Article: 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.[:ZXXK] "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. Question: Shopkers slow down the rhythm of music in shops to _ . Yes or no, is the answer "let customers spend more time shopping"?
Yes

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Article: No one wants to be tested. We would all like to get a driver's license without answering questionsabout rights of way or showing that we can parallel park a car. Many future lawyers and doctors probablywish they could join their profession without taking an exam. But tests and standards are a necessary fact of life. They protect us from unskilled drivers, harmful products and dishonest professionals. In schools too exams play a. constructive role. They tell public officials whether new school programs are making a difference and where new investments are likely to pay off. They tell teachers what their students have learned--and have not. They tell parents how their children are doing compared with others their age. They encourage students to make more effort. It is important to recall that for most of century, educators used intelligence tests to decide whichchildren should get a high-quality education. The point of IQ testing was to find out how much children were capable of learning rather than to test what they had actually learned. Based on IQ scores, millions of children were assigned to _ instead of solid courses in science, math, history, literature andforeign language. This history reminds us that tests should be used to improve education. Every child should have access to a high-quality education. Students should have full opportunity to learn what will be tested; otherwise theirscores will merely reflect whether they come from an educated family. In the past few years, we have seen the enormous benefits that flow to disadvantaged students because of the information provided by state tests. Those who fall behind are now getting extra instruction inafter-school classes and summer programs. In their efforts to improve student performance, states are increasing teachers salaries, testing new teachers and insisting on better teacher education. Performance in education means the mastery of both knowledge and skills. This is why it is reasonable totest teachers to make sure they know their subject matter,... Question: What is the purpose of the passage? Yes or no, is the answer "To defend the role of testing in education."?
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Yes

Ques: Article: What are the specific traits that will assist executives to climb the ladder of success? Opinions vary widely. Given almost equal qualifications and circumstances, some claim the success factor is largely a matter of luck--being in the right place at the right time. Others speak of an almost crazy devotion to work, combined with a degree of ruthlessness. One"expert" believes that it's undoubtedly a matter of how much education your mother had. To make it big, executives must possess four basic skills: First, drive . Business success takes an unusual amount of energy. A successful executive -- almost by definition--is a striver. He will get tense when he is not striving. Second, people sense. Some say being able to judge people is more important than a high IQ. The skill can be instinctual , but in most cases it is painstakingly learned. Third, communications ability. Different executives make themselves understood in different ways, Some transmit ideas best face to face; others are masters of the telephone call; still others are persuasive writers. One way or another, they all communicate clearly. Fourth, calm under pressure. No businessman will get very far if he chokes up. Question: The successful executives must_. Yes or no, is the answer "express themselves distinctly"?
Ans: Yes

Ques: Article: Last week my youngest son and I visited my father at his new home in Tucson, Arizona. He moved there a few years ago, and I was eager to see his new place and meet his friends. My earliest memories of my father are a tall, handsome, successful man devoted to his work and his family, but uncomfortable with his children. He seemed to expect too much of me. He seemed unhappy with me unless I got straight A's and unhappy with my boyfriends if their fathers were not as "successful" as he was. Whenever I went out with him on weekends, I used to feel very nervous. On the first day of my visit, we went out with one of my father's friends for lunch at an outdoor cafe. We talked along that afternoon, did some shopping, ate on the street table, and laughed over my son's funny facial expressions. Gone was my father's critical air and strict rules. After my visit to Tucson , My father seemed to be so friendly and gentle. What had held him back before? The next day dad pulled out his childhood pictures and told me quite a few stories about his own childhood. Although our times together became easier over the years, I never felt closer to him at that moment. After so many years, I'm at last seeing another side of my father. And in doing so, I'm delighted with _ . My dad, in his new home in Arizona, is back to me from where he was. Question: What does the writer think of her father after her visit to Tucson? Yes or no, is the answer "friendly and gentle"?
Ans:
Yes