题目
Picture this：You' re at a movie theater food stand loading up on snacks.You have a choice of a small，medium or large soda.The small is ﹩3.50 and the large is ﹩5.50.It's a tough decision：the small size may not last you through the whole movie，but ﹩5.50 for some sugary drink seems ridiculous.But there's a third option，a medium soda for ﹩5.25.Medium may be the perfect amount of soda for you，but the large is only a quarter more.If you're like most people，you end up buying the large（and taking a bathroom break midshow）. If you're wondering who would buy the medium soda，the answer is almost no one.In fact，there's a good chance the marketing department purposely priced the medium soda as a decoy（诱饵），making you more likely to buy the large soda rather than the small. I have written about this peculiarity in human nature before with my friend Dan Ariely，who studied this phenomenon extensively after noticing pricing for subscriptions（订阅）to The Economist.The digital subscription was ﹩59，the print subscription was ﹩125，and the print plus digital subscription was also ﹩125.No one in their right mind would buy the print subscription when you could get digital as well for the same price，so why was it even an option？Ariely ran an experiment and found that when only the two "real" choices were offered，more people chose the less-expensive digital subscription.But the addition of the bad option made people much more likely to choose the more expensive print plus digital option. Brain scientists call this effect "asymmetric dominance" and it means that people gravitate toward the choice nearest a clearly inferior option.Marketing professors call it the decoy effect，which is certainly easier to remember.Lucky for consumers，almost no one in the business community understands it. The decoy effect works because of the way our brains assign value when making choices.Value is almost never absolute；rather，we decide an object's value relative to our other choices.If more options are introduced，the value equation changes.（1）Why does the author ask us to imagine buying food in the movie theater？ ____ A.To illustrate people's peculiar shopping behaviorB.To illustrate the increasing variety of snacks there.C.To show how hard it can be to choose a drink there.D.To show how popular snacks are among movie fans.（2）Why is the medium soda priced the way it is？ ____ A.To attract more customers to buy it.B.To show the price matches the amount.C.To ensure customers drink the right amount of soda.D.To make customers believe they are getting a bargain.（3）What do we learn from Dan Ariely's experiment？ ____ A.The Economist's print edition turns out to sell the best.B.More readers choose the digital over the print edition.C.The Economist's promotional strategy works.D.Lower-priced goods attract more customers.（4）What does the underlined word in Paragraph 4 probably mean？ ____ A.Move.B.Work.C.Remember.D.Understand.（5）How do we assess the value of a commodity，according to the passage？ ____ A.By considering its usefulness.B.y examining its value equation.C.By comparing it with other choices.D.By taking its low quality into account.
Picture this：You' re at a movie theater food stand loading up on snacks.You have a choice of a small，medium or large soda.The small is ﹩3.50 and the large is ﹩5.50.It's a tough decision：the small size may not last you through the whole movie，but ﹩5.50 for some sugary drink seems ridiculous.But there's a third option，a medium soda for ﹩5.25.Medium may be the perfect amount of soda for you，but the large is only a quarter more.If you're like most people，you end up buying the large（and taking a bathroom break midshow）.
If you're wondering who would buy the medium soda，the answer is almost no one.In fact，there's a good chance the marketing department purposely priced the medium soda as a decoy（诱饵），making you more likely to buy the large soda rather than the small.
I have written about this peculiarity in human nature before with my friend Dan Ariely，who studied this phenomenon extensively after noticing pricing for subscriptions（订阅）to The Economist.The digital subscription was ﹩59，the print subscription was ﹩125，and the print plus digital subscription was also ﹩125.No one in their right mind would buy the print subscription when you could get digital as well for the same price，so why was it even an option？Ariely ran an experiment and found that when only the two "real" choices were offered，more people chose the less-expensive digital subscription.But the addition of the bad option made people much more likely to choose the more expensive print plus digital option.
Brain scientists call this effect "asymmetric dominance" and it means that people gravitate toward the choice nearest a clearly inferior option.Marketing professors call it the decoy effect，which is certainly easier to remember.Lucky for consumers，almost no one in the business community understands it.
The decoy effect works because of the way our brains assign value when making choices.Value is almost never absolute；rather，we decide an object's value relative to our other choices.If more options are introduced，the value equation changes.
（1）Why does the author ask us to imagine buying food in the movie theater？ ____
A.To illustrate people's peculiar shopping behavior
B.To illustrate the increasing variety of snacks there.
C.To show how hard it can be to choose a drink there.
D.To show how popular snacks are among movie fans.
（2）Why is the medium soda priced the way it is？ ____
A.To attract more customers to buy it.
B.To show the price matches the amount.
C.To ensure customers drink the right amount of soda.
D.To make customers believe they are getting a bargain.
（3）What do we learn from Dan Ariely's experiment？ ____
A.The Economist's print edition turns out to sell the best.
B.More readers choose the digital over the print edition.
C.The Economist's promotional strategy works.
D.Lower-priced goods attract more customers.
（4）What does the underlined word in Paragraph 4 probably mean？ ____
A.Move.
B.Work.
C.Remember.
D.Understand.
（5）How do we assess the value of a commodity，according to the passage？ ____
A.By considering its usefulness.
B.y examining its value equation.
C.By comparing it with other choices.
D.By taking its low quality into account.
If you're wondering who would buy the medium soda，the answer is almost no one.In fact，there's a good chance the marketing department purposely priced the medium soda as a decoy（诱饵），making you more likely to buy the large soda rather than the small.
I have written about this peculiarity in human nature before with my friend Dan Ariely，who studied this phenomenon extensively after noticing pricing for subscriptions（订阅）to The Economist.The digital subscription was ﹩59，the print subscription was ﹩125，and the print plus digital subscription was also ﹩125.No one in their right mind would buy the print subscription when you could get digital as well for the same price，so why was it even an option？Ariely ran an experiment and found that when only the two "real" choices were offered，more people chose the less-expensive digital subscription.But the addition of the bad option made people much more likely to choose the more expensive print plus digital option.
Brain scientists call this effect "asymmetric dominance" and it means that people gravitate toward the choice nearest a clearly inferior option.Marketing professors call it the decoy effect，which is certainly easier to remember.Lucky for consumers，almost no one in the business community understands it.
The decoy effect works because of the way our brains assign value when making choices.Value is almost never absolute；rather，we decide an object's value relative to our other choices.If more options are introduced，the value equation changes.
（1）Why does the author ask us to imagine buying food in the movie theater？ ____
A.To illustrate people's peculiar shopping behavior
B.To illustrate the increasing variety of snacks there.
C.To show how hard it can be to choose a drink there.
D.To show how popular snacks are among movie fans.
（2）Why is the medium soda priced the way it is？ ____
A.To attract more customers to buy it.
B.To show the price matches the amount.
C.To ensure customers drink the right amount of soda.
D.To make customers believe they are getting a bargain.
（3）What do we learn from Dan Ariely's experiment？ ____
A.The Economist's print edition turns out to sell the best.
B.More readers choose the digital over the print edition.
C.The Economist's promotional strategy works.
D.Lower-priced goods attract more customers.
（4）What does the underlined word in Paragraph 4 probably mean？ ____
A.Move.
B.Work.
C.Remember.
D.Understand.
（5）How do we assess the value of a commodity，according to the passage？ ____
A.By considering its usefulness.
B.y examining its value equation.
C.By comparing it with other choices.
D.By taking its low quality into account.
题目解答
答案
（1）推理判断题。根据 buying food in the movie theater定位到第一段，定位段描写了一个场景：人们在电影院购买汽水时，一般都会选择比中杯稍贵的大杯；第二段接着分析中杯的汽水很可能是营销人员的诱饵，引诱你买大杯汽水，第三段提到作者和朋友对人性的这种独特性行为进行过研究。由此可知，作者让我们想象在电影院买食物是为了来说明人们独特的购物行为。故选A。
（2）细节理解题。根据第二段中In fact，there's a good chance the marketing department purposely priced the medium soda as a decoy （诱饵），making you more likely to buy the large soda rather than the small.（事实上，很有可能是营销部门故意把中号汽水定价作为诱饵，让你更有可能买大杯汽水而不是小杯），可知，中号汽水的定价是让顾客相信他们买到了便宜货。故选D。
（3）推理判断题。根据第三段中Ariely ran an experiment and found that when only the two‘real'choices were offered，more people chose the less-expensive digital subscription.But the addition of the bad option made people much more likely to choose the more expensive print plus digital option.（艾瑞里进行了一项实验，发现当只有两种"真实"选择时，更多的人选择了价格较低的数字订阅。但坏选择的增加使人们更有可能选择更昂贵的印刷加数字选择）可知，从Dan Ariely的实验中了解到《经济学人》的宣传策略奏效了。故选C。
（4）词义猜测题。根据第四段中Brain scientists call this effect "asymmetric dominance" and it means that people gravitate toward the choice nearest a clearly inferior option.（大脑科学家称这种效应为"不对称支配"，这意味着人们倾向于选择最接近明显较差的选项），可知，划线词的意思是"向……移动，被吸引"。A.Move移动；B.Work工作；C.Remember记住；D.Understand理解。故选A。
（5）推理判断题。根据最后一段中The decoy effect works because of the way our brains assign value when making choices.Value is almost never absolute；rather，we decide an object's value relative to our other choices.（诱饵效应之所以起作用，是因为我们的大脑在做出选择时分配价值的方式。价值几乎从来都不是绝对的；相反，我们决定一个对象的价值相对于我们的其他选择），可知，根据文章，我们"通过与其他选择进行比较"评估商品的价值。故选C。
（2）细节理解题。根据第二段中In fact，there's a good chance the marketing department purposely priced the medium soda as a decoy （诱饵），making you more likely to buy the large soda rather than the small.（事实上，很有可能是营销部门故意把中号汽水定价作为诱饵，让你更有可能买大杯汽水而不是小杯），可知，中号汽水的定价是让顾客相信他们买到了便宜货。故选D。
（3）推理判断题。根据第三段中Ariely ran an experiment and found that when only the two‘real'choices were offered，more people chose the less-expensive digital subscription.But the addition of the bad option made people much more likely to choose the more expensive print plus digital option.（艾瑞里进行了一项实验，发现当只有两种"真实"选择时，更多的人选择了价格较低的数字订阅。但坏选择的增加使人们更有可能选择更昂贵的印刷加数字选择）可知，从Dan Ariely的实验中了解到《经济学人》的宣传策略奏效了。故选C。
（4）词义猜测题。根据第四段中Brain scientists call this effect "asymmetric dominance" and it means that people gravitate toward the choice nearest a clearly inferior option.（大脑科学家称这种效应为"不对称支配"，这意味着人们倾向于选择最接近明显较差的选项），可知，划线词的意思是"向……移动，被吸引"。A.Move移动；B.Work工作；C.Remember记住；D.Understand理解。故选A。
（5）推理判断题。根据最后一段中The decoy effect works because of the way our brains assign value when making choices.Value is almost never absolute；rather，we decide an object's value relative to our other choices.（诱饵效应之所以起作用，是因为我们的大脑在做出选择时分配价值的方式。价值几乎从来都不是绝对的；相反，我们决定一个对象的价值相对于我们的其他选择），可知，根据文章，我们"通过与其他选择进行比较"评估商品的价值。故选C。
解析
- 考查要点：本题主要考查学生对文章主旨的理解、细节定位能力、推理判断能力以及词义猜测能力。文章围绕“诱饵效应”展开，通过具体案例分析人类购物行为中的非理性选择。
- 解题核心：
- 第（1）题：通过场景描写引出文章主题，需判断作者举例意图。
- 第（2）题：直接定位关键句，明确中杯定价目的。
- 第（3）题：理解实验设计与结果，分析选项逻辑关系。
- 第（4）题：结合上下文语境，推断“gravitate toward”的含义。
- 第（5）题：归纳文章核心观点，理解“相对价值”概念。
第（1）题
定位关键句
文章首段通过描述电影院买饮料的场景，引出人类非理性购物行为。第2段明确指出中杯是“诱饵”，引导购买大杯。第3段进一步关联到《经济学人》订阅实验，说明这是普遍现象。
选项分析
- A选项正确，场景描写旨在说明人类购物行为的特殊性。
- 其余选项（B、C、D）聚焦于“零食选择难度”“饮料数量”“零食受欢迎程度”，均偏离文章核心。
第（2）题
直接引用原文
第2段明确说明：“中杯很可能是营销部门故意设置的诱饵，使你更倾向于购买大杯而非小杯。”
选项对应
- D选项“让顾客认为自己占了便宜”符合“诱饵效应”本质（中杯看似性价比高，实则引导升级消费）。
第（3）题
实验结果分析
艾瑞里实验显示：单独提供“数字订阅”和“印刷+数字订阅”时，更多人选择便宜的数字版；但加入“印刷订阅”（劣质选项）后，反而使“印刷+数字订阅”更受欢迎。
选项推断
- C选项正确，说明《经济学人》的促销策略（设置劣质选项）有效。
第（4）题
语境推断
第4段中“asymmetric dominance”指人们会被“次优选项”吸引。原句“gravitate toward the choice nearest a clearly inferior option”中，“gravitate toward”意为“被吸引”。
选项匹配
- A选项“移动/被吸引”最符合语境。
第（5）题
核心概念提取
末段明确指出：“价值几乎不是绝对的，而是通过与其他选项比较决定的。”
选项对应
- C选项“通过与其他选择比较”直接对应文章主旨。