Question

Sparrow is a fast-food 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 fast-food 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 fast-food 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 speeding power. Finally, the owner accepted his idea.

The campaign itself changed the traditional advertising style of the fast-food 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 intension 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 fast-food 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 fast-food chains

D. other fast-food 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.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

1.C

2.D

3.A

4.B

【解析】

试题分析：本文讲述了快餐店Sparrow 从经营出现危机到新的CEO Carl Pearson通过积极努力最终走向成功的故事。

1.C 推理判断题。根据第一段的“Although Sparrow showed no sign of declining”可知A项表述不正确；根据第一段的“With more and more fast-food concepts reaching the market”可知D项表述不符合文意；B项表述文中没有提及；根据第一段的最后一句“And to make matters worse, its new owner had no plans to give it the funds it required.”可知C项表述符合文意，故选C。

2.D 细节理解题。根据第二段的第二句“He did a survey, which showed that consumers who already used Sparrow restaurants were extremely positive about the chain,”可知Sparrow快餐店的老顾客对该快餐连锁非常支持；其后的用while引导的句子表示对比，“然而，其他连锁快餐的顾客也不想离开它们”，故此处的them指代其他的连锁快餐。故选D。

3.A 细节理解题。根据第三段的“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.”可知Pearson利用广告和公众建立良好的关系。A项表述符合文意，故选A。

4.B 细节理解题。根据最后一段可知，他们的努力得到了回报，Sparrow快餐成为它所到之处的最成功的快餐连锁。B项表述“他让Sparrow更有竞争力”符合文意，A、C、D三项表述均与文意不符，故选B。

考点：考查故事类短文阅读