题目内容
You've heard of the fat suit and the pregnancy suit;now meet AGNES—the old person suit.
AGNES stands for “Age Gain Now Empathy(换位体验) System” and was designed by researchers at MIT's AgeLab to let you know what it feels like—physically—to be 75 years old.“The business of old age demands new tools,”said Joseph Coughlin,director of the AgeLab.“While focus groups and observations and surveys can help you understand what the older consumer needs and wants,young marketers never get that‘Ah ha!’moment of having difficulty opening a jar, or getting in and out of a car.That’s what AGNES provides.”
Coughlin and his team carefully adjusted the suit to make the wearer just as uncomfortable as an old person who has spent a lifetime eating poorly and not doing much exercise.Special shoes provide a feeling of imbalance,while braces on the knees and elbows limit joint mobility.Gloves give the feeling of decreased strength and mobility in the hands and wrists,and earplugs make it difficult to hear high—pitched sounds and soft tones.A helmet with straps(带)attached to it presses the spine(脊柱),and more straps attached to the shoes decrease hamstring flexibility, and shortens the wearer's step.
AGNES has been used most recently by a group of students working on a design of an updated walker.By wearing the suit they could see for themselves what design and materials would make the most sense for a physically limited older person.Coughlin said the suit has also been used by clothing companies,car companies and retail goods companies to help them understand the limitations of an older consumer.
“AGNES is not the destiny of everybody,” he said.“She is a badly behaved lady who didn't eat and exercise very well.A secondary benefit we’ve found with AGNES is that it has become a powerful tool to get younger people to invest in their long-term health.”
【小题1】AGNES has been developed to .
A.make the users more comfortable |
B.1et us understand old people better |
C.help old people move more quickly |
D.produce new tools for the old-age business |
A.someone who travels a lot |
B.a physically limited old person |
C.some equipment that helps old people walk |
D.a company whose service involves old people |
A.Young people respect old people. |
B.Old-age business improves their service |
C.Old people eat and exercise well. |
D.Young people eat and exercise well. |
【小题1】B
【小题2】C
【小题3】D
解析
I met the old man at a cafe. “Did you hear the radio news yesterday?” he asked me. “No,” I replied. “Anything exciting?”“Exciting? NO! Something very sad. A group of hungry dogs killed and ate my best friend.”?
“Oh, dear!” I cried. “How did it happen?”“He was working on the hillside when the dogs attacked him. When he didn't return, I went to the hillside and found…”“His body?” I asked. The old fellow drank half of his coffee. “No. I told you they were hungry dogs, didn't I? The big bones were lying every where. But they found this.” He pushed open a match box he was holding in his hand. In it was a man's thumb, lying on some white bloody material.?
“This is my friend's right thumb. The dogs ate the rest of him”. The old man began to cry. He finished his coffee quickly and left the cafe. I drank mine and called the waiter. “I'll pay the gentleman's bill. His poor friend—how terrible!”“You've heard the news?” The waiter laughed. “Sure. There's a hole in the bottom of the match box. He put his own thumb through the hole. The blood is red ink, I believe. Is the story worth a cup of coffee, sir?”“But he held the box in his right hand.”“Yes, but listeners look into the box. They just can't take their sight off that terrible thing.”“And when he tells the story, he gets free cup of coffee!” I said, laughing. “Yes, sir, but only from strangers who come to this town, and, of course, he does us no harm!”?
【小题1】 We can learn from this passage ________.?
A.the writer came to the cafe for the first time? |
B.the old man made a living by telling jokes in the cafe? |
C.the writer had known about the old man before? |
D.what had happened to his best friend made the old man mad? |
A.couldn't help laughing immediately? | B.showed great mercy upon him? |
C.didn't believe him at all? | D.bought the old man another cup of coffee? |
A.the right thumb of his best friend? |
B.the thumb he stole from the dead body of an unknown person? |
C.something made of bloody white materials? |
D.his own right thumb? |
A.he was nobody but the best friend of the old man? |
B.the old man wouldn't pay for his coffee if he did ? |
C.the waiter hadn't seen through the old man's trick? |
D.the old man helped the cafe in some way? |
A.The writer refused to pay the old man's bill.? |
B.The writer decided to make the trick known to the public.? |
C.More strangers would hear the old man's story.? |
D.The old man wouldn't visit the cafe any more. |
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When difficult people expresses themselves orally, they generally want at least two things: they’ve been heard and they’ve been understood. As a good communicator should be a good listener, five steps are advocated toward good listening.
The first step is cooperating. How does a difficult person know that you’re listening and understanding? In fact, it’s through the way you look and sound while he is talking. You may help him to fully express his thoughts and feelings. You do this by nodding your head in agreement, making certain sounds of understanding.
When the person begins to repeat what’s been said, it’s a signal of step two: turning back. It means that you repeat back some words he is using, sending a clear signal that you’ve listening carefully and that you think what he is saying is important.
Having heard what he has to say, the next step is clarifying. At this point, you start to gather information about what is being communicated. Ask same open-ended questions, which will allow you to figure out what intention he is hoping to satisfy.
The fourth step is to summarize what you’ve heard. This allows you to make sure that both you and the difficult person the same page. When you do this, two things happen. First, if you’ve missed something, he can fill in the details. Second you’ve shown that you’re making an effort to understand completely. This increases possibility of gaining cooperation from him.
Having listened carefully, you’ve now arrived at the point of confirming with the person that he feels satisfied that his thoughts have been fully voiced. Ask if he feels understood.
Then enough sincere listening, questioning, and remembering are brought together, understanding is usually achieved and a difficult person becomes less difficult and more cooperative.
【小题1】 ▲ | Listen to understand |
Reason | Difficult people hope they have been heard and【小题2】 ▲ when they express themselves. |
【小题3】 ▲ towards listening | ◆【小题4】 ▲ in agreement and make some sounds of understanding while a difficult person is speaking. ◆Repeat some【小题5】 ▲ that you have heard. ◆Collect information about the person’s expressions and find his 【小题6】 ▲ . ◆Give a 【小题7】 ▲ of what the person has said. ◆Confirm that the person gains【小题8】 ▲ from speaking his thoughts. |
Result | A difficult person will be【小题9】 ▲ to cooperate with if understanding is achieved. |
【小题10】 ▲ | You may unlock the doors to difficult people’s minds after you listen and understand. |
How old is “old”? The answer has changed over the years. Two hundred years ago,you were old at 35.At the beginning of the 20 th century,the average life span(平均寿命)was 45. In 1950,70-year-olds were really old.Today,a healthy 70-year-old is still thought young.
So,how old is old? The answer is one you’ve heard many times,from all kinds of people.“You are as old(or young)as you feel.”Your age simply tells you how many years you have lived.Your body tells you how well you’ve lived.
“Nobody grows old by living a number of years.” wrote a writer.“People grow old when they don’t have their ideas.”
People shouldn’t have the wrong ideas about aging.Sometimes,older minds can be as bright as young minds.Alice Brophy once said,“It makes me unhappy when people say,‘You look young for your age。’ What does that mean?You know you can die old at 30 and live young at 80. ”
1.In 1950, the average life span was .
A.35 |
B.45 |
C.50 |
D.70 |
2.People grow old when according to a writer.
A.they don’t have their ideas. |
B.they live many years. |
C.They can’t live longer. |
D.they have their ideas. |
3.The meaning of the underlined word “aging” is “ ”
A.growing old |
B.staying young |
C.keeping healthy |
D.feeling unhappy |
4.Which question is NOT answered in the passage?
A.Can older people be as bright as young people? |
B.What’s the wrong ideas about aging? |
C.How old is “old”? |
D.what is the average life span today? |
5.The passage is mainly about __________ .
A.the average life span |
B.aging |
C.the 20th century |
D.older people and young people |