单选题 {{B}}Text 4{{/B}}

You cannot buy Prada shoes on Prada. com. In fact, there are no working links on the Web site. This is not a technical disorder. Since the late' 9Os, the site has been a single page, with only the name of the Italian fashion house and two photographs. No store locations or help numbers. Nothing. "I love Prada," ponders Nina Dietzel, president of Web-design company 300FeetOut. "But what's up with their 'site' ?"
Prada claims a new Web site is "under development." But having a mysteriously useless home page, it admits, has an allure. It screams exclusivity: you can see, but you can't click. It's a uniquely Prada solution to this riddle: how to make your luxury brand work on the Internet without diminishing its value. In a sense, the Internet is antithetical to the "high touch" luxury experience. There is no indulgence by sales staff, and customers have come to see the Net as a path to cheap prices, not top-dollar goods. There's no velvet rope: anyone can place an order, or set up shop. That's why Prada strives to maintain the link between its name and the extravagant experience of shopping at stores like its $ 40 million New York flagship, designed by Rem Koolhaas.
Unlike Prada, most luxury companies can't afford to ignore the Web: in the United States, ecommerce accounted for $ 2.5 billion in luxury sales. That figure is expected to grow to $ 7 billion by 2010, says Forrester Research. It's still a small fraction of the total market compared to other retail sectors, but five years ago analysts said there was "no way" luxury would sell online. They were betting customers wouldn't pay that much on the Web, and top brands wouldn't go slumming in this bargain basement. One of the first high-end luxury retailers, Ashford. com, had many well-publicized struggles, with its stock dropping to near rock bottom in 2001.
Companies like Neiman Marcus that have strong catalog sales have made the transition to the Web more easily; online sales are the company's fastest-growing source of revenue. Swiss watchmakers Breitling and Patek Philippe have taken another tack with Web sites that offer only information, not sales. Breitling director of marketing Ben Balmer says a luxury brand needs to offer "a buying experience" that only a well-run store can provide. However, he notes that since 2002, it has presented 30 percent fewer catalogs in the United States, and seen sales rise more than 35 percent, thanks to exposure on the Internet. Prada may not need a working Web site after all.

单选题 In the first paragraph, the internet of Prada is mentioned to

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】推理判断题。文章的第一段就讲述Prada网络的奇怪现象，即它的网站不完善，但这里并没有强调网络的重要性，因此可以排除[A]；文章的第二段解释了这种现象的原因，再后面论述的是其他公司网上销售的成功经验，所以文章开头讲述Prada的网站的目的是为了引出下文，介绍网上销售这一主题，因此[C]项是正确的；[B]项内容不是作者论述的主要目的，而[D]项说法不符合文章意思。

单选题 What does the word "antithetical" (Line 4, Paragraph 2) most probably mean?

单选题 Why does Prada ignore the sales on Web.?

单选题 We can infer from the last paragraph that

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】推理判断题。文章最后一段的倒数第二句话...since 2002, it has presented 30 percent fewer catalogs in the United States, and seen sales rise more than 35 percent, thanks to exposure on the Internet．可以看出[C]项是这句话的同义转述。这一段的第一句话...Neiman Marcus... have made the transition to the Web more easily可以推断Neiman Marcus已经转向网站，而不是[A]项说的...has just decided to transit to the Web；同时紧跟的后面的一句话...online sales are the company's fastest-growing source of revenue．也可以推断[B]项的说法也不正确；文章的最后一句话Prada may not need a working Web site after all.，是一种推测的语气，而且是working Web site，并不是说Prada根本不需要网站。

单选题 What is the author's attitude toward the sales on internet?

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】观点态度题。纵观全文，作者虽然以Prada的例子展开全文，但是没有否定网络，在下文里作者表达了对网络销售的肯定态度：第三段举例说明奢侈品品牌不能忽视网络销售，在最后一段还介绍了两个成功应用网络销售的例子，所以作者对网络销售持积极态度。而[A]的pessimistic“消极的”，[B]的 apathetic“漠不关心的”，和[D]的partial“偏袒的”，都不符合文意。