We might like to think we're not influenced by other people, but a new study into the group-buying mechanisms（機制） - like those used on coupon（優(yōu)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（連續(xù)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.
小題1:It can be learned from the text that ______.
A．the short time horizon is the reason why group-buying has been successful.
B．a simultaneous mechanism is where a group of buyers has the advantage of knowing how many people have signed up.
C．a sequential mechanism allows a herding effect which boosts the confidence of the buyers.
D．researchers at the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management carried out an experiment about why group buying sites entered the market successfully, such as Mercata and MobShop.
小題2:The underlined word “eliminates” in paragraph 7 probably means“______”.
A．to become or to make something greater in amount, number, value
B．to remove or get rid of something
C．to deliberately not include something in what you are doing or considering
D．to make something known to somebody
小題3:What can be the best title for the passage?
A．Secret for marketing success – boosting confidence.
B．Secret for group-buying mechanism—herding effect.
C．Comparison between a simultaneous mechanism and a sequential mechanism.
D．What others do influences our decisions.

小題1:C
小題2:B
小題3:B
本文講述了“羊群效應”促進團購的原因。
小題1:推理判斷題。根據(jù)文章的第四段It allows for a herding effect.以及文章第七、八段，可知，最大的成功機制是連續(xù)的機制因為他消除了后面進行交易的顧客的不確定性，增強了顧客的自信。
小題2:猜測詞義題。根據(jù)下文的boosts confidence可知是“消除”不確定性，故選B.
小題3:概括標題。本文分析了團購機制—羊群效應成功的秘密。故選B.
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A．turningB．holdingC．showingD．hanging
小題2:
A．unreasonableB．unbearableC．unbelievableD．unfair
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A．teenagersB．adultsC．womenD．men
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A．colorB．priceC．styleD．fit
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A．sentB．carriedC．broughtD．wore
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A．casuallyB．comfortablyC．carefullyD．quickly
小題7:
A．happinessB．changeC．smileD．matter
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A．reasonedB．heatedC．wildD．strong
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A．of B．onC．inD．at
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A．thisB．themC．itD．one
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A．looking up at B．looking down on
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A．HoweverB．MoreoverC．ThereforeD．Besides
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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

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The ban also deserves attention because it is the first call by a federal agency to end the practice completely, rather than the partial ban that some lawmakers have put in place by allowing hands-free talking.
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A．after a long discussion and recommendation
B．after about ten years' investigation in it
C．because of the most powerful mobile devices
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A．it is legal to use wireless headsets while driving
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C．it is safe to talk on wireless headsets while driving
D．hands-free devices can be used in some states
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A．electronic distraction resulted in numerous crashes
B．numerous crashes were caused by drunk driving
C．electronic distraction contributed much to the ban
D．the recommendation was based on electronic distraction
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A．are just common behaviorsB．can be shifted to behaviors
C．are behaviors to be changedD．are just cultural behaviors
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A．Cellphone Ban inCarsB．Valuable Ban for Cellphones
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For older children, talk to them. Help them see things through others’ eyes, or help them see things from a different point of view. Helping children see things from other views helps them keep their minds open for new ideas and new things.
All this can help your children’s minds stay creative. The arts and music, even thoughts are an important part of life and important in our society. If we didn’t have and encourage creative thinking, we wouldn't have had inventors, or philosophers, or as I said before, artists.
小題1:The underlined word “weird” is the closest in meaning to “_______”.
A．similar B．strange C．commonD．natural
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A．the child is longing for friendship
B．the child has no one to play with in life
C．the child has great imagination
D．there is something wrong with the child’s mind
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A．let him be
B．stop him from doing so
C．give him some advice
D．know that he is suffering from loneliness
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A．How creative artists and architects can be.
B．How to help children grow up in a healthy way.
C．What kind of activities children like.
D．How to protect and encourage children’s creativity.

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

How to Be a Winner
Sir Steven Redgrave
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Karen Pickering
Swimming World Champion
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Kirsten Best
Poet & Writer
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A．Difficulties influenced his career．
B．Specialists offered him medical advice．
C．Training helped him defeat his disease．
D．He overcame the shadow of illness to win．
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A．Her sports career．
B．Her achievements．
C．Her daily happenings．
D．Her training schedule．
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A．Ways that help one to focus．
B．Words that help one to feel less tense．
C．Activities that turn one's attention away．
D．Habits that make it hard for one to relax．
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A．Self-confidence．B．Hard work．
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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Opened in 1971, the Magic Kingdom was the first theme park at Walt Disney World. All Disney World theme parks are open 365 days a year, although opening and closing times for each park are different from day to day. If  you are traveling without kids, try to visit it on a school day to avoid the largest crowds. If you need to visit it during a school vacation, try at least to avoid the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day and the Fourth of July.
If you are not staying at a Disney World hotel, avoid visiting the Magic Kingdom on its Extra Magic Hours days. The hotel guests get into the park early on those days, increasing the waiting time for visitors who arrive at the normal opening time.
Buy your Walt Disney World tickets online at Disney World’s website. There will be some advice on picking the right ticket. See the guide to Disney World tickets. You will also need to call in advance to make lunch or dinner reservations (預訂). Disney accepts reservations, through 1-407-WDW-DINE, up to 180 days in advance. Time does pass quickly, so you should call six months before your trip to get a lunch reservation in the castle. We suggest you should have your lunch at Cinderella’s Royal Table for your tour. If you can’t get the reservation, ask for the Liberty Tree Tavern instead.
Keep in mind that to reach the Magic Kingdom, you must park at Disney World’s Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC) parking lot, take a tram (有軌電車), and then take a boat across the Seven Seas Lagoon to the Magic Kingdom.
小題1:We learn from the passage that ______.
A．children are not allowed to visit Disney World on New Year’s Day
B．Disney World theme parks have the same opening and closing times
C．a single adult had better visit the Magic Kingdom on a school day
D．the Magic Kingdom was the earliest theme park in the world
小題2:If you want to have dinner in the Walt Disney World, you can ______.
A．see the guide to Disney World tickets to reserve a table
B．make a call to reserve a table for dinner in advance
C．use 1-407-WDW-DINE to reserve about 3 months in advance
D．go to Cinderella’s Royal Table or the Liberty Tree Tavern at any time you like
小題3:Which of the following is TRUE according to passage?
A．Disney World theme parks will be closed on Christmas Day.
B．The only way to get Walt Disney World tickets is to buy them online.
C．Visitors have to reach the Magic Kingdom by tram and then boat.
D．The Magic Kingdom has Extra Magic Hours every day.
小題4:What would be the best title for this passage?
A．The History of the Magic Kingdom
B．A Brief Introduction to the Magic Kingdom
C．Advice on Making a Trip to the Magic Kingdom
D．The Most Important Theme Park at Walt Disney World

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：完形填空

Have you ever wished that you could make your little sister’s teddy bear talk to her? Or have you ever wanted to bring a puppet (木偶) to life? If so, you may be interested in learning the art of ventriloquism (腹語術). A ventriloquist can make an ordinary object seem to be alive by giving it a personality, movement, and speech.
Your object can be a puppet, or a doll. Give your new “friend” a name, and then decide on the personality that he will have. The next step is to give your friend movements that agree with the personality you have chosen.
Now you can learn to make your “friend” talk. A ventriloquist will control his mouth and lips so that it will appear that his voice is coming from the object he is using. This will take practice, but you can do it.
First, decide on a voice that is different from your own. It could be higher or lower than yours, or could even have a special accent. Then, find a clean teaspoon and hold the handle between your front teeth. Now, using the voice you created for your friend and holding the handle of the teaspoon tightly between your teeth, look into a mirror and talk. Practicing with the spoon in your mouth will help you learn to keep your mouth from moving. Now try telling a joke in your normal voice and have your friend speak in his voice. Practice those words until you can say them without your lips moving at all.
Ventriloquism is fun. It also requires hard work to become good at it. The most important thing to do is practice. But if you are willing to take the time to give your friend an interesting personality, to practice lively movements, and to work on good mouth control, then you will be well on your way to becoming a ventriloquist!
小題1:According to the text, a ventriloquist           .
A．is a person who can make puppets
B．needs to work with another person
C．can speak without using his mouth
D．can make an object seem to speak
小題2:You need to hold the handle of a teaspoon between your front teeth so that           .
A．your voice will change
B．your mouth won’t move
C．you can look humorous
D．you can feel your mouth’s movements
小題3:If you want to be good at ventriloquism, you         .
A．need to spend much time practicing
B．must learn from famous ventriloquists
C．should learn at least one special accent
D．must have a great doll to practice with
小題4:What would be the best title for the text?
A．How to tell jokes
B．How to make puppets
C．Secrets of ventriloquism
D．Tips on making friends

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Some people learn a second language easily. Other people have trouble learning a new language. How can you help yourself learn a new language, such as English? There are several ways to make learning English a little easier and more interesting.
The first step is to feel positive about learning English. If you believe that you can learn, you will learn. Be patient. You do not have to understand everything all at once. It is natural to make mistakes when you learn something new. We can learn from our mistakes. In other words, do not worry about taking risks,
The second step is to practice your English. For example, write in a journal, or diary, every day. You will get used to writing in English, and you will feel comfortable expressing your ideas in English. After several weeks, you will see that your writing is improving. In addition, you must speak English every day. You can practice with your classmates outside class. You will all make mistakes, but gradually you will become comfortable communicating in English.
The third step is to keep a record of your language learning. You can write this in your journal. After each class, think about what you did. Did you answer a question correctly? Did you understand something the teacher explained? Perhaps the lesson was difficult, but you tried to understand it. Write these accomplishments in your journal.
小題1:To feel positive（積極的） about learning English means_______
A．if you are patient, you will learn
B．you can understand everything all at once
C．if you make mistakes, you can learn from them
D．if you believe you can learn, you will learn
小題2:When you learn English, you do not need to _______
A．practice speaking it too much
B．to be patient and feel positive about it
C．express your ideas in English
D．understand everything all at once
小題3:What is not helpful for you to enjoy learning English?
A．To communicate in English
B．To worry about taking risks
C．To think about what has been done after class
D．To make a record of the achievements
小題4:What is the main idea of this passage?
A．It’s very important to learn a second language
B．Some people learn a second language easily while others don’t
C．There are ways to help you learn a second language easily
D．Don’t worry about taking risks when learning a second language

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