The science of shopping

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题目与答案

1. 27 What does the writer suggest about supermarkets in the first paragraph?
   • They need to try harder to be different from one another.
   • They share a similar understanding of consumer psychology.
   • They depend too much on the latest technology.
   • They should do more to analyse how consumers think.

   答案：They share a similar understanding of consumer psychology.

   原文定位：You may have wondered why so many supermarkets are virtually indistinguishable from each other. It is not, as some might suspect, that the companies operating them lack imagination. It is more that they are all well-versed in the science of persuading people to buy things – a science that, thanks to technological advances, is beginning to understand what motivates consumers when they make decisions on what to purchase

2. 28 The writer says the function of the ‘chill zone’ in supermarkets is
   • to give customers time to decide what they want to buy.
   • to present customers with a range of interesting bargains.
   • to ensure customers feel under no pressure to buy anything.
   • to help customers slowly prepare themselves to go shopping.

   答案：to help customers slowly prepare themselves to go shopping.

   原文定位：It takes a while for the mind to get into a shopping mode. People need to make a gentle start and take stock of the surroundings. This is why some supermarkets have a so-called ‘chill zone’ for browsing magazines, books, and DVDs, an area which is also designed to catch the customer’s eye and tempt them to make impulsive purchases

   同义替换：「slowly prepare themselves to go shopping」↔「make a gentle start」，「gentle start」↔「slowly prepare」

3. 29 According to the writer, placing fruit and vegetables near the front of the store
   • ensures the customers will feel good about the first products they buy.
   • reduces the risk of customers damaging these products later on.
   • encourages customers to buy more of these products than they intended.
   • makes customers consider healthier options in other sections they visit.

   答案：ensures the customers will feel good about the first products they buy.

   原文定位：But psychology is at work here: selecting wholesome fresh food is an uplifting way to start shopping, and it makes people feel less guilty about reaching for the less nutritious stuff later on

   同义替换：「feel good about the first products they buy」↔「an uplifting way to start shopping」，「wholesome fresh food」↔「fruit and vegetables」，「the first products」↔「start shopping」

4. 30 What point does the writer make about shoppers in the third paragraph?
   • They spend more time in stores than they realise.
   • They believe stores make life unnecessarily difficult for them.
   • They are aware of some of the techniques used by stores.
   • They are confused by frequent changes in the layout of stores.

   答案：They are aware of some of the techniques used by stores.

   原文定位：Shoppers have worked out that everyday items, like milk, will invariably be placed in an aisle towards the back of a store to provide more opportunity to tempt customers on their way there. This is also why pharmacies are generally at the rear, even in ‘convenience’ stores. But supermarkets know shoppers know this, so they use other tricks

5. 31 Cheaper products are placed on lower shelves to minimise the likelihood that they will be bought.
   • YES
   • NO
   • NOT GIVEN

   答案：NO

   原文定位：For example, stores encourage customers to buy expensive branded products by arranging them at eye-level, with cheaper ones lower down

6. 32 Head offices should be more flexible about how products are arranged by supermarkets.
   • YES
   • NO
   • NOT GIVEN

   答案：NOT GIVEN

   原文定位：Often, head offices specify where everything has to be placed, and spot-checks are carried out to make sure instructions are followed to the letter

   同义替换：「how products are arranged」↔「where everything has to be placed」

7. 33 There is widespread agreement on how products should be arranged on shelves.
   • YES
   • NO
   • NOT GIVEN

   答案：NO

   原文定位：But shelf- positioning is extremely controversial. Despite all the academic papers written on how best to stack shelves, retailers have their own views. While many stores consider eye-level to be the top spot, others think a little higher is better

   同义替换：「controversial」↔「widespread agreement」，「shelf-positioning」↔「arranged on shelves」

8. 34 Security cameras are a serious threat to customers’ privacy.
   • YES
   • NO
   • NOT GIVEN

   答案：NOT GIVEN

   原文定位：Technology is making the process of monitoring shopper behaviour easier, which is why the security cameras in stores may be doing considerably more than watching out for theft. Pictures showing shoppers while they are making their selections can now be analysed

9. 35 Technology is the best tool for determining why shoppers fail to make purchases.
   • YES
   • NO
   • NOT GIVEN

   答案：NO

   原文定位：However, despite the availability of sophisticated technology, researchers have found that simply talking to consumers as they exit the store can yield valuable insights. This low-tech approach has become widespread following comments from stores that data collected electronically tells them little about why so many customers leave without making a purchase

   同义替换：「determining why shoppers fail to make purchases」↔「find out why customers leave without making a purchase」

10. New technology could help retailers sell more

    Research is providing insights into what makes people purchase particular products. Most shoppers believe that their choices are the result of 36_____ .
    • brain scans
    • purpose
    • unconscious factors
    • questionnaire
    • failures
    • procedure

    答案：rational decisions

    原文定位：People tell market researchers that they make decisions about what to buy based on logic and common sense, considering issues such as price, quality, or convenience

    同义替换：「shoppers」↔「People」，「choices」↔「decisions」，「the result of」↔「based on」，「rational decisions」↔「logic and common sense」

11. Research involving fMRI scanners, however, has revealed that certain 37_____ influence shoppers’ decisions to a significant extent.
    • brain scans
    • purpose
    • unconscious factors
    • questionnaire
    • failures
    • procedure

    答案：unconscious factors

    原文定位：People tell market researchers that they make decisions about what to buy based on logic and common sense;But there are clearly other factors which play a role, such as certain feelings and memories which individuals are not fully aware of

    同义替换：「influence shoppers’ decisions」↔「play a role in purchase choices」

12. In the research, a comparison was made between participants’ stated opinions of a product and data from 38_____,
    • brain scans
    • purpose
    • unconscious factors
    • questionnaire
    • failures
    • procedure

    答案：brain scans

    原文定位：Researchers hired by big stores are now conducting studies using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), which detects changes in the brain corresponding to increases or decreases in mental activity. Research participants are shown different products and asked questions about them, while scanners reveal their brain activity as they respond. Often, major contradictions are apparent between what they say and what they are thinking

    同义替换：「functional magnetic resonance imaging」↔「brain scans」

13. which often indicated a radically different 39_____ .
    • brain scans
    • purpose
    • unconscious factors
    • questionnaire
    • failures
    • procedure

    答案：emotional reaction

    原文定位：Often, major contradictions are apparent between what they say and what they are thinking. This is immensely valuable information

    同义替换：「radically different」↔「major contradictions」，「emotional reaction」↔「what they are thinking」

14. As most new products are 40_____, this data could be extremely valuable for marketing departments.
    • brain scans
    • purpose
    • unconscious factors
    • questionnaire
    • failures
    • procedure

    答案：failures

    原文定位：Eight out of ten new consumer products launched on the market do not succeed, despite having been tested on people who insist they would buy them but who, deep down, may have reservations about the desirability of these products

    同义替换：「failures」↔「do not succeed」