Does style really sell? How can the appearance of a product be more important th
题型：不详难度：来源：
Does style really sell? How can the appearance of a product be more important than what it does? The battle between form and function rose again when James Dyson, British inventor of the Dvson vacuum cleaner that has sold in millions around the world, resigned as chairman of London"s Design Museum. It is widely believed that Mr. Dyson felt that the museum put too much stress on style at the expense of serious industrial design.
Mr. Dyson accused the museum of not keeping true to itself. He may be right, but these days, museums everywhere can no longer afford to be unique centers of scholarship and learning. Among competition for sponsorship, they must use exhibitions of populist culture, nice cafes and shops or, best of all, a new building by Frank Gehry to increase visitor numbers.
On the one hand, some producers can be too old-fashioned and too concerned with the importance of product engineering and the functionality of their goods. On the other hand, there are those who believe that how a product looks is more important. Design is indeed a broad term, involving both function and form. Typically, in any given product area, it changes from the former to the latter. Clothing is a good example. But surely you would have to be a very shallow person to think something"s appearance is more important than what it does.
Today nearly all goods at any given price point do much the same job. So almost the only way producers can differentiate their products from those of their competitors is to create some sort of emotional connection with the consumer, which could be through the visual appeal of the product or its packaging, or the imagery(意象) created by advertising. And what of the Dyson vacuum cleaner? Mr. Dyson may believe that people buy these machines because of the graphs showing their superior suction, but most vacuum cleaners do a good job; the main reason people pay extra for a Dyson is that it is a vacuum cleaner with a fashionable brand. With its inside workings exposed, it is a bit like a Richard Rogers building with all its pipes shown in bright colors on the outside instead of being hidden inside. Functional it may be, but it is a bit of a trick, too.
小题1:Mr. Dyson left the Design Museum because he thought the museum .| A．didn"t increase the number of visitors | | B．couldn"t provide scholarships for learners | | C．wasn"t loyal to its original purpose of learning | | D．didn"t have great appeal for serious industrial design |
小题2:What can we learn from Paragraph 4 ?| A．A product with convenient packaging sells well. | | B．The majority of consumers prefer to buy branded goods. | | C．Most similarly priced products are of a comparable standard. | | D．Emotion contributes much to the development of advertising industry. |
小题3:The author believes that people buy the Dyson vacuum cleaner because .| A．it has very good suction | B．it is fashionable | | C．it sells well around the world | D．it is invented by James Dyson |
小题4:What is the author"s attitude towards the form of a product?| A．Optimistic. | B．Doubtful. | | C．Disapproving. | D．Objective. |
|
答案
小题1:C
小题2:C
小题3:B
小题4:D |
解析
试题分析：文章介绍现在的设计者和厂家更在乎产品的包装形式和品牌效应，但是产品的功能都是差不多的。
小题1:细节题：从第一段的句子：It is widely believed that Mr. Dyson felt that the museum put too much stress on style at the expense of serious industrial design. 可知Mr. Dyson离开了博物馆因为他认为它没有忠实于最初的学习的目的，选C
小题2:细节题：从第四段的句子：Today nearly all goods at any given price point do much the same job.可知大部分相似价格的产品会有可比较的水平的，选C
小题3:细节题：从第四段的句子：but most vacuum cleaners do a good job; the main reason people pay extra for a Dyson is that it is a vacuum cleaner with a fashionable brand. 可知人们购买Dyson vacuum cleaner因为它很时尚，选B
小题4:写作态度题：从第三段的句子：On the one hand, some producers can be too old-fashioned and too concerned with the importance of product engineering and the functionality of their goods. On the other hand, there are those who believe that how a product looks is more important. 可知作者对产品形式的分析是客观的，选D |
举一反三
Do you want to love what you do for a living? Follow your passion. This piece of advice provides the foundation for modern thinking on career satisfaction. But this can be a problem.
I"ve spent the past several years researching and writing about the different strategies we use to seek happiness in our work. It became clear early in the process that the suggestion to “follow your passion” was flawed (有缺陷), for it lacks scientific evidence. However, it doesn"t mean you should abandon the goal of feeling passionate about your work. The reality emphasizes that things are quite complicated.
Passion is earned. Different people are looking for different things in their work, but generally, people with satisfying careers enjoy some combination of the following features: autonomy，respect, competence, creativity, and a sense of impact. In other words，if you want to feel passionate about your livelihood，don"t seek the perfect job，but seek to get more of these features in the job you already have.
Passion is elusive (难捉摸的). Many people develop the rare and valuable skills leading to passion, but still end up unhappy in their work. The problem is that the features leading you to love your work are more likely to be useful to you than your organization. As you become increasingly “valuable”，for example, your boss might push you toward traditional promotions that come with more pay and more responsibility, as this is what is most useful to your company. However, you might find more passion by applying your value to gain autonomy in your schedule or project selection.
Passion is dangerous. I"ve watched too many of my peers fall into anxiety and chronic(慢性的) job-hopping (跳槽) due to the “follow your passion” advice. The issue is expectations. If you believe we all have a pre-existing passion, and that matching it to a job will lead to instant workplace happiness, reality will always pale in comparison.
Work is hard. Not every day is fun. If you"re seeking a dream job, you"ll end up frustrated, again and again. Don"t set out to discover passion. Instead, set out to develop it. This path might be longer and more complicated than what most cheerful career guides might advocate, but it"s a path much more likely to lead you somewhere worth going.
小题1:People satisfied with their careers are _______.| A．autonomous and passionate | B．creative and passionate | | C．respectable and sensitive | D．creative and competent |
小题2:What is the author"s advice on achieving career satisfaction?| A．Figuring out early what one will do in the future. | | B．Matching the pre-existing passion to one"s work. | | C．Developing passion for what one is doing. | | D．Discovering skills that lead to interesting careers. |
小题3: The underlined sentence in Para. 5 probably means that _______.| A．it is not easy to match our passion with our jobs | | B．we shouldn"t think everyone has a pre-existing passion | | C．workplace happiness does not require a pre-existing passion | | D．high expectations of passion in jobs bring disappointment |
小题4:What"s the author"s attitude towards the advice of “following your passion”?| A．Disapproving. | B．Supportive. | C．Cautious. | D．Unclear. |
|
WHEN there are some strangers in front of us, which of them will we trust?
According to a new study in the online PloS One (《公共科学图书馆·综合》), people make their decisions to trust others largely based on their faces. Your appearance can do a lot for you, especially if you are in the financial industry. The more trustworthy you look, the more likely people will buy what you’re selling.
Researchers from Britain’s University of Warwick Business School, University College London, and Dartmouth College, US, did a number of experiments.
The research team used computer software to make 40 faces, from the least to the most trustworthy-looking.
The study said that the difference between a trustworthy face and one that isn’t as trustworthy comes from features that look slightly angry or slightly happy, even when the face is at rest. However, a slightly happy face is more likely to be trusted.
Researchers gave participants some money and asked them which face they trusted to invest the money for them. Then researchers gave some good and bad information about the people with these faces, and asked the participants again whom they trusted.
The results showed that even if they got different information, the participants didn’t change their choices. They were still more likely to invest their money with the more trustworthy-looking faces.
Chris Olivola, one of the study’s authors, said in the University of Warwick’s press release: “It seems we are still willing to go with our own instincts (本能) about whether we think someone looks like we can trust them. The temptation (诱惑) to judge strangers by their faces is hard to resist.”
小题1:Which of the following can be a proper title for this passage?| A．What kind of face do you trust? | | B．Who did the experiments? | | C．Why do you trust him or her? | | D．Why did they do the experiments? |
小题2:According to the study, which of the following faces is most likely to be trusted?| A．A sad face. | B．A smiling face. | C．A crying face. | D．An angry face. |
小题3:Which of the following about the experiment is TRUE?| A．The trustworthy faces were given good information. | | B．Researchers took photos of the 40 people’s faces in college. | | C．Most participants gave their money to the trustworthy-looking faces. | | D．Participants liked to choose the faces with good information. |
小题4:What did the researchers learn from their experiment?| A．People can’t refuse temptations. | | B．People always do things with their instincts. | | C．People often judge strangers by their faces. | | D．People don’t trust strangers with sad faces. |
|
Kiss crisis, hug horrors and the UK"s handshake headaches
Greeting someone, saying goodbye – these situations fill me with unease. You have a second to make a dangerous decision. One peck (轻吻)? Two pecks? Three? No kisses at all? Why, I think, as I crash into the other person’s face, why can’t it be as simple as a handshake?
A survey by the soap company Radox in May showed one in five Brits now feels a handshake is “too formal”, according to the Daily Mail. Some 42 percent said they never shook hands when greeting friends. For one third of people the alternative was a hug, for 16 percent a kiss on the cheek.
British people are known to be reserved (保守的) – unfriendly, some would say. Handshakes used to work for us because we didn’t have to get too close. But the super-British handshake is no longer fashionable. We want to be more like our easygoing Mediterranean neighbors who greet each other with kisses and hugs.
The trouble is, we still find it a bit awkward. What does a married man do when greeting a married female friend, for example? How should someone younger greet someone older?
Guys don’t tend to kiss one another; my male friends in Britain go for the “manly hug”, taking each other stiffly (不自然地) in one arm and giving a few thumps on the back with words like “Take it easy, yeah?”.
The biggest questions, if you do decide to kiss, are how many times and which cheek first. Unlike the French, who comfortably deliver three, our cheek-pecks usually end in embarrassed giggling (咯咯笑): “Oh, gosh, sorry, I didn’t mean to kiss you on the lips, I never know where to aim for first!”
But then it’s never been easy for us poor, uncomfortable Brits. Even the handshake had its problems: don’t shake too hard, but don’t hold the other person’s hand too limply (无力地) either, and definitely don’t go in with sweaty hands.
Maybe it’s better to leave it at a smile and a nod.
小题1:What is the article mainly about?| A．Origin of the traditional British way of greeting someone. | | B．New trends and problems that Brits have with the way they greet people. | | C．Why the author feels uneasy when greeting someone or saying goodbye. | | D．Differences in greetings between Britain and other Western countries. |
小题2:What did the survey by the soap company Radox show?| A．It is now considered unfriendly to greet friends with a handshake in Britain. | | B．A kiss on the cheek is becoming the most popular form of greeting in Britain. | | C．Most Brits no longer offer to shake hands with those they meet. | | D．More and more Brits prefer to be greeted with a hug or kiss. |
小题3:The underlined word “awkward” in paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to ______.| A．not helpful | B．too informal | C．quite embarrassed | D．very interesting |
小题4:Which does the author think might be the safest form of greeting for a British person?| A．A hug. | B．A smile and a nod. | C．A handshake. | D．A kiss on the cheek. |
小题5:Who wrote the article?| A．A British writer. | B．An American writer. | C．A French writer. | D．A Chinese writer. |
|
Advertisers tend to think big and perhaps this is why they’re always getting criticism. Their critics（批评家）seem to resent（对...不满） them because they have a gift for self-promotion and because they have so much money to throw around. ‘It’s unjust,’ they say, ‘that this entirely unproductive industry (if we can call it that) should absorb millions of pounds each year. It only goes to show how much profit the big companies are making. Why don’t they stop advertising and reduce the price of their goods? After all, it’s the consumer who pays…’
The poor old consumer! He’d have to pay a great deal more if advertising didn’t create mass markets for products. It is precisely because of the heavy advertising that consumer goods are so cheap. But we get the wrong idea if we think the only purpose of advertising is to sell goods. Another equally important function is to inform. A great deal of the knowledge we have about household goods comes largely from the advertisements we read. Advertisements introduce us to new products or remind us of the existence of ones we already know about. Supposing you wanted to buy a washing machine, it is more than likely you would obtain details regarding performance, price, etc., from an advertisement.
Lots of people pretend that they never read advertisements, but this claim may be seriously doubted. It is hardly possible not to read advertisements these days. And what fun they often are, too! Just think what a railway station or a newspaper would be like without advertisements. Would you enjoy gazing at a blank wall or reading railway byelaws(内部规则) while waiting for a train? Would you like to read only closely printed columns of news in your daily paper? A cheerful, witty advertisement makes such a difference to a dull wall or a newspaper full of the daily ration(定量) of disasters.
We must not forget, either, that advertising makes a positive contribution to our pockets. Newspapers, commercial radio and television companies could not survive without this source of revenue（收益）. The fact that we pay so little for our daily paper or can enjoy so many broadcast programs is due entirely to the money spent by advertisers. Just think what a newspaper would cost if we had to pay its full price!
Another thing we mustn’t forget is the ‘small ads.’ which are in virtually every newspaper and magazine. What a tremendously useful service they perform for the community! Just about anything can be accomplished through these columns. For instance, you can find a job, buy or sell a house, announce a birth, marriage or death in what used to be called the ‘hatch（giving birth）, match and dispatch’ column but by far the most fascinating section is the personal or ‘agony’ column（读者来信专栏）. No other item in a newspaper provides such entertaining reading or offers such a deep insight into human nature. It’s the best advertisement for advertising there is!
小题1:What is main idea of this passage?| A．Advertisements. | | B．Advertisements bring fun to readers. | | C．Advertisers perform a useful service to communities. | | D．The costs of advertisements. |
小题2:The attitude of the author toward advertisers is | A．appreciative. | B．trustworthy. | C．critical | D．dissatisfactory. |
小题3:Why do the critics criticize advertisers?| A．Because advertisers often brag(自夸). | | B．Because critics think advertisement is a “waste of money”. | | C．Because customers are encouraged to buy more than necessary. | | D．Because customers pay more. |
小题4:Which of the following is Not True?| A．Advertisement makes contribution to our pockets and we may know everything. | | B．We can buy what we want. | | C．Good quality products don’t need to be advertised. | | D．Advertisement makes our life colorful. |
|
The issue of privacy versus openness is a paradox, particularly when it comes to the American home. “Lots” or “yards” (gardens) can be large and many are not enclosed by the walls, fences or hedges so popular in other cultures. Similarly, “window treatments” frame the window. but the use of European-style net curtains to screen out nosy neighbors is rare. In the same style, first-time visitors to an American home may be proudly given the full tour; even walk-in closets and en suite bathrooms are not considered off-limits. They may also be encouraged to help themselves to a soda from the fridge. All this gives an impression of openness.
Yet Americans do value their personal space and privacy. A Brazilian expatriate (侨民) who dropped in on her usually friendly Connecticut neighbors unannounced got the clear impression she should have called first. Similarly while a typical suburban home features large, shared areas, such as an open-plan kitchen and family room or “den”, ample private space is also allowed in the floor plan. A visit to a family home in the evening would likely find the family members dispersed, each independently watching TV, on the phone, surfing the Internet, or otherwise recharging batteries in the privacy of their own bedroom.
American individualism, expansiveness, and abundance are expressed in lifestyle. Despite the fact that the average household size has declined over the past thirty years from3.1 people to 2.6 people per household, the average size of a new family home increased during the same period from 1,500 to 2,200 square feet.
A common observation is just how outsized everything is. The beds are king-sized, the TVs have giant screens, the burgers are “whoppers (庞然大物),” appliances are “industrial” size. The largest popcorn or soda at the movies can be “supersized.” Closets are “walk in,” and some cars are the size of a military vehicle.
小题1:The passage suggests that Americans__________.| A．are rich enough to afford large size houses and luxurious electricity appliances | | B．are very shy when talking about keeping their privacy and their personal space | | C．would like to express their lifestyles in public to show them off | | D．enjoy openness as well as individualism although they seem to contradict each other |
小题2:Why can we say that American individualism, expansiveness, and abundance are expressed in their lifestyle?| A．Because the average size of a new house has increased during the past thirty years. | | B．Because Americans often use European-style net curtains to screen out nosy neighbors. | | C．Because many houses are equipped with walk-in closets. | | D．Because the house size, outsized household furniture and independent living habits have proved it. |
小题3:The underlined phrase in the passage means________.| A．filling a battery with electrical power | | B．recovering your strength and energy by resting for a while | | C．changing your batteries again | | D．obtaining new batteries because old ones are running out |
小题4:According to the passage, if you drop in on an American family which is usually friendly to you in the evening, you________.| A．will be deeply impressed by their family get-together scene | | B．will be invited to a party which is well-prepared | | C．will find family members scattered, and enjoying themselves individually | | D．will be warmly welcomed even if they don’t get informed of your visit earlier |
|
最新试题
热门考点