Question

Everyone hates to wait in lines. We get that anxious feeling that our precious life is slipping away while we’re doing something so meaningless. But it’s not always the length of the wait we find so unbearable. Some people camp outside Apple stores for an entire night just to get their hands on the latest product. But waiting 10 minutes in a grocery store just to buy a drink? Forget it.

    Our behavior when waiting is only partly decided by the length of the wait. “Often the psychology of queuing is more important than the statistics of the wait itself,” notes the MIT researcher Richard Larson.

    One apparent aspect of queuing psychology is that we get bored when we wait in line. This issue is solved in many ways, from magazines in hospital waiting rooms to mirrors in elevators so that we can check our appearance.

    We really hate it when we expect a short wait and then get a long one. But studies show that we are much more patient when we are given an idea of how long we’ll be waiting.

    Walt Disney Co knows this better than anyone else. It posts estimated waiting times for attractions in its theme parks. But according to Larson, these times are overestimated so that visitors get to the front of the queue more quickly than they expect. It keeps them happy.

    But perhaps the biggest influence on our feelings about waiting in a line has to do with our sense of fairness. When it comes to queues, the universally acknowledged standard is first come, first served. Any departure from this principle is regarded as unfair and can lead to violent queue anger.

You’ve probably experienced mild queue anger yourself in fast food restaurants, watching people in the other line zoom ahead of you, cursing yourself for having chosen the “wrong” line. In order to solve this problem, the serpentine(蛇形) line was invented. The serpentine line guides all customers into one big snaking queue, separated by ropes or barriers. When you reach the head of the queue, you are directed to the next available server, or teller, or customs official. The serpentine line isn’t always faster than multi-lines before an array(排) of cash registers. But it offers important comfort: you absolutely never have to see someone arrive after you and get served before you.

In life, waiting is inevitable. But a better understanding of the psychology of waiting can help make it a bit more bearable. When all else fails, bring a book or a smart phone will also do.

1.In the 1st paragraph, the author intends to tell us_____.

A. why people are crazy about Apple’s products

B. people waste their precious time in queuing

C. waiting time is not the only cause for people’s hate in queuing

D. the psychology is the real reason why people hate to wait in lines

2.Walt Disney Co makes people queuing happily by_____.

A. having people queue in serpentine line

B. letting people know how long they will wait exactly

C. making people queue shorter than they are informed

D. offering people magazines to read when waiting in lines

3.Serpentine line was invented to_____.

A. make the waiting line move faster

B. guarantee the first-come-first-served principle

C. solve the problem of feeling bored in queuing

D. guide all customers into one big snaking queue

4.The main purpose of the passage is _____.

A. to explain the advantages of serpentine line

B. to introduce ways of saving time in queuing

C. to offer an explanation of the psychology of queuing

D. to analyze the psychology of people queuing for Apple products

Answer

1.C

2.C

3.B

4.C

【解析】

试题分析：每个人都讨厌排队，这是因为他们的排队心理问题。如何让排队变得更高效呢？理解人们的心理很重要，文章给出了让人们安心等待的方法。

1.细节题：从第一段的句子：But it’s not always the length of the wait we find so unbearable.可知作者想告诉我们排队等侯的时间，不是人们讨厌排队的唯一的原因，选C

2.细节题：从文章第五段的句子：It posts estimated waiting times for attractions in its theme parks. But according to Larson, these times are overestimated so that visitors get to the front of the queue more quickly than they expect. It keeps them happy.可知Walt Disney Co 让顾客快乐的排队，是通过使人们排队的时间比他们被通知的短，选C

3.细节题：从文章倒数第二段的句子：The serpentine line isn’t always faster than multi-lines before an array(排) of cash registers. But it offers important comfort: you absolutely never have to see someone arrive after you and get served before you.可知Serpentine line 被发明是为了保证先到先得的原则，选B

4.写作意图题：从全篇文章和文章第二段的句子：“Often the psychology of queuing is more important than the statistics of the wait itself,”可知作者的目的是提供排队心理的解释，和如何缓解人们排队焦虑的心理。选C

考点：考查社会现象类短文