Recently, many shoppers chose to avoid the crazy crowds and do their holiday shopping from the comfort of their computer.Sales at online stores gained by more than 15%, making it the biggest season ever.But people are also returning those purchases at record rates, up 8% from last year. What went wrong? Is the shadow of the global financial crisis making it harder to accept excessive addiction? Or that people shop more impulsively --and therefore make bad decisions --when online? Both arguments are seemingly reasonable.However, there is a third factor: a question of touch.We can love (lie look but, in an online environment, we cannot feel the quality of a texture , the shape of the fit, the fall of a fold or, for that matter, the weight of an earring.And physically interacting with an object makes you more committed to your purchase. When my most recent book Brandwashed was released, I joined up with a local bookstore to conduct an experiment about the difference between the online and offline shopping experience.I carefully instructed a group of volunteers to promote my book in two different ways.The first was a fairly hands-off approach.Whenever a customer would ask about my book, the volunteer would take them over to the shelf and point to it.Out of 20 such requests, six customers made the purchase. The second option also involved going over to the shelf but, this time, removing the book and then holding onto it for just an extra moment before placing it in the customer's hands.Of the 20 people who were handed the book, 13 ended up buying it.Just physically passing the book showed a big difference in sales.Why? We feel something similar to a sense of ownership when we hold things in our hand.That's why we establish connection by greeting strangers and friends with a handshake.In this case, having to then let go of the book after holding it might produce a sense of loss, and motivate us to make the purchase even more. A recent study also showed the power of touch, in this case when it came to traditional... How might people feel after letting go of something they held? A) A sense of disappointment. B) A loss of interest. C) More motivated to possess it. D) Less sensitive to its texture
C
(Question)
The whole morning we just checked our own things. We were looking for items to give away. We thought of blankets, food and clothing. Our aim was not to find things we no longer wanted, but things we use every day and would be useful to others. We made up boxes with the things and added some small toys. Inside the boxes a simple letter was placed, reading: "Please take these items and know that your life is important. Times are difficult but they will pass. We share what we have, believing it will matter. Use the blanket to stay warm. Be safe and know that the human spirit can overcome anything. Don't hold your head down. Someday please do the same when you can. How you do it and when, your heart will tell you. This kind act was not because the phone rang or for any reason. It was simply because it was the right time to do. We have often seen homeless people at the park where we left the belongings. The city would say that it isn't a problem but I see the lives walking to and from it. I noticed that my wife had put her favorite green coat into one of the boxes. I asked if she was sure about it and she simply replied that it had a hood . She liked the coat but knew the hood could shelter someone from the rain. We don't know where these gifts of compassion will go. We never go back and see what happens. It's unimportant. The right things will find the right people and that is all that counts. On the way my wife started to cry. When I asked why, she said because some things felt so right. The couple placed the letter inside the box mainly to _ . A) help the poor go through the difficulties B) let the poor know who gave away the things C) tell the poor how to use the items correctly D) tell the poor to pass on the spirit to others
(Answer)
D
Ques: Bears and humans often meet in National Parks. Although campers and hikers are warned not to feed the bears, many people ignore these warnings and feed the beasts anyway. When bears are used to people's food, problems soon arise. Bears like to eat a large variety of things, both meat and vegetable. Without human assistance, bears live nicely on roots, twigs, leaves of trees, insects and small animals. With people around, the bears' tastes quickly expand to include sandwiches, hot dogs, hamburgers, and anything else they can temp humans into giving up. Bears often develop clever strategies for getting people to let go their food supplies. More often than not, an unsuspecting hiker has taken off his or her pack for a rest only to have a bear charge out of the woods, grab the pack and quickly disappear into the underbrush with it. Hanging the pack on a tree branch won't help. Bears have been known to climb up, jump off, and catch the pack on the way down. One mother bear stretched up with her baby on her shoulders to reach a pack stored on a pole. Many bears threaten people into giving up their supplies. Although a bear is unlikely to attack a person and would probably run away if screamed at, few people are willing to do so. Most people drop the pack and run the other way. This, of course, delights the bear. In some places, the Park Service installed some metal barrels with lids to help campers keep their supplies safe from bears. Although the bears were unable to open these containers, the effort was less than successful. Most campers, unable to tell the metal drums from rubbish cans, never used them for the intended purpose. Feeding bears on people's food_. A) brings the people a lot of fun B) can cause problems C) often causes injuries and deaths D) helps bears survive
Ans: B
The journey two naval officers made some time ago to the very deepest point on the earth makes us realize how much of the world still remains to be explored. The two men went down seven miles to the bottom of the Pacific Ocean inside a small steel ball called a "bathyscaphe" to find out if there are any ocean currents or sings of life. It was necessary to set out early, so that the "bathyscaphe" would come to the surface in daylight, and so be easily found by the mother ship which would be waiting for it. The drivers began preparations at dawn and soon afterwards, when all was ready, the steel ball disappeared under the surface of the water. In time, the temperature dropped to freezing-point and the men trembled inside the ball. They kept in touch with the mother ship by telephone describing how they felt. Then, at a depth of 3,000 feet, the men were surprised by a sudden, loud noise, even the smallest hole in the ball would have meant instant death. Luckily, though, it was only one of the outer windows that had broken. Soon afterwards, the "bathyscaphe" touched the soft ocean floor raising a big cloud of "dust" made up of different kinds of small, dead sea animals. Here, powerful lights lit up the dark water and the men were surprised to see fish swimming just above them quite uncontrolled by the very large water-pressure. But they did not dare to leave the lights on for long, as the heat from them made the water boil. Quite unexpectedly, the telephone began working again and the weak but clear voices of the officers wre heard on the mother ship. After a stay of thirty minutes the men began their journey up, arriving three hours later, _ . What did the officers find out at the bottom of the sea? A) Different dead sea animals . B) Signs of life. C) Nothing but a big cloud D) Only dust.
B