1 . If sales generally feel hard to resist, the sale in front of Arron Schurevich was the ultimate test: a new car just like the one he’d loved. And it was more than a 20% discount. “I figured that I would be a fool not to take advantage of that,” says Schurevich. After he drove the car off the lot, the deal turned sour. The brand-new car quickly needed repairs. Schurevich now jokes that he paid a tax for being a fool.
Why is it so hard for the human brain to resist a discount? Spotting something you’d like to buy activates your brain’s reward circuitry (奖赏回路). It gets especially heightened if it’s something you’ve been fascinated by — say, the same car you’ve enjoyed for years. Additionally, the discount itself often registers as a win, delivering its own kind of joy, says Jorge Barraza, a consumer psychologist at the University of Southern California.
“Not only are we getting the product,” Barraza says, “but we’re also getting that reward that we discovered something; we’ve earned this extra thing.”
Stores, of course, know all this and try to push our buttons. “Limited-quantity, limited-time, scarcity-marketing promotions—they get people’s blood pumping,” says Kelly Goldsmith, who studies this as a marketing professor at Vanderbilt University.
It’s really hard to always approach sales rationally. One buying strategy experts recommend is to make a shopping list in advance and then, stick to it. Another is to research items — beforehand or on the spot, checking online — to weigh whether the sale is really a good deal.
“The human brain has essentially evolved to feel first and think next, which is why you need to give yourself time to cool off from your instant reaction when in front of a sale,” says Goldsmith.
1. What is the purpose of telling Arron Schurevich’s story?| A．To explain the way to promote sale. | B．To inform readers of an important test. |
| C．To introduce the topic of the passage. | D．To show the advantage of products on sale. |
| A．Brain’s reward circuitry needs activating. | B．It’s hard to resist a discount for some reasons. |
| C．Buying discounted products has consequences. | D．It’s worthwhile to approach sales rationally. |
| A．Stores are good at pushing buttons. | B．Stores tend to affect people’s health. |
| C．Stores help consumers earn extra things. | D．Stores know how to attract consumers with sales. |
| A．Calm down in front of a sale. | B．Make a shopping list ahead of time. |
| C．Research items on the spot or online. | D．Avoid buying any discounted items. |
2 . In 1926, US automaker Henry Ford shortened its employees’ workweek from six eight-hour days to five, with no pay cuts. It was something workers and labor unions had been calling for. Ford wasn’t responding to worker demands; he was being a businessman. He expected increased productivity and knew workers with more time and money would buy and use the products they were making. It was a way of encouraging consumerism and productivity to increase profits, and it succeeded.
Since standardization of the 40-hour workweek in the mid-20th century, everything has changed except the hours. If anything, many people are working even longer hours, especially in North America. This has a severe influence on human health and wellbeing, as well as the environment. Until the Second World War, it was common for one person in a family, usually the oldest male, to work-full-time. Now, women make up 42% of the world’s full-time workforce. Technology has made a lot of work unnecessary, with computers and robots doing many tasks previously performed by humans.
Well into the 2lst century, we continue to work the same long hours as 20th century laborers, using up ever more of Earth’s supply to produce more goods that we must keep working to buy, use and replace in a seemingly endless cycle of hard work and consumption. It’s time to pause and consider better ways to live like shifting from fossil-fueled lifestyles with which our consumer-based workweeks are connected.
The UK think tank, New Economics Foundation, argues that a standard 21-hour workweek would address a number of interconnected problems: “overwork, unemployment, over-consumption, high carbon emissions, low well-being, and the lack of time to live sustainably, to care for each other, and simply to enjoy life”.
Economic systems that require constant growth on a finite (有限的) planet don’t make sense. It’s time for a change in our economic thinking.
1. Why did Ford decide to shorten the workweek?| A．To cut workers’ pay. | B．To meet labor unions’ requirements. |
| C．Tu respond to worker demands. | D．To make more profits. |
| A．More women worked full-time. |
| B．The number of laborers decreased. |
| C．Technology enabled people to work shorter hours. |
| D．It was unnecessary for a family’s oldest male to work. |
| A．Longer working hours means better consumption ability. |
| B．The 21st century sees the longest working hours in history. |
| C．The cycle of hard work and consumption should be changed. |
| D．Pausing our way of living can change the present workweek. |
| A．increase unemployment | B．cause various problems |
| C．challenge the economic growth | D．encourage people to enjoy life |
3 . Plato believed that men are divided into three classes: gold, silver and bronze. Vilfredo Pareto, an Italian economist, argued that “ the vital few” contributed to most progress. Such viewpoints are taboo (禁忌) today in public life. Politicians avoid talking of a “leadership class” or “the vital few”. School recruitment turns away from picking winners. Universities welcome the masses: more people now teach at British universities than attended them in the1950s.
In the private sector things could hardly be more different. The world’s best companies struggle tirelessly to find and keep the vital few. They offer them fat pay packets, extra training, powerful instruction and more challenging assignments. Private-equity (私人股权) firms rely heavily on a few stars. Firms in emerging markets are desperate to find high-flyers who can cope with rapid growth and fast-changing environments.
Few people know more about how companies manage talent than Bill Conaty and RamCharan. Mr. Conaty led the human-resources department at General Electric (GE) for 14years. Mr. Charan has spent the past few decades presenting proposals to some celebrated entrepreneurs (企业家). Their recent book, The Talent Masters, provides. a nice mix of portraits of well-known talent factories, such as GE and Procter & Gamble (P&G).
Successful companies make sure that senior managers are involved with “ talent development”. Jack Welch and A. G. Lafley, former bosses of GE and P&G, claimed that they spent 40% of their time on personnel. Andy Grove, who ra n Intel, a chipmaker, obliged all the senior people, including himself, to spend at least a week a year instructing high-flyers . Nitin Paranjpe, the boss of Hindustan Unilever, recruits people from campuses and regularly visits high-flyers in their offices.
Elitism (精英主义) has its drawbacks. In their rush to classify people, companies can miss potential stars. Those who are singled out for special treatment can become too full of themselves.
1. The change that occurred in British universities reflects that .| A．more students enroll for schools |
| B．people of today are much cleverer |
| C．UK attaches importance to education |
| D．elitism in public organizations declines |
| A．Potential clients. | B．Faithful employees. |
| C．Competent managers. | D．Celebrated politicians. |
| A．By listing examples. | B．By classification. |
| C．By analyzing causes. | D． By describing a process. |
| A．Discrimination in workplaces will get more serious. |
| B．Famous companies’ elitism management is worth trying. |
| C．The Talent Masters offers advice to some leading bosses. |
| D．Elitism may get some potential talented people excluded. |
4 . "While extroverts (性格外向者) often make great first impressions with their outgoing manner and lively personalities in interviews, that value and reputation at work diminish (削减) over time,” says Corinne Bendersky, an associate professor of management.
“Extroverts disappoint us over time when they're part of a team,” Bendersky says. “On a team you're expected to work hard and contribute a lot. But they're often poor listeners, and they don't collaborate.”
“On the other hand, introverts (性格内向者) work hard on a team because they care what others think of them. They don't want to be seen as not pulling their weight or contributing 100%,” Bendersky says.
So while companies may be attracted to hiring extroverts because they impress managers greatly in job interviews, bosses also may want to consider whether the extrovert they are considering will be a valuable team player, Bendersky says.
Amy Jen Su and Muriel Maignan Wilkins, two writers, agree and say managers should recognize the strengths of introverted employees, such as their ability to put themselves in someone else's shoes.
“These team members are often easygoing, which can make them exceptional mentors (良师益友) to more junior staff or particularly good sounding boards when you interact with them in one-on-one situations,” Su says.
“Managers must try to help introverts find their voice,” Wilkins says. “Help them see that speaking up is not about self-promotion or being in conflict but rather about offering the team key insights, making better decisions or increasing the efficiency for all.”
What about those extroverts who never seem to be at a loss for words? Should managers cut them off? Managers definitely should weigh in on how an extrovert is affecting others. Wilkins suggests saying something in private to make adjustments.
1. What do we know about outgoing people according to Bendersky?| A．They are good listeners. | B．They are good at cooperating. |
| C．They often make great contributions. | D．They tend to perform well in interviews. |
| A．Trusting others. | B．Making good choices. |
| C．Doing their full share of work. | D．Trying to share their thoughts. |
| A．Critical. | B．Tolerant. | C．Doubtful. | D．Approving. |
| A．Promote more introverts. | B．Learn to work more efficiently. |
| C．Encourage introverts to speak up. | D．Avoid conflict among employees. |
| A．By providing examples. | B．By making comparisons. |
| C．By following the order of time. | D．By following the order of importance. |
5 . For generations, we’ve spent the first third of our lives acquiring the college degrees we need to find jobs. These degrees are the stamps on our professional passports that pave the way for the remaining two-thirds of our journey. However, the future of work won’t be about college degrees; it’ll be about job skills.
According to the World Economic Forum, over one billion jobs, almost one-third of all jobs worldwide, are likely to be transformed by technology in the next decade. We’ve already seen this happen. Think of the apps you use to shop, track orders and simply stay informed. The stores need to keep them up and running at all hours, day after day, all year round, meaning they need those who can analyze and secure customer data.
In these and other similar situations, people are the organizing force making sure technology works the way we want it to. This means a quick rise in new kinds of digital jobs. According to the Forum’s Jobs of Tomorrow report, there’ll be a rapid influx of roles at the forefront of the data and AI economy, as well as new roles in engineering, cloud computing and product development. These jobs need talent with relevant skills, and importantly these skills can be learnt even by those without college degrees.
Shifting our focus from degrees to skills will mean transitioning (过渡) to always-on skills-based education and employment organizations that acknowledge not just certification but fitness-for-job and employment as outcomes. In recent years, several companies have focused on continuous learning for the workforce — the trend will become stronger.
When it comes to skills, employers look for more than just technical skills. Companies want people with an eye for detail, creative problem-solving skills, a collaborative mindset and an ability to handle complex issues. These too are skills that can be learnt. Anyhow, lifelong learners with ever relevant skills will be in greater demand in the workplace.
1. How does technology influence the jobs?| A．It calls for higher demands for degrees. | B．It makes many jobs less challenging. |
| C．It reduces their dependence on degrees. | D．It connects them with degrees closely. |
| A．Change. | B．Recovery. | C．Decline. | D．Increase. |
| A．Their traditional technical skills. | B．Their continuous learning abilities. |
| C．Their certification-based education. | D．Their desire to start their own business |
| A．Skills Are Different From Degrees | B．Degrees Will Be More Competitive |
| C．Degrees Will Shape the Future of Work | D．Skills Are More Vital for Future Work |
6 . Before uploading a photo of ourselves to social media, chances are that we’ll use an app to smooth our skin, make our eyes look bigger, and lips fuller. With a couple of taps on our mobile phone, we can get a quick fix and present the “best” version of ourselves to the world. However, the problem is, when we simply edit our imperfections away, we’re also changing the way we look at ourselves.
Last month, researchers published the article Selfies—Living in the Era of Filtered (过滤的) Photographs. The article analysed photo editing apps’ bad influences on people’s self-respect and their possibility to cause appearance anxieties. The researchers also warned that such apps make it difficult to tell the difference between reality and fantasy. “These apps allow one to change his or her appearance in minutes and follow an unrealistic standard of beauty,” the article reads.
In the past, people may have compared their looks to those of famous people. But for today’s young people, beauty standards are most likely set by what they see on social media. “From birth, they are born into an age of social platforms where their feelings of self-worth can be based purely on the number of likes and followers that they have, which is linked to how good they look,” British cosmetic doctor Tijion Esho told The Independent. This is why many young people suffer an identity trouble when it comes to appearance.
“Now you’ve got this daily comparison of your real self to this fake self that you present on social media,” Renee Engeln, a professor of psychology, told the HuffPost website. Engeln further pointed out that when people spend too much time making such comparisons, they may become “beauty sick” and find it difficult to accept what they actually look like. “Because between you and the world is a mirror. It’s a mirror that travels with you everywhere. You can’t seem to put it down,” she told The Washington Post. So when we look in a real mirror, we shouldn’t think to ourselves, “Do I look as good as myself in the filtered photos?” Instead, we should think, “I feel good; I have my health.”
1. Before uploading a photo to social media, we will probably _________.| A．have an operating to make our eyes look bigger |
| B．use some cream to smooth our skin |
| C．use an app to fix our photo |
| D．edit our perfections away |
| A．In many ways, photo editing apps are beneficial to people. |
| B．Photo editing apps are likely to cause people’s anxieties about their appearance. |
| C．Photo editing apps can make people more beautiful. |
| D．Photo editing apps help people judge realistic beauty. |
| A．Because they compare their looks to those of famous people. |
| B．Because beauty standards are set by social media. |
| C．Because their feelings of self-worth depend on their own likes and dislikes. |
| D．Because their feelings of self-worth depend on their appearance. |
| A．We should feel good about what we actually look like. |
| B．We should spend more time making comparison of our real self to fake self. |
| C．We should take a mirror with us everywhere. |
| D．We should try to look as good as ourselves in the filtered photos. |
