单选题 Reebok executives do not like to hear their stylish athletic shoes called "footwear for yuppies". They contend that Reebok shoes appeal to diverse market segments, especially now that the company offers basketball and children's shoes for the under-18 set and walking shoes for older customers not interested in aerobics or running. The executives also point out that through recent acquisitions they have added hiking boots, dress and casual shoes, and high-performance athletic footwear to their product lines, all of which should attract new and varied groups of customers. Still, despite its emphasis on new markets, Reebok plans few changes in the up-market retailing network that helped push sales to $1 billion annually, ahead of all other sports shoes marketers. Reebok shoes, which are priced from $27 to $85, will continue to be sold only in better specialty, sporting goods, and department stores, in accordance with the company's view that consumers judge the quality of the brand by the quality of its distribution. In the past few years, the Massachusetts-based company has imposed limits on the number of its distributors(and the number of shoes supplied to stores), partly out of necessity. At times, the unexpected demand for Reebok's exceeded supply, and the company could barely keep up with orders from the dealers it already had. These fulfillment problems seem to be under control now, but the company is still selective about its distributors. At present, Reebok shoes are available in about five thousand retail stores in the United States. Reebok has already anticipated that walking shoes will be the next fitness-related craze, replacing aerobics shoes the same way its brightly colored, soft leather exercise footwear replaced conventional running shoes. Through product diversification and careful market research, Reebok hopes to avoid the distribution problems Nike came across several years ago, when Nike misjudged the strength of the aerobics shoes craze and was forced to unload huge inventories of running shoes through discount stores.
单选题 One reason why Reebok's managerial personnel don't like their shoes to be called "footwear for yuppies" is that ______.
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】解析:本题是要点推论题。题干中的“managerial personnel”即为第1段的“executives”,因此可知本题答案在第1段且为该段之主题:目标是多大。高层领导们当然不希望自己的产品仅供应给一些雅皮士,再由下文之“children’s shoes for the under—18set and walking for older customers”更可知其目标消费是多层次的。容易错选的选项B侧重公司的生产策略,故不选。
单选题 Reebok's view that "consumers judge the quality of the brand by the quality of its distribution"(Line 5, Para. 2)implies that ______.
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】解析:本题是细节题。题干引号中那部分在第2段,答案当然应在第2段,而该段主要论及高档消费群体的零售网--只在精品专卖屋、体育用品专卖店及大百货商场销售。
单选题 Reebok once had to limit the number of its distributors because ______.
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】解析:本题是要点归纳题。根据题干中“limit the number of distributions”确定答案在第3段,该段论及即使产品供不应求时,也要对批发商有所选择,而前一段时间对批发商数量的限制主要是“out of necessity”(迫不得已),因为需求量出乎意料地超过了供应能力。
单选题 Although the Reebok Company has solved the problem of fulfilling its orders, it ______.
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】解析:本题是要点理解题。题干中的“although”与短文第3段倒数第2句的“but”相呼应,答案即为该句的复述。
单选题 What lesson has Reebok learned from Nike's distribution problems?
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】解析:本题是要点推论题。确定答案位置在最后一段,讲市场预测与决策。Nike公司正是由于当时错误地判断了健身鞋流行的力度,而导致了老产品(running shoes)的积压而不得不打折销售,这是市场预测不准确所导致的。
单选题 What does "aerobics" mean in the first paragraph?
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】解析:本题是细节题。“aerobics”在这里的意思是“有氧运动,健身操,健美操”。B、C和D都是干扰项。其中B是对“aerodrome”一词的解释;C和D是对“aerobatics”一词的解释。
单选题 How to understand the word "inventories" in the last paragraph?
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】解析:本题是细节题。主要考查对词汇的掌握。A是对“invention”一词的解释:B最有干扰性,是“清单”的意思。实质上,“inventories”是“inventory”一词的复数,意思是“因不能及时销售出去而积压的存货”。