Most of us are expecting high-quality customer service in our daily life, but actually enjoying a happy purchase is easier said than done.
Shoppers seldom complain to the manager or owner of a retail store, but instead they will alert their friends, relatives, co-workers, strangers—and anyone who will listen.
Store managers are often the last to hear complaints, and often find out only when their regular customers decide to frequent their competitors, according to a study jointly conducted by Verde Group and Wharton School.
“Storytelling hurts retailers and entertains consumers,” said Paula Courtney, President of the Verde Group. “The store loses the customer, but the shopper must also find a replacement.”
On average, every unhappy customer will complain to at least four others, and will no longer visit the specific store. For every dissatisfied customer, a store will lose up to three more due to negative review. The resulting “snowball effect” can be disastrous to retailers.
According to the research, shoppers who purchased clothing encountered the most problems. Ranked second and third were grocery and electronics customers.
The most common complaints include filled parking lots, cluttered (塞满了的) shelves, overloaded racks, out-of-stock items, long check-out lines, and rude salespeople.
During peak shopping hours, some retailers solved parking problems by getting moonlighting (业余兼职的) local police to work as parking attendants. Some hired flag wavers to direct customers to empty parking spaces. This guidance eliminated the need for customers to circle the parking lot endlessly, and avoided confrontation between those eyeing the same parking space.
Retailers can relieve the headaches by redesigning store layouts, pre-stocking sales items, hiring speedy and experienced cashiers, and having sales representatives on hand to answer questions.
Most importantly, salespeople should be diplomatic and polite with angry customers.
“Retailers who’re responsive and friendly are more likely to smooth over issues than those who aren’t so friendly,” said Professor Stephen Hoch. “Maybe something as simple as a greeter at the store entrance would help.”
Customers can also improve future shopping experiences by filing complaints to the retailer, instead of complaining to the rest of the world. Retailers are hard-pressed to improve when they have no idea what is wrong.
1.Why are store managers often the last to hear complaints?
A. Most customers won’t bother to complain even if they have had unhappy experiences.
B. Customers have no easy access to store managers.
C. Few customers believe the service will be improved.
D. Customers would rather relate their unhappy experiences to people around them.
2.What does Paula imply by saying “the shopper must also find a replacement” (Line 2, Para. 4)
A. New customers are bound to replace old ones.
B. Most stores provide the same kind of service.
C. Not complaining to manager causes the shopper some trouble too.
D. It is not likely the shopper can find the same products in other stores.
3.Shop owners often hire moonlighting police as parking attendants so that shoppers________.
A. can stay longer browsing in the store
B. won’t have trouble parking their cars
C. won’t have any worrier about security
D. can find their cars easily after shopping
4.What contributes most to smoothing over issues with customers?
A. Design of store layout.
B. Hiring of efficient employees
C. Huge supply of goods for sale.
D. Manners of the salespeople.
5.To achieve better shopping experiences, customers are advised to ________.
A. exert pressure on stores to improve their service
B. voice their dissatisfaction to store managers directly
C. settle their disputes with stores in a diplomatic
D. shop around and make comparisons between stores
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Recently Cathy Hagner sadly finds that life for her and her three children is set to permanent(永久的)fast-forward.
Their full school day and her job as a lawyer's assistant are busy enough. But Hanger also has to take the two boys to soccer or hockey or basketball while dropping off her daughter at piano lessons or Girl Scout Club.
Often, the exhausted family doesn't get home until 7 pm. There is just time for a quick supper before homework. In today's world, middle-class American and British parents treat their children as if they are competitors racing for some finishing line.
Parents take their children from activity to activity in order to make their future bright. It seems that raising a genius has become a more important goal than raising a happy and well-balanced child.
“Doctors across the country are reporting a growing number of children suffering from stomachaches and headaches due to exhaustion and stress,” says child expert William Doherty of the University of Minnesota.
Teachers are dealing with exhausted kids in the classroom. It's a very serious problem. Many children attend after-school clubs by necessity. But competitive pressures also create an explosion of activities. They include sports, language, music and math classes for children as young as four.
“There is a new parenting trend under way which says that you have to tap all your child’s potential at a young age; otherwise you will let him down,” says Terry Apter, a Cambridge-based child and adolescent psychiatrist(青少年精神病专家).
“It isn't entirely new: there have always been pushy parents. But what was previously seen as strange behavior is now well accepted.”
1.From the second paragraph of this passage we can find that _______.
A. Hagner busies herself by following a trend
B. Hagner doesn't spend much time on her full-time job
C. Hagner is interested in sports and music
D. Hagner wastes much time helping her children's lessons
2.British parents, as the writer described in this passage, _______.
A. treat their children as sports players
B. give their children little time to develop freely
C. bring up their children in a simple way
D. pay no attention to their children's lessons
3.The writer's opinion about after-school clubs is that ________.
A. activities in the country are too competitive
B. children should attend four clubs at a time
C. clubs should have more subjects for school children
D. some clubs result in competitive pressures
4.The last paragraph tells us that in Britain _______.
A. parents used to take their children to every club
B. parents have all benefited from children’s clubs
C. parents used to be wise on how to raise children
D. parents have come to know the standard of education
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
One of the most traditional features of American culture is to respect the self-made man — the man who has risen to the top through his own efforts, usually beginning by working with his hands. While the leader in business or industry or the college professor occupies a higher social position and commands greater respect in the community than the common laborer or even the skilled factory worker, he may take pains to point out that his father started life in America as a farmer or laborer of some sort.
This attitude toward manual(体力的) labor is now still seen in many aspects of American life. One is invited to dinner at a home that is not only comfortably but even luxuriously (豪华地) furnished and in which there is every evidence of the fact that the family has been able to afford foreign travel, expensive hobbies, and college education for the children; yet the hostess probably will cook the dinner herself, will serve it herself and will wash dishes afterward, furthermore the dinner will not consist merely of something quickly and easily assembled from contents of various cans and a cake or a pie bought at the nearby bakery. On the contrary, the hostess usually takes pride in careful preparation of special dishes. A professional man may talk about washing the car, digging in his flowerbeds, painting the house. His wife may even help with these things, just as he often helps her with the dishwashing. The son who is away at college may wait on table and wash dishes for his living, or during the summer he may work with a construction gang on a highway in order to pay for his education.
1.From the second paragraph of this passage we can find that _______.
A. Hagner busies herself by following a trend
B. Hagner doesn't spend much time on her full-time job
C. Hagner is interested in sports and music
D. Hagner wastes much time helping her children's lessons
2.British parents, as the writer described in this passage, _______.
A. treat their children as sports players
B. give their children little time to develop freely
C. bring up their children in a simple way
D. pay no attention to their children's lessons
3.The writer's opinion about after-school clubs is that ________.
A. activities in the country are too competitive
B. children should attend four clubs at a time
C. clubs should have more subjects for school children
D. some clubs result in competitive pressures
4.The last paragraph tells us that in Britain _______.
A. parents used to take their children to every club
B. parents have all benefited from children’s clubs
C. parents used to be wise on how to raise children
D. parents have come to know the standard of education
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
As a junior at McGill University, Doreen Sykora had a difficult time when she first began college. She said, “I was always well prepared for my examinations. But when I go into class to take the exam, I would fall apart. I could just blank out because of nervousness and fear.” Hitoshi Sakamoto, an anthropology(人类学) student at Temple University in Tokyo reports similar experiences.
These two young students were experiencing something called test anxiety. Because a student worries and is stressed about a test, his or her mind does not work as well as it usually does. The student cannot write or think clearly because of the severe tension and nervousness.
Now there are special university courses to help students. In these courses, advisors and psychologists try to help students by teaching them to manage test anxiety. Such a course helps students learn to live with stress and not fail because of it. First students take a practice test to measure their worry level. If the tests show that their stress level is high, the students can take a short course to manage the fear. These courses teach students how to relax their bodies. They get training to become calm in very tense situations. By controlling their nervousness, they can let their minds work more easily. Learned information then comes out without difficulty on a test.
Doreen Sykora saw immediate results after taking such a course. She now has enthusiasm about the relaxation methods. “Mostly, what I do is imagine myself in a very calm place. Then I imagine myself picking up a pencil. I move slowly and carefully. I breathe easily and let all the tension out. With each breath, more worry leaves me. It really works too. My grades have improved greatly! I’m really doing well at McGill now. This relaxation method works not only on examinations, but it has improved the rest of my life as well.”
For Hitoshi in Tokyo, the results were much the same. He is enjoying school a lot more and learning more.
1.What is the similarity between Doreen Sykora and Hitoshi Sakamoto?
A. They both had experiences of test anxiety.
B. They failed in all the examinations.
C. They are students from the same university.
D. They both had the same poor studying habits.
2.The underlined phrase “blank out” in Paragraph 1 refers to “_______.”
A. get an extra paper
B. be unable to think clearly
C. lose interest in the exam
D. refuse to take the exam
3.What’s the purpose of some special university student-help courses?
A. To learn more knowledge about test anxiety.
B. To show a stress level experienced by students.
C. To help students to reduce test anxiety.
D. To have a better understanding of test anxiety.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
1. This old saying calls attention to the wisdom of saving money. “Putting money away for a rainy day.” is another way to talk about saving for the future.
People who hate to spend money are known as “tightwads”, while those who like to get the most value for their money are called “thrifty”. 2. A spendthrift is someone who spends wastefully. People like that are often said to spend money “like a drunken sailor” or “like there is no tomorrow”.
In the United States, people who want to start a savings account have different choices of where to put their money. 3. Credit unions are cooperatives for people who have some kind of connection. For example, the members might work for a university or a government agency. Most credit unions are nonprofit organizations.
Credit unions, banks and other financial institutions pay interest on savings accounts. But the rates are low. Certificates of deposit (定期存款) pay higher returns. With Certificates of deposit, people agree not to withdraw the money for a certain period of time. This term could be anywhere from a few months to several years. 4. People can withdraw the money early but they have to pay a penalty.(罚金)
In many countries, people have been saving less over the years. It is reported that in 2000, Americans had a household savings rate of 7%. 5. Many European countries have higher rates, but Americans save more than families in Japan.
A.People are willing to save money for the future.
B.Before gold, even kings take off their hats.
C.A penny saved is a penny earned.
D.Longer terms, and large amounts, pay higher interest.
E.This year the rate is expected to be a little more than four percent.
F.These include banks and credit unions.
G.A thrifty person is different from a spendthrift.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
In our whole life，we will come across different kinds of people and things.__ _，our views of the world，life and value have been changing all the time. To be honest，one of my English teachers has made a great _ _on me.
Although she was short，old and ugly，she was talented，____and passionate(热诚的)．Thus，we called her “a crazy stone”．She didn't mind it___；instead，she seemed to love her____very much. In addition，she was so____with students that she knew how to raise our___and get along well with us. Therefore，we studied English well and____her.
To be honest，I am fond of listening to____told by others in my daily life. Maybe I have heard so many that it is____for me to laugh. But she was a(n)____．Her jokes were always so funny，for she always led you to the scenes of them and____an interesting atmosphere. Although I____the university ten years ago，I still remember several jokes，one of which I would like to____with you.
Before having an English lesson，there was a handsome boy who made a selfintroduction. He said that he was able to do____and finally made a conclusion that he was rather untalented. After hearing that，Stone____the teacher's desk and said an old saying: “Innocence is the virtue(美德) for____”．Hearing this we all burst into laughter.
Although I met several good teachers when I was in the high school and during my college，“a crazy stone” is the best teacher in my____．It was she that made me get____in English. It was she that educated me how to fight for success and____difficulties.
1.A. But B．Although C．Because D．Therefore
2.A. expression B．promise C．influence D．reputation
3.A. humorous B．serious C．active D．bright
4.A. after all B．at all C．above all D．in all
5.A. description B．occupation C．nickname D．students
6.A. strict B．friendly C．popular D．familiar
7.A. force B．enthusiasm C．inspiration D．power
8.A. respected B．agreed C．pushed D．thanked
9.A. lessons B．experiences C．tales D．jokes
10.A. impossible B．easy C．difficult D．likely
11.A. model B．teacher C．laugher D．exception
12.A. enjoyed B．came C．created D．reduce
13.A. lived in B．came into C．left for D．graduated from
14.A. spend B．communicate C．share D．talked
15.A. anything B．nothing C．everything D．something
16.A. stood on B．walked to C．broke down D．pushed away
17.A. men B．students C．women D．teachers
18.A. heart B．life C．school D．world
19.A. hurt B．down C．interested D．rewarded
20.A. ignore B．overcome C．escape D．face
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Once upon a time, there lived a lazy man John Denny in a remote village. He would do ___1.__ but daydream the whole day. One sunny afternoon, Denny was really hungry. ____2.____ (step) out of his hut, he said, “What a beautiful day! ___3.__ I wish I could go back to sleep! But now I have to go out and find some food.” After bathing, he took out a bowl and went out __4.__ (beg).
By begging the whole day he managed to get a pot full of milk. “It is this pot of milk ___5._ is going to make me rich.” he thought, “I will use it to make butter. From the butter I will be able to make ghee (酥油).”
“I will then go to the market and sell the ghee,” his dream ____6.__ (continue), “and then I will buy a pair of goats. They will have kids after 6 months. Soon I would have ___7.___ herd of goats.”
___8.__ (lose) in deep thought, he struck out with foot, breaking the pot, and dirtied __9.___ with the milk. He saw the broken pot and cried. He lost whatever he had because of his __10.___ (lazy).
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
短文改错（共10题，每题1分，共10分）
下文中共有10处错误，每句最多两处，错误涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（︿），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：删除多余的词用斜线（\）划掉。
修改：在错的词下画横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1. 每处错误及其修改仅限一词；2. 只允许修改10处，从11处起不计分。
Success depends on many factors, both physical and spiritual. In my opinion, mental factors like a strong will is far more decisive in enabling us achieve success.
Otherwise, we must apply our strong willpower and perseverance when face with challenges. Three years ago I was proud to be admitted to a key middle school, but soon I found everything is different from that I had expected. Hard although I studied, I still fell behind. However, I kept on trying persistently searching for the suitable learning methods. Eventual, my studies improved little by little.
In a word, where there is will, there is a way. Only by making up strong-willed efforts can we overcome all obstacles lie on our way to success and maximize our potential and gain competitive strengths.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
假设你是李华，最近参加了为期两周的“伦敦夏令营”活动。期间你住在Smith夫妇家中，他们为你提供了吃、住、行及旅游方面的帮助。请写一封电子邮件感谢他们。内容需要包括以下要点：
已安全回到中国家中；
感谢Smith夫妇的帮助。
注意：
词数100左右；
开头已写好，不计入总词数。
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Smith,
How time flies!
Yours,
Li Hua
难度: 中等查看答案及解析