Today, some 30% of small business owners don’t have a Web presence at all, while the vast majority who do are watching their sites sit stale, waiting and wanting for business. Where did things go wrong? There are common principles followed by those whose dreams of online success have become reality.
41. Build your site around your customer:
Thinking of your site as your online storefront, built around delivering the highest-quality customer experience from the moment your customer steps through the “door”.
42. Just because you built it doesn’t mean they’ll come:
If you aren’t seeing a large volume of targeted traffic to your site, it’s time to up the ante. 43. Integrate customer loyalty programs and promotions:
containing discounts, news, or friendly service reminders. Use discount promotional offers to stay in touch with past visitors to your site.
44. Justify your monthly spending through product bundling:
While pay-per-click Internet advertising is much more cost-effective than traditional media channels, bundling products together will not only increase your sales revenue, but also enable you to get more out of your per-click ad rates.
45. Measure your progress:
Your site may be live, but how is it performing?
Armed with these simple lessons, vow to make your business realize the true promise of the Internet. ［A］ A manufacturing company selling $50 items was having trouble justifying the cost of online keyword ads. By bundling products to create packages of $100 or more and advertising to wholesale customers looking to buy in bulk, the manufacturer dropped its sales representative agencies and focused on large-volume buyers, such as Wal-Mart and Target. Needless to say, the company had no trouble exceeding its yearly sales quota.
［B］ One of my past clients had a well-designed physical storefront, solid prices, and quality offerings. However, he wasn’t able to drive enough store traffic despite targeted advertising efforts in print publications and other offline venues. We decided to shift those ad dollars to an online pay-per-click campaign—in which the advertiser pays whenever someone clicks on its entry posted during the course of a site search based on keywords relevant to his business. The immediate impact was staggering. Online revenue soared tenfold to $1 million from $100,000 within only a few months.
［C］ With today’s technology, your return can be easily measured. If you rely on your Web site as a sales tool, you can’t afford not to invest in site analytics. Make sure your Web solution includes an easy-to-use reporting tool that presents this information in a clear, concise format. After all, while metrics are a critical part of the Web equation, you don’t have the time to spend hours digging through reams of data.
［D］ Years ago, I worked with a woman who sold purses online through a home-built site that lacked critical e-commerce components. After a simple redesign including product descriptions, comprehensive navigation, and a secure, user-friendly ordering system, her revenue increased fivefold. And she began receiving rave reviews from customers impressed with the ease and convenience of the online shopping experience.
［E］ Online success demands more than simple presence. Your Internet investment should pay for itself with new customers and increased sales. Find a trusted partner who can help you navigate today’s (and tomorrow’s) technology and who understands the bottom-line realities of your business.
［F］ One villa rental company had a Web site that generated very few calls and online bookings. I helped the company set up a “last minute deals” distribution list. By subscribing, site visitors would receive weekly e-mails offering 11th-hour discounts on villa rentals. As a result, the company captured contact information for thousands of possible customers, reduced its unused inventory to almost zero, and increased revenue significantly.
答案
41.D 42.B 43.F 44.A 45.C
七
［A］ You may have to impress the company HR representatives as well. HR reps are typically trained to ask very specific and personal questions, like what salary you expect and what you’ve made in the past. They might ask you about your impressions of the company and the people who interviewed you. They might also ask if you have other offers. If so, chances are good that they are willing to compete for you. But if you say that you have other offers, be prepared to back it up with the who, what and when, because they might challenge you. The HR reps are also the people who will conduct or arrange reference and background checks. They might have the final say.
［B］ Besides management, you might also interview with one or more of your future coworkers. Regardless of the questions they ask, what they most really want to know is how well you’ll fit into the team, if you’ll cause them more work instead of less, and if they should feel threatened by you. When answering, be eager enough to show that you are a good team player and will pull your load, but not so eager as to appear to be a back-stabbing ladder climber!
［C］ Always research a company before you interview, and remember that attire, body language and manners count, big time. Try to avoid common mistakes. You may think that this is common sense, but crazy stuff really happens!
［D］ Job interviewing is one of the most popular career topics on the Web. But no career advisor can tell you exactly what to say during a job interview. Interviews are just too up-close and personal for that. About the best that career advisors can do, is to give you some tips about the typical questions to expect, so you can practice answering them ahead of time. But, while there are many canned interview questions, there are few canned answers. The rest is up to you.
［E］ Be prepared to attend a second interview at the same company, and maybe even a third or fourth. If you’re called back for more interviews, it means that they’re interested in you. But, it doesn’t mean you’re a shoo-in. Most likely, they are narrowing the competition, so keep up the good work!
［F］ To put you somewhat at ease, many interviewers really don’t know how to interview effectively. Frontline interviewers are typically managers and supervisors who have never been or are barely trained in interviewing techniques. They’re a little nervous too, just like you. Some don’t even prepare in advance. This makes it easier for you to take control of the interview, if you have prepared. But in controlling an interview, it’s not a good idea to try to dominate. Instead, try to steer it toward landing the job.
［G］ After interviewing, immediately send a thank you letter to each of your interviewers. It’s professional and expected, and might even be the deciding factor in your favor.
［H］ Remember, it’s a two-way street. It’s the employer’s chance to judge you, but it’s also very much your chance to judge the employer. In fact, if you handle yourself well and ask the right questions, you’ll put the interviewer in the position of selling the company to you. If this happens, you’re probably doing well.
Order:
41.( )→42. ( ) →43. ( ) →A→44. ( ) →45. ( ) →46. ( ) →G
八
［A］ Analyzing your own taste ［B］ Being cautious when experimenting
［C］ Finding a model to follow ［D］ Getting the final look absolutely right ［E］ Learning to be realistic ［F］ Making regular conscious choices
When we meet people for the first time, we often make decisions about them based entirely on how they look. And, of course it’s something that works both ways, for we too are being judged on our appearance. When we look good, we feel good, which in turn leads to a more confident and self-assured manner. People then pick up on this confidence and respond positively towards us. Undoubtedly, it’s what’s inside that’s important, but sometimes we can send out the wrong signals simply by wearing inappropriate clothing or not spending enough time thinking about how others see us.
41___________
For example, people often make the mistake of trying to look like someone else they’ve seen in a magazine, but this is usually a disaster as we all have our own characteristics. Stand in front of a full-length mirror and be honest with yourself about what you see. There is no need to dwell on your faults—we all have good points and bad points—but think instead about the best way to emphasize the good ones.
42___________
When selecting your clothes each day, think about who you’re likely to meet, where you’re going to be spending most of your time and what tasks you are likely to perform. Clearly, some outfits will be more appropriate to different sorts of activity and this will dictate your choice to an extent. However, there’s no need to abandon your individual taste completely. After all, if you dress to please somebody else’s idea of what looks good, you may end up feeling uncomfortable and not quite yourself.
43___________
But to know your own mind, you have to get to know yourself. What do you truly feel good in? There are probably a few favourite items that you wear a lot—most people wear 20 per cent of their wardrobe 80 per cent of the time. Look at these clothes and ask yourself what they have in common. Are they neat and tidy, loose and flowing? Then look at the things hanging in your wardrobe that you don’t wear and ask yourself why. Go through a few magazines and catalogues and mark the things that catch your eye. Is there a common theme?
44___________
Some colors bring your natural colouring to life and others can give us a washed-out appearance. Try out new colours by all means, but remember that dressing in bright colours when you really like subtle neutral tones, or vice versa, will make you feel self-conscious and uncomfortable. You know deep down where your own taste boundaries lie. And although it’s good to challenge those sometimes with new combinations or shades, take care not to go too far all at once.
45___________
So, you’ve chosen an outfit that matches your style, your personality, your shape and your colouring. But does it fit? If something is too tight or too loose, you won’t achieve the desired effect, and no matter what other qualities it has, it won’t improve your appearance or your confidence. Sometimes, we buy things without thinking. Some people who dislike shopping grab the first thing they see, or prefer to use mail-order or the Internet. In all cases, if it doesn’t fit perfectly, don’t buy it, because the finer details are just as important as the overall style.
Reappraising your image isn’t selfish because everyone who comes into contact with you will benefit. You’ll look better and you’ll feel a better person all round. And if in doubt, you only need to read Professor Albert Mehrabian’s book Silent Messages to remind yourself how important outward appearances are. His research showed that the impact we make on each other depend 55 per cent on how we look and behave, 38 per cent on
how we speak and only 7 per cent on what we actually say. So, whatever stage you are at in your life, whatever role you play, isn’t it time you made the most of yourself?
答案
41.E 42.F 43.A 44.B 45.D
九
Rain forest structure is distinct from most other forest types because of its many layers of vegetation, referred to as strata. The lowest stratum is the understory, composed of palms, herbaceous plants (such as wild ginger), and tree seedlings and saplings. (41) . Many have deep red coloring on the underside of their leaves to capture some of the scarce light that does manage to reach the forest understory. This red coloring enables understory plants to absorb light of different wavelengths than do the plants with rich, green-foliaged canopy, the umbrella-shaped upper structure of trees. Above the forest floor but below the canopy are one or more midstory strata, made up of woody plants, such as large shrubs and midsized trees.
The overstory is the canopy, in which the tree crowns form a continuous layer that captures the major part of the rainwater and sunlight hitting the forest. The height of the canopy varies from region to region and forest to forest, ranging from 20 to 50 m (65 to 165 ft). (42) . Researchers use hot air balloons, cables, catwalks, towers, sophisticated tree-climbing gear, and even robots to study the millions of plants and animals that make their home high up in the forest canopy. Canopy researchers also use huge cranes that are dropped into the heart of the forest by helicopters. Suspended from the crane’s long, movable arm is a large cabin that functions as a mobile treetop laboratory. Moving from tree to tree, forest researchers collect specimens, conduct experiments, and observe life in the canopy frontier.
The highest stratum of the rain forest is made up of the emergent trees, those individuals that stick up above the forest canopy. Emergents, which do not form a continuous layer, are usually the giants of the forest, reaching heights of 35 to 70 m (115 to 230 ft) or more, and trunk sizes of over 2 m (6.6 ft) in diameter. (43) . However, these trees tend to be so large that they collectively account for the vast majority of the woody mass, or biomass, of the forest.
The nicely ordered strata of the rain forest, including the continuous layer of the canopy, are regularly disturbed by naturally occurring events, such as falling trees. Trees in a rain forest canopy are often interconnected by vines, and a falling tree may pull as well as push other trees down with it, producing a domino effect of falling trees. The resulting opening in the forest canopy enables light to pour onto the forest floor. (44) .
Other natural disturbances create even larger openings in the forest canopies. For example, along the hurricane belt in the Caribbean and the typhoon belt along the western Pacific, some forests are substantially altered when high winds and storms blow down hundreds of trees every few decades. (45) . Scientists have found that these natural disturbances and the subsequent forest regeneration are a vital process that leads to healthy and diverse forests.
［A］ New plants and animals then move into the area and begin to grow.
［B］ Just 2 percent of the sunlight goes through the many layers of leaves and branches above, so understory plant species have developed special traits to cope with low light levels.
［C］ On a smaller scale, large mammals, such as elephants, regularly destroy rain forest vegetation in the Congo River Basin in Africa.
［D］ An understory of shorter trees and a lacework of woody vines, or lianas, produce a forest of such complex internal architecture that many animals, including some sizable ones, rarely or never descend to the ground.
