The bagless vacuum cleaner (真空吸尘器) James Dyson, 1979
There are some things we don’t know we need until someone invents them. Step forward, the bagless vacuum cleaner. James Dyson came up with the idea after spending a lot of money on an expensive cleaner that simply pushed dirt around.
Most of us would have left it that, but Dyson went on to change the basic principle of a vacuum cleaner — an idea that hadn’t been challenged for 100 years — by designing a system that removed the necessity of the bag for good. His final version took five years of research.
However, when Dyson first approached manufacturers (制造商) with his idea, he couldn’t interest them. But he didn’t give up and set up a factory in Wiltshire in 1993 to produce them himself. Two years later, Dyson products were outselling the competition.
The Mini Alec Issigonis, 1959
While the Americans were driving supersize Cadillacs, Britain famously went in the opposite direction and came up with a small car.
Alec Issigonis was responsible for the design and made a name for himself in motoring history with its launch (投放市场) in 1959 for the British Motor
Corporation (BMC). The Mini’s success wasn’t overnight. Many thought it “strange”, but it developed into a love affair with the British that’s never decreased, helped by the fact that many stars loved it.
The London sewage system (污水处理系统) Joseph Bazalgette, 1865
Like any major city, London has always produced large amounts of waste. Give thanks, then, to Joseph Bazalgette, an engineer who developed a far-reaching underground sewage system. It changed the process of getting rid of waste by dumping it into the Thames River. Even more impressive was his idea to construct pipes that would function for nearly 150 years and still be large enough to meet the need of an increasing population. As he said, “We’re only going to do this once.”
28. What do we know about James Dyson and his idea? A. His efforts paid off at last. B. He enjoyed immediate success. C. His idea attracted many manufacturers. D. He set up the first vacuum cleaner factory. 29. The Mini won its popularity _____. A. soon after its launch in 1959 B. because it was advertised by stars
C. with the help of some famous people D. because people lost interest in supersize cars
30. The underlined sentence “We’re only going to do this once” in the last paragraph shows Bazalgette was _____.
A. cautious B. confident
C. far-sighted D. strong-minded
31. What did the three British inventors have in common? A. Their success came after many failures. B. They influenced many other inventors. C. They made their inventions by accident. D. Their inventions changed people’s lives.
D
As each semester begins, my colleague greets his students wearing a jacket and tie.
“You make only one first impression,” he says. So while the rest of the semester he teaches class in his usual, more casual clothes, the first week he presents a different image.
His thought is that students will remember their first meet positively and more readily think highly of him as the semester goes on because that favorable first impression has an influence on them.
The sequence (顺序) that we meet matters in how we judge subsequent (后来的) information. The big influence of first impressions is related to the halo effect, where the perception (看法) of positive qualities in one thing or part gives rise to the perception of similar qualities in related things or in the whole.
Here is an example: You meet a friendly person at a party and later are asked to collect money for a worthy cause. You call that person because you think she will make a contribution. In reality, there is no connection between being pleasant and being generous. Yet the halo effect leads you to think that the two are related.
The halo effect is powerful, but it is questionable whether it matters much in long-term relationships, such as that between teacher and student. While dressing up may make students think the teacher must know his subject matter because he creates a professional first impression, the effect wears thin if the person turns out to be a poor teacher after all.
First impressions matter but they don’t have the final word. Facts speak louder. If you had never seen or heard of Einstein, the first time you saw him your impression would most likely be negative. Now his face is connected with genius, not madness because he is the person who has come to define what genius is.
The problem is that few of us are Einsteins and we often don’t get the chance to change a negative first impression.
32. The author explains the halo effect mainly by _____. A. giving an example B. making a comparison C. setting down general rules D. following the order of importance 33. In the author’s eyes, the halo effect _____. A. is surprisingly powerful B. matters more in the long run