113-學測-英文

$~~~~$Mystery shoppers are paid consumers who are hired to shop in stores and collect data. They are sent to a wide variety of service-based businesses, including stores, restaurants, and banks—potentially anywhere customers are served. Sometimes referred to as secret shoppers, mystery shoppers 11 regular customers to purchase items, eat in restaurants, make inquiries, or return items. They grade and report on the quality of products, customer service, and environment of the stores 12 they are assigned.
$~~~~$When evaluating a business, mystery shoppers have to follow certain standard procedures to avoid 13 . They are often given a checklist that provides directions on what to observe or look out for to ensure consistency. Sometimes these shoppers collect data about their “normal” observations, such as cleanliness of the store or timeliness of the service. They may also pretend to be 14 customers, arguing with a salesperson without a good reason. With the data they collect, mystery shoppers can identify areas for 15 and thereby help enhance the quality of products and services. In this way, these secret shoppers may help a business gain a competitive edge.

$~~~~$The modern worker rolls out of bed, groans, and turns off an alarm clock before reluctantly getting up for the day’s work. But how did people get to work on time before alarm clocks were widely used?
$~~~~$During the second Industrial Age, people toiled at unusual hours in mines or factories and often had to get up for work early in the morning. They 16 alarm clocks because adjustable alarms had been invented by the mid-19th century. But the new device was still relatively expensive and unreliable. British workers thus relied on a human alarm clock known as a “knocker-up.” 17 sticks or pea shooters, the human alarms would tour the streets, tap on windows, or blast them with dried peas, trying to wake paying customers in time for work.
$~~~~$Whether they wielded rods or pea shooters, knockers-up became 18 throughout the United Kingdom. Every morning, these people, often older in age, were seen in big streets and small alleys, waking up their customers professionally. They usually would not leave people’s houses until they were sure their customers were awake.
$~~~~$While the practice continued in some parts of the country until the 1970s, it 19 as alarm clocks became more widespread and affordable. Today, beeping alarm clocks and smartphones that play morning music are surely simpler and more convenient. However, they cannot 20 the personal attention coming from the distinctive tap of a pea shooter.

$~~~~$One fine morning in 1941, Swiss engineer George de Mestral went for a walk in the woods with his dog. Upon their return home, he found a lot of burrs (from plants) stuck to the dog’s fur and his pants. He immediately rushed to his microscope and examined the burrs attached on his pants—feeling a lightbulb moment coming on.
$~~~~$Upon closer examination, de Mestral observed that the burrs, which appeared straight to the naked eye, actually contained many small hooks that clung firmly to the loops in the fabric of his pants. He determined that if he could recreate the same thing, making hooks-and-loops that bind to each other firmly, he could produce a strong fastener with many uses.
$~~~~$De Mestral’s first challenge was finding a fabric for a strong bonding system. He first tried cotton, but it proved too soft and could not withstand repeated openings and closures. After years of research and testing, he learned that synthetics worked best and eventually settled on heat-treated nylon, a strong and durable substance. By 1955, he had completed an improved version of the product, with each square inch of material containing 300 hooks, which made it stay fastened and yet easy enough to pull apart when needed. Named “Velcro,” from the French words velours (velvet) and crochet (hook), the new product received a patent from the Swiss government in 1955. De Mestral thus began mass-producing Velcro, opening plants in Europe and eventually into Canada and the United States.
$~~~~$Initially Velcro did not fare well. As most fashion critics considered it ugly and cheap-looking, the use of Velcro was limited to athletic equipment. In the early 1960s, the product received a huge boost in popularity when NASA began using it in a lot of equipment that went into space along with astronauts. Today, de Mestral’s design is found almost everywhere: clothing and footwear, toys, airline seat cushions, blood pressure cuffs and surgeons’ gowns. Most impressively, the magical fastener was used in the first human artificial heart transplantation to hold together parts of the device.

$~~~~$Thomas Moran, a famous painter in the 19th century, played an important role in the establishment of American national parks. His vivid paintings brought the splendor of the extraordinary landscapes before the eyes of American people, thus setting the stage for the regions to be widely recognized and officially established as national parks.
$~~~~$Moran came to the United States at age 7 with his family and settled in Philadelphia. They came from northwest England, the blackened heart of the Industrial Revolution: Its main street was “a dark, unattractive hole” and the river running through it was a string of dirty water. That was all the nature that Moran knew. Moran began painting by age 15, inspired by the landscape paintings of the British master J.M.W. Turner. There was plenty of landscape for him to paint in America, much different from his hometown. Showing great talent in painting, Moran was soon hired as an illustrator at Scribner’s Monthly, and later appointed chief illustrator by age 34. In 1871, he was appointed to illustrate The Wonders of Yellowstone, a story by Nathaniel P. Langford, who had participated in an expedition to Yellowstone. Captivated by the utterly fantastic sights Langford described, Moran became eager to see this odd territory for himself.
$~~~~$In 1871 Moran joined the first US government survey of the Yellowstone region with photographer William Henry Jackson. For two weeks he filled his sketchbook with the landscape’s most stunning sights. Moran’s watercolors—the first color renderings of the area—as well as Jackson’s photos and the survey results were presented to the Congress. His powerful images of Yellowstone fired the imagination of Congress members. In March 1872, lawmakers officially made Yellowstone a national park, the world’s first.
$~~~~$Before Moran arrived, Yellowstone in the popular imagination was a harsh, wild place with hot water and steam coming out of hellish holes in the ground. Since the painter’s work appeared, Yellowstone National Park has come to be known as a picturesque wonderland. By the time Moran died, he had painted a dozen other areas that would become national parks or monuments.

$~~~~$In 2020, Petur Oddsson, a power station worker in Iceland, was struck by a 60,000-volt current. The electrical shock burned almost half of his body and melted layers of his skin off. Such deep and extensive burns can be fatal. But Oddsson’s life was saved by a creative invention: transplanting codfish skins onto human bodies.
$~~~~$A triumph for medical technology, Oddsson’s fish skin transplantation was actually part of the astonishing achievement of “100% Fish,” an ambitious task in promoting environmental efficiency. The Icelandic project, from which this pioneering procedure emerged, strives for making a fundamental change in the marine industry. It aims to encourage full utilization of each fish caught, and to strengthen innovation in seafood products.
$~~~~$Reducing waste of fish catch has become a serious issue today, when many countries are faced with food crises. According to a 2003 study, about 60% of a codfish caught in Iceland was lost or wasted during the production process for human consumption. Under the guidance of 100% Fish, however, Icelanders are now using almost 95% of a cod. Cod skin, for example, is made into calcium supplement and energy drinks, and even as material for skin transplantation as in Oddsson’s case. Dried fish heads and spines are exported to West Africa, where they are used as the base of a protein-rich soup. Other groundbreaking products, including Omega-3 capsules, cold virus pretreatment sprays, and dog snacks are made from what was once cod catch detritus.
$~~~~$The Icelandic success is accomplished largely through cooperative efforts across various industries. 100% Fish takes the initiative to show seafood companies the importance of collaboration, and facilitate valuable connections between fishing companies and other participants of the project, including academia, start-ups, and research and development teams. By sharing knowledge and information, the different sectors are able to come up with improved processing and handling, through which creation of various innovative products was made possible. The project not only helps Icelanders to get 30% more value from each cod than most developed countries, but also provides an effective model to promote resource efficiency worldwide.

$~~~~$Many animals are known to live and move in groups to secure food and avoid predators. Over the years, people have been curious about the way they deal with disturbances arising from the environment, and the operations underlying their responses as a group. Studies on jackdaws and turtle ants may provide some insights into the issue.

$~~~~$Jackdaws are birds in the crow family often found in the English countryside. They are highly social birds and often travel in large flocks. Normally, the birds enjoy a smooth flight together as a group when “commuting” between two locations, such as from their nesting site to their feeding ground. However, if a predator (such as a fox) is present, the pattern of their flight will change immediately. Instead of paying attention to all the other members and following the group pattern, they now focus only on the birds within a fixed distance from them, based on information coming from other members. By doing so, the flock members are able to keep a safe distance between themselves, and thus avoid crashing into each other while they flee from the predator.

$~~~~$Turtle ants often live in the cavities of dead branches in American forests. They have evolved search strategies to link their food source to their nests. They travel entirely along tree branches and vines, laying down trails of pheromone (a chemical substance) behind them so that other ants can follow. The trails connect the ants’ colonies and sources of food, forming a sort of communication network. However, since these trails can easily be broken by wind or rain, the ants have to find new paths to get around the broken points and reestablish the network. Often they have to work together to explore alternative routes many times before they finally settle on the most efficient one. By working collectively, the ants are able to improve the efficiency of their network and adapt to their ever-changing environment.