2021 年 06 月大学英语四级考试真题（第 3 套）

Nowadays you can't buy anything without then being asked to provide a rating of a company's

performance on a five-star scale.

I've been asked to rate my "store __26__" on the EFTPOS terminal before I

can pay. Even the most

__27__ activities, such as calling Telstra or picking up a parcel from

Australia Post, are followed by texts

or emails with surveys asking, "How did we do?"

Online purchases are __28__ followed up by a customer satisfaction survey.

Companies are so __29__

for a hit of stars that if you delete the survey the company sends you another one.

We're __30__ to rate our apps when we've barely had a chance to use them.

One online course

provider I use asks you what you think of the course after you've only completed __31__ 2 per cent of it.

Economist Jason Murphy says that companies use customer satisfaction ratings because a __32__

display of star feedback has become the nuclear power sources of the modern economy.

However, you can't help but __33__ if these companies are basing their

business on fabrications (捏造的东西).

I __34__ that with online surveys 1 just click the __35__ that's closest to my mouse cursor (光标)

to get the damn thing off my screen. Often the star rating I give has far more to do with the kind of day

I'm having than the purchase 1 just made.

Boredom has become trendy. Studies point to how boredom is good for creativity and innovation, as

well as mental health. It is found that people are more creative following the completion of a tedious task.

When people are bored, they have an increase in "associative thought"-the process of making new

connections between ideas, which is linked to innovative thinking. These studies are impressive, but in

reality, the benefits of boredom may be related to having time to clear your mind, be quiet, or daydream.

In our stimulation-rich world, it seems unrealistic that boredom could occur at all. Yet, there are

valid reasons boredom may feel so painful. As it turns out, boredom might signal the fact that you have a

need that isn't being met.

Our always-on world of social media may result in more connections, but they are superficial and can

get in the way of building a real sense of belonging. Feeling bored may signal the desire for a greater sense

of community and the feeling that you fit in with others around you. So take the step of joining an

organization to build face-to-face relationships. You'll find depth that you won't get from your screen no

matter how many likes you get on your post.

Similar to the need for belonging, bored people often report that they feel a limited sense of

meaning. It's a fundamental human need to have a larger purpose and to feel like we're part of something

bigger than ourselves. When people are bored, they're more likely to feel less meaning in their lives. If

you want to reduce boredom and increase your sense of meaning, seek work where you can make a unique

contribution, or find a cause you can support with your time and talent.

If your definition of boredom is being quiet, mindful, and reflective, keep it up. But if you're

struggling with real boredom and the emptiness it provokes, consider whether you might seek new

connections and more significant challenges. These are the things that will genuinely relieve boredom and

make you more effective in the process.

Can you remember what you ate yesterday? If asked, most people will be able to give a vague

description of their main meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner. But can you be sure you've noted every snack

bar in your car, or every handful of nuts at your desk? Most people will have a feeling that they've missed

something out.

We originally had this suspicion back in 2016, puzzled by the fact that national statistics showed

calorie consumption falling dramatically over past decades. We found reliable evidence that people were

drastically under-reporting what they ate.

Now the Office for National Statistics has confirmed that we are consuming 50% more calories than

our national statistics claim.

Why is this happening? We can point to at least three potential causes. One is the rise in obesity levels

itself. Under-reporting rates are much higher for obese people, because they simply consume more food,

and thus have more to remember.

Another cause is that the proportion of people who are trying to lose weight has been increasing over

time. People who want to lose weight are more likely to under-report their eating-regardless of whether

they are overweight or not. This may be driven partly by self-deception or "wishful thinking".

The final potential cause is an increase in snacking and eating out over recent decades-both in terms

of how often they happen and how much they contribute to our overall energy intake. Again, there is

evidence that food consumed out of the home is one of the most poorly recorded categories in surveys.

So, what's the message conveyed? For statistics, we should invest in more accurate measurement

options. For policy, we need to focus on options that make it easy for people to eat fewer calories. If

people do not know how much they are eating, it can be really hard for them to stick to a diet. Also, we

should be looking for new ways to ensure what people eat wouldn't have much impact on their waistlines.

If this works, it won't matter if they can't remember what they ate yesterday.