So there are four of them in this car heading north from Coleman in the heart of Texas to the town of Abilene , some 53 miles away. It is a hot day, and the drive is dusty and boring. Someone has had the bright idea to interrupt a nice family game of dominoes to go on a four-hour round-trip to eat at a really not very good restaurant. When they are back home again, one family member admits that she hasn't enjoyed herself all that much. One by one they all confess that they would rather have stayed at home. "I only went along with it because I thought the rest of you wanted to go," says everyone. No one wanted to go to Abilene. It had just happened. This story was first told by Professor Jerry Harvey in an article published in 1974 calledThe Abilene Paradox and other meditations on management. It offers a wonderful insight into the way that decisions can sometimes just emerge, without ever being consciously "made". Whether they mean to or not, groups exert a pressure to conform . A senior management team can find itself a long way down the track to a bad decision without realizing that the idea has very little support around the table. Close-knit teams are easily influenced by the pull of groupthink. The late Professor Janis suggested several ways in which teams can avoid it. Two key steps are to invite experts from outside into meetings, and to appoint at least one person to the role of "devil's advocate" -- a role that should be played by different people in different meetings. The four family members have decided to go on a four-hour round-trip to the town of Abilene because _ . A) they really like the restaurant they are going to B) they are tired of the game they have been playing C) they have not been to Abilene for a long time D) everyone thinks all the other family members want to go
D
Traffic TV Avoid the jams -- see where tailbacks are before you set off and while on the move. Traffic TV is free to use on your personal computer and only PS4 per month (see below for other network charges) on your mobile. How does it work? Over 7,500 Trafficmaster cameras monitor traffic flow on over 8,000 miles of motorways and roads across the UK keeping you up to date 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Traffic TV on your mobile This downloadable application lets you see where jams are building up, the speed of vehicles at hotspots, and live pictures from thousands of roadside cameras. Traffic TV is PS4 a month for Orange mobile customers, after a 30 day free trial. On other networks Traffic TV is PS5 a month, after a 7 day free trial. Listen to live traffic news Don't want the download? Then simply dial the numbers below from your mobile to hear the latest traffic updates. *Orange mobile users call 177 (calls cost up to 55p a minute) *Other mobile users call 1740 (calls cost up to 59p a minute) Help friends avoid jams Simply enter your friend's email address to send them a link to this service. What is the purpose of this advertisement? A) To provide readers with live traffic information. B) To help Orange customers to avoid traffic jam. C) To attract mobile users to buy Traffic TV service. D) To explain how Traffic TV and live traffic news work.
C
Q: Everyone may all have the experience of feeling anxious and stressed when having a rough day or having some troubles. Different people may choose different ways to deal with it, and for most people a break for a 10-minute walk may be quite useful.www.zxxk.com Anyway, here is another way around: to get a piece of chewing gum, and chew it. According to a Swinburne University of Technology study, gum-chewing has been found to "relieve anxiety, improve alertness and reduce stress among individuals in a laboratory setting." Some may argue that a laboratory is not the same as an office. But check out the conditions of the study: individuals were monitored while performing "a group of 'multi-tasking' activities." Doesn't it sound like the situation in the office?www.zxxk.com Here's a summary of some of the study's findings: Gum chewers showed a reduction in anxiety as compared to non-gum chewers by nearly 17 percent during mild stress and nearly 10 percent in appropriate stress. Gum chewers showed improvement in alertness over non-gum chewers by nearly 19 percent during mild stress and 8 percent in moderate stress. Improved Performance: Chewing gum resulted in a big improvement in overall performance on multi-tasking activities. Although these aren't major improvements, every little bit works and chewing a piece of gum is a lot quicker and easier than slipping outside for a 10-minute walk. So, how does gum work this magic? In part it does so by lowering the level of cortisol --a steroid hormone that is released in response to stress in your system. A few words of advice before you reach for the gum: don't crack your gum, and be sure to chew it with your mouth closed. In fact, I'd say keep the gum out of meetings, because it really looks impolite to others around you. What does the text mainly talk about? A) How to chew gum. B) How to relieve stress. C) Why people love chewing gum. D) Chewing gum can relieve stress.
A: D
(Q).
To all of you at Chinese love links, I am 44 years old and never married. I have always wanted to find that perfect someone that I dream about. For about the last five years I have almost given up the hope of ever finding the one I truly wish to spend the rest of my life with. I have always tried to be a nice guy. I had found your website some four or five months before. I did not know what to expect. I don't know how to speak Chinese and never thought truly of how I was to an Asian woman. Well, I had a lot of replies from some very nice and pretty women. I had a hard time finding only a couple to write to. But one stood out from the rest. She was cute, nice and seemed to hold a lot of the same values as I do. In a short time I had decided to write only to her. We communicated via e - mails 2 - 3 times a day and phone calls once or twice a week. I went and met her and her family only a week ago. Her name is Ying and she lives in prefix = st1 /Nanning. I foundNanningto be one of the most beautiful cities I had ever been to. We had even decided to marry and to bring her to theUSAunder the fiancee visa. Not only did she meet everything I had ever hoped to find in someone else but turned out to be what every woman should be like, at least the ones I have met. We plan to marry as soon as she is here and start a family together as neither of us has children but we both want them. So to anyone out there reading this, I can only say this: You may not find what you are looking for if you're not honest with your partner and yourself. This site worked for me mostly because I was honest with something that I wanted in someone else. When I did find her, love can work even across the other side of the world, between language differences and cultural differences. I wish you all luck in finding your perfect match. I have finally found mine and wishto give all my thanks to those at Chinese love links to help make it happen. Sincerely yours, Arthur Arthur thinks _ is the most important in finding someone one wants to marry. A) being honest with the partner and oneself B) help from the website C) difference in languages and places D) difference in cultures
(A).
A