It is said that there’s no such thing a
s 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
I was twenty-two, and in Bolivia. I’d been to every other country in South America, and now I was set on getting into Chile, the last on the list.
After several days, I reached the hills. It was cold, and even the distant mountains were clear. The days were lonely, but one evening I met Filomeno and his fellow teachers. They tried to persuade me not to go to Chile, saying it was a bad place, and that I would be killed. I didn’t believe them. I knew nothing of the current pol
itics; I just wanted to go there.
So I walked into the mountains, feeling excited, and came to a sign with the word "Chile" on it. A frightening soldier appeared, stuck a gun in my back, and pushed me down a slope to the police station. The police chief then told me, "There’s nothing for you here." I explained that I had come to see this beautiful country. But he was annoyed.
In the evening they filled me with food. There was laughter, and I was less tense. Then the police chief took me to a tiny cell. I lay down on the mattress (垫子). Even though I had no light and none of my possessions, I felt euphoric. At least I had arrived! And what a story I’d have to tell! The next morning I was released, and I was told that Chile didn’t want me. Throwing my belongings into my backpack, I shouted and screamed at the soldiers. After all this effort I was being sent home! I stomped (以重踏步方式走) towards Bolivia expecting to feel a bullet. But I’d be back! I told myself.
1.The author went to Chile to ______.
A. visit his friend Filomeno B. settle there forever
C. complete his trip plan D. risk his life
2.The underlined word "euphoric" in Paragraph 4 most probably means "______".
A. terrible B. shamed C. bored D. excited
3.According to the last paragraph, the author lost his temper because ______.
A. he was prevented from entering Chile
B. he was badly treated by the soldiers in Chile
C. it was his last chance to travel
D. his friends had stopped him from going to Chile
4.What is the passage mainly about?
A. An exciting fight with soldiers in Chile.
B. How the author escaped from Chile.
C. An adventure in Chile.
D. Why the author went to Chile.
Everybody hates it, but everybody does it. A recent report said that 40％of Americans hate tipping. In America alone, tipping is a $16 billion-a-year industry. Consumers acting politely ought not to pay more than they have to for a given service. Tips should not exist. So why do they? The common opinion in the past was that tips both rewarded the efforts of good service and reduced uncomfortable feelings of inequality. And also, tipping makes for closer relations. It went without saying that the better the service, the bigger the tip.
But according to a new research from Cornell University, tips no longer serve any useful function. The paper analyzes numbers they got from 2,547 groups dining at 20 different restaurants. The connection between larger tips and better service was very weak. Only a tiny part of the size of the tip had anything to do with the quality of service.
Tipping is better explained, by culture than by the money people spend. In America, the custom came into being a long time ago. It is regarded as part of the accepted cost of a service. In New York restaurants, failing to tip at least l5% could well mean dissatisfaction from the customers. Hairdressers can expect to get l5%-20%, and the man who delivers your fast food $2. In Europe, tipping is less common. In many restaurants the amount of tip is decided by a standard service charge. In many Asian countries, tipping has never really caught on at all. Only a few have really taken to tipping.
According to Michael Lynn, the Cornell papers' author, countries in which people are more social or outgoing tend to tip more. Tipping may reduce anxiety about being served by strangers. And Mr. Lynn says, “In America, where people are expressive and eager to mix up with others, tipping is about social approval. If you tip badly, people think less of you. Tipping well is a chance to show off."
1. This passage is mainly about ________.
A. different kinds of tipping in different countries
B. the relationship between tipping and custom
C. the origin and present meaning of tipping
D. most American people hate tipping
2.Which of the following best explains the underlined phrase "caught on"?
A. become popular. B. been hated.
C. been stopped. D. been permitted
3.Among the following situations, in your opinion, who is likely to tip most?
A. A Frenchman just quarreled with the barber who did his hair badly in New York.
B. An American just had a wonderful dinner in a well known restaurant in New York.
C. A Japanese businessman asked for a pizza delivery from a Pizza Hut in New York.
D. A Chinese student enjoyed his meal in a famous fast food restaurant in New York.
4.We can infer from this passage that ________.
A. tipping is no longer a good way to satisfy some customers themselves
B. tipping is especially popular in New York
C. tipping in America can make service better now
D. tipping has something to
do with people's character
书面表达
假设你的英文名为Jack,是英国诺丁汉大学的中国留学生。你负责为在该校就读的32名中国学生筹划暑假期间的苏格兰之行，为期7天，请你给诺丁汉的STA(Students’ Travel Agency)经理Phil发一封电子邮件，联系有关事宜。要点如下：
1. 希望能够派车接送；
2. 需要一名说标准英语，并非常熟悉苏格兰的导游；
3. 请求告知旅行日程及就餐、旅馆、费用等情况；
4. 你的联系方式：电子邮箱地址：Jackwang@yahoo.com.cn或电话号码：07747745007
注意：（1）词数：100词左右；
（2）开头和结尾已为你写出，不计入总词数；
（3）参考词汇：诺丁汉大学Nottingham University; 旅馆住宿accommodation；旅行日程安排itinerary；长途客车coach。
Hi, Phil,
I’d like you to organize a trip to Scotland for us.
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
Yours truly,
Jack
短文改错
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文, 请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误, 每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
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: 在错的词下划一横线, 并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意: 1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词;
2. 只允许修改10处, 多者(从第11处起)不计分。
Mr. Johnson is a hardworking teacher. Every day, he spends too much time with his work. With little sleep and hardly any break, so he works from morning till night. Hard work have made him very ill. “He has ruined his healthy. We are worried about him. ”That is which other teachers say. Yesterday afternoon, I paid visit to Mr. Johnson. I was eager to see him, but outside her room I stopped. I had to calm myself down. Quietly I step into the room. I saw him lying in bed, looking at some of the picture we had taken together. I understood that he missed us just as many as we missed him.
阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（不多于3个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。
A baby is in danger and its mother is crazy with worry. This is something anyone can relate to, even though we are talking about a mother elephant that has been separated 1. her child.
A video capturing(捕捉)the reunion between the elephant and her 8-month-old baby in Kenya was one of the 2. (impressive)scenes in 2012. The baby fell inside 3. man-made hole and was unable to climb out, according to the video released by the Amboseli Trust for Elephants. Despite the best efforts of her desperate mother, the baby seemed helpless 4. a team of conservation workers rushed to help. They had to chase the overprotective mother away first, so that 5. could get close enough to rescue the baby. They 6.(struggle)to pull the baby out with ropes and a vehicle.
7. (lucky), the workers managed to pull the baby to safety. 8. followed was a touching scene. As soon as the baby was free, it ran away across the plain. In the 9.(distant), the cries of her mother could be heard as she came running from the opposite direction. The two were reunited, 10. (hug)each other with their trunks.
