Like many men at some point, I dream about opening a bar. I plan to call it Work Out. It will cater to married women in need of a little fun. On Friday nights, they will be able to come here and enjoy themselves.

See, I have a gift for business. I am, as my wife Zsa Zsa likes to note, “A man with a million ideas, none of them very good.” Speaking of Zsa Zsa, she is fed up with this plain little life I’ve made for us——too many kids, too many chores, mind – numbing debt. The other day, she said she thought we needed a new family car. “Sure. How about an 87 Lincoln?” I said, and saw my dear Zsa Zsa age about 20 years, and become her mother right before my eyes.

Yes, money is our madness. Last year, we thought we had found a little cushion when I published a book about the life here in suburban America. It sold 12 copies——six of them to my mother. Four other copies went to various aunts and uncles, who used them for martini coasters (杯垫), then sold them at yard sales. The two remaining copies went to perfect strangers. (I think I owe you dinner, whoever you are. Call me, OK? We’ll arrange something.)

When the book didn’t take off, I wrote a TV show. Then I penned a short novel based on the earlier TV idea that didn’t sell. Currently, I am at work on a set of encyclopedias(百科全书). In a month, I plan to sell them door – to – door.

Such is the life of a writer, sending off the most personal thoughts possible to his hard drive. I am a writer, but also the breadwinner in my family. I’m at the keyboard at 6 almost every morning, hoping to tap out one idea——just one——that will take us up the hill, to the mountain, to the top.

1.According to the passage, the author is leading a/an         life.

A．enjoyable         B．wealthy           C．hard             D．comfortable

2.By saying “Sure. How about an 87 Lincoln?”, the author          .

A．promised it to his wife                    B．was showing off their fortune

C．thought his wife would like it               D．was just joking

3.What was the result of the book the author mentioned in the 3rd paragraph?

A．It didn’t sell well at all.

B．He sold it door – to – door.

C．He made a lot of money from it.

D．It was really a cushion for his family.

4.What does the underlined word “cushion” mean ?

A．Comfortable seat.

B．Financial help.

C．Unexpected success.

D．Best-selling book.

5.From the account above, which of the following statements is true?

A．He has a real gift for business.

B．He isn’t serious enough about life.

C．He is a hard – working writer.

D．His wife is satisfied with their plain life.

Every year Chris Brogan posts his three words for a new year．I and many others have followed his lead for the past three or four years．They helped me a lot．My words for last year were “passion”，“focus” and “delegate” and I stayed true to them．This year，2012，my goals are more personal and less professional．

FOCUS

　　　 Focus is making a repeat appearance on my list this year because I’m too much of a multitasker．The problem is that I have trouble finishing one thing with so many things calling me． When I was working as a writer，all my projects were handled via a schedule，which kept me organized．This year I’m going to have each task scheduled．I’m putting a fitness and housekeeping routine into my schedule．

HEALTH

　　　 I get so busy taking care of everyone else，I forget to take care of myself and this has to change． My health suffers and my weight suffers．I have to get my health in check，not only for me-but because I promised my 9-year-old son．I’ll make sure to take time to exercise every day and make good food and lifestyle choices．I miss being thin，and it’s time to get it back．

CELEBRATE

　　　 What good is having it all if I’m not taking time to enjoy it？I have a wonderful job，a happy family，and so much to be thankful for．So how come I spend all my time working? Last summer my family took our first vacation in four years，the best thing I’ve done for myself and my family in a long time．This year，I’m making sure to take time to enjoy life and celebrate its many blessings．

　　　 Do you have any words for 2012？

63．The underlined word “multitasker" probably refers to a person who________.

　　　 A．makes a living by writing

　　　 B．always fails to finish a task on time

　　　 C．has several things to do at the same time

　　　 D．pays more attention to fitness and housekeeping

64．Why does the writer have “health” as one of his three words？

　　　 A．He wants to take better care of others． 　 B．He’s gaining weight and feeling bad．

　　　 C．He did not take any exercise in the past． D．He got the idea from his son．

65．What can we learn from the passage？

　　　 A．The word “celebrate” can remind the writer to enjoy life．

　　　 B．The writer has a vacation with his family every four years．

　　　 C．The word “focus” can help the writer focus on his family．

　　　 D．The writer used to be overweight for lack of exercise．

66．The best title for the passage might be________·

　　　 A．Three Words for 2012　　　　　 　　　　　 B．Health Should Go First

　　　 C．Keep Organized　　　　　　　　 　　　　　 D．Goals for 2012

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. 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 let 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 in 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 booking 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.
【小题1】We can learn from Paragraph 2 that__________.

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. 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 let 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 in 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 booking 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

1. 1.

   We can learn from Paragraph 2 that______.

   1. A.
      complaining customers are hard to satisfy
   2. B.
      unsatisfied customers receive better service
   3. C.
      satisfied customers catch more attention
   4. D.
      well-treated customers promote business
2. 2.

   The writer mentions “phone rage” (Paragraph 3)to show that______.

   1. A.
      customers often use phones to express their anger
   2. B.
      people still prefer to buy goods online
   3. C.
      customer care becomes more demanding
   4. D.
      customers rely on their phones to obtain services
3. 3.

   What does the writer recommend to create customer delight?

   1. A.
      Calling customers regularly
   2. B.
      Giving a “thank you” note
   3. C.
      Delivering a quicker service
   4. D.
      Promising more gifts
4. 4.

   If a manager should show his empathy (Paragraph 6), what would he probably say?

   1. A.
      “I know how upset you must be.”
   2. B.
      “I appreciate your understanding.”
   3. C.
      “I’m sorry for the delay.”
   4. D.
      “I know it’s our fault.”
5. 5.

   Customer delight is important for airlines because______.

   1. A.
      their telephone style remains unchanged
   2. B.
      they are more likely to meet with complaints
   3. C.
      the services cost them a lot of money
   4. D.
      the policies can be applied to their staff
6. 6.

   Which of the following is conveyed in this article?

   1. A.
      Face-to-face service creates comfortable feelings among customers
   2. B.
      Companies that promise more will naturally attract more customers
   3. C.
      A company should promise less but do more in a competitive market
   4. D.
      Customer delight is more important for airlines than for banks