复合题

Directions: Read the following four texts. Answer the questions below each text by choosing A, B, C or D. Mark your answers on the ANSWER SHEET.

Text 1

It may have occurred to you to wonder why the supermarkets are all the same. The answer is more sinister(不幸) than depressing. It is not because the companies that operate them lack imagination. It is because they are all instructed in the science of persuading people to buy things—a science that, thanks to technological advances, is beginning to unlock the innermost secrets of the consumer’s mind.

In the Sainsbury’s in Hatch Warren, Basingstoke, south-west of London, it takes a while for the mind to get into a shopping mode. This is why the area immediately inside the entrance of a supermarket is known as the “decompression zone”. People need to slow down and take stock of the surroundings, even if they are regulars. In sales terms this area is a bit of a loss, so it tends to be used more for promotion. Even the multi-packs of beer piled up here are designed more to hint at bargains within than to be lugged(抱住) round the aisles. Wal-Mart, the world’s biggest retailer, famously employs “greeters” at the entrance to its stores. Whether or not they boost sales, a friendly welcome is said to cut shoplifting. It is harder to steal from nice people.

Immediately to the left in Sainsbury’s is another familiar sight: a “chill zone” for browsing magazines, books and DVDs, tempting impromptu purchases and slowing customers down. But those on a serious mission will keep walking ahead—and the first thing they come to is the fresh fruit and vegetables section.

For shoppers, this makes no sense. Shoppers already know that everyday items, like milk, are invariably placed towards the back of a store to provide more opportunity to tempt customers. This is why pharmacies are generally at the rear, even in “convenience” stores. But supermarkets know shoppers know this, so they use other tricks, like placing popular items halfway along a section so that people have to walk all along the aisle looking for them. The idea is to boost “dwell time”: the length of time people spend in a store.

单选题 What makes every supermarket look just the same as every other one?

A、 The imagination of companies running the supermarkets.
B、 The science of persuading people to go to the supermarket.
C、 The arrangements of goods display on different aisles.
D、 The findings in the study of how consumers’ minds work while shopping.

【正确答案】 D

【答案解析】文章在开头第一句就提出了同样的问题，而It is because暗示后面所述就是问题的答案。 a science that is beginning to unlock the innermost secrets of the consumer’s mind，首先挑明是一项有科学依据的研究结果，而且是展现消费者购物时的心理变化的，因此D选项符合。

单选题 Why is the entrance of a supermarket called the “decompression zone”?

A、 Because people need time to observe the surroundings.
B、 Because people have to prepare for shopping.
C、 Because people need time to reduce their pressure.
D、 Because people have to get used to the location.

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】本题为细节题，根据题干中关键词“decompression zone”可定位至第二段第二句话，这句句首的this is why显然表明前一句话中出现了答案。 it takes a while for the mind to get into a shopping mode，消费者需要一段调整到购物状态的过渡时间，而“decompression zone”就是用来帮助他们释放压力调节心情的。因此C选项符合。

单选题 The supermarket puts multi-packs of beers in the entrance area to ______.

A、 promote a certain brand of beer
B、 make it convenient for the shoppers to carry around
C、 show the shoppers that there are more good buys inside
D、 indicate that the store has enough stock of beer

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】本题为细节题，在原文第二段中间部分找到关于啤酒摆放。分析“are designed more to hint at bargains within than to be lugged round the aisles”为more…than句式，显然more后边to hint at bargains within为想要强调的摆放原因，即暗示消费者超市里有更多打折的商品。因此C选项符合。

单选题 The magazines, books and DVDs to the left of the entrance serve to ______.

A、 sell the latest publications and movies
B、 make the shoppers walk slowly and look around
C、 provide more opportunities to tempt the shoppers
D、 entertain the shoppers before they start shopping

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】对杂志和DVD的描述出现在文章中的第三段，它所在的句子为一个分词引导的非谓语从句， tempting impromptu purchases and slowing customers down作为状语直接说明了摆放这些杂志与DVD的原因，就是让消费者的脚步慢下来以购买更多的东西，杂志等只是一种手段而它们本身并不是需要促进消费者购买的。因此B选项符合。

单选题 What is the purpose of placing some popular items halfway along the aisle?

A、 To make it difficult for the shoppers to find.
B、 To make the shoppers stay longer in the store.
C、 To give room to everyday items.
D、 To play “hide and seek” with shoppers.

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】最后一段的最后一句话清楚地解释了将受欢迎的货物放在靠中间位置的原因，就是要boost “dwell time”，后面又对“dwell time”做出解释，即消费者在商店里的停留时间。因此B选项符合。