1 . Social media can lead to mental exhaustion (疲惫). And when mentally exhausted, you are more likely to be influenced by a high number of likes on posts - even to the point of clicking on ads for products you don’t need.
As a professor of advertising, I have studied social media behaviors for years. In late 2022, my colleague Eric Haley and I conducted three online studies on Americans aged 18-65 to test how people under various mental loads respond to ads differently.
The control group in each study were given no introductory task- we just had them look at an ad. A second group had to memorize a nine-digit number and then look at the ad. The third group looked through the Internet for 30 seconds and then looked at the ad. Participants randomly saw 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, and how much mental effort it took to think about the information.
The group that used the Internet first were the most likely to want to buy the featured product when there were lots of likes or comments, and they also reported using the most mental effort to assess the ad. Researchers refer to this mentally exhausted state as “cognitive (认知的) overload”. Using social media puts them in this state because they are constantly evaluating different types of texts, photos and video posts from so many different people. All of this evaluating leaves them feeling frazzled.
Imagine asking your roommate if they want to get pizza. Under normal conditions, the roommate might consider several factors such as cost, hunger, timing or their schedule. Now imagine asking your roommate the same question while they are on the phone with a sick relative. They no longer have the mental energy to logically consider whether pizza for dinner is a good idea. They might just yell “Yeah, sure!” while running inside to clean their shoes.
By understanding how social media influences them, consumers can be more thoughtful in regulating their use and hopefully will not buy yet another water bottle they don’t need.
1. How did the author conduct the studies?| A．By questionnaire. | B．By interview. | C．Through the Internet. | D．Through observation. |
| A．Excited. | B．Depressed. | C．Annoyed. | D．Tired. |
| A．To further explain cognitive overload. |
| B．To stress the importance of relationships. |
| C．To strongly call on people to eat healthily. |
| D．To remind people not to rely on mobile phones. |
Advertising agencies used to create this kind of advertising and it could be very
3 . Cambridge Shakespeare Festival 2020
Special Charity Performances
Once again, in loving memory of Margaret Elizabeth Crilly, the Cambridge Shakespeare Festival will continue its support of the Children’s Hospice in Milton and St. John’s Hospice on the Wirral, with a series of special charity performances. Every penny raised will go directly to these organisations.
All special charity performances begin at 2:00 pm in their usual venues (会场)；normal performances begin at 7:30 pm.
Eight Fantastic Performances
Hamlet 8 July-27 July
A Midsummer Night’s Dream 8 July-27 July
Henry IV (Part I) 8 July-27 July
The Winter’s Tale 8 July-27 July
Much Ado About Nothing 29 July-17 August
The Tempest 29 July-17 August
Henry IV (Part II) 29 July-24 August
As You Like It 29 July-24 August
Tickets
Tickets cost £17 and £13 concessions (减价票).
Tickets are available to purchase on our website. We regret the necessary imposition (征收) of a £1.50 booking fee per ticket, but the increase in our own administration costs has made this unavoidable.
IMPORTANT NOTES
Concession tickets:
Please note, you will need to bring proof of eligibility (资格证明) to buy concession tickets. Student concessions only apply to those with proof of being in full-time education. Other categories for concession tickets include the old, unemployed and disabled.
Seating policy:
There are about 200 chairs at each venue available on a first come, first served basis. There is also a picnic area immediately in front of the chairs for audience members to sit on the lawn (草坪)－though this is ground-level only, you should not use your own chairs in this area. Please note: purchase of a ticket guarantees admission but does not guarantee a seat.
1. In which way are special charity performances different from normal ones?| A．Their venues. | B．Their showtime. |
| C．Their ticket prices. | D．Their seating policy. |
| A．On 24 July. | B．On 26 July. | C．On 28 July. | D．On 30 July. |
| A．£13. | B．£14. 50. | C．£17. | D．£18. 50. |
