But have you ever notice the smell? Unless it is bad, the answer is likely to be no. But while a shop’s scent may not be outstanding compared with sights and sounds, it is certainly there. And it is providing to be an increasing powerful tool in encouraging people to purchase.
A brand store has become famous for its distinctive scent which floats through the fairly dark hall and out to the entrance, via scent machines. A smell may be attractive but it may not just be used for freshening air. One sports goods company once reported that when it first introduced scent into its stores, customers’ intension to purchase increased by 80 percent.
When it comes to the best shopping streets in Pairs, scent is just as important to a brand’s success as the quality of its window displays and goods on sales. That is mainly because shopping is a very different experience to what it used to be.
Some years ago, the focus for brand name shopping was on a few people with sales assistants’ disproving attitude and don’t-touch-what-you-can’t-afford displays. Now the rise of electronic commerce (e-commerce) has opened up famous brands to a wider audience. But while e-shops can use sights and sounds, only bricks-and-mortar stores (实体店) can offer a full experience from the minute customers step through the door to the moment they leave. Another brand store seeks to be much more than a shop, but rather a destination. And scent is just one way to achieve this.
Now a famous store uses complex man-made smell to make sure that the soft scent of baby powder floats through the kid department, and coconut (椰子) scent in the swimsuit section. A department store has even opened a new lab, inviting customers on a journey into the store’s windows to smell books, pots and drawers, in search of their perfect scent.
1. According to the passage, what is an increasingly powerful tool in the success of some brand store?
A.Friendly assistant. | B.Unique scents. |
C.Soft background music. | D.Attractive window display. |
A.show the advantages of brick-and-mortar stores |
B.urge shop assistants to change their attitude |
C.push stores to use sights and sounds |
D.introduce the rise of e-commerce |
A.a platform that exhibits goods |
B.a spot where travelers like to stay |
C.a place where customers love to go |
D.a target that a store expects to meet |
A.compare and evaluate | B.examine and assess |
C.argue and discuss | D.inform and explain |
2 . For the rest of March, a disease will sweep across the US. It will keep kids home from school.
The disease, known as “March Madness”, refers to the yearly 65team US men's college basketball tournament (锦标赛).
Nearly 20 million Americans will find themselves prisoners of basketball festival madness. The fun comes partly from guessing the winners for every game. Friends compete against friends.
Bigname schools are usually favored to advance into the tournament. But each year there are dark horses from littleknown universities.
This adds to the madness. Watching a team from a school with 3,000 students beat a team from a school with 30,000, for many Americans, is an exciting experience. Two years ago, the littleknown George Mason University was one of the final four teams.
College basketball players are not paid, so the game is more about making a name for their university and themselves.
A.Husbands against wives. |
B.The players will go all out for the games. |
C.But that doesn't mean money isn't involved. |
D.College students will ignore piles of homework. |
E.People are willing to spend more money on watching it. |
F.It begins on March 15 and lasts through the beginning of April. |
G.Many people had never even heard of the university before the tournament. |
3 . Here are some top tips for world travelers.
Travel light.
Transport sense.Don’t let go of your bags on the train.
Keep clean. It’s a good idea to wear dark clothes because they hide the dirt while white clothes attract it! Make sure you have plenty of clean underclothes and deodorant (除臭剂).
A.Be polite. |
B.Keep your documents safe. |
C.You should carry a spare bag. |
D.You don’t want to smell bad! |
E.Keep them with you at all times. |
F.Make sure your bag isn’t too heavy. |
G.It’s a good idea to wear similar clothes to the local people. |
4 . Do you want a bit of an adventure? Would you like to discover all the corners of the UK, or travel abroad? Maybe you have never tried the motorhome lifestyle before. Well, read this article and you will know why a motorhome is a good choice.
Nothing is better than a motorhome. It has so many uses that it is considered the most versatile vehicle and it is also very comfortable. If you are thinking about hiring a motorhome this summer, then the best choice is to book it early, especially if you are considering the school holidays. The motorhome hire service is very seasonal and motorhome hire companies will never have extra vehicles available in the summer months.
There are a lot of companies throughout the UK, and some of the big ones have motorhomes spread all over the country. At present, the largest network for motorhome hire is provided by Motorhome which is based in Cambridge. If you are in the UK, you may phone 0800612-8719 for details of its motorhome hire information. Motorhome has a network of over 500 vehicles all over England, Scotland and Wales.
Most people wishing to hire a motorhome are families that are looking for an alternative to a European package holiday, especially as flying now has become more expensive, and is considered to be environmentally unfriendly. There is no doubt that the idea of no-fly holidays is going to become more popular as fewer people think it is safe to fly. This explains why more and more people are choosing to hire a motorhome for their holidays.
1. The main purpose of this text is to explain why it is a good idea to _________.A.take an adventure | B.travel to England |
C.try a new lifestyle | D.hire a motorhome |
A.fast. | B.safe. | C.useful. | D.exciting. |
A.Booking early is much cheaper. | B.Summer is usually a very busy season. |
C.You can arrange your time better this way. | D.Students usually book them to earn money. |
A.telling us a story | B.giving detailed data |
C.comparing it with flying | D.showing the results of a study |
5 . If you are planning on traveling,there are a few simple rules about how to make life easier both before and after your journey.
First of all,always check and doublecheck departure (出发) time.It is surprising how few people really do this carefully.Once I arrived at the airport a few minutes after ten.My secretary had got the ticket for me and I thought she had said that the plane left at 10:50.When I arrived at the airport,the person at the departure desk told me that my flight was closed.Therefore,I had to wait three hours for the next one and missed an important meeting.
The second rule is to remember that even in this age of credit cards (信用卡),it is still important to have some local money in cash (现金).Once I arrived at a place at midnight and the bank at the airport was closed.The only way to get to my hotel was by taxi but because I had no dollars,I offered to pay in pounds instead.“Listen!I only take real money!”the driver said angrily.You can imagine how terrible I felt at that moment.
The third and the last rule is to find out as much as you can about the weather at your destination before you leave.I feel sorry for some of my workmates who travel in heavy suits and raincoats in May,when it is still fairly cool in London or Manchester,to places like Athens,Rome or Madrid,where it is already beginning to get quite warm during the day.
1. Where is the writer most probably from?A.Britain. | B.The USA. |
C.Italy. | D.Greece. |
A.asked the driver to give him a free ride |
B.offered to pay in pounds |
C.gave the driver some fake (假的) money |
D.tried to pay by credit card |
A.warm and dry | B.cold and dry |
C.hot and wet | D.cool and rainy |
A.how to make life easier |
B.how to be well prepared for a trip |
C.how to enjoy ourselves on the trip |
D.how to schedule our trip |
It is true that parents often find it difficult to win their children’s trust and they tend to forget how they themselves felt when young. For example, young people like to act on the spot without much thinking. It is one of their ways to show that they have grown up and they can face any difficult situation. Older people worry more easily. Most of them plan things ahead, at least in the back of their minds, and do not like their plans to be upset by something unexpected. When you want your parents to let you do something, you will have better success if you ask before you really start doing it.
Young people often make their parents angry with their choice in clothes, in entertainment and in music. But they do not mean to cause any trouble: it is just that they feel cut off from the older people’s world, into which they have not yet been accepted. That’s why young people want to make a new culture of their own, and if their parents do not like their music or entertainment or clothes or their way of speech, this will make the young people extremely happy.
Sometimes you are so proud of yourself that you do not want your parents to say, “Yes” to what you do. All you want is to be felt alone and do what you like. It is natural enough, after being a child for so many years, when you were completely under your parents’ control. If you plan to control your life, you’d better win your parents over and try to get them to understand you. If your parents see that you have a high sense of responsibility, they will certainly give you the right to do what you want to do.
1. ____are to blame for the quarrels between parents and their children according to this passage.A.Parents |
B.Young people |
C.Both parents and their children |
D.Neither parents nor their children |
A.do things without thinking carefully ahead |
B.ask for advice before they really start to do anything |
C.think in the same way as their parents do |
D.be very strict with themselves |
A.they don’t feel they belong to the world of the older people |
B.they do not want to get into trouble |
C.they feel they are as clever as old people |
D.they want to show they have grown up |
A.the young people’s choice |
B.their being accepted by their parents |
C.developing a new culture of their own |
D.their parents’ dislike of their choice |
A.do everything according to his own wish. |
B.be responsible for what he does |
C.do everything beyond his parents’ control |
D.do everything the way his parents do. |
7 . The jobs of the future have not yet been invented.
Your children need to be deeply curious.
True creativity is the ability to take something existing and create something new from it.
Understanding how others feel can be a challenge for kids. We know what’s going on inside our own head, but what about others? Being able to read people helps kids from misreading a situation and jumping to false conclusions.
A.Encourage kids to cook with you. |
B.And we can’t forget science education. |
C.We can give kids chances to think about materials in new ways. |
D.So how can we help our kids prepare for jobs that don’t yet exist? |
E.Gardening is another great activity for helping kids develop this skill. |
F.We can do this in real life or ask questions about characters in stories. |
G.Being able to communicate ideas in a meaningful way is a valuable skill. |
8 . Since the first Earth Day in 1970, Americans have gotten a lot “greener” toward the environment. “We didn’t know at that time there even was an environment, let alone that there was a problem with it,” says Bruce Anderson, president of Earth Day USA.
But what began as nothing important in public affairs has grown into a social movement .Business people, political leaders, university professors, and especially millions of grass-roots Americans are taking part in the movement. “The understanding has increased many, many times,” says Gaylord Nelson, the former governor from Wisconsin, who thought up the first. According to US government reports, emissions (排放)from cars and trucks have dropped from 10.3 million tons a year to 5.5 tons .The number of cities producing CO beyond the standard has been reduced from 40 to 9. Although serious problems still remain and need to be dealt with, the world is a safer and healthier place. A kind of “Green thinking” has become part of practices.
Great improvement has been achieved. In 1988 there were only 600 recycling programs; today in 1995 there are about 6,600. Advanced lights, motors, and building designs have helped save a lot of energy and therefore prevented pollution.
Twenty –five years ago, there were hardly any education programs for environment. Today, it’s hard to find a public school, university, or law school that does not have such a kind of program. “Until we do that, nothing else will change!” says Bruce Anderson.
1. According to Anderson, before 1970, Americans had little idea about ___.A.the social movement | B.recycling techniques |
C.environmental problems | D.the importance of Earth Day |
A.The grass –roots level. | B.The business circle. |
C.Government officials. | D.University professors. |
A.They have cut car emissions to the lowest. |
B.They have settled their environmental problems. |
C.They have lowered their CO levels in forty cities. |
D.They have reduced pollution through effective measures. |
A.Education. | B.Planning |
C.Green living | D.CO reduction |
9 . Should we allow modern buildings to be built next to older buildings in a historic area of a city? In order to answer this question, we must first examine whether people really want to preserve the historic feel of an area. Not all historical buildings are attractive. However, there may be other reasons—for example, economic (经济的) reasons—why they should be preserved. So, let us assume that historical buildings are both attractive and important to the majority of people. What should we do then if a new building is needed?
In my view, new architectural styles can exist perfectly well alongside an older style. Indeed, there are many examples in my own home town of Tours where modern designs have been placed very successfully next to old buildings. As long as the building in question is pleasing and does not dominate (影响) its surroundings too much, it often improves the attractiveness of the area.
It is true that there are examples of new buildings which have spoilt (破坏) the area they are in, but the same can be said of some old buildings too. Yet people still speak against new buildings in historic areas. I think this is simply because people are naturally conservative(保守的)and do not like change.
Although we have to respect people’s feelings as fellow users of the buildings, I believe that it is the duty of the architect and planner to move things forward . If we always reproduced what was there before, we would all still be living in caves. Thus, I would argue against copying previous architectural styles and choose something fresh and different , even though that might be the more risky choice.
1. What does the author say about historical buildings in the first paragraph?A.Some of them are not attractive. |
B.Most of them ate too expensive to preserve. |
C.They are more pleasing than modern buildings. |
D.They have nothing to do with the historic feel of an area. |
A.We should reproduce the same old buildings. |
B.Buildings should not dominate their surroundings. |
C.Some old buildings have spoilt the area they are in. |
D.No one understands why people speak against new buildings. |
A.destroy old buildings |
B.put things in a different place |
C.respect people’s feelings for historical buildings |
D.choose new architectural styles |
A.To explain why people dislike change. |
B.To argue that modern buildings can be built in historic areas. |
C.To warn that we could end up living in caves. |
D.To admit how new buildings have ruined their surroundings. |
10 . In 2012, I had just recovered from a serious illness when I received an invitation to a writer’s conference in Orlando, Florida. My family persuaded me that a(n)
Arriving in the Sunshine State was rather tiring, but I
I gratefully sat down with the
I'll never forget that wonderful lady who, through her
A.holiday | B.ceremony | C.operation | D.experiment |
A.kept | B.went | C.dropped | D.knocked |
A.intended | B.promised | C.managed | D.deserved |
A.hospital | B.company | C.university | D.accommodation |
A.colleague | B.passenger | C.suitcase | D.taxi |
A.Instead | B.First | C.Later | D.Once |
A.classified | B.occupied | C.decorated | D.painted |
A.share | B.reserve | C.set | D.possess |
A.old | B.poor | C.innocent | D.stubborn |
A.journey | B.meal | C.speech | D.interview |
A.donated | B.repaired | C.hired | D.guided |
A.convenient | B.worthwhile | C.unfortunate | D.expensive |
A.inspire | B.entertain | C.call | D.drive |
A.business | B.argument | C.trouble | D.challenge |
A.working | B.staying | C.moving | D.shopping |
A.appointed | B.limited | C.favourite | D.regular |
A.digest | B.explore | C.perform | D.calculate |
A.forgot | B.refused | C.returned | D.preferred |
A.sent | B.lent | C.offered | D.owed |
A.confidence | B.dignity | C.curiosity | D.kindness |