单选题 Questions 26～30
Extract 1
Henri-Lloyd, the UK sailing clothes brand, is launching a new women's fashion footwear collection. Spanning eight styles in a multitude of clearways, the collection is deemed to be modern and sporty, a bit like the brand itself. According to the company's commercial director, Graham Allen, the women's line is very much a response to consumer and retailer demand. "It is a really exciting move for us and is a natural extension of our existing men's footwear business," he says.
Hailed as "essential staples in the wardrobe of any actively minded woman", the new collection is designed to encapsulate Henri-Lloyd's spirit of adventure, but with a feminine twist. The collection is designed to target a certain mindset rather than a particular demographic, and pinning the Henri-Lloyd team down to a particular age group can be tricky.
The company prides itself on its pioneering styles, aiming to produce the highest quality products with strong functionality and design. Ongoing involvement with the BMW ORACLE racing team has helped cement its technical marine roots with fashion. Outside the UK, Henri-Lloyd's biggest export markets are Italy, Sweden and the USA. The brand can be found in 2,006 stores in 23 countries worldwide.
Extract 2
Two important considerations when designing historical, or "period", costumes are shape and colour. Whereas it is possible to eliminate the colour aspect by designing in black, white and grey— as in the early days of television—it is impossible to create a costume which has no shape. Costumes with bad or weak shapes are all too common and it is necessary to train the eye to select what is telling and pertinent and to incorporate these elements into the design. This chapter sketches the changing shape of period clothes; but it should not be thought that the consideration of shape applies only to historical dress—it is just as important when designing a comedy horse or a spaceman's costume, neither of which are in any way related to the historical scene.
The drawings I have made show people from the early medieval period to the 1930s. It must be understood that I have tried to select figures which will show fairly clearly the progression of costume style. Transitional styles—often very interesting. I fully acknowledge-have necessarily had to be left out. Change of shape is affected by the social history of the period, the availability and discovery of fabrics and the human desire for change. The period covered is indeed a large one, but it must be appreciated that in the early days fashion, and therefore shape, changed very slowly this has accelerated until today fashion changes almost yearly.
Extract 3
According to UK prediction consultant Tim Harvey, "The emerging shopping culture is one that values individuality. We want things that look more distinctive and less mass-produced, that have content and meaning specific to us. " At present we can see large chain stores struggling to create an intimate space within their vast warehouse-like shopping emporiums and win back disgruntled customers. Even Clothes4U are developing a boutique-style environment, with a designer range sold in selected stores from a screened-off area.
Unfortunately, a huge disparity has emerged in the levels of service. And service is where retailers can add value to the experience of shopping for clothes, because, where matters of image are concerned, buying clothes requires a certain amount of emotional involvement. More than the mere removal of garments in a cramped changing room, most of us invest the new clothes we try on with the ability to augment confidence or bolster self-esteem. Clever retailers know how potentially-therapeutic any shopping trip is and can train staff to understand the anxieties we bring to the dressing room mirror.

单选题 What point is being made about the new collection of shoes in Extract 1?

A. They are intended to appeal specifically to younger women.
B. They represent a departure in style from the company's clothes.
C. They fit well with the company's established image.
D. The initial idea for them came from within the company.

单选题 What idea is repeated in Extract 1?

A. The company's clever use of technical association
B. The image of the shoes as stylish.
C. The forward-looking nature of the men's footwear line.
D. The widespread availability of the shoes.

单选题 What point is the writer making about costume design in Extract 2?

A. Even experienced designers can make mistakes with the shape of a costume.
B. Stage costume designers should beware of using bright colours.
C. The advice given is also relevant to non-theatrical designers.
D. Shape is a potentially more important issue than colour.

单选题 In Extract 2 the writer discusses all the following EXCEPT ______.

A. costume designs
B. transitional styles
C. change of shape
D. color aspect of clothing

单选题 In Extract 3 the writer implies that successful clothes shops encourage their staff to ______.

A. allow customers room to make their own choices
B. show an interest in the lives of their customers
C. find a point of similarity between themselves and their customers
D. exploit their customers' anxieties