How can you build more word-of-mouth advertising (口碑廣告)? In other words, why would your customers want to talk to their friends about their experience of doing business with you?
When you perform your service or deliver your product competently (出色地),  you are just doing what the customer expects. In order to increase the number of the customers who want to share their good experience with their friends, you must make your service impressive, going beyond what is expected.   
Recently my daughter Dawn and I had lunch with my team members at the Campbell House. The food and service were truly excellent. My daughter asked for her leftovers (剩菜) to be packed. They were returned to her in aluminum foil (鋁箔) shaped like a swan(天鵝). Guess what she talked about when she got home? How much more do you think it cost the Campbell House to produce that “Wow!” experience? Answer —not a cent!   
Disneyland should be an inspiration to us all in providing a “Wow!” experience. What do people talk to their friends about when they come home? “You should have seen how clean that park was! With all of the people there, it’s unbelievable! There’s not even a gum wrapper on the ground!” Walt Disney understood that cleanliness is marketing.  
小題1:According to the passage, customers would like to share their good experience with their friends if ______.

A．what they need is provided on time

B．the price of the service is low enough

C．the service is better than they expected

D．the after-sale service is good enough

小題2:How did Dawn feel the moment she saw her packed leftovers?   

A．Disappointed and angry.	B．Excited and crazy.
C．Worried and unhappy.	D．Surprised and pleased.

小題3:By saying “Answer — not a cent!” the author seems to believe that ______.

A．it is always possible to satisfy all of the customers

B．sometimes it is easy to provide a good experience

C．most customers are easy to do business with

D．the service should be as cheap as possible

In the Netherlands，cycling isn't seen as eccrfriendly exercise; it's part of everyday life, as it's people's top choice to school and work. There are more bicycles than residents in the Netherlands. In cities like Amsterdam and The Hague, up to 70 percent of all journeys are made by bike.
So how did cycling become such a popular means of transportation in the European country?
In the 1970s, the Dutch government began to improve its cycling infrastructure（基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施）due to both a social movement demanding safer cycling condition for children and the oil crisis in the Middle East, when oil producing countries stopped their exports to Western Europe.
To make cycling safer and more appealing, the Dutch have built the widest cycling net- work in the world. The country has over 40，000 kilometers of bicycle lanes and paths，which are clearly marked. They have smooth surfaces，separate signs and lights for those on two wheels. The lanes are wide enough to allow side-by-side cycling and passing.
In many cities the bike lanes are completely segregated（隔離的）from motorized traffic. And in many traffic situations cyclists are given priority（優(yōu)先權(quán)）over drivers. Sometimes， where space is limited and both must share, you can see signs showing an image of a cyclist with a car behind accompanied by the words "Bike Street：Cars are guests".
As young people aren't allowed to drive alone until they are 18，cycling offers Dutch teen- agers an alternative form of freedom. The government also makes cycling training lessons a compulsory part of the Dutch school curriculum（課程）．
Bike parking facilities are ubiquitous in the country. Cyclists are accommodated in the way motorists are elsewhere. Take Groningen, a city in the northeastern part of the Netherlands，for example. The city's central train station has underground parking for 10，000 bikes.
小題1:We can conclude that in the Netherlands cycling is____．

A．regarded as eco-friendly exercise

B．thought of as part of people's life

C．looked on as a way to lose weight

D．considered as a way to entertain

小題2:What can we learn about the Netherlands from the first paragraph?

A．Most vehicles the Dutch use are buses.

B．The native people cycle the best in the world.

C．Everyone has one bike on average in the Netherlands.

D．The number of bikes is larger than the population there.

小題3:Which of the following made the government improve the cycling infrastructure?

A．A large number of bikes.

B．Hope for healthy life style.

C．People's preference to bikes.

D．Children's safety demand and lack of oil.

小題4:The underlined word "ubiquitous" in the last paragraph means“＿，，．

A．high quality

B．unique

C．very common

D．special

小題5:What does the Dutch government do about teenagers cycling?

A．It makes cycling covered by school education.

B．It encourages teenagers to cycle alone.

C．It will watch over teenagers who ride bikes.

D．It suggests teenagers cycling before driving.

Have you thought about what determines the way we are as we grow up? Remember the TV program Seven Up ? It started following the lives of a group of children in 1963. We first meet them as wide-eyed seven-year-olds and then catch up with them at seven-year intervals (間隔 )  : nervous  14-year-olds , serious  21-year-olds , then  grown-ups.
Some of the stories are inspiring ,others sad ,but what is interesting in almost all the cases is the  way  in which  the  children's early hopes and dreams are  shown  in their future lives, for example ,at seven ,Tony is a lively child who says he wants to become a sportsman or a taxi driver. When he grows up, he goes on to do both.  How about Nicki ,who says, "I'd like to find out about the moon. " and goes on to become a space scientist.  As a child, soft - spoken Bruce says he wants to help "poor children" and ends up teaching in India.
But if the lives of all the children had followed this pattern, the program would be far less interesting than it actually was. It was the children whose childhood did not prepare them for what was to come that made the program so inspiring. Where did their ideas come from about what they wanted to do when they grew up? Are children influenced by what their parents do ,by what they see on television ,or by what their teachers say? How great is the effect of a single important event? Many film directors ,including Stephen Spielberg ,say that an early visit to the cinema was the turning point in their lives.  Dr. Magaret  Mc Allister ,who has done a lot of research in this area ,thinks that the major influences are parents , friends and the wider society.
小題1:What does the text mainly discuss?

A．New ways to make a TV program interesting.

B．The importance of television programs to children.

C．Different ways to make childhood dreams come true.

D．The influence of childhood experience on future lives.

小題2:In the TV program Seven Up ,we can meet______.

A．different groups of people at different periods of their lives

B．different groups of people at the same period of their lives

C．the same group of people at different periods of their lives

D．the same group of people at the same period of their lives

小題3: What are the examples in paragraph 2 meant to show?

A．Many people's childhood hopes are related to their future jobs.

B．There are many poor children in India who need help.

C．Children have different dreams about their future.

D．A lot of people are very sad in their childhood.

小題4:Spielberg's story is meant to show that_______.

A．going to a movie at an early age helps a child learn about society

B．a(chǎn) single childhood event may decide what one does as a grown-up

C．parents and friends can help a child grow up properly

D．films have more influence on a child than teachers do

小題5:What does the writer think of the TV program?

A．Interesting.

B．Crazy.

C．Dull.

D．Serious.

Does style really sell? How can the appearance of a product be more important than what it does? The battle between form and function rose again when James Dyson, British inventor of the Dvson vacuum cleaner that has sold in millions around the world, resigned as chairman of London's Design Museum. It is widely believed that Mr. Dyson felt that the museum put too much stress on style at the expense of serious industrial design.
Mr. Dyson accused the museum of not keeping true to itself. He may be right, but these days, museums everywhere can no longer afford to be unique centers of scholarship and learning. Among competition for sponsorship, they must use exhibitions of populist culture, nice cafes and shops or, best of all, a new building by Frank Gehry to increase visitor numbers.
On the one hand, some producers can be too old-fashioned and too concerned with the importance of product engineering and the functionality of their goods. On the other hand, there are those who believe that how a product looks is more important. Design is indeed a broad term, involving both function and form. Typically, in any given product area, it changes from the former to the latter.  Clothing is a good example. But surely you would have to be a very shallow person to think something's appearance is more important than what it does.
Today nearly all goods at any given price point do much the same job. So almost the  only way producers can differentiate their products from those of their competitors is to create some sort of emotional connection with the consumer, which could be through the visual appeal of the product or its packaging, or the imagery(意象) created by advertising. And what of the Dyson vacuum cleaner? Mr. Dyson may believe that people buy these machines because of the graphs showing their superior suction, but most vacuum cleaners do a good job; the main reason people pay extra for a Dyson is that it is a vacuum cleaner with a fashionable  brand. With its inside workings exposed, it is a bit like a Richard Rogers building with all its pipes shown in bright colors on the outside instead of being hidden inside. Functional it may be, but it is a bit of a trick, too.
小題1:Mr. Dyson left the Design Museum because he thought the museum     .

A．didn't increase the number of visitors

B．couldn't provide scholarships for learners

C．wasn't loyal to its original purpose of learning

D．didn't have great appeal for serious industrial design

小題2:What can we learn from Paragraph 4 ?

A．A product with convenient packaging sells well.

B．The majority of consumers prefer to buy branded goods.

C．Most similarly priced products are of a comparable standard.

D．Emotion contributes much to the development of advertising industry.

小題3:The author believes that people buy the Dyson vacuum cleaner because      .

A．it has very good suction	B．it is fashionable
C．it sells well around the world	D．it is invented by James Dyson

小題4:What is the author's attitude towards the form of a product?

A．Optimistic.	B．Doubtful.
C．Disapproving.	D．Objective.

Do you want to love what you do for a living? Follow your passion. This piece of advice provides the foundation for modern thinking on career satisfaction. But this can be a problem.
I've spent the past several years researching and writing about the different strategies we use to seek happiness in our work. It became clear early in the process that the suggestion to “follow your passion” was flawed (有缺陷), for it lacks scientific evidence. However, it doesn't mean you should abandon the goal of feeling passionate about your work. The reality emphasizes that things are quite complicated.
Passion is earned. Different people are looking for different things in their work, but generally, people with satisfying careers enjoy some combination of the following features: autonomy，respect, competence, creativity, and a sense of impact. In other words，if you want to feel passionate about your livelihood，don't seek the perfect job，but seek to get more of these features in the job you already have.
Passion is elusive (難捉摸的). Many people develop the rare and valuable skills leading to passion, but still end up unhappy in their work. The problem is that the features leading you to love your work are more likely to be useful to you than your organization. As you become increasingly “valuable”，for example, your boss might push you toward traditional promotions that come with more pay and more responsibility, as this is what is most useful to your company. However, you might find more passion by applying your value to gain autonomy in your schedule or project selection.
Passion is dangerous. I've watched too many of my peers fall into anxiety and chronic(慢性的) job-hopping (跳槽) due to the “follow your passion” advice. The issue is expectations. If you believe we all have a pre-existing passion, and that matching it to a job will lead to instant workplace happiness, reality will always pale in comparison.
Work is hard. Not every day is fun. If you're seeking a dream job, you'll end up frustrated, again and again. Don't set out to discover passion. Instead, set out to develop it. This path might be longer and more complicated than what most cheerful career guides might advocate, but it's a path much more likely to lead you somewhere worth going.
小題1:People satisfied with their careers are _______.

A．a(chǎn)utonomous and passionate	B．creative and passionate
C．respectable and sensitive	D．creative and competent

小題2:What is the author's advice on achieving career satisfaction?

A．Figuring out early what one will do in the future.

B．Matching the pre-existing passion to one's work.

C．Developing passion for what one is doing.

D．Discovering skills that lead to interesting careers.

小題3: The underlined sentence in Para. 5 probably means that _______.

A．it is not easy to match our passion with our jobs

B．we shouldn't think everyone has a pre-existing passion

C．workplace happiness does not require a pre-existing passion

D．high expectations of passion in jobs bring disappointment

小題4:What's the author's attitude towards the advice of “following your passion”?

A．Disapproving.

B．Supportive.

C．Cautious.

D．Unclear.

WHEN there are some strangers in front of us, which of them will we trust?
According to a new study in the online PloS One (《公共科學(xué)圖書館·綜合》), people make their decisions to trust others largely based on their faces. Your appearance can do a lot for you, especially if you are in the financial industry. The more trustworthy you look, the more likely people will buy what you’re selling.
Researchers from Britain’s University of Warwick Business School, University College London, and Dartmouth College, US, did a number of experiments.
The research team used computer software to make 40 faces, from the least to the most trustworthy-looking.
The study said that the difference between a trustworthy face and one that isn’t as trustworthy comes from features that look slightly angry or slightly happy, even when the face is at rest. However, a slightly happy face is more likely to be trusted.
Researchers gave participants some money and asked them which face they trusted to invest the money for them. Then researchers gave some good and bad information about the people with these faces, and asked the participants again whom they trusted.
The results showed that even if they got different information, the participants didn’t change their choices. They were still more likely to invest their money with the more trustworthy-looking faces.
Chris Olivola, one of the study’s authors, said in the University of Warwick’s press release: “It seems we are still willing to go with our own instincts (本能) about whether we think someone looks like we can trust them. The temptation (誘惑) to judge strangers by their faces is hard to resist.”
小題1:Which of the following can be a proper title for this passage?

A．What kind of face do you trust?

B．Who did the experiments?

C．Why do you trust him or her?

D．Why did they do the experiments?

小題2:According to the study, which of the following faces is most likely to be trusted?

A．A sad face.

B．A smiling face.

C．A crying face.

D．An angry face.

小題3:Which of the following about the experiment is TRUE?

A．The trustworthy faces were given good information.

B．Researchers took photos of the 40 people’s faces in college.

C．Most participants gave their money to the trustworthy-looking faces.

D．Participants liked to choose the faces with good information.

小題4:What did the researchers learn from their experiment?

A．People can’t refuse temptations.

B．People always do things with their instincts.

C．People often judge strangers by their faces.

D．People don’t trust strangers with sad faces.

Kiss crisis, hug horrors and the UK's handshake headaches
Greeting someone, saying goodbye – these situations fill me with unease. You have a second to make a dangerous decision. One peck (輕吻)? Two pecks? Three? No kisses at all? Why, I think, as I crash into the other person’s face, why can’t it be as simple as a handshake?
A survey by the soap company Radox in May showed one in five Brits now feels a handshake is “too formal”, according to the Daily Mail. Some 42 percent said they never shook hands when greeting friends. For one third of people the alternative was a hug, for 16 percent a kiss on the cheek.
British people are known to be reserved (保守的) – unfriendly, some would say. Handshakes used to work for us because we didn’t have to get too close. But the super-British handshake is no longer fashionable. We want to be more like our easygoing Mediterranean neighbors who greet each other with kisses and hugs.
The trouble is, we still find it a bit awkward. What does a married man do when greeting a married female friend, for example? How should someone younger greet someone older?
Guys don’t tend to kiss one another; my male friends in Britain go for the “manly hug”, taking each other stiffly (不自然地) in one arm and giving a few thumps on the back with words like “Take it easy, yeah?”.
The biggest questions, if you do decide to kiss, are how many times and which cheek first. Unlike the French, who comfortably deliver three, our cheek-pecks usually end in embarrassed giggling (咯咯笑): “Oh, gosh, sorry, I didn’t mean to kiss you on the lips, I never know where to aim for first!”
But then it’s never been easy for us poor, uncomfortable Brits. Even the handshake had its problems: don’t shake too hard, but don’t hold the other person’s hand too limply (無力地) either, and definitely don’t go in with sweaty hands.
Maybe it’s better to leave it at a smile and a nod.  
小題1:What is the article mainly about?

A．Origin of the traditional British way of greeting someone.

B．New trends and problems that Brits have with the way they greet people.

C．Why the author feels uneasy when greeting someone or saying goodbye.

D．Differences in greetings between Britain and other Western countries.

小題2:What did the survey by the soap company Radox show?

A．It is now considered unfriendly to greet friends with a handshake in Britain.

B．A kiss on the cheek is becoming the most popular form of greeting in Britain.

C．Most Brits no longer offer to shake hands with those they meet.

D．More and more Brits prefer to be greeted with a hug or kiss.

小題3:The underlined word “awkward” in paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to ______.

A．not helpful

B．too informal

C．quite embarrassed

D．very interesting

小題4:Which does the author think might be the safest form of greeting for a British person?

A．A hug.

B．A smile and a nod.

C．A handshake.

D．A kiss on the cheek.

小題5:Who wrote the article?

A．A British writer.

B．An American writer.

C．A French writer.

D．A Chinese writer.

Advertisers tend to think big and perhaps this is why they’re always getting criticism. Their critics（批評(píng)家）seem to resent（對(duì)...不滿） them because they have a gift for self-promotion and because they have so much money to throw around. ‘It’s unjust,’ they say, ‘that this entirely unproductive industry (if we can call it that) should absorb millions of pounds each year. It only goes to show how much profit the big companies are making. Why don’t they stop advertising and reduce the price of their goods? After all, it’s the consumer who pays…’
The poor old consumer! He’d have to pay a great deal more if advertising didn’t create mass markets for products. It is precisely because of the heavy advertising that consumer goods are so cheap. But we get the wrong idea if we think the only purpose of advertising is to sell goods. Another equally important function is to inform. A great deal of the knowledge we have about household goods comes largely from the advertisements we read. Advertisements introduce us to new products or remind us of the existence of ones we already know about. Supposing you wanted to buy a washing machine, it is more than likely you would obtain details regarding performance, price, etc., from an advertisement.
Lots of people pretend that they never read advertisements, but this claim may be seriously doubted. It is hardly possible not to read advertisements these days. And what fun they often are, too! Just think what a railway station or a newspaper would be like without advertisements. Would you enjoy gazing at a blank wall or reading railway byelaws(內(nèi)部規(guī)則) while waiting for a train? Would you like to read only closely printed columns of news in your daily paper? A cheerful, witty advertisement makes such a difference to a dull wall or a newspaper full of the daily ration(定量) of disasters.
We must not forget, either, that advertising makes a positive contribution to our pockets. Newspapers, commercial radio and television companies could not survive without this source of revenue（收益）. The fact that we pay so little for our daily paper or can enjoy so many broadcast programs is due entirely to the money spent by advertisers. Just think what a newspaper would cost if we had to pay its full price!
Another thing we mustn’t forget is the ‘small ads.’ which are in virtually every newspaper and magazine.  What a tremendously useful service they perform for the community! Just about anything can be accomplished through these columns. For instance, you can find a job, buy or sell a house, announce a birth, marriage or death in what used to be called the ‘hatch（giving birth）, match and dispatch’ column but by far the most fascinating section is the personal or ‘a(chǎn)gony’ column（讀者來信專欄）. No other item in a newspaper provides such entertaining reading or offers such a deep insight into human nature. It’s the best advertisement for advertising there is!
小題1:What is main idea of this passage?

A．Advertisements.

B．Advertisements bring fun to readers.

C．Advertisers perform a useful service to communities.

D．The costs of advertisements.

小題2:The attitude of the author toward advertisers is             

A．a(chǎn)ppreciative.

B．trustworthy.

C．critical

D．dissatisfactory.

小題3:Why do the critics criticize advertisers?

A．Because advertisers often brag(自夸).

B．Because critics think advertisement is a “waste of money”.

C．Because customers are encouraged to buy more than necessary.

D．Because customers pay more.

小題4:Which of the following is Not True?

A．Advertisement makes contribution to our pockets and we may know everything.

B．We can buy what we want.

C．Good quality products don’t need to be advertised.

D．Advertisement makes our life colorful.

The issue of privacy versus openness is a paradox, particularly when it comes to the American home. “Lots” or “yards” (gardens) can be large and many are not enclosed by the walls, fences or hedges so popular in other cultures. Similarly, “window treatments” frame the window. but the use of European-style net curtains to screen out nosy neighbors is rare. In the same style, first-time visitors to an American home may be proudly given the full tour; even walk-in closets and en suite bathrooms are not considered off-limits. They may also be encouraged to help themselves to a soda from the fridge. All this gives an impression of openness.
Yet Americans do value their personal space and privacy. A Brazilian expatriate (僑民) who dropped in on her usually friendly Connecticut neighbors unannounced got the clear impression she should have called first. Similarly while a typical suburban home features large, shared areas, such as an open-plan kitchen and family room or “den”, ample private space is also allowed in the floor plan. A visit to a family home in the evening would likely find the family members dispersed, each independently watching TV, on the phone, surfing the Internet, or otherwise recharging batteries in the privacy of their own bedroom.
American individualism, expansiveness, and abundance are expressed in lifestyle. Despite the fact that the average household size has declined over the past thirty years from3.1 people to 2.6 people per household, the average size of a new family home increased during the same period from 1,500 to 2,200 square feet.
A common observation is just how outsized everything is. The beds are king-sized, the TVs have giant screens, the burgers are “whoppers (龐然大物),” appliances are “industrial” size. The largest popcorn or soda at the movies can be “supersized.” Closets are “walk in,” and some cars are the size of a military vehicle.
小題1:The passage suggests that Americans__________.

A．a(chǎn)re rich enough to afford large size houses and luxurious electricity appliances

B．a(chǎn)re very shy when talking about keeping their privacy and their personal space

C．would like to express their lifestyles in public to show them off

D．enjoy openness as well as individualism although they seem to contradict each other

小題2:Why can we say that American individualism, expansiveness, and abundance are expressed in their lifestyle?

A．Because the average size of a new house has increased during the past thirty years.

B．Because Americans often use European-style net curtains to screen out nosy neighbors.

C．Because many houses are equipped with walk-in closets.

D．Because the house size, outsized household furniture and independent living habits have proved it.

小題3:The underlined phrase in the passage means________.

A．filling a battery with electrical power

B．recovering your strength and energy by resting for a while

C．changing your batteries again

D．obtaining new batteries because old ones are running out

小題4:According to the passage, if you drop in on an American family which is usually friendly to you in the evening, you________.

A．will be deeply impressed by their family get-together scene

B．will be invited to a party which is well-prepared

C．will find family members scattered, and enjoying themselves individually

D．will be warmly welcomed even if they don’t get informed of your visit earlier

Endless playing of songs like All I Want For Christmas in shops during the festive season doesn’t just drive us mad—the songs also make us more careless with our money, research has warned.
While repeated performance of Jingle Bells may seem like an innocent attempt to raise customers’ spirits during the nightmare of Christmas shopping, the songs also have a more delicate impact.
“Background music, or ‘muzak’, can be used by marketers to impose cultures—such as the commercialization of Christmas—onto consumers and influence their behaviour, ”experts said.
Dr. Alan Bradshaw of Royal Holloway, University of London, said, “Festive jingles are force-fed to Christmas shoppers in a bid to change their mood, influence their sense of time and what sort of products they buy. In other words, this is an attempt to control your shopping habits in a way that you might hardly be aware of.”
“Often we are told that we have the freedom to choose where we want to shop, but during Christmas the use of music in this way is so common that our freedom to choose disappears.”
Dr. Bradshaw and Prof Morris Holbrook of Columbia University examined the phenomenon and found that retailers often “dumb down” the music played in shops to relax customers, meaning it is easier to control their behaviour.
It is thought that slowing down the rhythm of music in shops can trick customers into thinking less time has passed, and therefore spend more time examining the shelves, for example.
Some providers of background music have been known to promote their services by claiming they can boost profits by controlling the behaviour of customers.
“A common trick is to take a popular current song and record an instrumental version which can be slowed down or sped up at different time of the day to influence behaviour in different ways,” Dr Bradshaw said.
Background music is often classed as “Muzak” in honor of the Seattle-based company which began producing its soft-sounding melodies in the 1930s.
小題1:According to Dr. Bradshaw, in what ways does Christmas music influence customers?
①their mood ②their income ③their sense of time ④the sort of products they buy

A．①②③

B．①③④

C．②③④

D．①②④

小題2:Shopkers slow down the rhythm of music in shops to__________.

A．let customers spend more time shopping

B．make customers and sales assistants relaxed

C．let customers enjoy the beautiful music

D．help customers find what they really want

小題3:What kind of music is now often adapted to influence customers in shops?

A．Classical music.	B．Popular modern songs.
C．Folk songs.	D．Jazz music.