In late 2022, Matthew Pittman and Eric Haley carried out three studies on Americans aged 18-65 to test how people in different situations react to ads differently.
The control group in each study was asked to just look at an ad. The second group had to memorize a nine-digit number and then look at an ad. The third group looked through their Instagram updates for 30 seconds before looking at an ad. The first study used an ad for a meal preparation service, the second was for ice cream and the third was for coffee beans. The ad photos and introductions were the same for everyone in each group, with only the number of likes being different. Participants may see an ad with a few hundred likes or tens of thousands of likes. After viewing the ad, each participant rated how willing they would be to buy the product. The group that used Instagram first was the most likely to want to buy the product when there were lots of likes.
In the second study, participants were asked why they wanted to buy the product and those in the control group gave simple, reasonable answers for their choice. “I was thinking of the taste of the ice cream and how delicious it would be.” Or “I like the ad. It’s simple and clean. It gets straight to the point.” However, most of those who had viewed social media content for 30 seconds gave answers that made no sense. For example, some gave one-word answers like “food” or “plate”. Researchers refer to this as “cognitive overload”.
Then the researchers further developed their study of the ad for coffee beans. And they discovered that those who often drank coffee carefully considered many factors, like the type of the beans and their country of production. So even when these people were in a mental fog, they were not convinced by ads with a large number of likes.
By understanding how they might be influenced by social media in unconscious ways, consumers can be more thoughtful and hopefully won’t buy a product they don’t need.
1. What can be inferred from the three studies?| A．Social media greatly influences consumer behavior. |
| B．Ads for food are more popular than other types of ads. |
| C．People using social media choose more useful products. |
| D．Memorizing numbers has little effect on buying intentions. |
| A．New ideas come into mind quickly. |
| B．One’s attention can be easily directed. |
| C．One shows little interest in communication. |
| D．The brain has too much information to process. |
| A．Social media is a valuable advertising tool. |
| B．Product knowledge reduces the outside influence on buying. |
| C．Consumers with health concerns are careful about shopping. |
| D．People with a high quality of life hardly buy unnecessary things. |
| A．Focus on yourself: you can make good choices |
| B．Click on more ads to choose the most cost-effective goods |
| C．Keep up with the times to improve your shopping experience |
| D．Buy without thinking: you are being influenced by social media |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Yawning is something we all do—maybe because we’re bored carrying out tedious tasks or because we’re tired. Sometimes, just seeing other people yawn can set you off. But is this biological function really contagious, and why do we do it in the first place?
Many of us think we open our mouths when we yawn to take in more oxygen, but in fact it appears there is no clear biological reason. A new research suggests it might be because yawning cools the brain down and prevents it from overheating, much like the fan in your laptop. This might be why we’re more likely to feel drowsy and yawn in warm temperatures.
What is clear is that we yawn more when we’re exhausted and ready for a nap, and we can’t control when we do it—once we start, there’s no stopping us! But it’s also true that yawning is a very contagious behaviour. John Drury, a researcher from Sussex University, told the BBC that “dogs yawn when their owners yawn. Animals yawn to each other. It happens whether you want to or not.”
His research into this cognitive behaviour found that there is a connection with our social group and how close we are to the people in it. If we identify with the person who exhibits the behaviour, we are likely to copy it too.
Other researches by the University of Nottingham in 2017 found similar results. They asked volunteers to watch other people yawn. They found their ability to resist yawning when others around them yawned was limited. And the urge to yawn was increased when people were told they couldn’t. They also found, when using electrical stimulation(刺激), that they were able to increase people’s desire to yawn. These findings, they say, could be useful because it could help treat other conditions like Tourette’s, which involve the same area of the brain.
1. According to the new research, why are we more likely to yawn in warm temperatures?| A．Because we need to breathe more oxygen. |
| B．Because we are more likely to feel tired. |
| C．Because we need to make the brain cooler. |
| D．Because we are more likely to feel bored. |
| A．Powerful. | B．Infectious. | C．Similar. | D．Influential. |
| A．They will have stronger desire to yawn. |
| B．They will immediately stop yawning. |
| C．They will yawn less than before. |
| D．They will yawn more lightly. |
| A．A novel. | B．A diary. | C．A magazine. | D．A handbook. |
【推荐2】The argument that human-caused carbon emissions(排放) are merely a drop in the bucket compared to greenhouse gases generated by volcanoes has been making its way around the rumor mill for years. And while it seems to be reasonable, the science just doesn't back it up.
According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), the world's volcanoes, both on land and undersea, generate about 200 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) annually, while our automotive and industrial activities cause some 24 billion tons of CO2 emissions every year worldwide. Despite the arguments to the contrary, the facts speak for themselves: Greenhouse gas emissions from volcanoes compose less than one percent of those generated by today's human activities.
Another indication that human emissions surpass those of volcanoes is the fact that atmospheric CO2 levels, as measured by sampling stations around the world, have gone up consistently year after year regardless of whether or not there have been major volcanic eruptions in specific years. “If it were true that individual volcanic eruptions dominated human emissions and were causing the rise in carbon dioxide concentrations, then these carbon dioxide records would be full of spikes —one for each eruption,” says Coby Beck, a journalist writing for online environmental news. “Instead, such records show a smooth and regular trend.”
Furthermore, some scientists believe that volcanic eruptions, like that of Mt.St. Helens in 1980 and Mt. Pinatubo in 1991, actually lead to short-term global cooling, not warming, as sulfur dioxide (SO2), ash and other particles in the air and stratosphere(平流层) reflect some solar energy instead of letting it into Earth's atmosphere. SO2, which converts to sulfuric acid aerosol, when it hits the stratosphere, can linger there for as long as seven years and can exercise a cooling effect long after a volcanic eruption has taken place.
Scientists tracking the effects of the major 1991 eruption of the Philippines’ Mt. Pinatubo found that the overall effect of the blast was to cool the surface of the Earth globally by some 0.5 degrees Celsius a year later, even though rising human greenhouse gas emissions and an El Nino event caused some surface warming during the 1991-1993 study period.
In an interesting twist on the issue, British researchers last year published an article in the peer reviewed scientific journal Nature showing how volcanic activity may be contributing to the melting of ice caps in Antarctica but not because of any emissions, natural or man-made. Instead, scientists Hugh Corr and David Vaughan of the British Antarctic Survey believe that volcanoes underneath Antarctica may be melting the continents ice sheets from below, just as warming air temperatures from human-induced emissions erode them from above.
1. According to Paragraph 1, some people argue that .| A．their opinion is supported by science. |
| B．volcanoes generate most of the greenhouse gases. |
| C．human activities are to blame for greenhouse gases. |
| D．carbon emissions produced by volcanoes are increasing. |
| A．Sudden increases. | B．Smooth trends. |
| C．Stable regularities. | D．Sharp declines. |
| A．They brought about global warming. |
| B．They actually partly cooled the surface of the Earth. |
| C．They melted the ice sheets in Antarctic from above. |
| D．They dominated human emissions in greenhouse effect. |
| A．compare the results of the studies. |
| B．contradict a view held by some people. |
| C．present new findings for greenhouse phenomenon. |
| D．report the effects of CO2, in greenhouse phenomenon. |
【推荐3】Many people think that you need to travel great distances and go on expensive trips to create beautiful photos. If you consider macro photography, which is capturing (捕捉) tiny details, an entirely new world may open for you right in your own backyard. This is what I decided to do to challenge myself recently! I chose a relatively small area in my neighborhood to revisit over a couple of days, but the only rules I gave myself were not to photograph anything above the knees.
Using a 50 mm macro lens (微距镜头) on a traditional DSLR camera, I walked around looking for different opportunities. I also often use two extension (伸缩) tubes, which help me get ever closer to my subject matter and increase the magnification (放大率). In the evening light, the high contrast helps you see small things like jumping grasshoppers or other insects flying around, but during the day it can be more challenging. To find good subject matter, I like to crawl (爬) around and look at the world from a lizard or snake’s point of view. It adds significantly more drama, improves the image. It also has the power to transform a beautiful subject into a beautiful piece of art.
I really also pay attention to the background elements, not just the subject matter, especially with wildflowers. How in focus the background is, or how out of focus it is, can change an image. I like to shoot with a fully blurred (模糊的) background, called bokeh, though sometimes increasing depth of field and not having total blurriness can be beneficial to the composition, too.
You also don’t need a special camera set up to do this. Using a smartphone, you can easily use tools like portrait mode, to help blur the background. Some apps also allow for a greater level of control with depth of field and close-up photography. It’s less about the camera you use, and more all about how you use it!
1. What makes a splendid composition?| A．Taking an expensive trip. | B．Capturing the details of life. |
| C．Shooting anything above the knees. | D．Looking at a beautiful subject. |
| A．A traditional DSLR camera. | B．The ways of macro shooting. |
| C．Shooting down at subjects. | D．Insects flying around. |
| A．background | B．portrait | C．bokeh | D．camera |
| A．My Neighborhood | B．The Backyard |
| C．Crouching down Yourself | D．Macro Photography |
【推荐1】Zara is now one of the world’s hottest fashion chains. The secret to its success is that Zara stands out in supply chain management. In fact, Zara succeeds by first breaking and then rewriting industry rules.
Industry rule number one: Avoid stock-outs (缺货). From Zara’s point of view, stock-outs are a good thing, since occasional shortages contribute to a shopper’s urge to “buy now”. At Zara, items sell out fast, with new products arriving at stores twice a week. By giving just a short window of opportunity to purchase a limited quantity of products, Zara’s customers are motivated to visit the stores more frequently.
Rule number two: Outsource (外包) for cheaper production. In contrast to traditional outsourcing production, Zara has developed a super-responsive supply chain by concentrating more than half of its production in Spain (the birthplace) and its nearby countries. This means it can design, produce, and deliver a new item of clothing to its stores in a quarter of the normal time. Also, outsourcing may not necessarily be “low cost”. Errors in trend prediction can easily lead to unsold inventory (库存), forcing their retail stores to offer bigger discounts (打折). Zara’s ability to design and make new clothes quickly means shorter lead times and an ever-changing inventory. So it sells more at full price.
Rule number three: Go for efficiency through mass production. By producing products in large quantities, as is the industry norm, companies can benefit from it. Zara, however, intentionally deals in small numbers. Because of the greater flexibility and speed this approach affords, Zara does not worry about missing the boat when it comes to trends. When new trends emerge, Zara can react quickly. Also, it runs its supply chain with a fast but predictable rhythm: Every store places orders on Tuesday/Wednesdy and Friday/Saturday. Both store staff and regular customers know exactly when shipments will arrive.
Certainly, Zara has no shortage of competitors. But few have successfully copied its fast fashion and flexible business model yet.
1. Why do customers visit Zara stores more frequently?| A．Because of its regular huge discounts. |
| B．Because of its wide variety of clothing. |
| C．Because of the high quality of its products. |
| D．Because of limited availability of its items. |
| A．By predicting future fashion trends accurately. |
| B．By designing and making new clothes quickly. |
| C．By making most of goods in or near its headquarters. |
| D．By having factories in different countries around the world. |
| A．Being too late for delivery. |
| B．Working on a tight schedule. |
| C．Failing to take advantage of a chance. |
| D．Producing products in large quantities. |
| A．Ups and downs of Zara. |
| B．Secrets to Zara’s success. |
| C．Rules of the fashion industry. |
| D．Competition in the fashion industry. |
【推荐2】A characteristic of American culture that has become almost a tradition 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 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 got 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. What can we infer from Paragraph 1?| A．In America, people tend to have a high opinion of the self-made man. |
| B．In America, people can always rise to the top through their own efforts. |
| C．In America, college professors win great respect from common workers. |
| D．In America, people feel painful to mention their fathers as labors. |
| A．Because servants in America are hard to get. |
| B．Because she takes pride in what she can do herself. |
| C．Because she can hardly afford servants. |
| D．Because it is easy to prepare a meal with canned food. |
| A．Work in a furniture shop. | B．Keep accounts for a bar. |
| C．Wait to lay the table. | D．Serve customers in a restaurant. |
| A．A respectable self-made family. |
| B．American attitude toward manual labor. |
| C．Characteristics of American culture |
| D．The development of manual labor. |
【推荐3】For many Chinese consumers, a satisfying breakfast is one that includes either hot porridge(粥) or steamed buns(馒头). Cold sandwiches, which are usually popular with Westerners, are probably one of the last options on their minds. But that is not to say that consumers, especially those in an international city like Shanghai, would avoid everything considered Western for breakfast. For instance, coffee, which has steadily grown in popularity in the country, is one drink that many cannot do without today.
To satisfy this growing demand for breakfast sets that combine elements from the East and the West, food companies have been rolling out a host of new offerings to attract the customer. One example is Shanghai Qiao Coffee, which was launched by local time-honored food company Qiaojiashan at the end of 2019. Apart from its traditional dim sum, the store also sells various types of coffee.
According to Shen Yan, deputy manager of Shanghai Qiaojiashan Food Development Cold, the most popular breakfast set at the moment is the steamed vegetable bun paired with black coffee. “The calories that one gets from a meal featuring Chinese dim sum and coffee are less than those of a Western breakfast. Since a steamed bun has nearly 200 calories and a cup of black coffee barely has any calories, this combination can be considered healthy and delicious," said Shen.
Even the smaller shoppers in the food scene are jumping on the East-West breakfast trend. Western food establishments, too, have been rolling out Chinese breakfast options. "Consumers and even cultural heritage will also benefit from the increased competition. If not for the current trend which has revived interest in certain traditional dim sum, these foods could soon be lost to history," Shen said.
1. What can we learn about breakfast in Shanghai in paragraph 1?| A．People favour porridge and steamed buns. | B．Coffee is a necessity for many people. |
| C．People avoid western food for breakfast. | D．Cold sandwiches are a popular choice. |
| A．It is newly launched. | B．It is tasty and healthy. |
| C．It has Chinese characteristics. | D．It contains more nutrients. |
| A．Western food companies don't care about East-West breakfast. |
| B．Only big companies have the capacity to seize the market share. |
| C．The combination trend helps keep some traditional foods alive. |
| D．The competition for breakfast sets is of no benefit to consumers. |
| A．Western breakfast is well received by Shanghai people. |
| B．Chinese consumers show more interest in western food. |
| C．Shanghai Qiao Coffee has won great success for its breakfast sets. |
| D．The Chinese-Western breakfast set is warmly welcomed in Shanghai. |
【推荐1】Older women who walk a little over three kilometers each day might live longer than less active women of the same age, a new study suggests.
Many Americans hoping to stay healthy set a daily goal of 10, 000 steps, or about eight kilometers. They often have this goal because they are wearing electronic devices which set that target, note researchers in the United States. Their findings appeared recently in the publication JAMA Internal Medicine.
But it is not clear how much intensity(强度)or speed matter when counting the health benefits of every step, the researchers write. They add that 10,000 steps per day might not be the right goal for everyone.
For the study, researchers observed 17,000 women, all in their early 70s. They asked the women to wear accelerometers for at least four days. Accelerometers are small devices that measure the number of steps and the intensity of movement. The researchers followed up with the women much later, around 4. 3 years later, on average. Since the beginning of the study, 504 women had died. Compared to women who took no more than 2, 718 steps daily, the women who took at least 4,363 steps per day were 41 percent less likely to die.
“Even a modest amount of steps is associated with lower death rates, "said I-Min Lee, the lead writer of a report on the study. "The rate of stepping did not matter in these older women: it was the number of steps that mattered.
The study had a few limitations. For example, the researchers only measured women’s movements once, at the start of the study period. It is possible that the women’s behaviors changed over time. Still, the results are "good news for older adults who may have difficulty walking at faster paces, "said Keith Diaz, a researcher at Columbia University. He was not involved in the study.
“Any walking is better than nothing, " Diaz said by email. "With even small amounts of walking, your risk of death will be sharply reduced "For those who have difficulty walking, other research shows that any form of aerobic activity provides health benefits," he added. "Swimming, bicycling or any form of activity that is continuous in nature will provide health benefits.
1. What conclusion can we come to from the text?| A．People who walk about 10,000 steps can live longer. |
| B．10,000 steps per day might be the right goal for people. |
| C．The more steps one walks per day, the longer life he may live. |
| D．The number of steps is important for a long life among older women. |
| A．By giving examples. | B．By comparison. |
| C．By listing statistics. | D．By explaining reasons. |
| A．People who walk fast will get more health benefits. |
| B．If people have a habit of walking, the risk of death will be reduced. |
| C．People with walking difficulty can not benefit from activities |
| D．Activities such as swimming and bicycling are not as beneficial as walking. |
| A．A medical journal. | B．A news report. |
| C．A magazine about fashion. | D．A traveler brochure. |
【推荐2】A penny saved is a penny earned. And more and more benny-wise young Chinese are abandoning consumerism by leading an increasingly frugal (节俭的) life by developing anti-consumerism concepts.
According to a survey by JD.com, nearly 50% of respondents would use all means to save money and more than 30% plan to become deal-hunters to fit in their budgets. More than 80% of Generation Z Chinese spend less than 5,000 yuan ($737) a month. When shopping, they care the most about practicability, personal preference and price, instead of brands, popularity and brand spokesmen.
And more than 600,000 users have joined a group named Frenzied Money Savers on Douban, a popular social media platform, where members share sometimes extreme ideas, tips, books and everything to save hard-earned money. For instance, some recommended uninstalling shopping apps such as Taobao, Meituan and Pinduoduo and installing it each time you really need to buy something so as to hold back the urge to spend. And milk tea, coffee and takeouts are strongly opposed by many.
Chinese have long established and valued the saving culture with the country’s household savings rate leading the world. Young Chinese who are born in a relatively prosperous and abundant society have learned to get rid of the addiction to consumerism and use money in a more sensible and wiser way, which could help create a more healthy and upbeat social vibe (社会风气), besides reducing the huge waste and damages to the environment caused by over consumption.
Just as the American writer Theodore Thornton said, the habit of saving is itself an education. Yet saving is certainly not the final goal, but spending money where it truly deserves helps realize one’s life objectives. To save and spend wisely are lessons young people all over the world have to learn.
1. Why are more and more young Chinese becoming benny-wise?| A．They tend to accept consumerism. | B．They spend money without hesitation. |
| C．They are shaped by multiple cultures. | D．They are in favor of economical life. |
| A．Budgets and service. | B．Practicability and price. |
| C．Personal preference and brands. | D．Shopping apps and platforms. |
| A．Anti-consumerism is beneficial to social progress. |
| B．Saving money can be many people’s life objective. |
| C．Many social issues mainly result from consumerism. |
| D．Young Chinese are lucky to be born in a prosperous society. |
| A．There is no increasing need for consumerism. |
| B．Old virtue of being frugal is still not outdated. |
| C．Tips on saving money are important for the young. |
| D．Consumerism has an impact on economic development. |
【推荐3】Invisible Dialogues and Invented Languages
•October 13, 2018
This discussion will examine selftaught artists who use coded or invented languages in their work. Artists include Melvin Edward Nelson, and Carlo Keshishian. Exploring the relationship between language and visual expressions, it seeks to find out how some unreadable words, letters, and symbols communicate meaning.
•6：30 pm－8：00 pm
•$10 members, students, seniors; $12 nonmembers
Art and Storytelling
•October 20, 2018
Artist Ernesto Caivano will discuss the connection of drawing and stories in his work, while examining how his explorations of storytelling relate to his previous works.
Another activity includes conversations with artists and scholars, providing a good opportunity to engage with the central themes and histories found in the artwork.
•6：30 pm－7：30 pm
•$5 members, students, seniors; $8 nonmembers
SelfTaught Genius
•October 27, 2018
Sponsor Sarah Suzuki will discuss selected drawings and prints on view in the exhibition Highlights from SelfTaught Genius on a guided gallery tour.
The program is held together with the exhibition Highlights from SelfTaught Genius at the newly opened SelfTaught Genius Gallery in Long Island City, Queens.
•6：00 pm－7：00 pm
•$5 members, students, seniors; $8 nonmembers
Gender, Politics, and Textiles (纺织品)
•November 3, 2018
Art historian Julia BryanWilson will present an illustrated overview of her publication Fray: Art and Textile Politics. Julia will explore the relationship between textiles, gender, and war. The book signing will follow the discussion.
•6：30 pm－8：00 pm
•$8 members, students, seniors; $10 nonmembers
1. Who will talk about drawing and stories?| A．Sarah Suzuki. | B．Ernesto Caivano. |
| C．Melvin Edward Nelson. | D．Julia BryanWilson. |
| A．SelfTaught Genius. | B．Art and Storytelling. |
| C．Gender, Politics, and Textiles. | D．Invisible Dialogues and Invented Languages. |
| A．To sponsor some events. | B．To introduce some artists. |
| C．To publicize some books. | D．To advertise some activities. |
