单选题 "What does the middleman do but add to the price of goods in the shops?" Such remarks are aimed at the intermediate operations between manufacturers and final customers. This practice usually attracts a lot of attention from the public and the press and the operation most talked about is what is often called wholesaling.
The wholesaler buys goods in large quantities from the manufacturers and sells them in smaller parcels to retailers, and for this service his selling price to the retailer is raised several percent higher. But his job is made more difficult by retail demand not necessarily running level with manufacturers' production. Because he adjusts or regulates the flow of goods by holding stock Until required, he frees the manufacturer, to some extent, from the effect on production of changing demand and having to bear the whole risk.
The manufacturer can then keep up a steady production flow, and the retailer has no need to hold heavy stocks, who can call on the wholesaler for supplies any time. This wholesale function is like that of a valve in a water pipe. The middleman also bears part of the risk that would otherwise fall on the manufacturer and also the retailer.
The wholesaler provides a purely commercial service, for which he is too well rewarded. But the point that is missed by many people is that the wholesaler is not just someone adding to the cost of goods. It is true one could eliminate the wholesaler but one would still be left with his function: that of making sure that goods find their way to the people who want them.

单选题 "Middleman" in the passage almost equals to all the following in meaning EXCEPT ______.

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】[解析] 本题考查词义理解。根据文章第一段前两句“What does the middleman do but add to the price of goods in the shops?”“Such remarks are aimed at the intermediate operations between manufacturers and final customers．”可知，Middleman应该是负责制造商和客户之间的业务。Middleman“经纪人，中间人”；go-between“媒介者，中间人”；intermediary“中间人，调解人”；wholesaler“批发商”；manufacturer“制造业者，厂商”。由此可知，答案是C。

单选题 "This practice" in Paragraph 1 most probably refers to the fact that the middleman ______.

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】[解析] 本题考查推理判断。根据文章第一段后两句“Such remarks are aimed at the intermediate operations between manufacturers and final customers．This practice usually attracts a lot of attention from the public and the press and the operation most talked about is what is often called wholesaling．”可知，practice指代上文的intermediate operations between manufacturers and final customers，所以是指批发商的行为。据此推断，答案是B。

单选题 The wholesaler obtains higher selling prices for ______.

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】[解析] 本题考查细节理解。根据文章第二段第一句中的“The wholesaler buys goods in large quantities from the manufacturers and sells them in smaller parcels to retailers, and for this service his selling price to the retailer is raised several percent higher．”可知，批发商卖上高价钱是因为他的服务。所以，答案是C。

单选题 A middleman's work may become difficult because ______.

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】[解析] 本题考查细节理解。根据文章第二段第二句的“...his job is made more difficult by retail demand not necessarily running level with manufacturers' production．”可知，中间商的工作变得困难是因为零售需求与生产商的产品不同。所以，答案是B。

单选题 The wholesaler regulates the flow of goods by ______.

单选题 The middleman relieves the producer of ______.

【正确答案】 A

【答案解析】[解析] 本题考查细节理解。根据文章第二段最后一句“He frees the manufacturer, to some extent, from the effect on production of changing demand and having to bear the whole risk．”可知，一定程度上，中间商会使生产商免受需求变化和承担风险的影响。据此推断，答案是A。

单选题 What function of the wholesaler is compared to a valve?

【正确答案】 A

【答案解析】[解析] 本题考查推理判断。根据文章第三段第一句话“The manufacturer can then keep up a steady production flow, and the retailer has no need to hold heavy stocks, who can call on the wholesaler for supplies any time．”可知，制造商可以保持一个稳定的生产流程，零售商不必拥有大量现货，随时可以向批发商请求供货。批发商控制货物流动的功能就像一个阀门。所以，答案是A。

单选题 Which of the following statements is true?

【正确答案】 D

【答案解析】[解析] 本题考查是非判断。根据文章第四段第一句“The wholesaler provides a purely commercial service, for which he is too well rewarded．”可知，D项正确。A项“人们离不开批发商”，根据第四段第三句“one could eliminate the wholesaler”可知，A项不正确，故排除；第二段第二行中提到批发商卖给零售商时价格提高了百分之几，第四段中提到someone adding to the cost of goods，所以B、C两项也不正确。所以，答案是D。

单选题 The author quite possibly believes that the function of the wholesaler is ______.

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】[解析] 本题考查作者态度。根据文章最后一句“It is true one could eliminate the wholesaler but one would still be left with his function：that of making sure that goods find their way to the people who want them．”可知，你可以没有批发商，但是他的功能还是在的。即批发商并不是必不可缺的，但是必要的。所以，答案是C。