We might like to think we're not influenced by other people, but a new study into the group-buying mechanisms（机制） - like those used on coupon（优惠券） sites such as Groupon and LivingSocial - reveals that telling buyers who come later to the offer how many have already signed up increases the number of purchasers.

Researchers at the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management wanted to understand why group buying sites that have entered the market recently have enjoyed greater success than those operating a decade ago, such as Mercata and MobShop.

Earlier attempts typically left potential buyers waiting for days before confirming whether or not they had got the offer they had signed up for.

“We think one of the reasons group-buying has been successful recently is because of the short time horizon,” says Rotman Professor Ming Hu, who co-wrote the study with Professor Mengze Shi and PhD student Jiahua Wu. “It allows for a herding effect.”

Another reason is the use of an information structure that discloses to later arrivals how many have already signed onto the deal.

Researchers looked at two ways of designing the purchasing mechanism for a group buy:a simultaneous mechanism, where no one knows how many buyers have come before them, and asequential（连续的） mechanism, where a second group of buyers has the advantage of knowing the size of the first group.

The researchers' analytical（分析的） model shows the most successful mechanism is the sequential one because it eliminates uncertainty for those coming later to the deal, and improves the confidence of those who sign on early, as they're able to track the numbers of those who come after them.

“That boosts confidence,” says Professor Hu, who teaches operations management. Deals for "luxury" services, versus everyday items, work better in a group buy scenario（方案） because they offer consumers a greater benefit.

1.It can be learned from the text that ______.

2.The underlined word “eliminates” in paragraph 7 probably means“______”.

3.What can be the best title for the passage?

It was not the first time for Shi Benliang, a senior physics major at Peking University, to feed cats. But the 22-year-old felt sad when he saw the scars and wounds on the bodies of the little creatures.
“I can imagine how they have suffered from being abandoned. They lead a harsh life wandering around,” said the student..Shi is one of a dozen students at the university volunteering to feed the stray cats during the winter break.
Recruited by the Stray Cat Rescue Association at the university through a Bulletin Board System (BBS), he took turns with other students to care for the homeless animals. It is estimated that there are more than 100 stray cats on the campus of Peking University.
Jin Jing, 18, an economics freshman at the university, cared for the cats for two days. “At around 5 pm I cycled to the 22 feeding sites on campus marked on a special map,” she said. “At each site I left some cat food and water.”Jin was excited when the animals rushed to her feet. “Some are shy and timid, and others are more outgoing. Each of them has their own name such as ‘Sweet Orange’ or ‘Karl Marx’,” she said. “By feeding them I learned to respect life.”
Liu Chenhao, a senior electronics and computer science major, who is in charge of the association, said that feeding was just one part of their responsibilities.“Our aim is to keep the stray cats in check and maintain harmony between them and the students on campus,” he said.
The organization also takes cats to the animal hospital to be treated for oral and skin disease. Another of its major tasks is to find new homes for the cats by uploading their photos and information online.
“We’re very careful when selecting owners and ask them lots of questions to ensure that they won’t desert their cat under any circumstances, such as when they move house or get married,” Liu said. But he stressed that their acts of kindness shouldn’t encourage anyone to abandon their cat. “A cat’s normal life expectancy is more than 10 years, but a stray one may survive for only two or three.”  (365words)
【小题1】You may read the article from a (an)______________ .

As computers become all the more popular in China, Chinese people are increasingly relying on computer keyboards to input Chinese characters. But if they use the computer too much, they may end up forgetting the exact strokes(笔画) of each Chinese character when writing on paper. Experts suggest people, especially students, write by hand more.

   Do you write by hand more or type more? In Beijing, students start using a computer as early as primary school. And computer dependence is more widespread among university students. Almost all their assignments and essays are typed on a computer.

   All the students interviewed say they usually use a computer.

   It’s faster and easier to correct if using a computer. And that’s why computers are being applied more and more often to modern education. But when people are taking stock in computers increasingly, problems appear.

   “When I’m writing with a pen, I find I often can’t remember how to write a character, though I feel I’m familiar with it.”

   “I’m not in the mood to write when faced with a pen and paper.”

   Many students don’t feel this is something to worry about. Now that it’s more convenient and efficient to write on a computer, why bother to handwrite?

   Many educators think differently. Shi Liwei, the headmaster of a famous primary school in the capital said, “Chinese characters enjoy both practical and aesthetic (审美的) value. But those characters typed with computer keyboards only maintain their practical value. All the artistic beauty of the characters is lost. And handwriting contains the writer’s emotion. Through one’s handwriting, people can get to know one’s thinking and personality. Beautiful writing will give people a better first impression of them.”

   To encourage students to handwrite more, many primary schools in Beijing have made writing classes compulsory(必修的) and in universities, some professors are asking students to turn in their homework and essays written by hand.

1.Which of the following can best serve as the title of the passage?

A. The Importance of Handwriting and Typing.

B. To type or to Handwrite.

C. Writing by Computer will Replace Writing by Hand.

D. Practical and Aesthetic Value of Chinese Characters.

2.The students interviewed prefer to write using a computer because ________.

A. they are usually asked to e-mail their homework and essays.

B. they can correct the mistakes they make quickly and conveniently.

C. they found it not easy to remember how to write a character.

D. computers have become a trend and fashion in China.

3.Which of the following statements in NOT the advantage of handwriting?

A. Handwriting contains the writer’s emotion.

B. The writer’s thinking and personality are shown in his or her handwriting.

C. Handwriting can impress people well and build one’s self-confidence.

D. Chinese characters enjoy both practical and aesthetic value.

4.We can draw the conclusion from the passage that _________.

A. more and more students will give up writing on a computer.

B. writing by hand will give way to typing by computer one day.

C. more and more students will pay attention to handwriting.

D. the typing article better expresses one’s emotion and quality.

5.What is the author’s attitude toward typing on a computer?

A. supportive   B. proud   C. objective   D. Disapproval

第二部分　阅读理解（共20小题，每小题2分;满分40分）
第一节　阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（Ａ、Ｂ、Ｃ、Ｄ）中，选出最佳选项。
A
As computers become all the more popular in China, Chinese people are increasingly relying on computer keyboards to input Chinese characters．But if they use the computer too much, they may end up forgetting the exact strokes（笔画）of each Chinese character when writing on paper．Experts suggest people, especially students, write by hand more．
Do you write by hand more or type more? In Beijing, students start using a computer as early as primary school．And computer dependence is more wide-spread among university students．Almost all their assignments and essays are typed on a computer．
All the students interviewed say they usually use a computer．
It's faster and easier to correct if using a computer．And that's why computers are being applied more and more often to modern education．But when people are taking stock in computers increasingly, problems appear．
"When I'm writing with a pen, I find I often can't remember how to write a character, though I feel I’m familiar with it．"
"I'm not in the mood to write when faced with a pen and paper．"
Many students don't feel this is something to worry about．Now that it's more convenient and efficient to write on a computer, why bother to handwrite?
Many educators think differently．Shi Liwei , the headmaster of a famous primary school in the capital said "Chinese characters enjoy both practical and aesthetic(审美的) value．But those characters typed with computer keyboards only maintain their practical value．All the artistic beauty of the characters is lost．And handwriting contains the writer's emotion．Through one's handwriting, people can get to know one's thinking and personality．Beautiful writing will give people a better first impression of them"
To encourage students to handwrite more, many primary schools in Beijing have made writing classes compulsory(必修的)and in universities, some professors are asking students to turn in their homework and essays written by hand．
56．Which of the following can best serve as the title of the passage?
A．The Importance of Handwriting and Typing．
B．To Type or To Hand Write
C．Writing By Computer Will Replace Writing By Hand
D．Practical and Aesthetic Value of Chinese Characters．
57．The students interviewed prefer to write using a computer mainly because______．
A．they are usually asked to e-mail their Homework and Essays
B．they can correct the mistakes they make quickly and conveniently 
C．they find it not easy to remember how to write a character
D．computers have become a trend and fashion in China．
58．Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE of the advantages of handwriting?
A．Handwriting contains the writer's emotion ．
B．The writer’s thinking and personality are shown in his or her handwriting,
C．Handwriting can impress people well and build one’s self-confidence
D．Chinese characters enjoy both practical and aesthetic value．
59．The underlind expression “taking stock in”(Paragraph 4) probably means_____．
A．getting bored with     B．getting dependent on 
C．becoming crazy about             D．getting curious about
60．We can draw the conclusion from the passage that_______．
A．more and more students will give up writing on a computer
B．writing by hand will give way to typing by computer one day
C．more and more students will pay attention to handwriting
D．the typing article better expresses one’s emotion and quality

阅读理解

　　As I travel across China, I hope to learn as much as I can about the Chinese people, your history, and your dreams for the future and I hope to help the Chinese people understand more of America's history, the lessons the American people have drawn from it, and the dreams we hold for the 21st century.

　　I believe both Chinese and Americans aspire(立志，有愿望) to many of the same things--to provide for our families, to teach our children, to build our communities, to protect our earth, to shape our own futures, and pass brighter possibilities on to our children.

　　There may be those here and back in America who wonder whether closer ties and deeper friendship between America and China are good. Clearly, the answer is yes. We have a powerful ability to help each other grow. We can learn much from each other. And as two great nations, we have a special responsibility to the future of the world. The steps we take over the next week can lead to far greater strides for our people in the years ahead.

　　Here in this city of your magnificent history, we must always remember that we, too, are ancestors(祖先). Someday our children and their children will ask if we did all we could to build just societies and a more peaceful world. Let our monument be their judgment that we did that. Let our progress include all people, with all their differences, moving toward a common destiny.

　　Let us give new meaning to the words written in the ancient Book of Rites, what you call the Li Shi: When the great way is followed, all under heaven will be equal.

1．It becomes clear from the passage that _____.

[　　]

A．both China and America are the most powerful countries in the world

B．both China and America should do something for the future of the world

C．both China and America are great countries with a long history

D．both China and America can provide their children with good education

2．Which of the following statements is NOT mentioned in the passage?

[　　]

A．America will encourage their children to learn the Chinese history.

B．The speaker is in the city with the magnificent Chinese history.

C．Both Chinese and Americans share some desires and interests.

D．The speaker wants Chinese to understand more of American history.

3．The underlined word“here”used in Paragraph 3 refers to“_____”.

[　　]

A．in the city　　　　　　　B．on the platform

C．at the ceremony(仪式)　　D．in China

4．It can be inferred that the person who made the speech is a _____.

[　　]

A．scientist　　　　B．statesman

C．businessman　　D．professor