2013年四级单项选择阅读理解真题附答案(2)

　　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 anddominated 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’tacknow-ledge the lengths to which the company went to reinvent itself. Decades ago, Kodakanticipated that digital photography would overtake film — and in fact, Kodak invented thefirst digital camera in 1975 — but in a fateful decision, the company chose to shelf its newdiscovery to focus on its traditional film business.

　　It wasn’t that Kodak was blind to the future, said Rebecca Henderson, a professor at HarvardBusiness School, but rather that it failed to execute on a strategy to confront it. By the timethe 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 alot of money trying to do so, but ultimately failed. Large companies have a difficult timeswitching into new markets because there is a temptation to put existing assets into the newbusinesses.

　　Although Kodak anticipated the inevitable rise of digital photography, its corporate(企业的)culture was too rooted in the successes of the past for it to make the clean break necessary tofully embrace the future. They were a company stuck in time. Their history was so important tothem. Now their history has become a liability.

　　Kodak’s downfall over the last several decades was dramatic. In 1976, the companycommanded 90% of the market for photographic film and 85% of the market for cameras. Butthe 1980s brought new competition from Japanese film company Fuji Photo, which underminedKodak by offering lower prices for film and photo supplies. Kodak’s decision not to pursue therole of official film for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics was a major miscalculation. The bid wentinstead to Fuji, which exploited its sponsorship to win a permanent foothold in themarketplace.

　　62. What do we learn about Kodak?

　　A) It went bankrupt all of a sudden.

　　B) It is approaching its downfall.

　　C) It initiated the digital revolution in the film industry.

　　D) It is playing a dominant role in the film market.

　　63. Why does the author mention Kodak’s invention of the first digital camera?

　　A) To show its early attempt to reinvent itself.

　　B) To show its effort to overcome complacency.

　　C) To show its quick adaptation to the digital revolution.

　　D) To show its will to compete with Japan’s Fuji photo.

　　64. Why do large companies have difficulty switching to new markets?

　　A) They find it costly to give up their existing assets.

　　B) They tend to be slow in confronting new challenges.

　　C) They are unwilling to invest in new technology.

　　D) They are deeply stuck in their glorious past.

　　65. What does the author say Kodak’s history has become?

　　A) A burden.

　　B) A mirror.

　　C) A joke.

　　D) A challenge.

　　66. What was Kodak’s fatal mistake?

　　A) Its blind faith in traditional photography.

　　B) Its failure to see Fuji photo’s emergence.

　　C) Its refusal to sponsor the 1984 Olympics.

　　D) Its overconfidence in its corporate culture.


 

　　【总评】本文为我们分析了柯达公司虽然看到了市场前景，但是并没有在战略上把握机会，等意识到错误时，已经为时已晚，并最终走向衰败。对于一出生就接触各种数码产品的考生来说，柯达也许是个并不熟悉的企业，这或许会对阅读带来一定影响。而且本文也有不少商务用语，如strategy(战略，策略)、sponsorship(赞助)，及一些关键词如anticipate(预期、预计)等，难度并不算小。所以平时对于词汇的积累是快速理解阅读内容的关键。

　　62. B. It's approaching its downfall.

　　【解析】细节题。从全文第一句中的bankruptcy (破产) 以及第二段第一句Although many attributeKodak's downfall to "complacency"... 可知柯达已经衰落了。所以正确答案为B。

　　根据第全文第一句…a sad, though not unexpected turning point… 可知柯达的衰败，是早有预期的，而不是突然的，排除答案A. It went bankrupt all of a sudden;

　　根据第一段最后一句... but ultimately failed to adapt to the digital revolution可知柯达最终没有适应数字革命，排除答案C. It initiated the digital revolution in the film industry;

　　根据第一段内容，dominate用的是过去分词形式，即柯达在胶卷市场占主导地位是过去的事实，而非现今，排除答案D. It is playing the dominant role in the film market.

　　63. A. To show its early attempt to reinvent itself.

　　【解析】推理题。柯达发明第一台数码相机的例子出现在第二段，该段一开始指出很多人将柯达的衰败归结于柯达的自满，但是这个解释并没有承认柯达在自我改造上做出的努力。接下来作者用柯达发明了第一台数码相机来例证柯达在reinvent上的尝试。所以正确答案为A。

　　答案C. To show its quick adaptation to the digital revolution.与第一段最后一句ultimately failedto adapt to the digital revolution. 相冲突，且发明了第一台数码相机并不足以说明其顺应了数码革命。

　　64. D. They are deeply stuck in their glorious past.

　　【解析】细节题。根据题干关键词large companies和switch定位到第四段最后一句Large companieshave a difficult time switching to new markets because there is a temptation to put existingassets into the new businesses. 根据此句可知，大公司不能进入新市场的原因是他们在开创新业务的过程中，依然不愿放弃现有的优势。接来下第五段用柯达的事例继续阐释了这句话的含义，即 too rooted in thesuccesses of the past for it to make the clean break necessary to fully embrace the future，沉溺于过去的辉煌，而不能完全拥抱未来。所以正确答案为D. They are deeply stuck in their glorious past.

　　65. A. A burden.

　　【解析】细节题。根据第五段最后一句话Their history was so important to them. Now their historyhas become a liability.可知柯达的历史已成自身发展的负担。burden是对liability的同义转换。所以正确答案为A。

　　66. C. Its refusal to sponsor the 1984 Olympics.

　　【解析】细节题。最后一段第一句说柯达在过去几十年间的衰败是戏剧性的。之后通过一个个例子来举例说明。从文中Kodak’s decision not to pursue the role of official film for the 1984 Los AngelesOlympics was a major miscalculation.可知柯达犯的主要错误是没有赞助1984年的奥林匹克。而对手富士拿到了竞标，并由此赢得了市场上的永久立足点。所以正确答案为C。