You are careful with your money: you collect all kinds of coupons; look for group-buy deals if you eat out; you don't buy clothes unless in a sale. Does all this make you a wise consumer?
Let's do the math first: you walk into a coffee shop and see two deals for a cup of coffee. The first deal offers 33 percent extra coffee. The second takes 33 percent off the  regular price. What's the better deal? Well, they are about the same, you'd think. And you'd be wrong. The deals appear to be equal, but in fact, they are different. Here's the math: Let's say the standard coffee is 10 yuan and let's divide the amount of coffee into three portions(部分). That makes about 3.3 yuan per portion, The first deal gets you 4 portions for 10 yuan (2.5 yuan per portion) and the second gets you 3 portions of coffee for 6.6 yuan (2.2 yuan per portion) and is therefore a better deal.
In a new study published by the Journal of Marketing, participants were asked the same question, and most of them chose the first deal, the Atlantic website reported. Why? Because getting something extra for free feels better than getting the same for less. The applications of this view into consumer psychology(心理) are huge. Instead of offering direct discounts, shops offer larger sizes or free samples.
According to the study, the reason why these marketing tricks work is that consumers don't really know how much anything should cost, so we rely on parts of our brains that  aren't strictly quantitative.
There are some traps we should be aware of when shopping. First of all, we are heavily influenced by the first number. Suppose you are shopping in Hong Kong. You walk into Hermes, and you see a 100,000 yuan bag. "That's crazy." You shake your head and leave. The next shop is Gucci, a handbag here costs 25,000 yuan. The price is still high, but compared to the 100,000 yuan price tag you just committed to your memory, this is a steal. Stores often use the price difference to set consumers' expectation.
Another trap we often fall to Is that we are not really sure what things are worth. And so we use clues(暗示) to tell us what we ought to pay for them. US economist Dan Ariely has done an experiment to prove this. According to the Atlantic, Ariely pretended he was giving a lecture on poetry. He told one group of students that the tickets cost money and another group that they would be paid to attend. Then he informed both groups that thelecture was free. The first group was anxious to attend, believing they were getting something of value for free. The second group mostly declined, believing they were being forced to volunteer for the same event without reward.
What's a lecture on poetry by an economist worth? The students had no idea. That's  the point. Do we really know what a shirt is worth ? What about a cup of coffee? What's the worth of a life insurance.policy? Who knows? Most of us don't. As a result, our shopping  brain uses only what is knowable:  visual(祝覺的) clues, invited emotions, comparisons, and  a sense of bargain. We are not stupid. We are just easily influenced.
小題1:The first paragraph of the passage is intended to      
A.a(chǎn)sk a questionB.introduce a topic
C.give some examplesD.describe a phenomenon
小題2:The writer takes the math for example in Paragraph 2 to show      .          _.
A.consumers usually fall into marketing traps
B.consumers' expectation is difficult to predict
C.consumers' purchasing power is always changing
D.consumers rely on their own judgment when shopping
小題3:What consumer psychology is mentioned in the passage?
A.The first number has little influence on which item should be bought.
B.Consumers never use visual clues to decide how much should be paid.
C.Getting something extra for free is better than getting the same for less.
D.Consumers never rely on parts of the brains that aren't strictly quantitative.
小題4:According to the passage, shops use the following tricks to make more profits EXCEPT         .  
A.showing price differencesB.offering larger sizes
C.providing free samplesD.giving direct discounts
小題5:What can we know from US economist Dan Ariely's experiment?
A.Ariely's free lecture enjoyed popularity among students.
B.The students actually didn't know what the lecture was worth.
C.The second group was willing to be volunteers without reward.
D.The first group was eager to find out the value of Ariely's lecture.

小題1:B
小題2:A
小題3:C
小題4:D
小題5:B

試題分析:
小題1:B 推理題。本文第一段的目的就是為了引出所要談?wù)摰倪@個(gè)話題,怎么樣才是一個(gè)明智的消費(fèi)者?第一段的作用是引起下文,故B正確。
小題2:A 推理題。第二段距了這樣的一個(gè)例子是為了說明很多的消費(fèi)者在購物的時(shí)候都沒有算清楚真正的那種方法更合理,容易犯錯(cuò)。故A正確。
小題3:C 細(xì)節(jié)題。根據(jù)第三段3,4行Why? Because getting something extra for free feels better than getting the same for less.說明C的說法正確。
小題4:D 細(xì)節(jié)題。根據(jù)文章列舉的多個(gè)例子可知商家給出了多種打折的方法,但是就是沒有給出直接的折扣,使用了一些其它的方法如數(shù)學(xué)方面來讓人很困惑,就是沒有給出直接的折扣。故D的說法正確。
小題5:B 細(xì)節(jié)題。根據(jù)文章最后一段1,2行What's a lecture on poetry by an economist worth? The students had no idea. That's  the point.說明B正確。學(xué)生并不清楚這個(gè)演講的真正價(jià)值。
點(diǎn)評:本文講述了在商家打折的時(shí)候所運(yùn)用的多種方法,最終的目的是讓消費(fèi)者不能理性消費(fèi),以實(shí)現(xiàn)他們盈利的目的?疾榱送评眍}和細(xì)節(jié)題為主,要求考生能根據(jù)文章中的細(xì)節(jié)和上下文的信息在根據(jù)題目中的隱含信息作出準(zhǔn)確的判斷推理。
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A.expectedB.a(chǎn)cceptedC.passedD.planned
小題2:
A.orB.butC.a(chǎn)ndD.so
小題3:
A.a(chǎn)boveB.a(chǎn)wayC.insideD.nearby
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A.hatedB.failedC.neededD.remembered
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A.pleasureB.truthC.helpD.a(chǎn)im
小題11:
A.gratefullyB.sadlyC.a(chǎn)ngrilyD.seriously
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小題14:
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D.people never have a chance to think about their own interest in choosing career.
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D.we learn English or some other foreign languages
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A.shows the government’s interest in new information
B.enables you to find out how hard-working these people are
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科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

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There is no doubt that we need calcium. Some anti-dairy supporters claim dairy products can lead to heart disease. Much of this claim is based on high-fat dairy products, like cheese and cream, which may indeed lead to some health problems. Some studies have linked high milk intakes with a risk of prostate cancer; this seems also to be caused by high-fat dairy products, but not by dairy products in general.
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科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

閱讀下面的短文,并根據(jù)短文后的要求答題。(請注意問題后的字?jǐn)?shù)要求)
[1] Learning to save money when you’re young is an important lesson. All good lessons and habits begin early, and saving is a skill that everyone needs. Many people---adults included-- do not have a good sense of saving for the long run.
[2] Make sure you save and don’t spend too much, which is a good way to build up wealth. I have put my earnings in a bank. Many teens I know spend all the money they earn so it never has a chance to grow. Young people should realize that their teenage years are a great time to begin saving.
[3] At high school many parents pay for almost everything, so your expenses can be small. If you have a lot , you should have fun with some of the money. But you should also save some so that it will grow. Then you can begin planning for your future.
[4] After high school, college is expensive and then “real” life begins, with expenses such as food and rent. You can hold on to a good percentage of the money you earn as a teen. The earlier      , the more time the money has to grow. If you are in your thirties without any savings, you will always have to struggle. The earlier you begin saving, the easier it is to create a nest egg.
[5]Later in life it can be hard to start saving because general costs of living are more expensive and you may only have enough to pay your bills. If you want to buy a house and have a family, you need money to start with, which comes from saving.
[6]Saving early will mean you will have to work for fewer years when you are older. It will also allow you to spend time doing the things that you want to do. In addition, it will mean you can live the way you want to without worrying.
小題1:What might be the purpose of the writer? (no more than10 words)
                                                                        
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小題3:What is the main idea of Paragraph 3?(no more than 12 words)
                                                                        
小題4:List three benefits of saving early according to the text.( no more than 30 words)
                                                                        
                                                                        
                                                                        
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科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

Old Computers Make for Unhappy Workers --- Survey
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"We do know that job satisfaction is falling in Britain and most advanced nations," said Stephen White, a researcher from the Work Foundation. "The actual reasons for this are the subject of very heated discussion. It's certainly one interesting theory that technology may be the cause of this in some way," White added.
A quarter of these using outdated computers in Britain said they were "quite" or "very dissatisfied" with their everyday job compared to the percent of those who had enjoyed an advantage from up-to-date technology.
The survey also said that among workers dealing with outdated equipment, there was a 35 percent greater probability they would take six or more days of sick leave per year compared with the average worker. In France, where more workers use old computers, the probability jumped to 55 percent.
Results also showed that women in the three countries were more likely to be using outdated equipment. In the UK, where more workers have up-to-date computers than in the other countries surveyed, the number of women using old equipment doubled that of men.
White pointed out that there were two sides to this problem, saying that continuously having to deal with new technology and equipment can also be a source of worry. "Old and faulty equipment is a major cause of office dissatisfaction. There is no question about it; but you also have to say that the frequent change of equipment is also, or could be, a main cause of dissatisfaction."
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A.16%B.25%C. 35%D.55%
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B.They do some of their work with computers.
C.Dealing with new equipment can cause anxiety.
D.They are easier to be satisfied with new technology.
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B.Research work of the Work Foundation
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科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解


Death Valley is a land of beautiful yet dangerous extremes. Death Valley can be dangerously cold during the winter months. Storms in the mountains can produce sudden flooding on the floor of the Valley.
The air temperature during the summer has been as high as fifty- seven degrees Celsius. The sun can heat the ground so that the temperature of the rocks and soil can be as high as seventy -four degrees Celsius.
Death Valley contains evidence of several ancient volcanoes that caused huge explosions. Evidence of one of these explosions is called Ubehebe Crater. The explosion left a huge hole in the ground almost a kilometer and a half wide. In many areas of Death Valley it is easy to see where the ground has been pushed up violently by movement deep in the Earth. This movement has created unusual and beautiful rock formations. Some are red. Others are dark brown, gray, yellow or black.
The area was named by a woman in 1849. Thousands of people from other parts of the ountry traveled to the gold mining areas in California. They were in a hurry to get there before other people did. One group trying to reach California decided to take a path called the Old Spanish Trail. By December they had reached Death Valley.  They did not have to survive the terrible heat of summer, but there was still an extreme lack of water. There were few plants for their work animals to eat.
The people could not find a pass through the tall mountains to the west of the Valley, Slowly, they began co suffer from a lack of food. To survive, they killed their work animals for food and began to walk out of the Valley. As they left, one woman looked back and said, "Good -bye, death valley. ” The name has never been changed.
Almost everyone who visits Death Valley visits a huge house called Scotty' s Castle. The building design is Spanish, with high thick walls to provide protection from the fierce heat.
The castle is named for Walter Scott , called Scotty. by his friends. He was a gold miner. He told everyone that he built the house with money he made from his gold mine. Many people believed him. But it was not really the truth.
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A.geography B.climate C.location D.size
小題2:The volcanoes mentioned in the third paragraph proved ________.
A.a(chǎn) valley that is formed by explosions B.a(chǎn) place where volcanoes are still active
C.a(chǎn) good example of the violence of nature D.a(chǎn) symbol of rock formations in history
小題3:The woman who named Death Valley intended to ________.
A.explore the mystery of the valley B.find an area with plants for animals
C.experience the terrible heat of summer D.look for gold in California
小題4:If the passage continues, it will be about ________.
A.the truth about Scotty's Castle B.why Spanish built the castle
C.when the castle was built D.where the castle lies in
小題5:The main idea of the passage is about ________.
A.the interesting place in Death Valley B.the facts about Death Valley
C.the origin of Death Valley D.the route to visit Death Valley

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