单选题 Once upon a time, innovation at Procter & Gamble flowed one way: from the United States outward. While the large Cincinnati-based corporation was no stranger to foreign markets, it usually sold them products that were already familiar to most Americans. Many Japanese families, for instance, swaddle their babies in Pampers diapers, and lots of Venezuelans brush their teeth with Crest. And of course (company executive assumed) American at home wanted these same familiar, red-white and blue brands. We might buy foreign-made cars, or chocolates, or cameras but household cleaners and detergents?
Recently, however, P&G broke with this long-standing tradition. Ariel, a P&G laundry detergent, was born overseas, and is a familiar sight on store shelves in Europe and Latin America. Now bilingual packages of Ariel Ultra, a super-concentrated cleaner, are appearing on supermarket shelves in Los Angeles.
Ariel"s appearance in the United States reflects demographic changes making Hispanics the nation"s fastest-growing ethnic group. Ariel is a hit with this population. In fact, many Mexican immigrants living in Southern California have been "importing" Ariel from Tijuana, Mexico. "Hispanics knew this product and wanted it," says P&G spokeswoman Marie Salvado. "We realized that we couldn"t convince them to buy (our) other laundry detergents." P&G hopes that non-Hispanic consumers will give Ariel a try too.
Ariel"s already strong presence in Europe may provide a springboard for the company to expand into other markets as well. Recently P&G bought Rakona, Czechoslovakia"s top detergent maker. Ariel, currently a top seller in Germany, is likely to be one of the first new brands to appear in Czech supermarkets. And Ariel is not the only foreign idea that the company hopes to transplant back to its home territory. Chinch, an all-purpose spray cleaner similar to popular European products, is currently being test-marketed in California and Arizona. Traditionally Americans have used separate cleaners for different types of surfaces, but market research shows that American preferences are becoming more like those in other countries.
Insiders note that this new reverse flow of innovation reflects more sweeping changes at Procter & Gamble. The firm has hired many new Japanese, German, and Mexican managers who view P&G"s business not as a one-way flow of American ideas, but a two-way exchange with other markets. Says Bonita Austin of the investment firm Wertheim-Schroeder, "When you met with P&G"s top managers years ago, you wouldn"t have seen a single foreign face." Today "they could even be in the majority."
As Procter & Gamble has found, the United States is no longer an isolated market. Americans are more open than ever before to buying foreign-made products and to selling U. S.-made products overseas.
单选题 According to the passage, which of the following is true?
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】如今人们在宝洁公司可以看到更多外国人的面孔。答案的依据是倒数第二段的最后一句。
单选题 According to the passage, all of the following are true about Ariel except ______.
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】就Ariel而言,只有A(it is the best seller in Czechoslovakia)不是真实的。作者在第四段说,Ariel目前成为德国最畅销的一种产品,有可能成为捷克超级市场头一批最新的品牌之一。
单选题 The "insider" (paragraph 5, line 1) is most probably ______.
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】第五段第一行的insider很可能是指在宝洁公司内部工作或者对它非常了解的人。宝洁公司的产品原来只是单向地输出,现在同其他市场双向交流,要么是内部工作人员熟悉,要么就是对它十分了解的人熟悉情况。
单选题 According to the passage, Procter & Gamble hopes to transplant the foreign idea back to its home territory because ______.
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】根据短文,宝洁公司希望让国外的观念回到本土来因为美国人比以往更可能买外国的产品。作者在最后一段说,宝洁公司发现,美国不再是孤立的市场。美国人在买外国产品或在海外销售美国产品方面比以往更加开放。
单选题 The author may most probably agree that ______.
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】作者最有可能同意如今商业的全球化是一个趋势。作者先介绍美国的产品是单向输出后来又说外国产品在美国试销。作者以美国为例证,含蓄地表达了商业全球化是一大趋势。