Ques:Recently, many shoppers chose to avoid the crazy crowds and do their holiday shopping from the comfort of their computer.Sales at online stores gained by more than 15%, making it the biggest season ever.But people are also returning those purchases at record rates, up 8% from last year. What went wrong? Is the shadow of the global financial crisis making it harder to accept excessive addiction? Or that people shop more impulsively  --and therefore make bad decisions --when online? Both arguments are seemingly reasonable.However, there is a third factor: a question of touch.We can love (lie look but, in an online environment, we cannot feel the quality of a texture  , the shape of the fit, the fall of a fold or, for that matter, the weight of an earring.And physically interacting with an object makes you more committed to your purchase. When my most recent book Brandwashed was released, I joined up with a local bookstore to conduct an experiment about the difference between the online and offline shopping experience.I carefully instructed a group of volunteers to promote my book in two different ways.The first was a fairly hands-off approach.Whenever a customer would ask about my book, the volunteer would take them over to the shelf and point to it.Out of 20 such requests, six customers made the purchase. The second option also involved going over to the shelf but, this time, removing the book and then holding onto it for just an extra moment before placing it in the customer's hands.Of the 20 people who were handed the book, 13 ended up buying it.Just physically passing the book showed a big difference in sales.Why? We feel something similar to a sense of ownership when we hold things in our hand.That's why we establish connection by greeting strangers and friends with a handshake.In this case, having to then let go of the book after holding it might produce a sense of loss, and motivate us to make the purchase even more. A recent study also showed the power of touch, in this case when it came to traditional... What is the purpose of author's experiment? A) To find out people's reaction to his recent book. B) To test his assumption about online shopping. C) To find ways to increase the sale of his new book. D) To try different approaches to sales promotion.

Ans:B
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Ques:At railway stations all across Britain next week, groups of students will gather with their backpacks to wait for the trains that will carry them home for Christmas. This is as large a movement of human beings as before, but with more contradictory traffic flows, so that trains filled with the young pass each other travelling in every direction. At first, I went home every weekend with my washing, but then those visits became less regular. How did I let my parents know I was coming? They had no phone. Perhaps I wrote to them ("Expect me with dirty shirts this Friday afternoon"), but more likely I didn't let them know, and just turned up or didn't turn up, not understanding that my parents' dashed hopes of seeing me were a greater casualty of my carelessness than a spoiled tea. And in all this I suspect I was typical, at least of young men. As for our fathers and mothers, none of them talked of "empty-nest syndrome", even though its implication that the principal human duty is to protect and feed the young would have suited their generation better than ours. Then, the feelings of loss went without a name. Today, it's a condition with _ , which will make parents feel more enjoyable in their life. The Mayo Clinic, for example, suggests you try to maintain regular contact with your children through "visits, phone calls, emails, texts or video chats". If you feel depressed, lean on loved ones or your mental health provider. Above all, stay positive: "Thinking about the extra time and energy you might have to devote to your marriage or personal interests after your last child leaves home might help you adapt to this major life change." What can't be denied, however, is that children often leave home. In modern societies, this is what they do. Christmas is the very time they can be depended on to return. For the non-religious, that may be this season's true comfort and significance. The main reason for the busy traffic across Britain next week is that  _  . A) young students will travel home for Christmas B) young people will travel in every direction C) it is a large movement of human beings D) the traffic flows will be more contradictory

Ans:A
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Ques:Doctors' moonlighting is becoming popular in hospitals around China. It has not only raised a lot of heated discussions in the media, but also caught the attention of the central government in Beijing. On December 26, a spokesman of the Ministry of Health stressed that the ministry was firmly against doctors' moonlighting, while strict regulations should be applied to doctors taking part-time jobs, the Xinhua News Agency reported. Last year, the Ministry sent out a notice to a variety of health organizations to speed up the reform of their personnel   system. According to the notice, medical organizations can hire medical experts as part-time doctors but such activities should take place under the hospital's management and regulations . As for moonlighting--meaning that the doctor provides medical service without the permission of the original hospital--such activity goes against China's Practicing Doctor Law, Xinhua reported. In China, doctors used to be controlled by hospitals and they could work for only one hospital. However, as China's medical personnel system reform developed, it has been recognized that medical human resources, just like human resources in other areas, should be shared by the whole society. But on the other hand, doctors' taking part-time jobs should follow the relative regulations applied in the medical field. First of all, they should follow relative government laws and regulations. They should also follow the rules and regulations set by the medical organizations they work for. In addition, they should pay taxes for their income from the part-time jobs. What matters most is that they should first finish their regular jobs as required and be responsible for patients to ensure qualified and safe medical treatment. The passage is taken most probably from    _    . A) a notice sent out by the Ministry of Health B) regulations made by health organizations C) China's Practicing Doctor Law D) a magazine or a newspaper

Ans:D
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Ques:An ape has a larger brain than any animal except man, though it is much smaller than a man's brain. Apes all belong to the hot countries of the world--tropical Africa and South--east Asia.     The gorilla is the largest of the apes. He is as tall as six feet when standing upright. Many people think that gorillas are very fierce. They are often described as standing upright like a man, beating their fists and roaring. In their home, in the forests of Central Africa, however, they are not at all like this, They are peaceful animals and never use their great strength unless attacked. Even then, they retreat if they can.     Gorillas have black faces and long, black, hairy coats. They feed during the day on plants and fruit. At night the old male often sleeps on the ground at the foot of a tree, while the others each make a sleeping platform in the tree bending the leafy branches. Besides this, gorillas climb trees very seldom. Apes live in   _   . A) different parts of the world B) the cold countries C) South America and Africa D) the countries of Africa and south--east Asia

Ans:
D
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