Eat healthier. Exercise twice a week. Read more books. Lose weight. We make the same resolutions(决心) every year, but most of us fail, dying out after only a few days or , at best, weeks. Even the most successful among us crash and burn when it comes to personal change. President-elect Barack Obama struggles to remove his cigarette habit.
Professionals who help people make changes in their lives suggest the change is determined not by one's surroundings, but one's mind. Beginning with small goals or steps usually leads to a bigger payoff later, they say. But they caution that the experience is different for everyone.
"People are more likely to make positive changes in their lives not only when their friends do, but when their friends of friends do, and when their friends of friends of friends do," said Nicholas Christakis, a professor of medical sociology at Harvard University. "People are better able to make changes in their lives - lose weight, quit smoking, become happy - when they do this with a large number of other people, and so taking advantage of your social network ties can result in a magnification of your own efforts."
Jhonny Augustin understands that well. His resolution for 2008 was to shed 30 pounds from his 237-pound frame. But the change didn't come easily. He said,"I'm a huge procrastinator, I kept putting it off until tomorrow. I didn't get to do it until the summer." However , Augustin got inspired when he saw his older brother working out. Today, Augustin weighs 190 pounds.
“Of course, change can happen only if people don't set their expectations too high or try to tackle too many changes at once; one of the biggest mistakes we make is setting unrealistic goals, ”said Dalia Llera, a psychologist and associate professor of counseling and psychology at Lesley University. "You can't accomplish in a few weeks what you haven't accomplished in a few years," said Llera.
46.From the first paragraph we can infer that      .
A.change for a person is challenging
B.famous people have great determination
C.most people don’t want to change themselves
D.personal change is beyond belief
47.It is known from Nicholas christkis that      .
A. making a change is easier with support from a cheerful group of friends
B. social networks have great effect on one’s change
C. people who have the same attitude often get together
D. people’s mood can contribute to their efforts
48.The word “procrastinator” in Paragraph 4 refers to those who      .
A. have great determination to make a change
B. have no desire to do something great
C. put off work especially because of laziness
D. have habitual carelessness and laziness
49.According to the passage, Dalia Liera suggested that      .
A. people should understand their goals well
B. people should try their best to change themselves
C. people should have confidence and positive habits
D. people should start with setting small goals to meet
50.The passage is mainly about      .
A. the reason why losing weight is so hard
B. the effect of the positive change
C. the attitudes towards change in life
D. the ways of making a change

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 store, but instead will alert their friends, relatives, co-workers, strangers-and anyone who will listen. Store managers are often the last to hear complaints, and often find out only when their regular customers decide frequent their competitors, according to a study jointly conducted by Verde group and Wharton school.

“Storytelling hurts the boss and entertains consumers,” said Paula Courtney, President of the Verde group.” the store loses the customer, but the shopper must also find a replacement.” On average, every unhappy customer will complain to at least four other, and will no longer visit the specific store for every dissatisfied customer, a store will lose up to three more due to negative reviews. The resulting “snowball effect” can be bad to bosses.

According to the research, shoppers who bought clothing met the most problems. ranked second and third were grocery and electronics customers. 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 salespeople. During peak shopping hours, some retailers solved the parking problems by getting moonlighting local police to work as parking attendants. Some hired flag wavers to direct customers to empty parking spaces. This guidance eliminated the need for customers to circle the parking lot endlessly, and avoided fight between those eyeing the same parking space.

Bosses can relieve the headaches by redesigning store layouts, pre-stocking sales items, hiring speedy and experienced cashiers, and having sales representatives on hand to answer questions.

Most importantly, salespeople should be diplomatic and polite with angry customers. “Retailers who’re responsive and friendly are more likely to smooth over issues than those who aren’t so friendly.” said Professor Stephen Hoch. “Maybe something as simple as a greeter at the store entrance would help.” Customers can also improve future shopping experiences by filling complaints to the boss, instead of complaining to the rest of the world. Bosses 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 managers.

2. What does Paula Courtney imply by saying “ … the shopper must also find a replacement” (Line 2, Para. 4)?

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. Shop owners often hire moonlighting police as parking attendants so that shoppers_____

A. can stay longer walking in the store  B. won’t have trouble parking their cars

C. won’t have any worries about safety  D. can find their cars easily after shopping

4. 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.

5. To achieve better shopping experiences, customers are advised to _________.

A exert pressure on stores to improve their service

B. settle their problem with stores in a diplomatic（外交）way

C. voice their dissatisfaction to store managers directly

D. shop around and make comparisons between stores

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 retail store, but instead will alert their friends, relatives, co-workers, strangers and anyone who will listen.

Store managers are often the last to hear complaints, and often find out only when their regular customers decide to frequent their competitors, according to a study jointly conducted by Verde group and Wharton school.

“Storytelling hurts retailers and entertains consumers.” Said Paula Courtney, president of the Verde group. “The store loses the customer, but the shopper must also find a replacement.”

On average, every unhappy customer will complain to at least four other, and will no longer visit the specific store for every dissatisfied customer, a store will lose up to three more due to negative reviews. The resulting “snowball effect” can be disastrous to retailers.

According to the research, shoppers who purchased clothing encountered the most problems. Ranked second and third were grocery and electronics customers.

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 salespeople.

During peak shopping hours, some retailers solved the parking problems by getting moonlighting local police to work as parking attendants. Some hired flag wavers to direct customers to empty peaking spaces. This guidance got rid of the need for customers to circle the parking lot endlessly, and avoided confrontation between those eyeing the same parking space.

Retailers can relieve the headaches by redesigning store layouts, pre-stocking sales items, hiring speedy and experienced cashiers, and having sales representatives on hand to answer questions. Most importantly, salespeople should be diplomatic and polite with angry customers.

“Retailers who’re responsive and friendly are more likely to smooth over issues than those who aren’t so friendly.” Said professor Stephen Hoch. “Maybe something as simple 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. Few customers believe the service will be improved.

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

C. Customers have no easy access to store managers.

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

2.Shop owners often hire moonlighting police as parking attendants so that shoppers         .

    A. can find their cars easily after shopping                      B. won’t have trouble parking their cars

    C. can stay longer browsing in the store D. won’t have any worries about security

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

    A. Design of the store layout.              B. Hiring of efficient employees.

C. Manners of the salespeople.                  D. Huge supply of goods for sale.

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

A. voice their dissatisfaction to store managers directly            

B. shop around and make comparisons between stores

C. settle their disputes with stores in a diplomatic way

D. put pressure on stores to improve their service

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 alert their friends, relatives, co-workers, strangers-and anyone who will listen.

Store managers are often the last to hear complaints, and often find out only when their regular customers decide t frequent their competitors, according to a study jointly conducted by Verde group and Wharton school.

“Storytelling hurts retailers and entertains consumers,” said Paula Courtney, President of the Verde group.” the store loses the customer, but the shopper must also find a replacement.”

On average, every unhappy customer will complain to at least four other, and will no longer visit the specific store for every dissatisfied customer, a store will lose up to three more due to negative reviews. The resulting “snowball effect” can be disastrous to retailers.

According to the research, shoppers who purchased clothing encountered the most problems. ranked second and third were grocery and electronics customers.

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 salespeople.

During peak shopping hours, some retailers solved the parking problems by getting moonlighting（业余兼职的）local police to work as parking attendants. Some hired flag wavers to direct customers to empty parking spaces. This guidance eliminated the need for customers to circle the parking lot endlessly, and avoided confrontation between those eyeing the same parking space.

Retailers can relieve the headaches by redesigning store layouts, pre-stocking sales items, hiring speedy and experienced cashiers, and having sales representatives on hand to answer questions.

Most importantly, salespeople should be diplomatic and polite with angry customers.

“Retailers who’re responsive and friendly are more likely to smooth over issues than those who aren’t so friendly.” said Professor Stephen Hoch. “Maybe something as simple 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 managers.

2.What does Paula Courtney imply by saying “ … the shopper must also find a replacement” (Line 2, Para. 4)?

A. New customers are bound 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. exert pressure on stores to improve their service

B. settle their disputes with stores in a diplomatic way

C. voice their dissatisfaction to store managers directly

D. shop around and make comparisons between stores

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 alert their friends, relatives, co-workers, strangers-and anyone who will listen.

Store managers are often the last to hear complaints, and often find out only when their regular customers decide t frequent their competitors, according to a study jointly conducted by Verde group and Wharton school.

“Storytelling hurts retailers and entertains consumers,” said Paula Courtney, President of the Verde group.” the store loses the customer, but the shopper must also find a replacement.”

On average, every unhappy customer will complain to at least four other, and will no longer visit the specific store for every dissatisfied customer, a store will lose up to three more due to negative reviews. The resulting “snowball effect” can be disastrous to retailers.

According to the research, shoppers who purchased clothing encountered the most problems. ranked second and third were grocery and electronics customers.

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 salespeople.

During peak shopping hours, some retailers solved the parking problems by getting moonlighting（业余兼职的）local police to work as parking attendants. Some hired flag wavers to direct customers to empty parking spaces. This guidance eliminated the need for customers to circle the parking lot endlessly, and avoided confrontation between those eyeing the same parking space.

Retailers can relieve the headaches by redesigning store layouts, pre-stocking sales items, hiring speedy and experienced cashiers, and having sales representatives on hand to answer questions.

Most importantly, salespeople should be diplomatic and polite with angry customers.

“Retailers who’re responsive and friendly are more likely to smooth over issues than those who aren’t so friendly.” said Professor Stephen Hoch. “Maybe something as simple 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.

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 managers.

What does Paula Courtney imply by saying “ … the shopper must also find a replacement” (Line 2, Para. 4)?

A. New customers are bound 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.

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.

To achieve better shopping experiences, customers are advised to _________.

A. exert pressure on stores to improve their service

B. settle their disputes with stores in a diplomatic way

C. voice their dissatisfaction to store managers directly

D. shop around and make comparisons between stores