Two graduates from Cambridge University in the United Kingdom found themselves about to graduate, yet with loans to pay off. The pair decided to begin a strange, year-long project to battle their debt.
The men, Ross Harper and Edward Moyse, set up the website BuyMyFace.com last October as a way to get rid of the £50,000 they shared as student loans. The idea behind the project was to earn money by selling their faces as advertising space every day for a year. Each day, they advertise a different business by painting the brand’s name or logo onto their faces and upload the pictures to the homepage of BuyMyFace.com, adding a link to the advertiser’s website and including a short piece of text about it. After they paint their faces and publish them on the website, Harper and Moyse go out to highly populated areas such as music festivals and theme parks to maximize their faces’ exposure. They hope more people will pay attention to the advertisements on their faces.
At this time, Harper and Moyse have advertised their faces for over four months without skipping a day and they’re more than halfway to their goal. Though they first started charging a minimum of about £1.60 per company, the prices have risen as their popularity increases. For advertising space during the rest of April, they range between £250 and £750. Terri L. Rittenburg, associate professor of marketing at the University of Wyoming, said that she had heard of people tattooing (纹身) logos on themselves before, but this idea is much better. According to her, at first the idea would be new and unusual and attract attention. People are interested in this particular style of advertisement and would like to try what they advertise. But she is unsure how long it would last.
At least for now, companies that have bought Harper and Moyse’s faces have written positive comments on the pair’s website. “We had a three percent increase in website traffic on the very day and for two days more afterwards,” said one of the companies.
1.At BuyMyFace.com,you can ______.
A. enjoy a good chat with your friends B. buy everything you want to have
C. share experiences in doing business D. get information on certain goods
2.Harper and Moyse go to highly populated areas to ______.
A. offer their help B. make more friends C. show their faces D. raise more money
3.We can infer from the passage that the two young men ______.
A. get on well with their project B. work hard except on holidays
C. plan to open their own company D. may close their website in future
4.Why does the men’s idea of advertising prove to work?
A. Because an expert has highly praised them.
B. Because people find it unique and appealing.
C. Because the products they advertise are reliable.
D. Because they receive great help from businesses.
Here are our suggestions for keeping busy this week. Dive in!
Take to the waves in Southampton
Always fancied trying your hand at sailing? Now’s your chance. The Southampton Boat Show has plenty of opportunities for visitors to get out on the water to experience boat sailing, power boating or taking a ride on a RIB ― all for free.
Discover an island on the Thames
To celebrate Totally Thames, a month-long festival is held at various locations across London. We’ve discovered 21 of the river’s most fascinating islands ― all of them with interesting stories to tell. Make the most of it with our map here.
Catch great films in Bristol
Over six days, Encounters Film Festival screens up to 400 films from over 60 different countries. The Bristol festival provides a platform for international filmmakers, and offers a gateway to the likes of the BAFTAs, Oscars and European Film Awards. See here for full details.
Get scientific in London
Experience the latest, best and most challenging science covering all areas of our lives and universe at New Scientist Live at ExCel London. New Scientist Live is a four-day festival full of ideas and discoveries from the team behind the world’s most popular science weekly magazine, featuring four zones ― Brain & Body, Technology, Earth and Universe ― as well as talks from experts and over 200 exhibitors.
1.Which is the most suitable for sailing lovers?
A. Take to the waves in Southampton.
B. Discover an island on the Thames.
C. Catch great films in Bristol.
D. Get scientific in London.
2.What is New Scientist Live?
A. A science weekly magazine.
B. A festival to celebrate great scientists.
C. An exhibition to show scientific discoveries.
D. A festival where ideas and discoveries are shared.
3.Where can you find the text?
A. On a noticeboard. B. On a website.
C. In a newspaper. D. In a book review.
听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1.How many hours a week can employees choose to work?
A. Eighteen. B. Thirty-two. C. Forty-eight.
2.What will the new schedule help solve for the country?
A. Unemployment. B. Low salary. C. Workload.
3.What benefit will employees get from the new schedule?
A. Higher pay. B. More spare time. C. Richer working experience.
4.What does the speaker think of the new schedule?
A. Acceptable B. Costly. C. Impractical.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.Why did the woman come to the office?
A. To get her notice letter.
B. To find her physics class.
C. To offer her mailing address.
2.How did the man deal with the woman’s enquiry?
A. By giving her a notice letter.
B. By checking on the computer.
C. By confirming with the office.
3.When was the letter sent out to the students?
A. A month ago. B. A fortnight ago. C. A week ago.
4.Who was responsible for the mistake?
A. The woman. B. The man. C. The postman.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.Where does the conversation take place?
A. In an office. B. In the street. C. On the subway.
2.What’s the relationship between the two speakers?
A. Colleagues. B. Strangers. C. Roommates.
3.What are the two speakers mainly talking about?
A. High price of gas.
B. Importance of exercise.
C. Advantages of taking the subway.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.What does the woman think about travelling to Hawaii?
A. Crazy. B. Interesting. C. Boring.
2.What will the man do?
A. Go to Hawaii by himself.
B. See his sister in Hawaii.
C. Travel to Hawaii by ship.
