Question

阅读表达

Sam Walton, the founder of Wal-Mart, was born in Kingfish, Oklahoma on March 29, 1918. He was raised in Missouri where he worked in his father’s store while attending school. This was his first retailing(零售业)experience and he really enjoyed it. After graduation, he began his own career as a retail merchant.

He soon opened his first Wal-Mart store in 1962 in Rogers, Arkansas. Wal-Mart specialized in name brands at low prices and Sam Walton was surprised at the success. Soon a chain of Wal-Mart stores sprang up across rural America.

Walton’s management style was popular with employees and he founded some of the basic concepts of management that are still in use today.

After taking the company public in 1970, Walton introduced his “profit sharing plan”. The profit sharing plan was a plan for Wal-Mart employees to improve their income dependent on the profits of the store. Sam Walton believed that “individuals don’t win, teams do”. Employees at Wal-Mart stores were offered stock options(认股权)and store discounts. These benefits are commonplace today, but Walton was among the first to implement (实现) them. Walton believed that a happy employee meant happy customers and more sales. He also believed that by giving employees a part of the company and making their success dependent on the company’s success, they would care about the company.

By the 1980s, Wal-Mart had sales of over one billion dollars and over three hundred stores across North America. Wal-Mart’s unique decentralized (分散的) distribution system, also Walton’s idea, created the edge needed to further encourage growth in the 1980s during growing complaints that the “superstore” was stopping smaller and traditional stores from developing. By 1991, Wal-Mart was the largest US retailer with 1,700 stores. Walton remained active in managing the company, as president and CEO until 1988 and chairman until his death. He was awarded the Medal of Freedom shortly before his death.

1.What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 1 refer to?  (No more than 5 words)

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2.How did Walton’s first Wal-mart store achieve success?  (No more than 10 words)

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3.What’s the purpose of Walton’s carrying out “profit sharing plan”?  (No more than 15 words)

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4.What’s the main idea of the last paragraph?  (No more than 10 words)

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5.What do you think of Sam Walton? Give your reasons.  (No more than 20 words)

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Answer

1.His first retailing experience.

2.It specialized in name brands at low prices./By specializing in name brands at low prices.

3.To improve the employees’ income dependent on the profits of the store./To make the employees’ success dependent on the company’s success./To make the employees happy and promote sales./To encourage the employees to care about the company.

4.The great achievements / success of Wal-Mart (and Sam Walton)./The great development / success of Wal-Mart.

5.I think he is / was a talented businessman / active and creative. （He made Wal-Mart a great success.）（He introduced “profit sharing plan” and promoted sales./He founded some concepts of management that are still in use today.）（He developed his unique management style.）

【解析】

本文是一篇记叙文，介绍了沃尔玛创始人山姆·沃尔顿的成就及成功之道。

1.词义猜测题。根据画线词前的“This was his first retailing(零售业)experience”可知，这是他的第一次零售经历，由此可知it指的就是“他的第一次零售经历”，故填：His first retailing experience。

2.细节理解题。根据第二段中的“Wal-Mart specialized in name brands at low prices and Sam Walton was surprised at the success.”可知，沃尔玛以低价专营名牌商品而大获成功，故填：It specialized in name brands at low prices./By specializing in name brands at low prices。

3.细节理解题。根据第四段中的“The profit sharing plan was a plan for Wal-Mart employees to improve their income dependent on the profits of the store.”，“Sam Walton believed that “individuals don’t win, teams do””及“Walton believed that a happy employee meant happy customers and more sales. He also believed that by giving employees a part of the company and making their success dependent on the company’s success, they would care about the company.”可知，利润分享计划是沃尔玛员工依靠门店利润提高收入的计划，山姆·沃尔顿相信“个人不会赢，团队会赢”，他认为，快乐的员工意味着快乐的顾客和更多的销售，他还认为，通过让员工成为公司的一部分，让他们的成功依赖于公司的成功，他们会关心公司，欧此可知，

沃尔顿实施“利润分享计划”的目的是依靠商店的利润提高员工的收入/依靠公司的成功来促进员工成功/使员工快乐并促进销售/鼓励员工关心公司，故填：To improve the employees’ income dependent on the profits of the store./To make the employees’ success dependent on the company’s success./To make the employees happy and promote sales./To encourage the employees to care about the company。

4.主旨大意题。根据最后一段内容，特别是根据“By the 1980s, Wal-Mart had sales of over one billion dollars and over three hundred stores across North America.”及“By 1991, Wal-Mart was the largest US retailer with 1,700 stores.”可知，到20世纪80年代，沃尔玛在北美的销售额超过10亿美元，门店超过300家；到1991年，沃尔玛已成为美国最大的零售商，拥有1700家门店，由此可知，本段主要讲的是沃尔玛的成功，故填：The great achievements / success of Wal-Mart (and Sam Walton)./The great development / success of Wal-Mart。

5.主观题。抓住要点并给出合理的原因即可，如：他是一个有天赋的（有创造性的）商人，因为他经营的沃尔玛取得了巨大的成功/实施了利润分享计划/他创立了一些至今仍在使用的管理理念，故填：I think he is / was a talented businessman / active and creative. （He made Wal-Mart a great success.）（He introduced “profit sharing plan” and promoted sales.）（He founded some concepts of management that are still in use today.）（He developed his unique management style.）