单选题 · Choose the best words or phrases to fill each gap from A, B,
C, or D on the opposite page. · For each question (21-30), mark
one letter (A, B, C, or D) on your Answer Sheet. · There is an
example at the beginning.
Matching Prices to Demand—in Real
Time
Can an ice cream shop charge more for a
cone on a hot day? Should a parking space get {{U}} {{U}} 1
{{/U}} {{/U}}as the garage fills up? Boston Consulting Group
senior adviser George Stalk believes business can—and should—charge according to
{{U}} {{U}} 2 {{/U}} {{/U}}. The idea builds on a longtime
strategy most {{U}} {{U}} 3 {{/U}} {{/U}}the airline industry,
called yield management, in which carriers {{U}} {{U}} 4
{{/U}} {{/U}}prices as planes fill up. The consultant, who in the late 1980s
coined the term "time-based competition", the notion that {{U}} {{U}}
5 {{/U}} {{/U}}is a strategic weapon, thinks far more companies could
take similar steps to match prices to real-time customer demand. Such moves are
especially {{U}} {{U}} 6 {{/U}} {{/U}}following a year when oil
and commodities prices swung wildly, he notes, "companies couldn't change prices
as fast as they needed to." Stalk says existing technologies
such as radio-frequency identification, GPS, and wireless networks could someday
make what he calls dynamic pricing a reality. He points to Ohio auto insurer
Progressive, which is expanding its MyRate program that offers discounts in
return {{U}} {{U}} 7 {{/U}} {{/U}}demonstrably safe driving
habits. Customers who {{U}} {{U}} 8 {{/U}} {{/U}}to the program
can plug a device into their cars' diagnostic ports, often situated beneath the
steering wheel. The devices then wirelessly {{U}} {{U}} 9
{{/U}} {{/U}}data to Progressive on how many miles customers travel, how fast
they drive, and other factors. Progressive uses the information to offer
policyholders discounts every six months for safe behaviour and, in states where
it's allowed by laws, to tack {{U}} {{U}} 10 {{/U}}
{{/U}}surcharges for risky driving.