The trick that makes you overspend

When you buy a cup of coffee, you might have noticed that of the three size choices — small, medium and large — the medium-sized serving often costs almost as much as the large. 【小题1】 (get) a good buy, have you ever chosen the biggest and most expensive? If so, you have been tricked by the “decoy effect”, in which the deliberate presentation of an additional, slightly 【小题2】 (attractive) choice-in this case, the relatively expensive medium-sized coffee pushes you to pay out more money than you would have sensibly chosen.

The decoy effect shows us just 【小题3】 easily our judgement is influenced by the context 【小题4】 the facts are presented with additional irrelevant information.

However, 【小题5】 you have learned about the decoy effect, you may become less influenced unconsciously. You may even discover ways to put it to your own use 【小题6】 a tool for persuasion. If you 【小题7】 (discuss) travel plans with friends, for instance, and haven't decided yet where to go, you might present two choices (可供选择的安排) at your city, but one with a slightly more expensive hotel. 【小题8】 your friends might have otherwise selected a different location, the comparison might just lead them to choose the one you like.

Just don’t be a victim of decoy effect yourself. whether you are buying headphones or deciding on a retirement plan, ask 【小题9】 whether you are buying the one you really need or whether you are distracted by a seemingly attractive selling point. Like an expert sniper (狙击手) trained to avoid being targeted, you 【小题10】 find that your judgement suddenly becomes a lot more sensible.

The term “car boot sale” refers to the selling of items from a car’s trunk (后备箱). Most of the goods on sale are used personal items with only a few of professional traders 【小题1】 (sell) goods. However, in a growing trend (趋势), all-year hard-standing outdoor boot sales, are now appearing everywhere, especially in China, 【小题2】 (know) as the trunk fairs. It is very welcoming to those 【小题3】 want to run their own business at a low cost. Items for sale are extremely varied, including snacks and soft drinks. The youth in China are exploring a new lifestyle through the trunk fairs.

I needed to get some money so I 【小题1】(take)a job in the clothes department at Graham’s for the January sale. I can’t say that I enjoyed it, 【小题2】it was an experience I’ll never forget.

When I arrived half an hour before opening on the first day of the sale, there was already 【小题3】queue around three sides of the building. This made me very nervous. The moment the security guards【小题4】(lock) the doors, they hid behind the doors for protection as the noisy crowd rushed in. I couldn’t believe my eyes: this wasn’t shopping; it was a battlefield!

After a while, clothes were flying in all directions as people searched【小题5】the sizes, colours and styles they wanted. Within minutes I had half a dozen people 【小题6】(push) clothes under my nose, each wanting 【小题7】(be) the first served. The whole day continued like that. People were spending money like water without thinking 【小题8】 they needed what they were buying. As 【小题9】as it was a bargain it was OK.

That night, after a quick dinner I went to bed exhausted, fearing the sound of the alarm 【小题10】would tell me to get ready for the second day of the sale.