Do you like shopping? For shopaholics in the UK, the place to head to used to be the “high street”. It was the place where you could find familiar fashion brands and essential everyday items in the centre of a town. But change in our shopping habits has taken its toll on the British high street.
News about shops losing money and shutting is now common. Some city-centre department stores have closed and even long-established retailers (零售商) have reported profit slumps. According to a recent survey, a record 2,481 shops disappeared from UK high streets last year — up by 40 percent.
As the BBC’s Emma Simpson writes, things have become a lot harder for traditional retailers in recent years. They have faced rising costs from wages, business rates and the requirement to introduce Europe’s new data law. But the biggest threat has come from online shopping. She says “Consumers now spend one in every five pounds online — and if businesses are seeing 20 percent fewer sales on the shop floor, as well as their fixed costs rising, then profit margins will be squeezed.”
While some of us like to window shop — browsing for things to buy, only to purchase them online at a discount — the fact is that, overall, shoppers are making fewer visits to high streets. Eventually, town centres could become like ghost towns. If people aren’t out and about shopping, they won't use other services, like cafes, restaurants and cinemas, which leads to job losses. The high street has also suffered from the arrival of big shopping malls, which offer a retail experience under one roof, with free parking, away from the bad weather!
Meanwhile, back on the high street, some shops still exist. Analysts have said it's those that have moved away from traditional retailing that are surviving. These include beauty salons, nail bars and independent coffee shops — but are these kinds of shops enough to keep the British high street open for business?
1. What do we know about “high street” according to the passage?| A．It sold only fashionable daily items. |
| B．It has changed people’s shopping habits. |
| C．It was a big shopping mall in downtown Britain. |
| D．It was the destination for people who love shopping in the UK. |
| A．Sharp fall. | B．Steady rise. |
| C．Slow increase. | D．Slight loss. |
| A．The rising costs from wages. |
| B．The boom of window shopping. |
| C．The popularity of shopping online, |
| D．The introduction of Europe’s new data law. |
| A．Discounts are offered to attract more consumers. |
| B．Parking is free of charge in time of bad weather. |
| C．Better service is provided to satisfy the customers. |
| D．Some conventional retailer turn to other businesses. |
相似题推荐
Do social influencers affect our buying?
Have you ever been on social media and seen your favourite celebrity (a widely known person) talking about a product? These endorsements (promotional statements by famous people) might not be totally random, and are actually seen as a vital part of the marketing process. The question is: How do social media influencers ‘influence’ what you buy?
Human desire for status and making friends, combined with our need to belong to a group, make us susceptible (easily impressed emotionally) to being ‘socially influenced’. Companies often use that desire to have a similar lifestyle to a celebrity we admire to hawk (sell or offer sale from place to place) or launch a product. So, what do these endorsements actually do?
Firstly, they can be used to build brand awareness. A social media influencer should have a strong understanding of the platform they operate on, and therefore can create engaging (appealing) content that not only adheres to (stay with) the brand image, but sparks their followers’ interests in a product they might never have seen before.
Secondly, influencers can improve a company or product’s relationship with their customer base. According to InMoment’s 2018 US Retail CX Trends Report on customer loyalty, 77% of buyers have been brand loyal for more than ten years. This is also true of 60% of millennials. A popular celebrity can target key demographics (customer group) and talk or blog about a product, which can create an instant and lasting bond (connection) with the consumer.
Lastly, influencers can improve customer buying habits with seemingly ‘unbiased (just) opinions’. We are more likely to respond to ‘peer recommendation’ than traditional ads, meaning the fact we see an influencer as a ‘friend’ can make us less likely to be sceptical (doubting) about what we are seeing.
So, the next time you see a celebrity talking about a product, you might want to consider that this could be a carefully crafted marketing strategy designed to target your core (main) needs. If you find yourself perusing (consider with attention and in detail) a product you’ve seen on social media, you may well have been influenced.
1. What factors make ‘social influence’ so effective?2. What does an influencer do to make the brand he promotes well-known among his followers?
3. Please decide which part is false in the following statement. Then underline it and explain why.
A popular celebrity makes his followers believe he is their friends, sharing with them his real opinions on the products.
4. What do you think of today’s social media? (40词左右)
For an annual membership fee of £60，users are free to enter the shop once a month and help themselves to no less than £250 worth of goods every year. The only ‘catch’ is that shoppers are asked to complete a simple questionnaire about each product they try. Known as ‘try-vertising’，the concept allows manufacturers to test products and receive consumer feedback(反馈）before launching onto the open market. It is already a sensation in Japan and now looks set to transform the fortunes of the embattled UK retail industry. If everything goes well, countries such as Germany and France will give it a try. According to new figures, stores are facing a Christmas crisis with the weakest high street trading for six months. Michael Ghosh, the founder behind SampleTrend, said, “The concept behind SampleTrend is unique in the UK. It allows shoppers the opportunity to walk away with a number of real, full-size products of their choosing without handing over a penny.” The concept of in-store try-vertising is simple but effective. Businesses across all sectors from cosmetic manufacturers to beverage makers, place new products on the shelves at SampleTrend and wait for consumers to try them out.
Customers complete a short 10-point questionnaire about the product. The feedback they provide is used to make any finishing touches before the product is brought officially to market. The SampleTrend store stocks everything from cosmetics, food and drink, and household goods. Ghosh, the former advertising and sales director for Disney Europe, said such feedback may also build brand loyalty from the outset— a particularly appealing prospect for new businesses.
1. The most attractive part of the idea for customers is that_____.
| A．they only pay £60 for a life-long membership |
| B．they can help to make the products better |
| C．it won’t take much time to finish the questionnaire |
| D．they can take things home without paying for them |
| A．Germany | B．Britain | C．Japan | D．France |
| A．get feedback for their new products |
| B．sell more products at Christmas time |
| C．encourage people to buy more products |
| D．give customers free products as gifts |
| A．Puzzling. | B．Unpractical. |
| C．Promising. | D．Surprising. |
【推荐3】For many consumers, low prices are often equal to cheap products. While everyone loves a good bargain (特价商品), low prices can harm how your product is viewed. Instead of getting a great deal, customers often believe that you get what you pay for. Though everyday low-pricing strategies can work for some companies, they’re not always the best idea for certain lines of business.
Consumer perceptions play a significant role in strategic pricing. Despite all the promotions surrounding great deals, it turns out that cheaper isn’t always better. Research from Vanderbilt University suggests that low prices can backfire because consumers sometimes see them as signs of low-quality products. However, researchers also found that consumers sometimes see low prices as simply good deals. Shoppers’ perceptions depend on what they’re thinking about when deciding whether or not to buy a product.
If consumers come across a low-priced product or service, they may see it as either a good deal or not worth their time and money. How consumers think about price is just as important as the actual price itself.
Consumers rarely have complete information and use various strategies to fill gaps in their knowledge when considering products. One strategy involves using naive theories: informal explanations used by consumers to make sense of their environment. A consumer may perceive an upscale (高档的) company’s prices are too high or assume discount retailers’ (零售店) products are inferior (次的) due to its reputation being associated with lower quality items than other stores selling similar goods.
Companies can influence how customers feel about their low prices by conducting market research and improving marketing strategies focused on highlighting product quality rather than just value alone which tends towards making people rate cheaper products more favorably. When companies focus on the product quality in marketing materials, consumers look more favorably upon more expensive products. However, when companies focus on value, consumers rate cheap products more favorably.
Businesses can also identify their customer base and narrow their marketing efforts to become perceived as a specialist. This leaves customers less likely to question pricing strategies because they trust that the company knows what it’s doing and has done its research into what works best for them.
1. What does research from Vanderbilt University suggest?| A．Strategic pricing determines shoppers’ perceptions. |
| B．Promotions are linked with high-quality products. |
| C．Consumers only see low prices as a real bargain. |
| D．Consumers’ perceptions of low prices vary greatly. |
| A．Produce an opposite result. | B．Cause a serious explosion. |
| C．Meet people’s expectations. | D．Have a positive effect. |
| A．By emphasizing product quality. | B．By targeting a wider audience. |
| C．By offering more promotions. | D．By lowering prices even further. |
| A．Low prices are always a good thing for businesses |
| B．Low prices can sometimes scare off customers |
| C．Companies should focus on value rather than quality |
| D．Companies should ignore consumers’ perceptions of price |
【推荐1】Compassion has not been a traditional characteristic of sport. With its UK roots in 19th-century British public schools and universities, modern sport developed as way of creating strong military leaders, training them to develop adaptability defined in those times by iron will and biting the bullet. Fear and harsh criticism were crucial to toughening up players and soldiers alike. The “tough guy” narrative was strengthened by 20th-century media stereotypes and Hollywood’s heroes and became rooted into sport and society.
I’ve heard countless stories like the popular culture I found when I joined the Olympic rowing team in the mid-1990s. We were expected to suffer after mistakes or losses to show that we truly cared, and everyone believed coaches needed to be severe and unforgiving to get results. These approaches still exist. But an alternative approach with compassion at its center addresses aims of performance and wellbeing for those with greater ambitions.
This isn’t some soft option which plays down hard work, as supporters of the earlier traditional sporting mindset might criticize. Research across branches of psychology — behavioral, sports, positive — shows how compassion creates the strongest foundation for adaptability and sustained performance under pressure whether in sport, the military, healthcare or business. Rather than activating our threat system which began to help us survive way back, compassion helps us to feel safe and protected, leaving us free to learn, connect with others and start exploring what we’re capable of.
The continuous need to improve performance has led top coaches to appreciate that high performance requires levels of support to match the level of challenge. When you provide that, players start thriving while striving to achieve more. Rooted in compassion, a different coach-athlete relationship thus develops.
The dictionary definition of compassion includes the recognition of another’s suffering and the desire and support to relieve it. Compassion has been shown to decrease fear of failure and increase the likelihood of trying again when failure does happen. But how many talented athletes experience that depth of support in moments of crisis and failure?
1. What does the underlined phrase “biting the bullet” in paragraph one mean?| A．Commitment. | B．Ambition. | C．Suffering. | D．Toughness. |
| A．To arouse people’s interest about rowing. |
| B．To recall a painful training experience. |
| C．To draw a distinction between training approaches. |
| D．To bring out a compassion-centered training approach. |
| A．Criticism about the compassion. | B．Necessity of employing compassion. |
| C．Characteristics about the compassion. | D．Fields that compassion is involved in. |
| A．The media is active in developing tough training style. |
| B．Extraordinary athletes rarely received enough support. |
| C．The compassion-centered training is widely used in sports. |
| D．Compassion means more openness to failure and less training. |
【推荐2】Should you choose time over money, or money over time? This is one of those so-called dilemmas of happiness that isn’t really a dilemma at all, because the answer is so painfully obvious. Money, after all, is just an instrument for obtaining other things, including time-while time is all we’ve got. And to make matters worse, you can’t save it up.
And yet we do choose money over time, again and again, even when basic material well-being doesn’t demand it. Partly, no doubt, that’s because even well-off people fear future poverty. But it’s also because the time/money trade-off rarely presents itself in simple ways. Suppose you’re offered a better-paid job that requires a longer commute (more money in return for less time); but then again, that extra cash could lead to more or better time in future, in the form of nicer holidays, or a more secure retirement. Which choice prioritizes time, and which money? It’s hard to say.
Thankfully, a new study throws a little light on the matter. The researchers surveyed more than 4,000 Americans to determine whether they valued time or money more, and how happy they were. A clear majority preferred money-but those who valued time were happier. Older people, married people and parents were more likely to value time, which makes sense: older people have less time left, while those with spouses and kids probably either value time with them, or feel they steal all their time. Or both.
The crucial finding here is that it’s not having more time that makes you happier, but valuing it more. Economists continue to argue about whether money buys happiness-but few doubt that being comfortably off is more pleasant than struggling to make ends meet. This study makes a different point: it implies that even if you’re scraping by (勉强维持), and thus forced to focus on money, you’ll be happier if deep down you know it’s time that’s most important.
It also contains ironic (讽刺的) good news for those of us who feel basically secure, financially, but horribly pushed for time. If you strongly wish you had more time, as I do, who could accuse you of not valuing it? At least my eagerness for more time shows that my priorities are in order, and maybe that means I’ll enjoy any spare time I do get. We talk about scarce time like it’s a bad thing. But scarcity is what makes us treat things as precious, too.
1. The example in Paragraph 2 suggests that ______.| A．money can be made at the expense of time |
| B．the time/money trade-off is a complicated issue |
| C．money is a tool for obtaining material well-being |
| D．circumstances force one to choose money over time |
| A．valuing time more makes people happier |
| B．parents regret the time spent on their kids |
| C．people won’t value time until they’re rich |
| D．a comfortable life is superior to more time |
| A．What you should spend time on |
| B．What you should trade money for |
| C．Why you need to value money, not time |
| D．Why you need to count time, not money |
【推荐3】Are Superheroes Good Role Models?
Superheroes are everywhere. But what effect, if any, do superheroes have on our behavior? Some experts believe superheroes may have a particularly important influence on children.
Children have very limited control over many areas of their lives. Therefore, pretending to be a superhero allows a child to act out and process any anxiety that they have, and thereby overcome or reduce hidden fears, says Dr. Amy Bailey, a clinical psychologist.
Bailey adds, “The risk to superhero play is that sometimes children’s behavior can become out of control and turn into chaotic play as a child becomes completely lost in these roles.” She advises parents to keep children away from more aggressive(暴力的) shows and to have children focus on “other positive characteristics of their favorite hero, such as their clever thinking and care of others.” Concern over the possible effect of aggressive behavior has led to some schools banning(禁止) superhero play from the classroom.
Other psychologists(心理学家) share this concern. Some point to the change of the superhero over time, and are dissatisfied with modern images. “There is a big difference in the movie superhero of today and the comic book superhero of yesterday,” says Sharon Lamb. She compares the selfish, playboy millionaire Tony Stark (Iron Man) to a superhero of the past, such as Superman. Superman, she points out, had a real job as a newspaper reporter and was devoted to fighting injustice(不公平). More recent characters such as Iron Man “take advantage of women, show off wealth, and show their manhood with high-powered guns.”
Jeff Greenberg, a social psychology professor, has his own idea of modern superheroes. According to him, superheroes give children confidence and can deliver a positive moral message. Many superheroes-such as Spider-Man or Superman-use their powers to protect the weak. And more modern superheroes such as Daredevil, who is blind, and Charles Xavier (Professor X), who is disabled, bring diversity(多样性) and present positive images of disability.
1. What’s the main idea of the passage?| A．Children should be kept away from superhero movies. |
| B．Superheroes can have a powerful impact on children. |
| C．The concept of the superhero has changed over time. |
| D．Superheroes can encourage children to be confident. |
| a. Superman b. Iron Man c. Professor X d. Spider-man | 1. He is self-centered and is not a good role model for children. 2. He shows a narrow image of manhood. 3. He shows children that it’s OK to be different. 4. He empowers children and stands for justice. |
| A．a--2. | B．b--4. | C．c--3. | D．d--1. |
| A．The ban on superhero play in classroom. | B．The possible effect on aggressive behavior. |
| C．The various characteristics of superheroes. | D．The belief of children in superhuman strength. |
① It provides hard scientific evidence. ② It quotes psychologists’ remarks.
③ It offers the writer’s own opinion. ④ It discusses both sides of the issue.
| A．① ③ | B．② ③ | C．② ④ | D．① ④ |
【推荐1】A study shows that the more eco-conscious way to shop is going to a physical store rather than by making purchases online from companies that don't have physical stores. Researchers estimated that shopping at physical stores for frequently bought items such as toilet paper, shampoo and toothpaste, often results in less greenhouse gas emissions than ordering the products from a company that only sells through the Internet.
The main reason is because of how people shop online： Many buy items online frequently — but they only buy a few items per purchase. Frequent online purchases produce more packaging waste, and online items tend to come from different distribution centers. Both factors result in higher greenhouse gas emissions per item.
The team modeled their research on the movement of goods from the factory all the way through to the end consumer. They analyzed the carbon footprint of the "last mile delivery" for the three most popular types of shopping channels in the United Kingdom — physical stores, "brick & clicks" (when people order online and a physical store delivers the items to them) , and "pure players” (strictly online sellers). Included in the three models were greenhouse gas emissions estimates from the number of products bought, transportation, warehouse storage , delivery and packaging activities.
The analysis showed that total greenhouse gas footprints per item purchased were higher from physical stores than those from bricks & clicks purchases in 63% of the shopping events but lower than those of pure players in 81 % of shopping events in the United Kingdom. In the United States, greenhouse gas emissions from shopping at physical stores were also estimated to be higher than from the brick & click channel, and lower than the pure play channel, on average.
This pattern holds true in countries where people mostly drive. It really depends on the country and consumer behavior there.
1. What is the function of the first paragraph?| A．To persuade the readers. | B．To show the research conclusion. |
| C．To compare two shopping ways. | D．To state the reason for this study. |
| A．It is not convenient. | B．It is a waste of money. |
| C．It causes packaging waste. | D．It results in air pollution. |
| A．By making comparison. | B．By doing experiments. |
| C．By giving an explanation. | D．By making a survey. |
| A．Shopping by car. | B．Buying in physical stores. |
| C．Dealing with “pure players". | D．Purchasing from "brick & click. |
【推荐2】Livestreaming (直播) through channels such as Amazon Live and QVC is an increasingly popular way to sell goods online. It usually lasts between 5 and 10 minutes, and someone promotes a product. Viewers can then readily buy it by clicking on a link.
We analyzed 99,451 sales cases on a livestream selling platform and matched them with actual sales cases. In terms of time, that is equal to over 2 million 30-second television advertisements.
To determine the emotional (情绪的) expression of the salesperson, we used two deep learning models: a face model and an emotion model. The face model discovers the presence or absence of a face in a frame (镜头) of a video stream. The emotion model then determines the probability that a face is exhibiting any of the six basic human emotions: happiness, sadness, surprise, anger, fear or disgust. For example, smiling signals a high probability of happiness, while an off-putting expression usually points toward anger.
We wanted to see the effect of emotions expressed at different times in the sales cases so we counted probabilities for each emotion for all 62 million frames in our database. We then combined these probabilities with other possible aspects that might drive sales—such as price and product characteristics—to judge the effect of emotion.
We found that, perhaps unsurprisingly, when salespeople show more negative emotions-such as anger and disgust—the volume of sales went down. But we also found that a similar thing happened when the salespeople show high levels of positive emotions, such as happiness or surprise.
A likely explanation, based on our research, is that smiling can be unpleasant because it lacks true feelings and can reduce trust in the seller. A seller’s happiness may be taken as a sign that the seller is gaining interests at the customer’s expense.
1. What can we know about the livestreaming in the first paragraph?| A．It damages the physical economy. |
| B．It helps to sell the products abroad. |
| C．It helps big companies promote all goods. |
| D．It is very convenient for the buyers to buy goods. |
| A．By analyzing previous data. | B．By referring to a theory. |
| C．By giving some examples. | D．By concluding different views |
| A．Surprising. | B．Delighting. | C．Displeasing. | D．Embarrassing. |
| A．Livestreamers Sell Products Successfully |
| B．Expressions Affect Selling Products Online |
| C．Emotions and Faces: What’s the Difference |
| D．Smiling Can Increase the Sales in Reality |
【推荐3】Social media is taking over our lives: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and now, TikTok. These social media platforms have changed from a way to stay connected to an industry where even kids can make money off their posts. While this may seem like another opportunistic innovation, it’s really full of hidden false realities.
The median income (中位收入) recorded in the United States of American was about $63,000 in 2018. TikTokers can make anywhere from $50,000 to $150,000 for a TikTok brand partnership, and TikTokers with over a million followers can make up to $30,000 a month — $360,000 a year. They are making more than the average person trying to feed their family and keep a roof over their heads simply by posting a 15-second video.
This is mad in more ways than one. Not only is it an overpaid “job”, it promotes undeserved admiration from viewers and a false sense of reality. Many of these famous TikTokers are still teens and the effects of fame at such an early stage in life might cause issues later in life, such as mental illness. Teens between the ages of 13 and 17 make up 27% of TikTok viewers, who can be easily influenced by what they are watching. They can put a false sense of self-value into who they look up to and what they represent: money, fame, being considered conventionally attractive.
While TikTok has become a great tool for marketing, it’s important to understand how this content affects young viewers. If we’re constantly consuming content that shows us all we need to do to be successful is be conventionally attractive and post a 15-second video featuring a new dance, it will challenge our knowledge of what really makes someone successful and will in turn affect our individual work ethnics (伦理). What about the people who miss birthdays and family holidays due to their jobs and aren’t getting paid nearly as much as these TikTokers?
Richard Colyer, president and creator of Metaphor, Inc, had his own view on this issue. “It sounds great that kids can make money for doing the latest dance moves in a 15-second video, but we should feed the minds of kids and not just their bank accounts. TikTok can be great if used properly. Money alone is not good; technology alone is not good and connectedness can be bad if it is only online.”
Again, as a fellow consumer of TikTok, I do enjoy the app when I have some time to kill and need a good laugh. I’m not against someone making a living on entertainment, but what does getting famous off of a 15-second video teach young people?
1. What does the underlined word “this” in Paragraph 1 refer to?| A．Social networking. | B．Making money on social media. |
| C．A job offered by TikTok. | D．Staying connected to the Internet. |
| A．They tend to live an adult life too soon. |
| B．They are forced to pay for certain services. |
| C．They are likely to develop false values. |
| D．They may stop believing other social media. |
| A．TikTok can be a positive influence if teens make good use of it. |
| B．Young TikTokers should be banned from making money. |
| C．It is better to involve education on investment in TikTok videos. |
| D．Contents of videos need checking before their release online. |
| A．A Job vs An Entertainment |
| B．Join Young TikTokers |
| C．Say No to TikTok |
| D．TikTok — A Mine of Money |
