Question

    No matter how much weight she lost or how often she exercised, Lisa Rudes Sandel couldn’t flatten her stomach. And she was fine with that until low-rise jeans came along.

“I couldn’t fit into my regular size six,” recalls Rudes Sandel, who had to go three sizes bigger to find a pair that fit. “They were uncomfortable, and they felt like they would fall down. I wondered, ‘Why isn’t someone making nice jeans for women with a figure like mine?’” Like many entrepreneurs, Rudes Sandel turned her complaint into a business opportunity. The founder of Not Your Daughter’s Jeans (NYDJ) has created a multimillion-dollar business simply by designing jeans for women with womanly bodies.

Since its launch (开业) seven years ago, NYDJ has become the largest manufacturer of women’s jeans under $100 in America. The company ships more than 40,000 pairs per week to 2,000 stores and 20 countries, from Australia to Canada. Not bad for a girl who dreamed of becoming a plastic surgeon- until she took a biology course at UCLA.

With only an idea and very little money, Rudes Sandel and her sister, Leslie, called on the family for help. Even with the family’s connections, NYDJ had growing pains. “Fabric sellers would only give us seven days to pay them,” she says. “We had to pick up small orders ourselves because they wouldn’t drop them off. We had to prove ourselves at every point.” But gradually, they did. They started with old-fashioned word of mouth, then took out newspaper ads, landed the Good Housekeeping Seal, and hired a PR (public relations) firm to really make NYDJ a big-name company. “Today,” says Rudes Sandel, “my biggest problem is I can’t ship fast enough.” That’s a problem any entrepreneur would love to have.

“The truth is,” Rudes Sandel says, “I’ve never forgotten that woman I’ve been aiming for since day one.” She addresses herself jokingly in a note attached to every pair of jeans: “NYDJ cannot be held responsible for any positive consequence that may arise due to your attractive appearance when wearing our jeans. You can thank me later.”

1.Why did Rudes Sandel start NYDJ?

A.It had been her dream since graduation.

B.She wasn’t satisfied with her body shape.

C.The jeans business was quite profitable back then.

D.She couldn’t buy nice and comfortable jeans to wear.

2.What is Paragraph 4 mainly about?

A.The competition NYDJ faced during its start-up stage.

B.The challenges NYDJ met and how they were handled.

C.The methods Rudes Sandel used to advertise her company.

D.Help and support given to Rudes Sandel by her family members.

3.Which of the following can best describe Rudes Sandel?

A.Far-sighted and determined.

B.Honest and responsible.

C.Ambitious and sensitive.

D.Innocent and single-minded.

4.The words Rudes Sandel used to address herself in the last paragraph show _______.

A.a sense of doubt B.a sense of humor

C.a sense of pity D.a sense of care

Answer

1.D

2.B

3.A

4.B

【解析】

本文是记叙文。文章讲述了NYDJ创始人Rudes Sandel发现商机，为女性设计舒适的牛仔裤的创业故事。

1.细节理解题。根据第二段中的“They were uncomfortable, and they felt like they would fall down. I wondered, ‘Why isn’t someone making nice jeans for women with a figure like mine?’” Like many entrepreneurs, Rudes Sandel turned her complaint into a business opportunity.可知，Rudes Sandel苦于买不到穿着舒适又漂亮的牛仔裤，于是萌生了自己开办一家公司的想法，她把抱怨转化成了商机，创立了NYDJ。故选D项。

2.主旨大意题。根据第四段的内容可知开始的时候她们没有钱，织物销售商只给七天时间付款，她们只能接小定单，后来因为口碑好，然后在报纸上打广告，公司的名气越来越大。由此可知，本段主要讲述了创业初期NYDJ遇到的挑战以及他们是如何处理这些挑战的。故选B项。

3.推理判断题。根据第二段中的Like many entrepreneurs, Rudes Sandel turned her complaint into a business opportunity.可知，Rudes Sandel把抱怨变成商机，所以是一个有远见的人；根据第四段中的We had to pick up small orders ourselves because they wouldn't drop them off. We had to prove ourselves at every point.(我们不得不自己接小订单，因为他们不肯送。我们必须在每一点上证明自己)可知，Rudes Sandel是一个有决心的人。故选A项。

4.推理判断题。根据最后一段中的She addresses herself jokingly in a note attached to every pair of jeans: "NYDJ cannot be held responsible for any positive consequence that may arise due to your attractive appearance when wearing our jeans. You can thank me later."(她在每一条牛仔裤上都贴着一张便条，开玩笑地说：“您穿了我们的牛仔裤后会拥有绝美外形，对于这外形给您带来的任何好事情，NYDJ概不负责，您可以日后再感谢我”) 可知，Rudes Sandel是用反衬的形式为自己的公司打广告，风趣幽默。故选B项。