Question

    Light and bright, cheap and cheerful: IKEA’s 400-plus outlets (专营店) in 49 countries all run on the same central principle. Customers do as much of the work as possible, in the belief they are having fun and saving money. You drive to a distant warehouse built on cheap out-of-town land. Inside, you enter a maze (迷宫) — no shortcuts allowed — where every twist reveals new furniture.

Compared with the prices of other outlets, IKEA’s are much lower. You load up your trolley (手推车) with impulse buys-a clock, storage boxes, tools and more chairs than you will ever use. You drag cardboard boxes, cupboards and tables into your car and reward yourself for your economy and good taste. Then you drive home and put your prizes together. You are satisfied with the bargains. IKEA is satisfied with your money.

The company’s name was a do-it-yourself job, too. IKEA stands for Ingvar Kamprad, from Elmtaryd ― his family’s farm — in Agunnaryd. That village is in the Smaland region of southern Sweden. Mr Kamprad founded IKEA aged 17. Well before that, he spotted a principle which would make him one of the richest men in the world that customers like buying goods at wholesale prices (批发价). First he bought matches in large quantities and sold them by the box. Aged ten, he sold pens in the similar way.

Setbacks inspired him. Facing a price war against his low-cost mail-order furniture business, he defeated competitors by opening a showroom. Dealers tried to crush Mr Kamprad and banned him from their trade fairs. He slipped in, hiding in a friend’s car. When they tried to threaten his suppliers, he relied on his own workers, and secretly sold his production to communist Poland. Decades later, east Europeans freed from the planned economy drove hundreds of miles to newly opened outlets in Moscow and Warsaw.

His self-discipline was world-famous. As a child, he removed the “off” button from his alarm clock to stop himself oversleeping. He rarely took a first-class seat. The wine didn’t get you there any earlier, he sniffed; having lots of money was no reason to waste it. He bought his clothes in second-hand markets, and for years drove an elderly Volvo until he had to sell it on safety grounds. He had his hair cut in poor countries to save money. Visitors admired the views, but were surprised that his house was so shabby. He worked well into his eighties.

His diligence and simple way of life set a good example to his 194,000 “co-workers”. But he was not mean. The point of cutting costs was to make goods affordable, not to compromise quality. He urged his staff to reflect constantly on ways of saving money, time and space. An improved design that allows easier piling means shipping less air and more profit.

Culture was more important than strategy. He disliked “exaggerated (夸张的) planning”, along with financial markets and banks. Better to make mistakes and learn from them. And use time wisely: “You can do so much in ten minutes. But ten minutes once gone are gone for good.” This did not apply to customers. The longer they stayed, the better.

Mr Kamprad’s impact on modern life can be compared with that of Henry Ford and the mass-produced motor car. Furniture used to be expensive, dark and heavy. For many people, decorating a home could cost many months’ salary. IKEA made furniture not just affordable and functional, but fun. The mission was civilizational, he felt, changing how people lived and thought.

His approach drew some fire. The company values struck some as unpleasant. At IKEA’s Corporate Culture Centre, lots of pictures of Mr Kamprad with his mottos can be seen everywhere. What’s worse, some parts of the supply chain seemed to have serious problems to overcome.

1.What can we learn about IKEA in Paragraph 1?

A.IKEA prefers rural areas for its location.

B.IKEA has 400 outlets throughout the world.

C.IKEA likes to store new furniture in a maze.

D.IKEA provides a lot of work for its customers.

2.The underlined two sentences in Paragraph 2 imply that ________.

A.IKEA tricks you into spending more money

B.you may buy bargains with impulse in IKEA

C.both you and IKEA are pleased with the deal

D.both you and IKEA are happy with the bargain

3.By mentioning Mr. Kamprad’s experiences before he founded IKEA, the author intends to tell us that Mr Kamprad ________.

A.was likely to become a successful businessman

B.preferred selling matches and pens by low prices

C.had been a well-off merchant due to his principle

D.enjoyed doing something promising with discipline

4.What can be inferred from paragraph 5 and 6 about Mr. Kamprad?

A.He never overslept due to his alarm clock being set.

B.He was against drinking but for sniffing at the wine.

C.He sold the old Volvo with the purpose of saving money. -

D.He didn’t give up the quality of furniture for more profit.

5.Which of the following has nothing to do with Mr. Kamprad’s success in business?

A.The pictures and mottos of Mr. Kamprad.

B.The setbacks Mr. Kamprad experienced.

C.Mr. Kamprad’s principles of management.

D.Mr. Kamprad’s self-discipline and diligence.

Answer

1.A

2.C

3.A

4.D

5.A

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。文章介绍了宜家及其创始人坎普拉德的经历、他的个人品质、公司文化等信息。

1.推理判断题。根据第一段中You drive to a distant warehouse built on cheap out-of-town land. Inside, you enter a maze (迷宫) — no shortcuts allowed — where every twist reveals new furniture.可知，你开车到远处一个建在城外便宜地上的仓库。在里面，你进入了一个迷宫——没有捷径可走——在那里，每一次转弯都展示出新的家具。由此推知，宜家更喜欢农村地区的位置。故选A项。

2.词句猜测题。根据第二段中Then you drive home and put your prizes together. You are satisfied with the bargains. IKEA is satisfied with your money.可知，然后你开车回家，把胜利品放在一起。你对这些便宜货感到满意。宜家对你的钱很满意。由此可知，划线句的意思是“你和宜家都对这笔交易感到满意”。故选C项。

3.推理判断题。根据第三段中Mr Kamprad founded IKEA aged 17. Well before that, he spotted a principle which would make him one of the richest men in the world that customers like buying goods at wholesale prices (批发价). 可知，坎普拉德17岁时创立了宜家。在此之前，他发现了一个让他成为世界上最富有的人的原则：顾客喜欢以批发价购买商品。由此可知，通过提及坎普拉德先生在创立宜家之前的经历，作者想告诉我们坎普拉德先生很有可能成为一个成功的商人。故选A项。

4.推理判断题。根据第六段中But he was not mean. The point of cutting costs was to make goods affordable, not to compromise quality. He urged his staff to reflect constantly on ways of saving money, time and space. An improved design that allows easier piling means shipping less air-and more profit.可知，但他并不刻薄。削减成本的目的是让人们买得起商品，而不是降低质量。他敦促员工不断思考节省资金、时间和空间的方法。更方便打桩的改进设计意味着更少的空运和更多的利润。由此可知，从第5段和第6段我们可以推断出坎普拉德先生他没有为了更多的利润而放弃家具的质量。故选D项。

5.细节理解题。根据第三段中Well before that, he spotted a principle which would make him one of the richest men in the world that customers like buying goods at wholesale prices.可知，在此之前，他发现了一个让他成为世界上最富有的人的原则：顾客喜欢以批发价购买商品。第四段中Setbacks inspired him.可知，挫折激励他。第五段中His self-discipline was world-famous.可知，他的自律举世闻名。以及第六段中His diligence and simple way of life set a good example to his 194,000 “co-workers”.可知，他勤奋朴素的生活方式为他的194,000名“同事”树立了良好的榜样。最后一段中The company values struck some as unpleasant. At IKEA’s Corporate Culture Centre, lots of pictures of Mr Kamprad with his mottos can be seen everywhere.可知，该公司的价值观让一些人感到不快。在宜家的企业文化中心，随处可见坎普拉德先生和他的座右铭的照片。由此可知，与坎普拉德先生在商业上的成功无关的是坎普拉德先生的照片和座右铭。故选A项。