Section Ⅱ Reading Comprehension
Part A
Directions:
Read the following four texts. Answer the questions below each text by choosing A, B, C or D. Mark your answers on the ANSWER SHEET. (40 points)
Text 1
Rarely have the Christmas results for Britain’s supermarkets been awaited with such anxiety. Most of them, especially the market leader, Tesco, struggled in 2014. The hard-discount stores, Aldi and Lidl, continued to undercut them, gobbling up market share, while falling food prices ate into their profits.
Asda’s boss, Andrew Clarke, has warned of more challenging times ahead. Yet the lesson from these results is clear. Grocers with a clearly defined position in the market will continue to prosper, but for those without one there is more pain to come. Thus Waitrose, for instance, has remained res- olutely and distinctly posh. It has refused to chase the upstart discounters by reducing prices, as mid-market rivals have done.
Natalie Berg of Planet Retail, a research organization argues that the key to survival in a fero- ciously competitive groceries market is to offer the customer a brand that is “clear, targeted and con- sistent.” Waitrose, at the top end of the market, does this well, as do Lidl and Aldi at the bottom. The rest are stranded in the middle, trying to be all things to all people. This week, for instance, As da, Sainsbury’s and Tesco announced further price cuts. That might fend off the discounters for a bit. It will also muddy perceptions of who their target customers really are.
But it is not all gloom for the supermarkets. A more clement economic environment should help all of them. Tumbling fuel prices and—a novelty, this—rising real wages will put more money in shoppers’ pockets. The results also demonstrate that supermarkets are rewarded for a strong inter- net presence. Again, Waitrose has done well here: grocery sales through its online service grew by 26% over the Christmas period compared with a year ago. Most of the supermarkets are trying out new digital gizmos to make shopping easier. Waitrose is experimenting with a home-scanning de- vice called Hiku. This will allow people to scan barcodes on Waitrose products at home to add them to their online shopping basket.
There are grounds for optimism even at Tesco, argues Bryan Roberts, an analyst at Kantar Re- tail. For a couple of years its stores in London have done better than those in the rest of the country. Store managers in the capital have enjoyed more autonomy to fill their shelves with products suited to the people who live or work in the local area. Devolution seems simple, but effective.
21. Which of the following is NOT Aldi and Lidi have done to most of Britain’s supermarkets?
[A] Undercut them.
[B] Ate into their profits.
[C] Gobbled up their market share.
[D] Made their food costs increase.
22. The clear lessen in Paragraph 2 means grocers should _______ .
[A] chase the upstart discounters
[B] have target market
[C] reduce prices
[D] have middle-market rivals
23. We can learn from Paragraph 3 that _______ .
[A] Asda is at the top end of the market
[B] Lidi and Aldi are in the middle of the market
[C] Waitrose will muddy its target customers
[D] Tesco is stranded in the middle of the market
24. The word “gizmos” (Para. 4) probably means _______ .
[A] technologies [B] means
[C] devices [D] products
25. It can be concluded from the last paragraph that _______ .
[A] devolution is an effective way to increase sales
[B] there is no reason for Tesco to be pessimistic
[C] Tesco should merge its stores in the rest of the country
[D] Tesco’s stores in London miss local trends
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