Question

Sparrow is a fast-food chain with 200 restaurants. Some years ago, the group to which Sparrow belonged was taken over by another company. Although Sparrow showed no sign of declining, the chain was generally in an unhealthy state. With more and more fast-food concepts reaching the market, the Sparrow menu had to struggle for attention. And to make matters worse, its new owner had no plans to give it the funds it required.

Sparrow failed to grow for another two years. Until a new CEO, Carl Pearson, decided to build up its market share. He did a survey, which showed that consumers who already used Sparrow restaurants were extremely positive about the chain, while customers of other fast-food chains were unwilling to turn away from them. Sparrow had to develop a new promotional campaign.

Pearson faced a battle over the future of the Sparrow brand. The chain’s owner now favored rebranding Sparrow as Marcy’s restaurants. Pearson resisted, arguing for an advertising campaign designed to convince customers that visits to Sparrow restaurants were fun. Such an attempt to establish a positive relationship between a company and the general public was unusual for that time. Pearson strongly believed that numbers were the key to success, rather than customers’ speeding power. Finally, the owner accepted his idea.

The campaign itself changed the traditional advertising style of the fast-food industry. The TV ads of Sparrow focused on entertainment and featured original songs performed by a variety of stars. Instead of showing the superiority of a specific product, the intention was to put Sparrow in the hearts of potential customers.

Pearson also made other decisions which he believed would contribute to the new Sparrow image. For example, he offered to lower the rent of any restaurants which achieved a certain increase in their turnover (营业额) .

These efforts paid off, and Sparrow soon became one of the most successful fast-food chains in the regions where it operated.

1.Which was one of the problems Sparrow faced before Pearson became CEO?

A．The number of its customers was declining

B．Its customers found the food unhealthy

C．It was in need of financial support

D．Most of its restaurants were closed

2.What does the underlined word “them” in Paragraph 2 refer to?

A．Customers of Sparrow restaurants           B．Sparrow restaurants

C．Customers of other fast-food chains         D．other fast-food chains

3.For what purpose did Pearson start the advertising campaign?

A．To build a good relationship with the public

B．To stress the unusual tradition of Sparrow

C．To lean about customers’ spending power.

D．To meet the challenge from Marcy’s restaurants.

4.The TV ads of Sparrow ________ .

A．changed people’s views on pop stars

B．amused the public with original songs

C．focused on the superiority of its products

D．influenced the eating habits of the audience

5.What was Pearson’s achievement as a CEO?

A．He managed to pay off Sparrow’s debts.

B．He made Sparrow much more competitive

C．He helped Sparrow take over a company

D．He improved the welfare of Sparrow employees

 

Answer 1

【答案】

1.C

2.D

3.A

4.B

5.B

【解析】

1.细节理解题。根据首段末句“And to make matters worse, its new owner had no plans to give it the funds it required”可知答案为C。

2.词义猜测题。根据单词所在的语境句“consumers who already used Sparrow restaurants were extremely positive about the chain, while customers of other fast-food chains were unwilling to turn away from them”可知，while表示对比，前后句结构相似：那些Sparrow的顾客对Sparrow连锁很支持，而其他快餐食物连锁的顾客却不愿意离开它们。显然，此处的它们即是指其他快餐连锁。

3.细节理解题。根据第三段话“Such an attempt to establish a positive relationship between a company and the general public was unusual for that time”可知，他所做广告的目的是建立公司与公众的良好关系。故选A。

4.细节理解题。根据倒数第三段话“The TV ads of Sparrow focused on entertainment and featured original songs performed by a variety of stars”可知答案为B。

5.细节理解题。根据文章末段“These efforts paid off, and Sparrow soon became one of the most successful fast-food chains in the regions where it operated”可知，他的努力是成功的，使公司更具竞争力。故答案选B