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.
“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.
小題1:According to Dr. Bradshaw, in what ways does Christmas music influence customers?
①their mood ②their income ③their sense of time ④the sort of products they buy
A．①②③B．①③④C．②③④D．①②④
小題2:Shopkers slow down the rhythm of music in shops to__________.
A．let customers spend more time shopping
B．make customers and sales assistants relaxed
C．let customers enjoy the beautiful music
D．help customers find what they really want
小題3:What kind of music is now often adapted to influence customers in shops?
A．Classical music.B．Popular modern songs.
C．Folk songs.D．Jazz music.

小題1:B
小題2:A
小題3:B

試題分析：圣誕節(jié)期間商店里不斷播放的圣誕歌曲不但讓我們情緒高漲，而且還會(huì)在無形中刺激我們的購物欲望。
小題1:考查細(xì)節(jié)理解。根據(jù)第四段內(nèi)容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.可知，這些喜慶的歌曲，會(huì)改變圣誕購物者的心情，影響他們的時(shí)間概念和他們購買的產(chǎn)品種類，①③④都是對(duì)的，故選B。
小題2:考查細(xì)節(jié)理解。根據(jù)第七段內(nèi)容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,可知，放慢商店里的音樂節(jié)奏能讓顧客誤以為時(shí)間過得更慢，這樣顧客可能就會(huì)花更多時(shí)間來仔細(xì)查看貨架上的商品。故選擇A項(xiàng)。
小題3:考查細(xì)節(jié)理解。根據(jù)文章倒數(shù)第二段A common trick is to take a popular current song and record an instrumental version….可知，一個(gè)常見的訣竅是把當(dāng)前的熱門歌曲拿來錄制器樂版，可以在一天當(dāng)中的不同時(shí)段放慢或加快音樂節(jié)奏，從而對(duì)顧客的行為產(chǎn)生不同的影響。故選擇B項(xiàng)。
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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

This year the selfie earned its place as the Oxford English Dictionary’s 2013 Word Of The Year．It has taken over our culture-and our smartphones．The rise of the selfie has become universal-between presidents，celebrities(名人)and citizens alike-and the trend is only continuing to grow.

A recent survey conducted by the Pew Internet＆American Life Project found that 54 percent of Internet have posted original photos online．And of those hundreds of millions of photos， many are of selfie photos．
For example，currently there are nearly 62 million posted selfie
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What makes the selfie so attractive-and why do we feel it a must to take one? According to Dr．Pamela Rutledge，psychologist and director of the Media Psychology Research Center，the desire to take，post and get“l(fā)ikes” on selfies goes back to a biological behavior of all humans．
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to a party and people say‘Oh I love your dress，’” Rutledge told The Huffington Post.“Biological，social recognition is a real need and there is even an area of the brain that contributes to social activity．”
There is a way to adapt to the growing selfie culture．Whether you’re a selfie novice or an advanced poster，there are always things to be mindful of when you’re posting，Rutledge advises.
She offered two main principles to follow when it comes to posting on social media:
1．The Grandmother Rule
“Don't post anything online，whether text or visual，that you don't want grandmother or future
employer to see，” Rutledge said．“Selfies especially．”
2．The Elevator Rule
“You wouldn’t say something in an elevator that you or no one else wants to hear—the whole
world of social media is an elevator，” Rutledge said．“Be aware of the breadth of platform．It's easy to think you’re sharing a photo with a few people，but Instagram is public and people can come across things．”   
小題1:What's the main idea of the first paragraph?
A．The selfie is taking the lead．
B．Many people are fond of smartphones．
C．The selfie will take over everything．
D．The selfie is an important new word．
小題2:According to the passage，people like“selfie”so much，because they___________.
A．need to be acknowledged in social life
B．want to show off their new dresses
C．desire to share good things
D．mean to amuse the public
小題3:The underlined word“novice”in Paragraph 6 probably means“___________”.
A．publisherB．greenhandC．novelistD．celebrity
小題4:When it comes to posting on social media，Rutledge advises people to___________.
A．share photos only on Instagram
B．talk about their photos in an elevator
C．be cautious in posting things online
D．follow rules set by their grandmothers

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

I once had a house guest from Cuba. During his visit, I happened to throw an old broken blender (攪拌機(jī)) in the trash. The next day it was sitting on my counter – in working order. In his world, people simply cannot afford to replace an item which doesn't work properly. They take the time and figure out how to fix it. In Cuba, they are still driving cars from the 1960’s, mainly because they do not have a choice. 
In contrast, the U.S. is a “throw-away society.” Statistics show that each American produces six pounds of trash per day. I believe a combination of factors has contributed to this phenomenon.
“Planned obsolescence(廢棄)” is not a secret. It is a manufacturing (制造業(yè)) philosophy developed in the 1920’s and 1930’s, when mass production became popular. The goal is to make a product or part that will fail, or become less desirable over time or after a certain amount of use. This pressures the consumer to buy again. 
Planned obsolescence does keep costs down. Instead of making an expensive product that will last a long time, businesses produce more affordable, disposable(一次性的) items. Some electronic items have become so inexpensive that it is cheaper to replace them than to repair them.
Busy people often value their time and convenience more than money. If a car starts to have mechanical problems, replacing it with a newer, more reliable model may be more appealing than tolerating it being in the garage for a week.
In addition, advertising trains consumers to want what is new and improved. It convinces them that the more they have, the happier they will be. 
Unlike people in many developing countries, we live in a world of abundance. A study by Dr. Timothy Jones of the University of Arizona also found that in the U.S., 40-50 percent of all food ready for harvest is wasted. Abundance and waste soon became closely associated in the American way of life.
小題1:In Cuba, people usually fix a broken item instead of buying a new one because __________.
A．wasting is prohibited thereB．they are poor
C．they are interested in fixing thingsD．they live a low-carbon life
小題2:According to the article, planned obsolescence ___________.
A．began before mass production became popular
B．is intended to encourage consumers to buy more things
C．results in higher prices of items
D．requires factories to produce high-quality products
小題3:Which of the following is NOT true about the “throw-away society” in the U.S.?
A．People prefer to buy a new blender rather than repair the broken one.
B．A large quantity of food has been wasted.
C．People believe that the more they have, the happier they will be.
D．People all hold the belief that money comes first.
小題4:What may be the writer’s attitude towards a throw-away society?
A．Supportive.B．Critical.C．Tolerant.D．Optimistic.

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Cities with high levels of homeownership—in the range of 75%, like Detroit and St. Louis—had on average considerably lower levels of economic activity and much lower wages and incomes. Far too many people in financial problems are trapped in homes they can’t sell, unable to move on to new centers of opportunity.
The cities and regions with the lowest levels of homeownership—in the range of 55% to 60% like Los Angeles and New York—had healthier economies and higher incomes. They also had higher levels of happiness and well-being.
I was shocked to read these interesting points that Richard Florida made in his recent article. Let me try to understand. The people in Detroit and St. Louis are less happy than the people in New York, and Los Angeles. And, the reason is because of homeownership rates?
First, to compare them to New York City (the economic capital of the world), Los Angeles (the entertainment capital of the world) seems unfair. Most people in almost any other city in the world might be less happy!
Next, let’s try a different way of determining whether renters are happier than homeowners. Why don’t we ask them? Fannie Mae’s National Housing Survey 2010 reported:
75% of current renters believe owning a home makes more sense.
67% plan to buy a home at some point in the future.
When they asked current renters for the major reason to buy a house, these were their answers (they could pick several answers):
78% said it was a good place to raise children.
75% said because they would feel safe.
70% said because you have control of your own space.
If you believe renters are happier, you would also have to believe the majority enjoy living in a less safe environment, which wouldn’t be a good place to raise children and would be a place where they have less control of their space.
小題1:Which of the following is a fact?
A．People in Los Angeles earn high incomes because of its low homeownership rate.
B．New York’s low homeownership rate increases people’s happiness levels.
C．Detroit’s high level of homeownership causes its economic problems.
D．St. Louis has a higher level of homeownership than Los Angeles.
小題2:In his article, Richard Florida tried to express that _________.
A．people in Los Angeles are happier than those in St. Louis
B．renting a house is better than owning a house
C．Detroit’s economy is healthier than New York’s economy
D．New York and Los Angeles are happiest cities
小題3:The writer believes that New York City and Los Angeles _________.
A．pay employees highest wages in America
B．benefit from low levels of homeownership
C．a(chǎn)re leading cities across the globe
D．a(chǎn)re best American cities to live in
小題4:From Fannie Mae’s survey report, we can know that _________.
A．paying rent makes more sense
B．most homeowners plan to sell their houses
C．most renters prefer to become homeowners
D．parents need to buy a house for their children

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WHEN there are some strangers in front of us, which of them will we trust?
According to a new study in the online PLOS One, people make their decisions to trust others largely based on their faces. Your appearance can do a lot for you, especially if you are in the financial industry. The more trustworthy you look, the more likely people will buy what you’re selling.
Researchers from Britain’s University of Warwick Business School, University College London, and Dartmouth College, US, did a number of experiments.
The research team used computer software to make 40 faces, from the least to the most trustworthy-looking.
The study said that the difference between a trustworthy face and one that isn’t as trustworthy comes from features that look slightly angry or slightly happy, even when the face is at rest. However, a slightly happy face is more likely to be trusted.
Researchers gave participants some money and asked them which face they trusted to invest the money for them. Then researchers gave some good and bad information about the people with these faces, and asked the participants again whom they trusted.
The results showed that even if they got different information, the participants didn’t change their choices. They were still more likely to invest their money with the more trustworthy-looking faces.
Chris Olivola, one of the study’s authors, said in the University of Warwick’s press release: “It seems we are still willing to go with our own instincts (本能) about whether we think someone looks like we can trust them. The temptation (誘惑) to judge strangers by their faces is hard to resist.”
小題1:Which of the following can be a proper title for this passage?
A．What kind of face do you trust?
B．Who did the experiments?
C．Why do you trust him or her?
D．Why did they do the experiments?
小題2:According to the study, which of the following faces is most likely to be trusted?
A．A sad face.B．A smiling face.
C．A crying face.D．An angry face.
小題3:Which of the following about the experiment is TRUE?
A．The trustworthy faces were given good information.
B．Researchers took photos of the 40 people’s faces in college.
C．Most participants gave their money to the trustworthy-looking faces.
D．Participants liked to choose the faces with good information.
小題4:What did the researchers learn from their experiment?
A．People can’t refuse temptations.
B．People always do things with their instincts.
C．People often judge strangers by their faces.
D．People don’t trust strangers with sad faces.

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Do you want to love what you do for a living? Follow your passion. This piece of advice provides the foundation for modern thinking on career satisfaction. But this can be a problem.
I've spent the past several years researching and writing about the different strategies we use to seek happiness in our work. It became clear early in the process that the suggestion to “follow your passion” was flawed (有缺陷), for it lacks scientific evidence. However, it doesn't mean you should abandon the goal of feeling passionate about your work. The reality emphasizes that things are quite complicated.
Passion is earned. Different people are looking for different things in their work, but generally, people with satisfying careers enjoy some combination of the following features: autonomy，respect, competence, creativity, and a sense of impact. In other words，if you want to feel passionate about your livelihood，don't seek the perfect job，but seek to get more of these features in the job you already have.
Passion is elusive (難捉摸的). Many people develop the rare and valuable skills leading to passion, but still end up unhappy in their work. The problem is that the features leading you to love your work are more likely to be useful to you than your organization. As you become increasingly “valuable”，for example, your boss might push you toward traditional promotions that come with more pay and more responsibility, as this is what is most useful to your company. However, you might find more passion by applying your value to gain autonomy in your schedule or project selection.
Passion is dangerous. I've watched too many of my peers fall into anxiety and chronic(慢性的) job-hopping (跳槽) due to the “follow your passion” advice. The issue is expectations. If you believe we all have a pre-existing passion, and that matching it to a job will lead to instant workplace happiness, reality will always pale in comparison.
Work is hard. Not every day is fun. If you're seeking a dream job, you'll end up frustrated, again and again. Don't set out to discover passion. Instead, set out to develop it. This path might be longer and more complicated than what most cheerful career guides might advocate, but it's a path much more likely to lead you somewhere worth going.
小題1:People satisfied with their careers are _______.
A．a(chǎn)utonomous and passionateB．creative and passionate
C．respectable and sensitiveD．creative and competent
小題2:What is the author's advice on achieving career satisfaction?
A．Figuring out early what one will do in the future.
B．Matching the pre-existing passion to one's work.
C．Developing passion for what one is doing.
D．Discovering skills that lead to interesting careers.
小題3: The underlined sentence in Para. 5 probably means that _______.
A．it is not easy to match our passion with our jobs
B．we shouldn't think everyone has a pre-existing passion
C．workplace happiness does not require a pre-existing passion
D．high expectations of passion in jobs bring disappointment
小題4:What's the author's attitude towards the advice of “following your passion”?
A．Disapproving.B．Supportive.C．Cautious.D．Unclear.

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Transportation and communication networks bring people together. Yet sometimes people themselves create barriers to transportation and communication. In some countries, laws stop people from moving freely from place to place.
Over the centuries, many groups of people have been denied the freedom to travel because of their race, religion, or nationality. In the Middle Ages, for example, Jews were often forbidden to move about freely within certain cities. South Africa's government used to require black Africans to carry passes when they travel within the country. Some governments require all citizens to carry identification papers and to report to government officials whenever they move.
Countries set up Customs posts at their borders. Foreign travellers must go through a Customs inspection before they are allowed to travel in the country. Usually travellers have to carry special papers such as passports and visas(簽證). Some countries even limit the number of visitors to their country each year.  Others allow tourists to visit only certain areas of the country, or they may require that travellers be with an official guide at all times during their stay.
Many of those barriers to travel also act as barriers to communication. When two governments disagree with each other on important matters, they usually do not want their citizens to exchange news or ideas freely. Countries often try to keep military or industrial information secret.
Today, people have the ability to travel, to communicate, and to transport goods more quickly and easily than ever before. Natural barriers that were difficult or dangerous to cross a hundred years ago can now be crossed easily. The barriers that people themselves make are not so easy to overcome. But in spite of all the different kinds of barriers, people continue to enjoy travel and the exchange of goods and ideas.
小題1:The examples in paragraph 2 are used to tell the readers that _______      
A．Customs posts are necessary at the borders of the countries
B．people have been allowed to travel freely within the country
C．people have not been permitted to travel freely for various reasons
D．travellers have to carry special papers such as passports and visas
小題2:Some governments limit the freedom of communication because___        
A．they think such freedom will lead to wars
B．they more often than not agree with each other on important matters
C．they intend to keep their national secrets unknown to others
D．they want to show their authority over communication
小題3:We may learn from the passage that _______   
A．people do not care about the removal of barriers between countries.
B．people can not remove the obstacles made by themselves
C．barriers should be taken for granted as they always exist
D．man-made barriers are sometimes harder to overcome than natural ones
小題4:Which of the following can serve as the best title of the passage?
A．Functions of CommunicationB．Barriers Made by People
C．Restrictions on TransportationD．Progress of Human Society

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Last night I drove a long way (about 500 km) to return home. It was late and I was driving fast because I wanted to get home as soon as possible. So several times when I was driving behind a slow-moving truck on a narrow road, I wanted to shout at the driver ahead.
Then I came to a crossroad with a traffic light. As I drove near, it turned red. I stopped my car at once. I looked left，right and behind. I found no cars or persons — I was alone on the road. The person who would come to the crossroad was at least a mile away in any direction. Certainly going through the light would cause no danger. I could pass the traffic light. But strangely enough, I just stopped there, waiting for several minutes until the light went green. I asked myself why I refused to run the light. Surely it was unnecessary for me to be afraid of danger or being fined (罰款), because there were no cars or police around at all. But I remained waiting until the light changed.
When I finally got home, it was near midnight. My wife had fallen asleep. The question of why I stopped for that light came back to me again, because I stopped another two times for the red lights as “special” as the first one. I stopped, not because of the law, but because it was a good habit I had developed. In fact, we were used to doing something right just because we have made obeying the rules a good habit. We do it just because we should do it. I thought if another man met with the same thing, he would make the same choice. I believed so. And I could be trusted (信任) by others. I believed that everyone would and could control (控制) himself/herself well. It was amazing that we trusted each other to do the right things, wasn’t it?
小題1:When the author drove behind the slow-moving truck, he felt ____.
A．confused but happyB．sleepy and tiredC．excited but tiredD．a(chǎn)ngry and worried
小題2:Who made the author stopped at the crossroad?
A．A policeman.B．The author’s wife.C．The author himself.D．Another driver.
小題3:The author waited until the light went green because ____.
A．running the light would make him finedB．he was afraid to cause an accident
C．he was prevented by the passers-byD．he was used to obeying traffic rules
小題4:The author is a person who ____.
A．believes others easily B．can control himself well
C．treats others very unfriendly D．is very experienced in driving
小題5: We can infer from the passage that ____.
A．running the light could help the author get home earlier
B．the author’s wife was angry because he got home late
C．the truck driver in front of the author might be drunk
D．it was very necessary to have very strict traffic rules

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

A capsule inn is a kind of cheap and small hotel where people just sleep in rectangular containers(容器). After experiencing popularity in Japan for more than 30 years, capsule inns have now entered the Chinese market. This new style is becoming popular with many visitors, but some are less than what they expected. The capsule inn covers an area of more than 300 square meters, with 68 very small bedrooms for guests to rest. Each room is 2.2 meters long and about 1 meter wide.
As small as the capsules are, they provide more than enough daily necessities(必需品) for visitors. They do have plenty of functions. Each includes independent power sockets, clocks, lights, and flat screen televisions. People can also enjoy wireless Internet service. The basic fee(費(fèi)用) for each capsule is 28 yuan, and guests will be asked to pay an extra 4 yuan every hour. The highest cost could reach 88 yuan per day.
Ta Zan, capsule inn Manager, said, “Capsule inns are similar to Internet cafes. When they first appeared more than 10 years ago, people thought they might not succeed. But now it’s a common thing in our lives.” He believes that more capsule inns will open around the nation very soon. He is sure about the future of his business.
小題1:How much will you pay if you want to stay in a capsule inn for 12 hours?
A．88 yuan B．76 yuanC．28 yuanD．4 yuan.
小題2: What does the underlined word “functions” mean in Chinese?
A．價(jià)格B．功能C．方法D．需求
小題3:For whom, a capsule inn is a good choice while traveling around?
A．A family who like to cook by themselves.
B．A young student who likes watching TV or surfing on the Internet.
C．An old man who would like to stay in a big house with his wife.
D．A business man who wants to have a meeting with others.
小題4:Why does the manager compare(比較) his inn to Internet cafes?
A．Because he thinks they are similar in shape.
B．Because he knows Internet cafes were popular 10 years ago.
C．Because he thinks capsule inns are a common thing in our lives.
D．Because he believes both will have good development.

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