Question

    Getting stuck with gifts we do not want is no small problem. In a survey across 14 countries in Europe，meanwhile，one in seven said they were unhappy with what they received for Christmas, yet more than half simply kept the gifts.

Why can't more gifts be passed along to people who appreciate them？People in a study published in the Journal of Consumer Behaviour，for instance，used such words as guilty，lazy，thoughtless and disrespectful in describing their feelings about regifting. Popular culture casts it as taboo(禁忌)，as well.

However，our research with Francis J. Flynn，a professor of organizational behavior at Stanford University's Graduate School of Business，suggests the shame associated with regifting is largely unwarranted. Indeed, our research consistently tells us that people overestimate the negative consequences.

We asked people to imagine themselves as a "giver," who gives someone a gift card and later learned it had been regifted. The general attitude of the original givers was: "It's your gift, do what you want with it." Next, we asked givers to compare regifting a supposed wristwatch with throwing it in the trash. For the original givers, regifting the watch was a much less offensive act than trashing it.

Finally, we invited to our lab at Stanford people who had recently received presents, and divided the people into two groups. When we gave the first group an opportunity to regift that present, 9% did so. When we gave the second group the same opportunity, we added that it was ""National Regifting Day". It wasn't really National Regifting Day, but the group didn't know that: 30% of them agreed to regift.

Everyone has received unwanted gifts in their lives, and generally we will receive more in the future. Our research offers a simple solution to that problem. This holiday season, consider regifting, and encourage receivers of your gifts to do the same if what you gave them isn’t quite what they hoped for.

1.Why does the author mention the study in Journal of Consumer Behaviour?

A.To highlight the importance of regifting.

B.To show people's attitudes to regifting.

C.To challenge the rightness of regifting

D.To express his concern for regifting

2.What is the meaning of the underlined word unwarranted?

A.Unnecessary. B.Uncertain.

C.Unimportant. D.Unconscious.

3.What do we know about the research?

A.9% simply kept unwanted gifts.

B.30% didn’t know National Regifting Day.

C.Givers generally didn't mind regifting.

D.Receivers tended to trash unwanted gifts.

4.What's the author's attitude towards regifting?

A.Negative B.Neutral

C.Critical D.Approving

Answer

1.B

2.A

3.C

4.D

【解析】

本文是一篇说明文。文章主要讲述了人们对转送礼物的看法和态度以及对此进行的研究调查。

1.

推理判断题。根据第二段的People in a study published in the Journal of Consumer Behaviour, for instance, used such words as guilty, lazy, thoughtless and disrespectful in describing their feelings about regifting．(例如，在《消费者行为杂志》上发表的一项研究中，人们用罪恶、懒惰、欠考虑的和无礼的词语来形容他们对转送礼物的感觉)可推测，作者在《消费者行为杂志》中提到该研究，表明人们对转送礼物的态度。B. To show people's attitudes to regifting.(为了表明人们对礼物转送的态度)符合以上说法，故选B项。

2.

词义猜测题。根据下文内容 Indeed, our research consistently tells us that people overestimate the negative consequences.可知，事实上，我们的研究一直告诉我们，人们高估了负面后果。所以我们与斯坦福大学商学院组织行为学教授弗朗西斯·弗林(Francis J. Flynn)的研究表明，转送礼物的所带来的羞耻感在很大程度上是没有必要的，所以推测划线部分的意思是“没有必要的”。A. Unnecessary.(没有必要的)符合以上说法，故选A项。

3.

细节理解题。根据第四段 的The general attitude of the original givers was: "It's your gift, do what you want with it.'' (送礼者的总体态度是：“这是您的礼物，随您便吧。”)可知，一般来说，送礼者都不介意礼物转送。C. Givers generally didn't mind regifting.(送礼者一般不介意礼物被转送)符合以上说法，故选C项。

4.

推理判断题。根据最后一段的This holiday season, consider regifting, and encourage receivers of your gifts to do the same if what you gave them isn't quite what they hoped for.(在这个假期，考虑转送礼物，如果你送的不是他们想要的，鼓励收礼者也这样做。)可推测，作者赞成礼物转送。D. Approving(赞成的)符合以上说法，故选D项。