Sometimes, the simplest ideas are the best.For example, to absorb heat from the sun to heat water, you need large, flat, black surfaces.One way to do that is to build those surfaces specially, on the roofs of buildings.But why go to all that trouble when cities are rub of black surfaces already, in the form of asphalt (柏油) roads?

  Ten years ago, this thought came into the mind of Arian de Bondt, a Dutch engineer.He finally persuaded his boss to follow it up.The result is that their building is now heated in winter and cooled in summer by a system that relies on the surface of the road outside.

    The heat-collector is a system of connected water pipes.Most of them ran from one side of the street to the other, just under the asphalt road.Some, however, dive deep into the ground.

    When the street surface gets hot in summer, water pumped through the pipes picks up this heat and takes it underground through one of the diving pipes.At a depth of 100 metres lies a natural aquifer (蓄水层) into which several heat exchangers (交换器) have been built.The hot water from the street runs through these exchangers, warming the ground-water, before returning to the surface through another pipe.The aquifer is thus used as a heat store.

    In winter, the working system is changed slightly.Water is pumped through the heat exchangers to pick up the heat stored during summer.This water goes into the building and is used to warm the place up.After performing that task, it is pumped under the asphalt and its remaining heat keeps the road free of snow and ice.

1.Which of the following is true according to the first two paragraphs?

A.Arian de Bondt got his idea from his boss.

B.Large, flat, black surfaces need to be built in cities.

C.The Dutch engineer's system has been widely used.

D.Heat can also be collected from asphalt roads.

2.For what purpose are the diving pipes used?

A.To absorb heat from the sun.                            B.To store heat for future use.

C.To turn solar energy into heat energy.         D.To carry heat down below the surface.

3.From the last paragraph we can learn that ______

A.some pipes have to be re-arranged in winter

B.the system can do more than warming up the building

C.the exchangers will pick up heat from the street surface

D.less heat may be collected in winter than in summer

High-quality customer service is preached (宣扬) by many, but actually keeping customers happy is easier said than done.

Shoppers seldom complain to the manager or owner of a retail store, but instead will warn their friends, relatives, co-workers, strangers-and anyone who will listen.Store managers are often the last to hear complaints.“Storytelling hurts retailers(零售商) and entertains consumers,” said Paula Courtney, President of the Verde group.The store loses the customer, but the shopper must also find a replacement.”

The most common complaints include filled parking lots, cluttered(塞满了的)shelves, overloaded racks, out-of-stock items, long check-out lines, and rude sales people.

During peak shopping hours, some retailers solved the parking problems by getting moonlighting local police to work as parking attendants to direct customers to empty parking spaces. Retailers can relieve the headaches by redesigning store display, pre-stocking sales items, hiring speedy and experienced cashiers, and having sales representatives on hand to answer questions.Most importantly, salespeople should be skillful and polite with angry customers.

“Retailers who’re enthusiastic and friendly are more likely to smooth over issues than those who aren’t so friendly.” said Professor Stephen Hoch.“Maybe something as a greeter at the store entrance would help.”

Customers can also improve future shopping experiences by filing complaints to the retailer, instead of complaining to the rest of the world.Retailers are hard-pressed to improve when they have no idea what is wrong.

1.Why are store managers often the last to hear complaints?

A.Most customers won’t bother to complain even if they have had unhappy experiences.

      B.Customers would rather relate their unhappy experiences to people around them.

      C.Few customers believe the service will be improved.

      D.Customers have no easy access to store mangers.

2.What does Paula Courtney imply by saying the underlined sentence in paragraph 2?

      A.New customers are sure to replace old ones.

      B.It is not likely the shopper can find the same products in other stores.

      C.Most stores provide the same.

      D.Not complaining to the manager causes the shopper some trouble too.

3.What contributes most to smoothing over issues with customers?

      A.Manners of the salespeople.

      B.Hiring of efficient employees.

      C.Huge supply of goods for sale.

      D.Design of the store layout.

4.To achieve better shopping experiences, customers are advised to _____.

      A.put pressure on stores to improve their service

      B.settle their disputes with stores in a skillful and friendly way

      C.voice their dissatisfaction to store managers directly

      D.shop around and make comparisons between stores

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