Your local grocery store is a psychological minefield (布雷区),where even the bananas are ripe with mystery.
1.Southpaws (左撇子) have an invisible (看不见的) advantage
You've probably seen that stores keep go-to items—produce,meats,dairy—on the outer edge.But did you notice that most of them are set up to make you run counterclockwise (逆时针)? Ninety percent of us are right-handed,so we buy more when it's counterclockwise.You'll also often find the dairy section in the back left corner:Because dairy is likely on your list,stores make sure you take the longest route to get there.In fairness,it's also a more convenient place to put a fridge.
2.Everything is in its place
It's safe to say that nothing you see on a shelf is there by chance.The cookies on sale at the end of a passage are likely the result of smart product placement.More expensive items are usually placed at an adult's eye level,while colorful treats and other products for kids are positioned lower—to catch the attention of children.
3.Time goes by so slowly
Stores rarely have windows or clocks.With no reference to the outside world,customers can easily lose track of how long they've been there so that they can buy more.Grocery stores may use another trick to control your sense of time: small floor tiles (瓷砖).
1. Why do stores usually put dairy in the back left corner?A.Because it is a quiet place. |
B.To attract people's attention. |
C.To make people buy more. |
D.Because most people are right-handed. |
A.in corners | B.at the end of a passage |
C.at an adult's eye level | D.on lower shelves |
A.They are useless. | B.To make customers stay longer. |
C.There is no space for them. | D.To allow customers to enjoy themselves. |
A.Advantages of stores | B.Secrets of stores |
C.How to shop in stores | D.How to operate a store |
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【推荐1】The way people purchase clothes has fundamentally changed in response to the “fast fashion", the result of mass -market retailers (零售商) increasing the production of inexpensive fashion lines to meet the demands of quickly changing trends. It is not uncommon for retailers to introduce new products multiple times in a single week to stay on trend. This may seem like a good thing at first glance, but it is causing more problems than it is solving.
Workers in factories in underdeveloped areas face mistreatment, including poor working conditions, low wages and forced overtime. So before making a deal, ask retailers questions such as where products are made and how many people work there. Watch for warming signs and use your judgment if something doesn't feel right.
Another reason to rethink about the trend has something to do with the impact on our rivers, lakes and oceans. Chemical pollutants are released into waterways every time those clothes are washed. What can be done is as simple as buying from brands known for their preference for using organic materials, because they are trying not to add to the pollution.
Besides, people don't keep clothes as long as they used to, and the rate of production to keep up has resulted in tons of waste. It's easy to see at manufacturing (生产) sites the massive wastes. Even holding giant sales or rewarding customers for bringing in second-hand clothes is not enough.
Only with enough customers saying “No” to fast fashion can we work toward a better future.
1. Which is a feature of fast fashion?A.Being eco-friendly. | B.Affordable prices. |
C.Guaranteed quality. | D.Setting new trends. |
A.All the workers can take days off in turn. |
B.The manufacturing sites are too crowded. |
C.The workers can support their entire families. |
D.The factory is located in a developed area. |
A.Bring their used clothes for donations. | B.Ask manufacturers certain questions. |
C.Examine the quality of materials used. | D.Weigh possible environmental effects. |
A.How to Spot the Perfect Clothes | B.Customers, Who Change Markets |
C.Why Fast Fashion is Troublesome | D.Say “No" to the Fashion Industry |
【推荐2】More and more online shopping platforms now offer consumers a detailed look into products’ historical prices. But how does this information influence buying decisions?
To explore this question, we conducted a series of experiments with a total of more than 5,000 business school students and working adults. We measured the impact of different kinds of price shifts on people’s interest in purchasing products and identified several consistent trends:
First, when consumers saw that the price today was lower than it had been in the past, they were more likely to buy now, because the current price seemed like a good deal.
However, the picture gets more complicated when you consider the frequency of historical price shifts: In our studies, we found that if consumers were shown at least three changes in the same direction, they were likely to assume the price would continue to move in the same direction. While if they were only shown one or two changes in the same direction, they expected the price to change in the opposite direction.
So what does this mean for sellers? It may be tempting to slowly lower the price over time. However, our data shows that this can lead consumers to assume that the price will continue to fall, making them hesitant to buy. But if they just see a single price drop, they ‘re more likely to expect a reversal in the near future, pushing them to buy the product now.
Our findings can also help buyers make more informed decisions about whether and when they choose to make a purchase. As with any irrational bias (非理性的偏见), awareness of the natural tendency to expect trends to continue and single large changes to reverse can help consumers question this assumption before acting on it. Instead of letting this arbitrary (武断的) expectation guide buying decisions, consumers may benefit by doing a bit more research around the underlying factors driving price shifts. Buyers may also benefit from learning more about a product’s longer-term price history, fluctuations (波动), and typical industry-wide price ranges, to avoid being disproportionately influenced by near-term price changes. It’s also always a good idea to think about both how urgent your need for a given product is, and your own risk tolerance for a potential price increase, as this can affect whether it’s worth it for you to wait and see if the price falls.
Of course, there are countless factors that influence both consumers’ decisions around whether and when to buy and sellers’ decisions around how to price their products. But it’s important for both sides to recognize the key role that expectations play in influencing these decisions.
1. Which of the following is true about the experiment?A.It proves that people’s interest in the product drives the purchasing behavior. |
B.E-commerce platforms turn to it to connect with customers and boost sales. |
C.It’s designed to figure out the purchasing decision process based on pricing. |
D.Business school students make up the whole control group for comparison. |
A. | B. |
C. | D. |
A.decide on the assumptions that long-term price trend will continue |
B.research longer-term price history, price ranges and hidden factors |
C.put off the purchase for better deals because of the unsustainable market |
D.cooperate with sellers while putting aside the personal risk and urgency |
A.How do price changes influence buying decisions? |
B.Why should products’ historical prices be shown? |
C.When is the best time for consumers to purchase? |
D.What do businesses need to price their products? |
【推荐3】Half off usually unaffordable products?Only $49.99 for that $100.00 dinner?That’s the magic of Groupon,but for some small business owners the “great business” offered by Groupon can be equal to the kiss of death.How could that occur?
The math of Groupon seems simple at a glance,but upon further inspection the numbers don’t add up when it comes to smaller businesses.A Groupon typically offers a 50% discount on a product or service;then the remaining profit is divided between Groupon and the small business.While Groupon has already received the profit in advance,the merchant is left waiting for their cut.Those worrying numbers are assuming the price cut is 50/50,which,in some cases,is being generous.
When you break it down to numbers,a Groupon deal seems disastrous,but it’s not only the numbers small business owners have to worry about.The point of Groupon deals is to attract new and hopefully long term customers.Yet,does this actually happen?The majority of consumers buying the Groupon are there for the bargain and don’t return after using their Groupon.CFHS Junior Angelita Pope stated,“I love the deals offered by Groupon!They can really save you so much money.”However,she went on to say that she hadn’t returned once to any of the businesses after using her Groupon.
For some small businesses,the pressure lies with the responses of their loyal customers,who watch as new faces get the same product or service for half the price that they have been paying for years.When you break it down,Groupon indicates that the business offering the deal is not only willing to be flexible with their price,but also that their product or service isn’t worth the price they’re charging for.When combining these factors,it’s no wonder loyal customers are put off by the idea of their favorite shop offering Groupons.
Now I by no means say Groupons have bad effects on all businesses;however the storm of Groupon is actually a disaster for a small business.
1. What is good about Groupon?A.It can offer a large discount. |
B.It helps add up the numbers. |
C.It can improve the quality of the product. |
D.It brings small business owners more profit. |
A.small business owners needn’t worry about deals |
B.people like using Groupon in the same business |
C.the purpose of Groupon is to promote business |
D.Groupon may not bring customers back |
A.New faces. | B.Loyal customers. |
C.Groupon dealers. | D.Small businesses. |
A.A new business trend—Groupon dealing |
B.The development of a Groupon company |
C.The effects of Groupon on small businesses |
D.A fantastic shopping experience—Groupon |
【推荐1】War is disturbing.No matter which “side” you're on,people are killing, people are being killed, and people are suffering.A recent poll (民意调查)in New York showed 47% for the war, 49% against.That means half the people you meet won't be agreeing with you.Be aware that this is beyond your control.You can't solve the problems of the world;no one has but it's up to you how you think about things, how you respond,what you do and say.
Help someone who is having a hard time or has a loved one serving on the front.Reassure children, telling them that they're well protected and safe.Be grateful for things in your own life or life in general, such as flowers coming out in your garden, a job you like, an A on your child's report card, someone's getting a promotion (升职),a new baby being born and so on.Find ways to make yourself feel at peace.Talk with a good listener, spend extra time with loved ones or treat yourself with a good meal.
Remember you have a choice in the discussion about war and peace.You can choose to take part in or not, knowing that everyone who has an opinion thinks theirs will make the world better.End the discussion positively.You can connect with people in the discussion;you can't always convince others.Value being in relationship over being “right”.
Seek help if you need it.Advisers and psychologists can help you deal with your reactions caused by past events.Coaches can help you stay focused on moving ahead with plans and goals.
Start a new personal adventure.Take a course, start a new hobby, focus on a personal or professional development program,lose weight, get in shape...The way we make the world better is one person at a time.
1. The recent poll in New York shows that ________.A.war is not necessarily a bad thing |
B.only half of the people suffer from the war |
C.half of the people don't like peace |
D.people are deeply divided on the problem of war |
A.to make somebody feel happier |
B.to make somebody less worried |
C.to make somebody have the courage to fight |
D.to make somebody agree with you |
A.To take part in as actively as possible. |
B.To respect others' ideas though they disagree with yours. |
C.To always support peace at the end of the discussion. |
D.To be convinced by others for keeping good relationships. |
A.some bad influences of the war |
B.the result of a recent poll in New York |
C.some ways to deal with war |
D.the author's opinions on the war |
【推荐2】More than half a trillion dollars. That's the estimated value of all the stuff that U. S. shoppers bought last year only to return it—more than the economy of Israel or Austria. We tried new brands with unfamiliar sizes after seeing them on TikTok. We overbought for the holidays, and we shopped overly online, where returns are between two and five times more likely than that from stores.
Where does it all go? Take the blanket I bought on holiday sale for example. I opened the package, only to discover it was just too small for my new sofa. So I returned it. Sorry, blanket! What will happen to it?
“Your blanket is very likely to be in a landfill,” says Hitendra Chaturvedi, a supply chain management professor at Arizona State University. “That is what consumers don't realize—the life of a return is a very, very sad path.” Value is the big threshold (门槛): Is the product worth the cost of shipping back and paying someone to inspect, clean, repair or test? Experts estimate that retailers (零售商) throw away about 25% of their returns. Every year, U. S. returns create almost 6 billion pounds of landfill waste.
Many others get resold in discount and outlet stores. Some go to sellers on websites. Some get donated to charity or recycled. “These options have increased over the past decade, allowing more and more returns to find a new home”, says Marcus Shen, chief operating officer of B-Stock, a platform where retailers can resell their returns, often to smaller stores.
As companies compete on flexible return policies, technology is also slowly playing a part: helping shoppers buy the right-size sweater or picture a new blanket inside their room. Most importantly, She says, shoppers themselves are getting more and more comfortable with buying stuff that's not exactly brand-new.
“The idea of that is no longer scary for us, right?” he says. On his holiday-returns agenda is an electric, self-heating coffee mug that he has never opened, and he feels confident it will find a happy new buyer.
1. What is paragraph 1 mainly about?A.The challenge facing the American economy. | B.The urgency to cut down on online shopping. |
C.The returning problem caused by overbuying online. | D.The cost of finding new homes for returned goods. |
A.It's required by the return policies. | B.It saves retailers 6 billion pounds a year. |
C.It's impossible to put returns to other uses. | D.It's more economically efficient for retailers. |
A.By helping shoppers make better decisions. | B.By restoring the newness in returned goods. |
C.By improving the return policy-making process. | D.By drawing pictures of the goods for the shoppers. |
A.TikTok items. | B.The coffee mug. | C.The blanket. | D.A right-size sweater. |
【推荐3】How would you feel if you were invited to the moon? If you found a gold coin, would you save it, give it to charity or use it for a holiday? Personality quizzes of this kind, known as “psychometrics”, have bothered many job seekers. Now, it is being applied to the oldest problem in finance: will a borrower repay?
In rich countries, lenders use credit scores to weigh risk. But just 7% of Africans and 13% of South Asians are covered by credit bureaus (征信机构). Bailey Klinger of the Entrepreneurial Finance Lab (EFL), which explores new kinds of credit data, argues that psychometrics could include many more people in the financial system. Everyone has a personality, after all.
Judging character is not new. Psychometrics attempts to make it a science. The model developed by EFL has undergone many tests and adapted to different cultures. Its collected data reflect something unnoticed. For instance, young optimists are risky, but old ones are a safe bet.
Clever design cuts cheating. There are no obvious right answers; responses are cross-checked for consistency. The model monitors mouse movements for signs of indecision or distraction. When borrowers lie to get a loan, they often do so in predictable ways. In an EFL test, people are shown pictures of five drinks and asked which one they would be. Choosing water over something with small bubbles may be a sign of cheating.
This sounds fanciful, but there is evidence that it works. In one Indonesian bank, combining psychometrics with existing customer data cut default (违约) rates for small businesses by 45%. A study by the World Bank found that EFL’s model increased lending to those without a credit history.
The technique needs further development. At present, turning to credit bureaus is still the best way to tell if somebody will repay a loan. But bureaus improve more slowly than technology. Lenders will find ever more ways to look into their customers’ souls.
1. What are the figures intended to show in the second paragraph?A.Racial discrimination from lenders. |
B.Uncertain property of poor people. |
C.Great risks brought by credit scores. |
D.Current weakness of credit bureaus. |
A.It has been greatly improved. |
B.Its data confirm some ideas. |
C.Its effects vary with cultures. |
D.It can’t tell character exactly. |
A.Borrowers’ responses. | B.Lenders’ answers. |
C.Pictures of five drinks. | D.Drinks with bubbles. |
A.It will replace credit bureaus. |
B.It will be mature in the future. |
C.It has won most lenders’ love. |
D.It is far from satisfactory. |