题目内容
In offering Michael Jackson ticket holders the choice to take a refund or receive their unusable tickets as souvenirs, AEG have introduced music fans to one of the most unmanageable problems in the mathematical sciences. If nearly everybody takes the refund then the tickets, designed by the King of Pop himself, will become collectors' items and worth a fortune. However, if ail 750,000 fans take their tickets then they will all hold worthless bits of fancy paper.
The choice facing fans is similar to the El Farol bar problem, which has been the subject of hundreds of academic papers and inspired a whole field: minority game theory. That is, if you
reason that every Michael Jackson fan will take a refund then you should take the ticket , but
they will reason in the same way and there will be a flood of souvenirs, so you should ask for
your money back, but then…
So, with the benefit of the hundreds of academic papers from scientists around the world, what should a Times reader who holds a ticket do? The research tells us that, if you assume everybody else will use the same strategy as you, then the best you can do is to throw a dice(骰子):deciding whether or not to keep the ticket according to a probability determined by demand for tickets and price. However, working out the probability is tough and most fans, without the benefit of minority game theory, won't be tossing a dice.
There is one huge factor in the Michael Jackson problem which isn't in the standard El Farol bar problem. Hype (炒作)• If the owners of the El Farol bar distributed fliers (传单) announcing it was going to be quiet next week,then it would be a safe bet to stay at home with a glass of wine. So my advice would be to read the newspapers and decide what to do on the basis of the experts' advice. If all the articles you read say the tickets will be collectors' items then ask for a refund,and if they all accuse AEG of cheating crazy fans then take the ticket. It was, after ail,designed by Michael Jackson.
67. In the Para 1,the underlined part “ the King of Pop” refers to ______ .
A. El Farol B. Michael Jackson
C. A ticket holder D. A souvenir keeper
68. The burning problem Michael Jackson ticket holders have to deal with is ______.
A. what advice to take B. how to get their money back
C. how to deal with the tickets D. how to make a fortune
69. It isn't said but implied that “ minority game theory” is a theory about ______
A. people's reasoning B. Jackson's strategy
C. experts' advice D. minority's bet
70. What the writer advises the ticket holders to do is ______.
A. to throw a dice B. to follow the experts
C. to read the newspaper D. to take the ticket
BCAC
Holiday Inns and McDonald’s. both saw unmatched growth in the 1960s. Their growth opened another direct business operation—franchising.
These operations have the same general pattern. The franchisor, the parent company, first establishes a successful retail business. As it expands, it sees a profit potential in offering others the right to open similar business under its name. The parent company’s methods and means of identification with consumers are included in this right. The parent company supplies skill, and may build and rent stores to franchisees. For these advantages the franchisee pays the franchisor a considerable fee. However, some of the advantages and disadvantages are different.
By extending a “proven” marketing method, a parent can profit in several ways. First, the franchisee’s purchase price gives the parent an immediate return on the plan. Then the sale of supplies to the franchisee provides a continuing source of profits. As new businesses are added and the company’s reputation spreads, the values of the franchise increases and sales of franchises become easier. The snowballing effect can be dramatic. Such growth, too, bring into play the economies of scale. Regional or national advertising that might be financially impossible for a franchisor with 20 franchises could be profitable for one with 40.
The parent, then, finds immediate gains from the opportunity to expand markets on the basis of reputation alone, without having to put up capital or take the risk of owning retail stores. Added to this advantage is a less obvious but material one, Skilled, responsible retail managers are rare. People who invest their capital in franchises, though, probably come closer to the ideal than do paid managers. In fact, the franchisee is an independent store operator working for the franchisor, but without an independent’s freedom to drop supplies at will. Of course the factory’s costs of selling supplies are less. But also certainly the franchisee buying goods that have had broad consumer acceptance will not casually change supplies, even when the contract permits. If the hamburger is not what the customer expected, they may not return. Having paid for the goodwill, the franchisee won’t thoughtlessly destroy it.
【小题1】 Franchising refers to a business operation in which a successful parent company .
A.sells name-brand goods to a private investor |
B.rents proven ideas and techniques for investment |
C.sells the right, the guidance to a business under its name |
D.takes no advertising responsibility for individual investors |
A.an immediate investment return |
B.the profit from the sale of supplies |
C.the ownership of additional retail stores |
D.the possibility of profitable advertising |
A.the advantages and disadvantages of franchising |
B.the benefits of franchising to the franchisor |
C.the unmatched economic growth in the 1960’s |
D.some regional and national business operation |
A.More advantages of franchising. |
B.Negative aspects related to franchising. |
C.The standard of consumer acceptance. |
D.Risks of investment besides franchising |
How do apology languages work? Have you ever tried to apologize, only to be refused? It may be that you were offering a partial apology in a “language” , that was foreign to your listener.The five languages of apology include:
Apology Language 1: “I am sorry.”
List the hurtful effects of your action.Not “I am sorry if …”, but “I am sorry that…”.You might ask if they want to add any points that you have not recognized.
Apology Language 2:“I was wrong.”
Name your mistake and accept fault.Note that it is easier to say “You are right” than “ I am wrong”, but the latter carries more weight.
Apology Language 3: “ What can I do to make it right?”
How are you now? How shall I make amends(弥补) to you? How can I restore your confidence that I love you— even though I was so hurtful to you?
Apology Language 4: “I’ll try not to do that again.”
Engage in problem-solving.Don’t make excuses for yourself such as, “Well, my day was just so…” Instead, offer what you will change to prevent yourself from putting them in the same bad situation again.
Apology Language 5: “Will you please forgive me?”
Be patient in seeking forgiveness.They may need some time or greater clarification of your input from Apology Languages 1-4.
Finally, your apology may not be accepted, but at least you know that you have been faithful in offering a sincere olive branch of peace.
【小题1】The passage mainly talks about___________
A.5 tips for apologies that work | B.5 ways of refusing apologies |
C.the function of apology languages | D.the importance of apology languages |
A.your listeners can’t understand your dialect. |
B.your listeners can’t hear what you said clearly. |
C.your apology is not sincere. |
D.your apology is not expressed well enough. |
A.“You are right” | B.“I am sorry if …” |
C.“I was wrong.” | D.“Well, my day was just so…” |
least ___________.
A.It’s your fault any more | B.your mind will be at peace |
C.your friend will make peace with you | D.your apology is true to your heart |
Holiday Inns and McDonald’s. both saw unmatched growth in the 1960s. Their growth opened another direct business operation—franchising.
These operations have the same general pattern. The franchisor, the parent company, first establishes a successful retail business. As it expands, it sees a profit potential in offering others the right to open similar business under its name. The parent company’s methods and means of identification with consumers are included in this right. The parent company supplies skill, and may build and rent stores to franchisees. For these advantages the franchisee pays the franchisor a considerable fee. However, some of the advantages and disadvantages are different.
By extending a “proven” marketing method, a parent can profit in several ways. First, the franchisee’s purchase price gives the parent an immediate return on the plan. Then the sale of supplies to the franchisee provides a continuing source of profits. As new businesses are added and the company’s reputation spreads, the values of the franchise increases and sales of franchises become easier. The snowballing effect can be dramatic. Such growth, too, bring into play the economies of scale. Regional or national advertising that might be financially impossible for a franchisor with 20 franchises could be profitable for one with 40.
The parent, then, finds immediate gains from the opportunity to expand markets on the basis of reputation alone, without having to put up capital or take the risk of owning retail stores. Added to this advantage is a less obvious but material one, Skilled, responsible retail managers are rare. People who invest their capital in franchises, though, probably come closer to the ideal than do paid managers. In fact, the franchisee is an independent store operator working for the franchisor, but without an independent’s freedom to drop supplies at will. Of course the factory’s costs of selling supplies are less. But also certainly the franchisee buying goods that have had broad consumer acceptance will not casually change supplies, even when the contract permits. If the hamburger is not what the customer expected, they may not return. Having paid for the goodwill, the franchisee won’t thoughtlessly destroy it.
1. Franchising refers to a business operation in which a successful parent company .
A.sells name-brand goods to a private investor |
B.rents proven ideas and techniques for investment |
C.sells the right, the guidance to a business under its name |
D.takes no advertising responsibility for individual investors |
2.. The advantages of franchising to the parent company are all the following EXCEPT .
A.an immediate investment return |
B.the profit from the sale of supplies |
C.the ownership of additional retail stores |
D.the possibility of profitable advertising |
3. The passage mainly tells the reader .
A.the advantages and disadvantages of franchising |
B.the benefits of franchising to the franchisor |
C.the unmatched economic growth in the 1960’s |
D.some regional and national business operation |
4.. What will the author probably discuss after the last paragraph?
A.More advantages of franchising. |
B.Negative aspects related to franchising. |
C.The standard of consumer acceptance. |
D.Risks of investment besides franchising |