It is said that there’s no such thing as a free lunch, but even if you manage to bag a bargain meal, it will not taste as good as a more expensive choice, according to scientists.
A new study has found that restaurant goers who pay more for their meals think the food is tastier than offered for a smaller price. The experts think that people tend to associate cost with quality and this changes their perception(感知) of how food tastes.
Scientists at Cornell University studied the eating habits of 139 people enjoying an Italian buffet in a restaurant. The price of the food was set by the researchers at either $4 or $8 for the all-you-can-eat meal. Customers were asked to rate how good the food tasted, the quality of the restaurant and to leave their names.
The experiment showed that the people who paid $8 enjoyed their meal 11% more than those who ate the “cheaper” buffet. Interestingly those that paid for the $4 buffet said they felt guiltier about loading up their plates and felt that they overate. However, the scientists said that both groups ate around the same quantity of food in total.
Brian Wansink, a professor of consumer behavior at the university, said: “We were fascinated to find that pricing has little effect on how much one eats, but a huge effect on how you interpret the experience.” He thinks that people enjoyed their food more as they associated cost with quality and that small changes to a restaurant can change how tasty people find their meals.
In a previous study, researchers from the university showed that people who eat in bright lighting consume more than people who eat in less brightly lit areas.
1. We can learn from the passage that ________.
A. there were 139 subjects involved in the new study
B. a free lunch might be as delicious as you expected
C. the high pricing will change the exact taste of the food
D. in the experiment, the price of the food ranged from $4 to $8
2.According to the passage, which of the following factors has an effect on the quantity of food a person consumes?
A. The taste of the food.
B. The price of the food.
C. The number of companions.
D. The lighting of the restaurant.
3.Who will benefit most from the new study?
A. The person who runs a restaurant.
B. The person who often eats outside.
C. The person who works on decoration.
D. The person who studies in university.
4.The passage is intended to ________.
A. promote marketing methods
B. inform readers of a new study
C. teach consumers how to eat better
D. find the association between cost and quality
完形填空
阅读下面短文,从短文后各题所给的四个选项中,选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。
When I was a small boy my family was very poor. My father always used his savings to my mother to visit her parents who lived far away. There was just my younger brother and myself in the house. One evening Dad came home from and there was no food in the house, not a piece of bread. Although we were , my brother and I went to bed without eating anything.
My father had no money, but I knew from the on his face that he could not let us have an empty stomach. He the house and about two hours later returned and quickly us up. He had in his hand two small potato pies, which he gave us to eat. I don't know where he got the but somehow he to get us something to eat.
My father had not eaten and had worked all day he sat there with great satisfaction watching us eat. This has stayed in my mind and left more of an impression than any amount of he may ever have given me. At that moment, I felt happy knowing that he was there and would not let us .
I guess the I am trying to make is that in difficult times it is not to show weakness but strength and character. If a is the cement (粘合剂) that holds a family together, then the father is that strengthens that cement.
It is his values and and memories that have carried me forward and helped me to my own problems in life. In my own I have learned that it is the valuable time you spend with your children and the values you give to them that will remain with them always.
1.A.force B.encourage C.send D.teach
2.A.hospital B.work C.school D.shop
3.A.quite B.just C.only D.even
4.A.nervous B.hungry C.sleepy D.busy
5.A.worry B.pleasure C.disappointment D.surprise
6.A.cleaned B.observed C.left D.searched
7.A.brought B.put C.called D.woke
8.A.chance B.food C.support D.recipe
9.A.managed B.decided C.agreed D.waited
10.A.so B.or C.but D.and
11.A.normally B.always C.shortly D.softly
12.A.cost B.time C.salary D.money
13.A.suffer B.know C.leave D.cry
14.A.decision B.promise C.point D.apology
15.A.strange B.important C.difficult D.common
16.A.father B.brother C.sister D.mother
17.A.something B.anything C.everything D.nothing
18.A.words B.records C.actions D.failures
19.A.work out B.carry out C.run into D.look into
20.A.opinion B.home C.order D.Turn
Buy Nothing Day
Most people buy a lot of gifts just before Christmas. But some people think we buy too much. They have started a special day called Buy Nothing Day. They don’t want anyone to go shopping that day.
Buy Nothing Day is November 29. It’s 25 days before Christmas. It’s after Thanksgiving and often the first day of Christmas shopping. At this time, we see ads in newspapers and on TV telling us to “buy, buy, buy!”
The idea for Buy Nothing Day started in Vancouver, British Columbia. Now people all over the world celebrate Buy Nothing Day. In California, parents and children get together to read stories, sing songs, and paint pictures. The children talk about why they don’t need a lot of toys. This year, in Manchester, England, people dressed up to tell people that we buy too much.
In Albuquerque, New Mexico, high school students wanted to tell other students about Buy Nothing Day. They organized a spaghetti dinner to give people information about Buy Nothing Day. They asked restaurants in the neighborhood to donate the food. They made posters and talked to other students about it. The dinner was a big success, and many students agreed not to buy anything on November 29. The students at high school liked the idea of this new tradition. Next year, they want to have another dinner to tell more people about Buy Nothing Day!
1.Why do people all over the world celebrate Buy Nothing Day?
A. People need more time to do other things.
B. People buy too many gifts for Christmas.
C. People can hardly afford to buy a lot of gifts.
D. People waste too much time going shopping.
2. How do people celebrate Buy Nothing Day?
A. In California, parents and children get together to play games.
B. In Mexico, high school students dressed up.
C. In England, people celebrated by performing plays.
D. They bought nothing and made the others decide not to.
3.What did the students do in New Mexico for the day?
A. They talked to others about Buy Nothing Day.
B. They dressed up to tell people that we buy too much.
C. They organized a spaghetti dinner to donate the food.
D. They got together to read stories, sing songs, and paint pictures.
单句改错。下列句子中每句有一处错误,指出并改正。
增加:在缺词处加一个漏词符号(∧)并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除:把多余的词用斜线(\)划掉。
修改:在错的词下面划一横线,并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
1.It was the first time that I have earned money on my own.
2.We were surprised that the little boy succeed in raising such a big stone.
3.The day we looked forward to come at last.
4.He was late for school because of he missed the bus and had to walk to school.
5.The poor child lost his mother two years before he was born.
It is in the USA to eat turkey on Thanksgiving Day.
A. illegal B. classical
C. traditional D. powerful
Having finished her own painting, Mary went on others in the art class.
A. helping B. to help
C. with help D. having helped
It was a great chance we couldn't afford to miss it.
A. so, that B. such, that
C. so, as D. such, as
New Movies You Need to Know Ahout This Month
Sherpa
Type; Documentary
Release Date: Friday, December 18, 2015
Duration: 96 mins
"Unforgettable"…"unbelievably absorbing".With praise like that, this doc looks like a can't-miss. Director Jennifer Peedom travelled to Nepal in 2014 to film the climbing season from the point of view of the local people一Sherpas. During the climbing, a disaster struck killing 16
Sunset Song
Type: Drama
Release Date: Friday, December 4, 2015
Duration; 135 mins
The classic 1932 Srnttish romantic novel is adapted into a beautiful film by Director Terence
Davies. In only her second film role, London supermodel Agyness Deyn proves her talent for acting as the daughter of a farming family who must live on all by herself when both her parents are killed.
When Harry Met Sally
Type: Comedy
Release Date: Friday, December 11,2015
Duration; 95 mins
The perfect一and we do mean perfect一romantic comedy returns. Billy Crystal and MeRyan plav a pair of New Yorkers who meet at university, dislike each other on sight and spend the next 20 years gradually growing closer.The script, written by the much missed writer and director Nora Ephron, who died in 2012, is a joy.
Snoopy and Charlie Brown:The Peanuts Movie
Type: Animation
Release Date: Monday, December 21, 2015
Duration: 93 mins
The most loveable character of them all, Charlie Brown, is back on the big screen with a story written by Craig Schulz. His father Charles Schulz created the famous cartoon character一Snoopy in the 1950s. We really look forward to this hit, but is the 3D really necessary?
Please click here for more information.
(以下是A种题型)
1.Where is the text probably taken from?
A. A book review. B. A popular website.
C. A science report. D. A fashion magazine.’
2.What is the underlined word "doc" short for?
A. Document. B. Dock.
C. Documentary. D. Doctor.
3.Who is the leading actress of the coming comedy?
A. Jennifer Peedom. B. Agyness Deyn.
C. Billy Crystal. D. Meg Ryan.
4.What might be the topic of the film When Harry Met Sally?
A. Love. B. Sports.
C. Work. D. Family.
5.What is the writer's attitude towards the 3D effect of The Peanuts Movie?
A. Active. B. Unsure.
C. Unknown. D. Definite.
单句改错
下列各句中都有一处错误,错误涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改,请按要求修改下列各句。
增加:在缺词处加一个漏字符号(∧),并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除:把多余的词用斜线(\)划掉。
修改:在错的词下画一横线,并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
1.Jack always waters his plants before he head for work.
2.The apartment is belonged to my grandfather in the 1980s.
3.Speak in public is a lot more difficult than talking to your friends.
4.Mary didn' t come to school today because she had temperature yesterday.
5.I am watching TV last night when my sister came in with a friend of hers.
Today, Mount Qomolangma's peak is not a lonely place any more. More than 3,500 people have successfully climbed the 8,844m mountain, and more than a tenth of that number reached the peak just over the past year. As more and more people try to test themselves against Qomolangma, many a time the mount can be very crowded. Climbers have complained about waiting for hours in the bottlenecks(狭窄路段) on the way to the peak. If bad weather strikes, climbers can and do die.
But the dangerous crowds aren't the only problem on Qomolangma. All those climbers need to bring a lot of gear—much of them ends up being left on the mountain, sometimes even the peak itself. Mount Qomolangma is becoming the world's tallest rubbish dump. Here's mountaineer Mark Jenkins writing in National Geographic about the state of Qomolangma: "The two standard routes, the Northeast Ridge and the Southeast Ridge, are not only dangerously crowded but also badly polluted."
But the good news is that some mountaineers are taking it upon themselves to clean up Qomolangma. Mountaineer Paul Thelen and his friend Eberhard Schaaf are part of the annual Eco Everest Expedition, which has been cleaning up rubbish from base camps to the peak since 2008. So far they've collected over 13 tons of garbage.
Some of that rubbish is even being used for a higher purpose. As part of the Mount Everest 8844 Art Project, a group of 15 artists from Nepal collected 1.5 tons of garbage brought down the mountain by climbers. They've changed the cans and oxygen tanks—in one case, part of the remains of a helicopter—into 74 pieces of art that have already gone on exhibition in Nepal's capital. Part of the profit from sales will go to the Everest Peakeers Association, which has helped collect tons of rubbish off the mountain.
1.What do we learn about the bottlenecks on the way to Mount Qomolangma's peak?
A. They are relatively safe.
B. They are often crowded.
C. They are very easy to pass.
D. They are sites of base camps.
2.What does the underlined word "gear" mean?
A. Useful equipment for climbing mountains.
B. The water from the mountain.
C. Some important machines used for the bottlenecks.
D. Some cans and oxygen tanks found on the mountain.
3.The group of 15 Nepali artists ____.
A. created works of art using rubbish from Qomolangma
B. were employed by the Everest Peakeers Association
C. climbed Qomolangma and collected 1.5 tons of trash
D. painted 74 beautiful pictures of Mount Qomolangma's peak
4.What can be the best title for the text?
A. Test Yourself Against Qomolangma
B. Qomolangma has Become a Huge Mess
C. Eco Everest Expedition Proves Successful
D. How to Climb Qomolangma