Question

(2013·高考山东卷，D)Sparrow is a fast­food 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 fast­food 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 fast­food 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’ spending power.Finally，the owner accepted his idea.

The campaign itself changed the traditional advertising style of the fast­food 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 fast­food 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 fast­food chains.

D．Other fast­food 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 learn 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.C

2.D

3.A

4.B

5.B

【解析】本文为一篇记叙文。主要讲述了Sparrow快餐店的CEO Carl Pearson在Sparrow经营不善的情况下，采用了一种新的广告宣传方式，与顾客之间建立了一种积极的关系，吸引了潜在的顾客，使它最终成为了最著名的快餐连锁店之一。本文皆在告诉读者新颖的经营理念决定着企业的命运。

1.

2.2】解析：选D。词义猜测题。画线单词them前面提到Sparrow已有的顾客对连锁店抱着积极的态度，而其他快餐店的顾客不愿意离开别的快餐店，由此可知them指代的是“其他的快餐连锁店”，故选D项。

3.3】解析：选A。细节理解题。根据第三段中的Such an attempt to establish a positive relationship between a company and the general public was unusual for that time.可知Pearson发动广告宣传的目的是为了与公众建立一种良好的关系。句中的positive与选项A中的good对应，因此选A项。

4.4】解析：选B。细节理解题。根据第四段中的The TV ads of Sparrow focused on enterainment and featured original songs performed by a variety of stars.可知广告是靠新颖的原创歌曲来吸引人的，故选项B为答案。第四段中的第一句指的是改变了传统的广告模式，而不是改变了人们对流行明星的看法，因此选项A是错误的；根据第四段的最后一句Instead of showing the superiority of a specific product...可知选项C“注重产品的优势”是错误的；选项D“影响了观众的饮食习惯”在文中未提及。

5.5】解析：选B。推理判断题。根据最后两段中的内容，Pearson又作出了其他决定，树立了Sparrow的新形象，他的努力获得了成功，Sparrow成了最成功的快餐连锁店之一，可知Pearson的成就是使Sparrow更有竞争力了，故答案为B。选项A“他设法还清了Sparrow的债务”，选项C“他帮助Sparrow接管了一家公司”以及选项D“他提高了Sparrow员工的福利”在文中均未提及。