单选题
Amazon has given in to publisher pressure and agreed to abandon their $9.99 price point for e-Books. PuNisher Macmillan felt that the $9.99 price devalued many of its bestsellers, which often sell for $30 in hardcover format. In response to the pricing dispute, Amazon briefly removed all Macmillan books from its store last week. However, the boycott lasted only a few days before Amazon gave in to Macmillan's demands. In a statement Sunday, Amazon defended its position to customers: Macmillan, one of the "big six" publishers, has clearly communicated to us that, regardless of our viewpoint, they are committed to switching to an agency model and charging $12.99 to $14.99 for e-Book versions of bestsellers and most hardcover releases. We have expressed our strong disagreement and the seriousness of our disagreement by temporarily ceasing the sale of all Macmillan titles. We want you to know that ultimately, however, we will have to capitulate and accept Macmillan's terms because Macmillan has a monopoly over their own titles, and we will want to offer them to you even at prices we believe are needlessly high for e-Books. Amazon's decision to throw in the towel may be related to Macmillan's recent agreement to sell books in Apple's iBookstore. Amazon has captured an overwhelming share of the e-Book market with its Kindle reader, but if the iPad becomes successful publishers may turn to Apple to sell their e-Books. Publishers seem more interested in protecting the value of their hardcover books than competing in a digital format. Will higher e-Book prices convince you to purchase a physical copy of your next novel, or will you accept a modest price increase given that e-Books are typically cheaper?
单选题
What can be said of the pricing dispute between Amazon and Macmillan? A. Macmillan won the dispute. B. Amazon won the dispute. C. Neither of them won the dispute. D. Customers enjoyed the dispute.
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】[解析] 根据文章第二段最后一句“However,the boycott lasted onlv a few davs before Amazon gave in to Macmillan's demands．”可知，抵制运动只持续了几天，亚马逊公司就对麦 克米伦公司的要求作出让步。所以，在这场价格争端中，麦克米伦公司取得了胜利。据此判 断，答案是A。
单选题
"To throw in the towel" in the last but one paragraph means______ A. to make up one's mind to try something B. to indicate your disagreement C. to threaten to fight back D. to admit that you have been defeated
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】[解析] 该短语意为扔掉毛巾、拱手认输。据此判断，答案是D。
单选题
What accounted for Amazon's failure to continue its boycott according to its statement? A. Amazon's cowardice. B. Macmillan's arrogance. C. Amazon's generosity. D. Macmillan's monopoly.
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】[解析] 根据文章第五段“We want you to know that ultimately however we will have to capitulate and accept Macmillan's terms because Macmillan has a monopoly over their own titles， and we will want to offer them to you even at prices we believe are needlessly high for e-Books．” 可知，还是想让大家知道我们不得不作出让步并最终接受麦克米伦公司的条款，因为他们垄 断了自己所有的版权，我们不得不以虚高的价格来出售。所以，亚马逊联合抵制的失败是因 为麦克米伦的垄断。据此判断，答案是D。
单选题
Which of the following is true? A. Macmillan preferred to sell traditional books rather than e-Books. B. Apple made more profit than Amazon in selling e-Books. C. Macmillan intended to increase its e-Book market. D. Amazon was ready to sell e-Books at lower prices.