I’m sorry that what I said just now has hurt you, but I didn’t do it _____.

A．deliberately       B．actually           C．carelessly         D．eagerly

 

Circus tigers, although they have been tamed, can _____ attack their trainer.

A．unexpectedly	B．deliberately
C．reluctantly	D．subsequently

 

We might like to think we're not influenced by other people, but a new study into the group-buying mechanisms（机制） - like those used on coupon（优惠券） sites such as Groupon and LivingSocial - reveals that telling buyers who come later to the offer how many have already signed up increases the number of purchasers.

Researchers at the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management wanted to understand why group buying sites that have entered the market recently have enjoyed greater success than those operating a decade ago, such as Mercata and MobShop.

Earlier attempts typically left potential buyers waiting for days before confirming whether or not they had got the offer they had signed up for.

“We think one of the reasons group-buying has been successful recently is because of the short time horizon,” says Rotman Professor Ming Hu, who co-wrote the study with Professor Mengze Shi and PhD student Jiahua Wu. “It allows for a herding effect.”

Another reason is the use of an information structure that discloses to later arrivals how many have already signed onto the deal.

Researchers looked at two ways of designing the purchasing mechanism for a group buy:a simultaneous mechanism, where no one knows how many buyers have come before them, and asequential（连续的） mechanism, where a second group of buyers has the advantage of knowing the size of the first group.

The researchers' analytical（分析的） model shows the most successful mechanism is the sequential one because it eliminates uncertainty for those coming later to the deal, and improves the confidence of those who sign on early, as they're able to track the numbers of those who come after them.

“That boosts confidence,” says Professor Hu, who teaches operations management. Deals for "luxury" services, versus everyday items, work better in a group buy scenario（方案） because they offer consumers a greater benefit.

1.It can be learned from the text that ______.

A．the short time horizon is the reason why group-buying has been successful.

B．a simultaneous mechanism is where a group of buyers has the advantage of knowing how many people have signed up.

C．a sequential mechanism allows a herding effect which boosts the confidence of the buyers.

D．researchers at the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management carried out an experiment about why group buying sites entered the market successfully, such as Mercata and MobShop.

2.The underlined word “eliminates” in paragraph 7 probably means“______”.

A．to become or to make something greater in amount, number, value

B．to remove or get rid of something

C．to deliberately not include something in what you are doing or considering

D．to make something known to somebody

3.What can be the best title for the passage?

A．Secret for marketing success – boosting confidence.

B．Secret for group-buying mechanism—herding effect.

C．Comparison between a simultaneous mechanism and a sequential mechanism.

D．What others do influences our decisions.

 

       Habits are a funny thing. We reach for them mindlessly, setting our brains on auto-pilot and relaxing into the unconscious comfort of familiar routine. “Not choice, but habit rules the unreflecting creatures,” William Wordsworth said in the 19th century. In the ever-changing 21st century, even the word “habit” carries a negative meaning.

So it seems contradictory to talk about habits in the same context as innovation (创新). But brain researchers have discovered that when we consciously developnew habits, we create parallel paths, and even entirely new brain cells, that can jump our trains of thought onto new, innovative tracks.

       Rather than dismissing ourselves as unchangeable creatures of habit, we can instead direct our own change by consciously developing new habits. In fact, the more new things we try, the more creative we become.

       But don’t bother trying to kill off old habits; once those ruts of procedure are worn into the brain, they’re there to stay. Instead, the new habits we deliberately press into ourselves create parallel pathways that can bypass those old roads.

       “The first thing needed for innovation is attraction to wonder,” says Dawna Markova, author of The Open Mind. “But we are taught instead to ‘decide’, just as our president calls himself ‘the Decider’．” She adds, however, that “to decide is to kill off all possibilities but one. A good innovational thinker is always exploring the many other possibilities.”

       “All of us work through problems in ways of which we’re unaware,” she says. Researchers in the late 1960s discovered that humans are born with the ability to approach challenges in four primary ways: analytically, procedurally, collaboratively (合作地) and innovatively. At the end of adolescence, however, the brain shuts down half of that ability, preserving only those ways of thought that have seemed most valuable during the first decade or so of life.

       The current emphasis on standardized testing highlights analysis and procedure, meaning that few of us use our innovative and collaborative ways of thought. “This breaks the major rule in the American belief system — that anyone can do anything,” explains M. J. Ryan, author of the 2006 book This Year I Will…and Ms. Markova’s business partner. “That’s a lie that we have preserved, and it fosters (促进，培养) commonness. Knowing what you’re good at and doing even more of it creates excellence.” This is where developing new habits comes in.

Brain researchers have discovered that      .

       A．the forming of new habits can be guided

       B．the development of habits can be predicted

       C．the regulation of old habits can be transformed

       D．the track of new habits can be created unconsciously

The underlined word “ruts” in Paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to       .

       A．zones              B．connections      C．situations       D．tracks

Which of the following statements most probably agrees with Dawna Markova’s view?

       A．Decision makes no sense in choices.

       B．Curiosity makes creative minds active.

       C．Creative ideas are born of a relaxing mind.

       D．Formation of innovation comes from fantastic ideas.

The purpose of the author writing this article is to persuade us       .

       A．to give up our traditional habits deliberately

       B．to create and develop new habits consciously

       C．to resist the application of standardized testing

       D．to believe that old habits conflict with new habits

Another person’s enthusiasm was what set me moving toward the success I have achieved．That person was my stepmother．

       I was nine years old when she entered our home in rural Virginia．My father    36    me to her with these words: “I would like you to meet the fellow who is    37    for being the worst boy in this county and will probably start throwing rocks at you no    38    than tomorrow morning．”

       My stepmother walked over to me,    39    my head slightly upward, and looked me right in the eye．Then she looked at my father and replied, “You are    40   ．This is not the worst boy at all,    41    the smartest one who hasn’t yet found an outlet（释放的途径）for his enthusiasm.”

       That statement began a（n）   42    between us．No one had ever called me smart. My family and neighbors had built me up in my    43    as a bad boy．My stepmother changed all that．

       She changed many things．She    44    my father to go to a dental school, from which he graduated with honors．She moved our family into the county seat, where my father’s career could be more    45    and my brother and I could be better    46   ．

       When I turned fourteen, she bought me a secondhand    47    and told me that she believed that I could become a writer．I knew her enthusiasm, I    48    it, and I saw how it had already improved our lives．I accepted her    49    and began to write for local newspapers．I was doing the same kind of    50    that great day I went to interview Andrew Carnegie and received the task which became my life’s work later．I wasn’t the    51    beneficiary （受益者）．My father became the    52    man in town．My brother and stepbrothers became a physician, a dentist, a lawyer, and a college president．

       What power    53    has! When that power is released to support the certainty of one’s purpose and is    54    strengthened by faith, it becomes an irresistible（不可抗拒的）force which poverty and temporary defeat can never    55   ．

       You can communicate that power to anyone who needs it．This is probably the greatest work you can do with your enthusiasm．

A．rushed              B．sent                    C．carried               D．introduced

A．distinguished       B．favored               C．mistaken            D．rewarded

A．sooner              B．later                          C．longer                D．earlier

A．dragged           B．shook                 C．raised                 D．bent

A．perfect            B．right                   C．wrong                D．impolite

A．but               B．so                       C．and                    D．or

A．agreement        B．friendship           C．gap                    D．relationship

A．opinion           B．image                 C．expectation            D．mind

A．begged         B．persuaded            C．ordered              D．invited

A．successful        B．meaningful          C．helpful               D．useful

A．treaded            B．entertained          C．educated             D．respected

A．camera            B．radio                  C．bicycle               D．typewriter

A．considered         B．suspected            C．ignored                  D．appreciated

A．belief              B．request                C．criticism             D．description

A．teaching          B．writing               C．studying             D．reading

A．next                 B．same                   C．only                   D．real

A．cleverest          B．wealthiest            C．strongest            D．healthiest

A．enthusiasm          B．sympathy           C．fortune               D．confidence

A．deliberately         B．happily               C．traditionally          D．constantly

A．win                 B．match                 C．reach                 D．doubt