The competition among producers of personal computers is essentially a race to get the best, most innovative(革新的)products to the marketplace.Marketers in this environment frequently have to make a judgment as to their competitors’ role when making marketing strategy(战略性的)decisions.If major competitors are changing their products, then a marketer may want to follow suit to remain competitive.Apple Computer, Inc.has introduced two new, faster personal computers, the Mackintosh II and Mackintosh SE, in anticipation of(预期)the introduction of a new PC by IBM, one of Apple’s major competitors.
Apple’s new computers are much faster and more powerful than its earlier models.The improved Mackintosh is able to run programs that previously were impossible to run on an Apple PC, including IBM-compatible(兼容的)programs.This compatibility feature(特点)shows computer manufactures’ new attitude of giving customers the features they want.Making Apple computers able to run IBM software is Applets effort at making the Mackintosh compatible with IBM computers and thus more popular in the office, where Apple hopes to increase sales.Users of the new Apple can also add accessories(附件)to make their machines specialize in specific uses, such as engineering and writing.
The new computers represent a big improvement over past models but they also cost much more.Company officials do not think the higher price will slow down buyers who want to step up a more powerful computer.Apple wants to stay in the high-price end of the personal computer market to finance research for even faster, more satisfying computers.
Even though Apple and IBM are major competitors, both companies realize that their competitor’s computers have certain features that their own models do not.The Apple line has always been popular for its satisfying color graphics(图形), whereas the IBM machines have always been favored in offices.In the future, there will probably be more compatibility between the two companies’ products, which no doubt will require that both Apple and IBM change marketing strategies.
(1)
According to the passage, Apple Computer, Inc.has introduced the Mackintosh II and the Mackintosh SE because ________.
[ ]
A.
IBM is changing its computer models continuously
B.
it wants to make its machines specialize in specific uses
C.
it wants to stay ahead of IBM in the competitive computer market
D.
it expects its major competitor IBM to follow its example
(2)
Apple hopes to increase Mackintosh sales chiefly by ________.
[ ]
A.
making its new models able to run IBM software
B.
improving the color graphics of its new models
C.
copying the marketing strategies of IBM
D.
giving the customers what they want
(3)
It can be inferred from the passage that both Apple and IBM try to gain a competitive advantage by ________.
[ ]
A.
copying each other’s technology
B.
incorporating features that make their products distinctive(特色)
C.
making their computers more expensive
D.
making their computers run much faster
(4)
The best title for the passage would be ________.
[ ]
A.
Apple’s Efforts to Stay Ahead of IBM
B.
Apple’s New Computer Technology
C.
Apple’s New Personal Computers
D.
Apple’s Research Activities
阅读理解
We have met the enemy and he i s our s.We bought him at a pet shop.When monkey-pox, a di sea se u sually found in the African rain fore st suddenly turn s up in children in the American Midwe st, it' s hard not to wonder of the di sea se that come s from foreign animal s i s homing in on human being s.“Mo st of the infection s we think of a s human infection s started in other animal s, ” say s Stephen Mor se, director of the Center for Public Health Preparedne s s at Columbia Univer sity.
It' s not ju st that we're going to where the animal s are; we're al so bringing them clo ser to u s.Popular foreign pet s have brought a whole new di sea se to thi s country.A strange illne s s killed I sak sen' s pet s and she now think s that keeping foreign pet s i s a bad idea, “I don't think it' s fair to have them a s pet s when we have such alimited knowledge of them.” say s I sak sen.
“Law s allowing the se animal s to be brought in from deep fore st area s without stricter control need changing.” say s Peter Schantz.Monkey-pox may be the wake-up call.Re searcher s believe infected animal s may infect their owner s.We know very little about the se new di sea se s.A new bug(病毒)may be kind at fir st.But it may develop into something harmful.Monkey-pox doe sn't look a major infectiou s di sea se.But it i s not impo s sible to pa s s the di sea se from per son to per son.
(1)
We learn from Paragraph 1 that the pet sold at the shop may ________.
[ ]
A.
come from Columbia
B.
prevent u s from being infected
C.
enjoy being with children
D.
suffer from monkey-pox
(2)
Why did I sak sen advi se people not to have foreign pet s?
[ ]
A.
Becau se they attack human being s.
B.
Becau se we need to study native animal s.
C.
Becau se they can't live out of the rain fore st.
D.
Becau se we do not know much about them yet.
(3)
What doe s the phra se “the wake-up call” in Paragraph 3 mo st probably mean?