2 . Do you ever find yourself spending time on product reviews when you buy something online, only to find that the product you bought is junk(废物)? New research led by Dr. Powell of Stanford University may explain why this happens: it boils down to the number of reviews a product has.
The study found that when choosing between two products online, people tend to favor the one with more reviews despite the fact that the more reviewed product is of lower quality. This is because when shopping online, consumers engage(从事)in a type of “social learning”, where they learn from observing the decisions of other people and the results of those decisions. People attach more importance to the choices of others. When evaluating online products, the item’s rating and number of reviews can be helpful to an unsure customer. But a new study, published in the journal Psychological Science, found that consumers don’t check those figures to learn their true meaning enough. So they fail to do a simple task when viewing online rating and reviews, leading them to purchase products of poor quality. When shopping online, consumers engaging in social learning become informed from the decisions of others. For example, you’re more likely to buy a book at the top of the New York Times’ best-sellers list or buy an app that’s been downloaded millions of times. But looking at other people’s choices is only a part of social learning. However, how people understand or fail to understand this data is affecting their decision-making in a negative way. Overcoming this bias(偏见)is difficult because consumers find comfort in popularity.
Powell and his colleagues also found evidence of this trend beyond the study. “It doesn’t necessarily mean that better things don’t become more popular, but as a consumer, when you’re looking at the number of reviews, it’s not telling you anything,” said Dr. Powell.
1. What does the underlined phrase “boils down to” probably mean?
| A．is equal to | B．results in | C．is due to | D．focuses on |
2. What belief do unsure consumers hold when purchasing products?
| A．Rating determines quality. | B．Popularity is good. |
| C．Bad reviews should be ignored. | D．More-reviewed products is poor. |
3. What do Dr. Powell’s words mean in the last paragraph?
| A．The product’s rating often fails to reflect true quality. |
| B．Usually consumers will find much comfort in popularity. |
| C．Consumers should distinguish good things and bad things. |
| D．Consumers should follow others when buying things online. |
4. What is probably the best title of the text?
| A．How to Purchase Online | B．Why We Buy Junk Online |
| C．Why We Ignore Bad Reviews | D．How to Review a Product |
