阅读理解
Passage Two
Questions 62 to 66 are based on the following passage.
Kodak's decision to file for bankruptcy (破产) protection is a sad, though not unexpected, turning point for a leading American corporation that pioneered consumer photography and dominated the film market for decades, but ultimately failed to adapt
to the digital revolution.
Although many attribute Kodak's downfall to "complacency (自满) , " that explanation doesn't acknowledge the lengths to which the company went to reinvent itself. Decades ago, Kodak anticipated that digital photography would overtake film - and in fact, Kodak invented the first digital camera in 1975 - but in a fateful decision, the company chose to shelf its new discovery to focus on its traditional film business.
It wasn't that Kodak was blind to the future, said Rebecca Henderson, a professor at Harvard Business School, but rather that it failed to execute on a strategy to confront it. By the time the company realized its mistake, it was too late.
Kodak is an example of a firm that was very much aware that they had to adapt, and spent a lot of money trying to do so, but ultimately failed. Large companies have a
difficult time switching to new markets because there is a temptation to put existing assets into the new businesses.
Although Kodak anticipated the inevitable rise of digital photography, its corporate culture was too rooted in the successes of the past for it to make the clean break necessary to fully embrace the future. They were a company stuck in time. Their history was so important to them. Now their history has become a liability.
Kodak's downfall over the last several decades was dramatic. In 1976, the company commanded 90% of the market for photographic film and 85% of the market for cameras.
But the 1980s brought new competition from Japanese film company Fuji Photo, which
undermined Kodak by offering lower prices for film and photo supplies. Kodak's decision not to pursue the role of official film for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics was a major miscalculation. The bid went instead to Fuji, which exploited its sponsorship to win a permanent foothold in the marketplace.
单选题
What do we learn about Kodak?
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】[解析] 定位到第1段。
文章开篇即提到柯达公司申请破产保护(file for bankrupt protection)，且第2段及第6段均提到Kodak's downfall，由此可知柯达正处衰落期，故B正确。
首段提到柯达的申请破产保护的决定是not unexpected，即意料之中的，A说这是突然的(au of a sudden)与文意相反，故可排除；首段提到柯达是胶卷摄影业的先驱，但却因不能适应数字革命而面临倒闭，虽然第2段有提到柯达在1975年发明第一台数码相机，但它随后即将之束之高阁，继续专注于传统的胶卷业，故不能说“它引领胶卷业数字革命”，C错误；由首段可知，柯达在过去的确在胶卷业占统治地位，但并非现在，D属于时态错误。
单选题
Why does the author mention Kodak's invention of the first digital camera?
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】[解析] 根据题干中的invention of the first digital camera定位到第2段。
题干中提到的柯达发明首台数码相机的事例出现在第2段第2句。举例都是为了论点服务的，故可在例证的前后寻找论点句。例证前一句提到，柯达曾经有一长段时间致力于重新改造自己(reinvent itself)，而发明新产品正好说明该公司在改造自己，A中的reinvent itself复现了原文信息，故为本题答案。
第2段首句中的doesn't acknowledge(没有认识到)就否定了“柯达公司自满”的说法，既然根本不存在“自满情绪”，B中的“克服自满情绪的努力”就无从说起；文中多次提到柯达公司不能适应数字革命，故C的“很快适应数字革命”与文意相反；由最后一段可知，来自富士的竞争是从20世纪80年代开始的，故柯达在1975年发明数码相机时不会考虑到要与富士竞争，D错误。
单选题
Why do large companies have difficulty switching to new markets?
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】[解析] 根据题干中的switching to new markets定位到第4、5段。
第4段末句的主句内容“大公司在转向新市场时总会遇到麻烦”对应题干，故because后的内容即为本题答案。该句提到大公司总想把现有的资本投入到新业务中去，而第5段则以柯达公司为例作了详细的解释，过分植根于过去的成功(too rooted in the success of the past)，D中的“陷在辉煌的过去”(stuck in their glorious past)与此对应，故为本题答案。
本题的直接解题句是because引导的从句，但四个选项都没有明显与该句对应的，此时考生需将目光往下看，就可发现D所述与第5段的内容对应，据此就能选出答案。A“它们认为放弃现有资产成本很高”、B“它们往往在应对新挑战时反应缓慢”及C“它们不愿意在新科技中投入”均属于主观臆断，与第4、5段的内容无关。
单选题
What does the author say Kodak's history has become?
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】[解析] 根据题干中的Kodak's history定位到第5段。
第5段最后两句提到，柯达的历史对它非常重要，而现在历史已成为了它的负担(liability)，A中的burden与文中的liability同义，故为答案。
本题的解题关键词是liability，考生若不知道其准确词义，可通过上下文语境来进行推断。第5段提到，柯达公司过分依赖过去的成功(too rooted in the success of the past)，以致其无法完全打破传统充分拥抱未来，柯达深陷在时间里。第5段中的past和time都与history同义，故可知，过去的历史成了阻碍公司发展的东西，成了一种累赘或不利因素，选项中只有burden与此语义接近，故确定A为答案。B“镜子”；C“笑话”；D“挑战”。
单选题
What was Kodak's fatal mistake?
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】[解析] 根据题干中的fatal mistake定位到第2段末句。
第2段末句明确提到，在发明了首台数码相机后，柯达公司作了一个“致命的决定”(a fateful decision)：将新发明放到一边去(shelf its new discovery)，主攻传统的胶卷业务；第3段末提到，后来该公司意识到这是一个错误(realized．its mistake)。A“盲目坚守其传统摄影业务”，是对该错误决定的概括，故为答案。
最后一段虽然提到富士的兴起，蚕食了柯达的市场份额，但并没有提到柯达对此有没有作出应对措施，B“没有看到富士胶片公司的兴起”无原文根据；C“拒绝赞助1984年的奥运会”是最后一段提到的柯达公司的重大错误(a major miscalculation)，该错误使得富士在市场上立稳脚根，但对柯达公司来说并非“致命的”，文章多次提到柯达的倒闭是因为不能适应数字革命，没有及时革新，故C排除；第2段首句已否定了柯达的倒闭是由于自满，故D“对企业文化的过度自信”错误。