |
| C．Movement Training | D．Extra Body Effort |