A nudge is a gentle push. Sometimes it’s a physical push. A person might nudge a friend to make him move out of the way, or a parent might nudge a child to get her to say thank you for a gift. Sometimes a nudge is a mental (心理) push. A boss might nudge workers to work faster by reminding them that a deadline (最后期限) is coming up.

In design terms, nudges usually have two characteristics. First, they make one choice seem more attractive and useful than the others. Second, design nudges don’t say clearly what the best choice is. They just suggest it in an indirect way.

We can see many examples where nudges help people choose what’s good for them. Take students as an example. Nudges can encourage them to give up negative behaviors, such as eating junk food at lunch, and develop positive ones. Studies show that most people take the first three foods they see more often than other foods. Schools can use this information to nudge students to eat better by putting healthier food choices at the front of the line and unhealthy ones at the end. Giving food nicer names can also change student choices. “Cool summer salad” will probably be more popular than just “salad”.

However, not all design nudges are beneficial. For example, shops might shine a light on fruit, using this nudge to increase sales. But it benefits shops, not customers. A hotel that offers a free breakfast might choose to put low-cost but unhealthy food in a noticeable place and put higher-cost but healthier food in a far corner. This helps the hotel save money but is bad for guests.

Design nudges are all around us because they are effective. A growing number of people are now using nudges on themselves to help overcome problems and make better choices.

1.1. What is a characteristic of design nudges? .

A They clearly tell people what to choose.

B They push people to make decisions quickly.

C They encourage people to think independently.

D They make one choice seem better than the rest.

解析：选D。1. 答案：D 题型：细节理解题解析：题目询问设计微推的特征，定位文章第二段，明确提及设计微推有两个特征：一是让一个选择比其他选择更具吸引力和实用性，二是不明确说明最佳选择，仅间接暗示。A 项 “明确告诉人们该选什么” 与第二个特征相悖；B 项 “促使人们快速做决定”、C 项 “鼓励人们独立思考” 均未在文中提及；D 项 “让一个选择看起来比其他的更好” 与第一个特征表述一致，故为正确答案。

2.2. How can schools nudge their students to eat better?

A By offering more food choices to them.

B By providing high-cost foods at lower prices.

C By putting healthy foods at a noticeable place.

D By putting healthy foods at a noticeable place.

解析：选C。2. 答案：C 题型：细节理解题解析：题目询问学校引导学生健康饮食的方式，定位文章第三段，文中提到学校可利用 “人们更易选择第一眼看到的食物” 这一特点，将健康食物摆在队列前端，还可给食物起动听的名字。A 项 “提供更多食物选择”、B 项 “高价食物低价售卖” 均未在文中提及；D 项 “将不健康食物摆在队列前端” 与原文 “不健康食物放末尾” 相反；C 项 “将健康食物放在显眼位置” 对应原文 “把健康食物摆在队列前端”，故为正确答案。

3.3. What can we learn from the examples in Paragraph 4?

A Design nudges might be used in a bad way.

B People often misunderstand design nudges.

C People use design nudges widely in daily life

D Design nudges can improve the service quality.

解析：选A。3. 答案：A 题型：推理判断题解析：题目要求从第四段例子中获取信息，第四段首句为核心句，表明 “并非所有设计微推都是有益的”，随后举了商店、酒店利用微推为自身谋利，却损害消费者 / 住客利益的例子。B 项 “人们常误解设计微推”、C 项 “人们在日常生活中广泛使用设计微推” 均非第四段表达的核心；D 项 “设计微推能提升服务质量” 与例子中酒店的做法相悖；A 项 “设计微推可能被滥用” 是对第四段内容的合理推理，故为正确答案。

4.4. Which of the following can be the best title for the text?

A The power of a nudge

B The benefits of a nudge

C How to design a nudge

D How to recognize a nudge

解析：选A。4. 答案：A 题型：主旨大意题解析：题目要求选择文章最佳标题，需结合全文主旨判断。文章先定义微推，再介绍设计微推的特征，接着阐述其既可以引导人做出有益选择，也可能被滥用，最后说明微推因有效而被广泛运用，甚至被人们用于自我引导。B 项 “微推的益处” 仅覆盖文章部分内容，片面；C 项 “如何设计微推”、D 项 “如何识别微推” 均未在文中提及；A 项 “微推的力量” 能涵盖微推的多种作用、影响及实际效用，符合全文主旨，故为正确答案。