A
In many walks of life and in many situations，persuading people to do what you want them to do is the key to success.Researchers have looked into different aspects of persuasion and come up with some interesting results which are surely helpful to us.
One advertising copywriter came up with an approach to selling a product on a TV shopping channel via phone sales.Instead of being instructed “Operators are waiting，please call now”，viewers were told “If operators are busy，please call again”．The results were extraordinary.The ad suggested operators weren't sitting around hoping people would call.Instead there were so many people wanting the product that people might have to wait until they could get it.
What role does choice have in persuading people to buy or get something？One study in a supermarket showed the effect of choice.A particular supermarket displayed either 6 or 24 different kinds of jam.The large display attracted more interest than the small one.But when the time came to purchase things，people who saw the large display were onetenth as likely to buy.If they do buy，they are less content with their selection，even though they have made a good choice.A wider range of choices require more time and effort and lead to unreasonably high expectations.
Another aspect of persuasion concerns getting someone to change their mind.It's hard to prove to someone that a previous decision is wrong，and as people get older they get less and less willing to change their mind.People want things to be unwavering；they want their attitudes，statements，values and actions to follow a set pattern.The only way to persuade them to change is to acknowledge this by agreeing that the previous decision they made is a perfectly understandable one.This allows them to focus on your suggestion without feeling their previous decision is wrong.As a result，they may be persuaded to break out of their established pattern.
[语篇解读] 说服别人对取得成功至关重要，作者在文中介绍了在实际生活中说服别人的不同方式，以展示应该如何做说服工作。
1．What does the advertising copywriter want to indicate about the product?
A．It's in demand. B．It's rare.
C．It's for sale. D．It's precious.
解析：推理判断题。根据第二段的“The ad suggested operators weren't sitting around hoping people would call.Instead there were so many people wanting the product that people might have to wait until they could get it.”可知，告知观众“如果接线员正忙，请再呼叫”，而不是“接线员正在等待，请现在呼叫”是一种说服策略。接线员正忙，说明订购的人多，暗示产品受到大家的认可，很抢手，故选A。in demand “需求大”。
答案：A
2．What does the study mentioned in Paragraph 3 show?
A. More selections bring more actions.
B．Increased choice decreases satisfaction.
C．More and more people don't want to choose.
D．Some choices are more attractive than others.
解析：细节理解题。根据第三段的“If they do buy，they are less content with their selection，even though they have made a good choice.A wider range of choices require more time and effort and lead to unreasonably high expectations.”可知，选择的范围变大，会增加人们对自己的决定的不满，因为更多的选择需要投入更多的时间和更大的努力，人们也会产生过高的期望，由此可知本题选B。
答案：B
3．What does the underlined word “unwavering” in the last paragraph mean?
A．Reliable. B．Demanding.
C．Unique. D．Consistent.
解析：词义猜测题。画线词前面谈到“随着年龄的增长，人们越来越不愿意改变自己的想法”，该词后面谈到“人们希望自己的态度、言论、价值观和行动都遵循既定的模式”。由此推知画线词所在句应表示人们希望事情(观点、决定等)始终如一，故画线词与consistent “一致的，始终如一的”意义相近。reliable “可靠的”；demanding “要求高的”；unique “独特的”。
答案：D
4．What is the author's purpose in writing the text?
A．To compare different forms of persuasion.
B．To discuss various studies on persuasion.
C．To teach how to get better at persuasion.
D．To analyze how persuasion affects success.
解析：写作意图题。根据第一段“In many walks of life and in many situations，persuading people to do what you want them to do is the key to success...some interesting results which are surely helpful to us.”可知，说服影响着人们的成功，研究人员研究了说服的不同方面，得出了一些有趣的结果，这些结果会对我们有帮助。下文作者介绍了三个方面的说服案例和说服策略，其目的很明显：教人们如何更好地说服别人做某事。
答案：C
