Everyone in business has been told that success is all about attracting and retaining (留住) customers. It
sounds simple and achievable. But, 1 , words of wisdom are soon forgotten. Once companies have attracted
customers they often 2 the second half of the story. In the excitement of beating off the competition,
negotiating prices, securing orders, and delivering the product, managers tend to become carried away. They
forget what they regard as the boring side of business- 3 that the customer remains a customer.
4 to concentrate on retaining as well as attracting customers costs business huge amounts of money
annually. It has been estimated that the average company loses between 10 and 30 per cent of its customers
every years. In constantly changing 5 , this is not surprising. What is surprising is the fact that few companies
have any idea how many customers they have lost.
Only now are organizations beginning to wake up to those lost opportunities and calculate the 6 implications.
Cutting down the number of customers a company loses can make a big 7 in its performance. Research in
the US found that a five per cent decrease in the number of defecting (流失的) customers led to 8 increases
of between 25 and 85 per cent.
In the US, Domino"s Pizza estimates that a regular customer is worth more than $5,000 over ten years. A
customer who receives a poor quality product or service on their first visit and 9 never returns, is losing the
company thousands of dollars in 10 profits (more if you consider how many people they are likely to tell about
their bad experience).
The logic behind cultivating customer 11 is impossible to deny. "In practice most companies" marketing
effort is focused on getting customers, with little attention paid to 12 them", says Adrian Payne of Cornfield
University School of Management. "Research suggests that there is a close relationship between retaining
customers and making profits." 13 customers tend to buy more, are predictable and usually cost less to service
than new customers. Furthermore, they tend to be less price 14 , and may provide free word-of-mouth
advertising. Retaining customers also makes it 15 for competitors to enter a market or increase their share of
a market. |
( )1. A. in particular
( )2. A. emphasize
( )3. A. denying
( )4. A. Moving
( )5. A. markets
( )6. A. culture
( )7. A. promise
( )8. A. cost
( )9. A. as a result
( )10. A. huge
( )11. A. beliefs
( )12. A. altering
( )13. A. Assumed
( )14. A. agreeable
( )15. A. unfair | B. in reality
B. doubt
B. ensuring
B. Hoping
B. tastes
B. social
B. plan
B. opportunity
B. on the whole
B. potential
B. loyalty
B. understanding
B. Respected
B. flexible
B. difficult | C. at least
C. overlook
C. arguing
C. Starting
C. prices
C. financial
C. mistake
C. profit
C. in conclusion
C. extra
C. habits
C. keeping
C. Established
C. friendly
C. essential | D. first of all
D. believe
D. proving
D. Failing
D. expenses
D. economical
D. difference
D. budget
D. on the contrary
D. reasonable
D. interest
D. attracting
D. Unexpected
D. sensitive
D. convenient |
| 1-5. BCBDA 6-10. CDCAB 11-15. BCCDB |
核心考点
试题【Cloze test. Everyone in business has been told that success is all about att】；主要考察你对 题材分类等知识点的理解。 [详细]举一反三
Directions: Read the following text and choose the most suitable heading from A-F for each paragraph.
There is one extra heading which you do not need. | A. Manufacturing industry in information economy.
B. News in the age of information.
C. Argument about individual accounts and their reliability.
D. Be your own investigative journalist.
E. Don"t believe everything you read in the newspapers.
F. Information is presented in an entertaining way. | | 阅读理解。 | As the railroad and the highways shaped the American west in the past centuries, a new electrical
generating (发电) and transmission (输送) system for the 21st century will leave a lasting mark on the
West, for better or worse. Much of the real significance of railroads and highways is not in their direct
physical effect on the scenery, but in the ways that they affect the surrounding community. The same
is true of big solar plants and the power lines that will be laid down to move electricity around.
The 19th century saw land grant (政府拨地) offered to railroad companies to build the transcontinental
railroads, leaving public land in between privately owned land. In much of the West, some of the railroad
sections were developed while others remained underdeveloped, and in both cases the landownership has
presented unique challenges to land management. With the competition of the interstate highway system,
many of the small towns which sprang up as railway stops and developed well, have lost their lifeblood
and died.
Big solar plants and their power lines will also have effects far beyond their direct footprint in the West.
This is not n argument against building them. We need alternative energy badly, and to really take advantage
of it we need to be able to move electricity around far more readily than we can now.
So trade-offs will have to be made. Some scenic spots will be sacrificed. Some species (物种) will be
forced to move, or will be carefully moved to special accommodations. Deals will be struck to reduce the
immediate effects.
The lasting effects of these trade-offs are another matter. The 21st century development of the American
West as an ideal place for alternative energy is going to throw off a lot of power and money in the region.
There are chances for that power and money to do a lot of good. But it is just likely that they will be spent
wastefully and will leave new problems behind, just like the railroads and the highways.
The money set aside in negotiated trade-offs and the institutions that control it will shape the West far
beyond the immediate footprint of power plants and transmission lines. So let"s remember the effects of the
railroads and the highways as we construct these new power plants in the West. | | 1. What was the problem caused by the construction of the railways? | A. Small towns along the railways became abandoned.
B. Some railroad stops remained underused.
C. Land in the West was hard to manage.
D. Land grants went into private hands. | | 2. What is the major concern in the development of alternative energy according to the last two paragraphs? | A. The transmission of power.
B. The use of money and power.
C. The conservation of solar energy.
D. The selection of an ideal place. | | 3. What is the author"s attitude towards building solar plants? | A. Cautious
B. Approving
C. Doubtful
D. Disapproving | | 4. Which is the best title for the passage? | A. How the Railways Have Affected the West
B. How Solar Energy Could Reshape the West
C. How the Effects of Power Plants Can Be Reduced
D. How the Problems of the Highways Have Been Settled | | 阅读理解。 | More than 10 years ago, it was difficult to buy a tasty pineapple. The fruits that made it to the UK were
green on the outside and, more often than not, hard with an unpleasant taste within. Then in 1996, the Del
Monte Gold pineapple produced in Hawaii first hit our shelves.
The new type of pineapple looked more yellowy-gold than green. It was slightly softer on the Outside
and had a lot of juice inside. But the most important thing about this new type of pineapple was that it was
twice as sweet as the hit-and-miss pineapples we had known. In no time, the Del Monte Gold took the
market by storm, rapidly becoming the world"s best-selling pineapple variety, and delivering natural levels
of sweetness in the mouth, up until then only found in tinned pineapple.
In nutrition (营养) it was all good news too. This nice-tasting pineapple contained four times more vitamin
C (维生素C) than the old green variety. Nutritionists said that it was not only full of vitamins, but also good
against some diseases. People were understandably eager to be able to buy this wonderful fruit. The new type
of pineapple was selling fast, and the Del Monte Gold pineapple rapidly became a fixture in the shopping basket
of the healthy eater.
Seeing the growing market for its winning pineapple, Del Monte tried to keep the market to itself. But other
fruit companies developed similar pineapples, Del Monte turned to law for help, but failed.Those companies
argued successfully that Del Monte"s attempts to keep the golden pineapple for itself were just a way to knock
them out of the market. | | 1. We learn from the text that the new type of pineapple is _____. | A. green outside and sweet inside
B. good-looking outside and soft inside
C. yellowy-gold outside and hard inside
D. a little soft outside and sweet inside | | 2. Why was the new type of pineapple selling well? | A. It was rich in nutrition and tasted nice.
B. It was less sweet and good for health.
C. It was developed by Del Monte.
D. It was used as medicine. | | 3. The underlined word "fixture" in Paragraph 3 probably refers to something _____. | A. that people enjoy eating
B. that is always present
C. that is difficult to get
D. that people use as a gift | | 4. We learn from the last paragraph that Del Monte _____. | A. allowed other companies to develop pineapples
B. succeeded in keeping the pineapple for itself
C. tried hard to control the pineapple marker
D. planned to help the other companies | | 阅读理解。 | When I was seven, my father gave me a Timex, my first watch. I loved it, wore it for years, and haven"t
had another one since it stopped ticking a decade ago. Why? Because I don"t need one. I have a mobile phone
and I"m always near someone with an iPod or something like that. All these devices (装置) tell the time-which
is why, if you look around, you"ll see lots of empty wrists; sales of watches to young adults have been going
down since 2007.
But while the wise have realized that they don"t need them, others-apparently including some distinguished
men of our time-are spending total fortunes on them. Brands such as Rolex, Patek Philippe and Breitling
command shocking prices, up to ￡250.000 for a piece.
This is ridiculous. Expensive cars go faster than cheap cars. Expensive clothes hang better than cheap
clothes. But these days all watches tell the time as well as all other watches. Expensive watches come with
extra functions-but who needs them? How often do you dive to 300 metres into the sea or need to find your
direction in the area around the South Pole? So why pay that much of five years" school fees for watches
that allow you to do these things?
If justice were done, the Swiss watch industry should have closed down when the Japanese discovered
how to make accurate watches for a five-pound note. Instead the Swiss reinvented the watch, with the aid
of millions of pounds" worth of advertising, as a message about the man wearing it. Rolexes are for those
who spend their weekends climbing icy mountains; a Patek Philippe is for one from a rich or noble family;
a Breitling suggests you like to pilot planes across the world.
Watches are now classified as "investments" (投资). A 1994 Philippe recently sold for nearly ￡350, 000,
while 1960s Rolexes have gone from 15, 000 to 30, 000 plus in a year. But a watch is not an investment. It"s
a toy for self-satisfaction, a matter of fashion. Prices may keep going up-they"ve been rising for 15 years.
But when fashion moves on, the owner of that? ￡350, 000 beauty will suddenly find his pride and joy is no
more a good investment than my childhood Times. | | 1. The sales of watches to young people have fallen because they _____. | A. have other devices to tell the time
B. think watches too expensive
C. prefer to wear an iPod
D. have no sense of time | | 2. It seems ridiculous to the writer that _____. | A. people dive 300 metres into the sea
B. expensive clothes sell better than cheap ones
C. cheap cars don"t run as fast as expensive ones
D. expensive watches with unnecessary functions still sell | | 3. What can be learnt about Swiss watch industry from the passage? | A. It targets rich people as its potential customers.
B. It"s hard for the industry to beat its competitors.
C. It wastes a huge amount of money in advertising.
D. It"s easy for the industry to reinvent cheap watches. | | 4. Which would be the best title for the passage? | A. Timex or Rolex?
B. My Childhood Timex.
C. Watches? Not for Me!
D. Watches-a Valuable Collection. | | 阅读理解。 | When I was going home to India last year, I called up my mother to ask if she wanted anything from
China,
When India had not opened up its markers to the world, I carried suitcase loads of dark glasses and
jeans. Thankfully, we can get all these anywhere in India now.
Still, her answer surprised me:"Green tea."
As long as I can remember she didn"t even drink Indian tea.
I dutifully bought a big packet of Longjing and headed home to hear the story. My mother and her brother,
both regular newspaper readers, believed that Chinese green tea was the wonder drug for all illnesses.
At the turn of the century, China was not really familiar to the average Indian. It was a strange country.
How things change. And how soon.
Now every town of any size seems to have a "China Market". And everyone is talking about China.
The government of India has planned to send a team to China to see how things are done. A minister once
said that India must open the doors for more foreign investment (投资) and such a step would "work wonders
as it did for China".
But it"s a two-way street, I just heard about a thousand Shenzhen office workers who have gone to
Rangalore to train in software. Meanwhile, all the IT majors are setting up a strong presence in China.
No wonder that trade, which was only in the millions just ten years ago, is expected to his about us $15
billion for last year and us $20 billion by 2008, a goal set by both governments.
No wonder, my colleague wrote some weeks ago about this being the Sino-Indian (中印) century as the
two countries started on January I the Sino-Indian Friendship Year.
But what is still a wonder to me is my mother drinking Chinese tea. | | 1. Why did the mother ask for Chinese green tea? | A. She was tired of Indian tea.
B. She had a son working in China.
C. She believed it had a curing effect.
D. She was fond of Chinese products. | | 2. What does the author mean by "it"s a two-way street" in paragraph 10? | A. China and India have different traffic rules.
B. Tea trade works wonders in both India and China.
C. Chinese products are popular in both China and India.
D. The exchanges between India and China benefit both. | | 3. What do we know about the Indian IT industry? | A. It will move its head office to Shenzhen
B. It is seeking further development in China
C. It has attracted an investment of US $15 billion
D. It caught up with the US IT industry in2008. | | 4. In the text the author expresses _____. | A. his concern for his mother"s health
B. his support for drinking Chinese green tea
C. his surprise at China"s recent development
D. his wonder at the growth of India"s IT industry |
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