You are careful with your money: you collect all kinds of coupons; look for group-buy deals if you eat out; you don't buy clothes unless in a sale. Does all this make you a wise consumer? Let's do the math first: you walk into a coffee shop and see two deals for a cup of coffee. The first deal offers 33 percent extra coffee. The second takes 33 percent off the regular price. What's the better deal? Well, they are about the same, you'd think. And you'd be wrong. The deals appear to be equal, but in fact, they are different. Here's the math: Let's say the standard coffee is 10 yuan and let's divide the amount of coffee into three portions . That makes about 3.3 yuan per portion, The first deal gets you 4 portions for 10 yuan (2.5 yuan per portion) and the second gets you 3 portions of coffee for 6.6 yuan (2.2 yuan per portion) and is therefore a better deal. In a new study published by the Journal of Marketing, participants were asked the same question, and most of them chose the first deal, the Atlantic website reported. Why? Because getting something extra for free feels better than getting the same for less. The applications of this view into consumer psychology are huge. Instead of offering direct discounts, shops offer larger sizes or free samples. According to the study, the reason why these marketing tricks work is that consumers don't really know how much anything should cost, so we rely on parts of our brains that aren't strictly quantitative. There are some traps we should be aware of when shopping. First of all, we are heavily influenced by the first number. Suppose you are shopping in Hong Kong. You walk into Hermes, and you see a 100,000 yuan bag. "That's crazy." You shake your head and leave. The next shop is Gucci, a handbag here costs 25,000 yuan. The price is still high, but compared to the 100,000 yuan price tag you just committed to your memory, this is a steal. Stores often use the price difference to set consumers' expectation. zxxk Another trap we often fall to Is that we are not really... What can we know from US economist Dan Ariely's experiment? A) Ariely's free lecture enjoyed popularity among students. B) The students actually didn't know what the lecture was worth. C) The second group was willing to be volunteers without reward. D) The first group was eager to find out the value of Ariely's lecture.
B
(Question)
There's no need to say it, but there are really more than a few benefits to educational tours. From the word itself, an educational tour is something done to gain knowledge while traveling and touring to some place. It creates opportunities for people to think out of the box and see things and places that aren't usually seen in their normal environment. Educational trips aren't always those that cover far distances. As already said, it is done to gain knowledge and you wouldn't need to go very far to have it. Sometimes, an educational trip could be in your hometown. Historic places and museums are always on top of the lists of the places to go in an educational tour. Educational tours like these would make you know your country better. Your country's history is rich and it is the reason why you came. But remember that the history of other states, counties and countries are as important as your own. When you go on a trip to another country, it is likely that you learn their culture first. Different cultures have different understanding and perspective of different acts, and it could be dangerous or offending if you cannot understand a culture. When you go on an educational tour, it is likely that you would have the opportunity to socialize with other people. Students are encouraged to talk to locals and natives and learn from them, because it is with understanding that students gain knowledge. When students talk with local people, they are gaining insights to their life and their culture. It is said that when in Rome, act and think as the Romans do, and this is a valuable skill that not all people could do. There are millions of people who want to travel, and an educational tour is the perfect time to do so. Traveling opens new doors and opportunities; it always makes you want to learn more. Cultures are many and widely different, and it is a very valuable talent to understand the people of different cultures. Traveling with groups of other students is safer than traveling alone, and bulk travels like those... If you want to go on a cheap and safe educational trip, you'd better _ . A) go with groups of other students B) avoid the top spots C) book one in advance D) learn the culture first
(Answer)
A
Question: Children are losing the ability to play properly because they are being given too many toys and games, according to new research. The studies show that children, especially those under five, are often overwhelmed and actually play less than those with fewer toys. It may even harm their development. The studies show that giving children too many toys or toys of the wrong type can actually be doing them harm. They get overwhelmed and cannot concentrate on anything long enough to learn from it. The conclusions have been backed up by British research looking at children with ly fewer toys, whose parents spend more time reading, singing or playing with them. It showed such children surpass youngsters from richer backgrounds, even those who could use computers. Some parents notice the ill effect early. Orhan Ismail, a researcher saw a change for the worse in Cameron, his 10-month-old son, after he was given a lot of toys last Christmas. Ismail said, " If there are too many toys in front of him, he will just keep flitting around them and then end up going off and finding something like a slipper to play with. Now we just get out one or two toys and hide the rest in a box. " Alexander and her husband also decided to limit the toys their 6 daughters play with. She believed many toys restrict children's imaginations. She said, " A Barbie can only work as a Barbie. But a cardboard box can become anything. The only limitations are in the child's mind. " Experts hesitate to put a figure on the number of toys children should have, but many believe two dozen is enough for children of preschool age. In the writer's opinion, a Barbie _ . A) can attract more attention from children than a cardboard box B) can work more than a Barbie C) may become anything else such as a cardboard D) may keep children from further imaginations
Answer:
D