Question

9．An ATM that spits out cupcakes instead of cash is now filling a popular demand in the American market：late-night desire for freshly baked sweets．
     In six cities across the country，sugar addicts can now purchase a cupcake for $4.25 from an automatic machine 24 hours every day．The freshly baked goods are made by the California-based cupcake shop Sprinkles．
    The idea came to the company's co-founders Candace and Charles Nelson when Candace was pregnant with their first child．Candace thought it was ridiculous that she owned cupcake bakeries aad couldn't get a freshly baked treat at an unusual hour．That desire inspired the company's first cupcake ATM in Beverly Hills，Calif．in 2012．
    Charles said each ATM serves about l，000 cupcakes per day．The machine is so popular that when it appeared in Manhattan，customers were lined up around the block to use it．
Yet，inventing the first cupcake ATM was not as easy as convincing customers to use it．When the Nelsons started defigning the machine，they quickly realized nothing existed that could give a fully unbroken cupcake to a customer．The company had to partner with a European firm to develop the technology that could deliver a cupcake without dropping it several feet like a typical machine．After going through a seeond development cycle with the product，the ATMs can now satisfy tlle demand of growing customers and even make as many as four cupcakes at a time．
    In terms of the company，the-machine allows Sprinkles to do the impossible：increase hours of operation without raising costs．Now the company can sell cupcakes around the clock through the ATM without paying employees．
    Now the company is partnering with a Middle Eastern company to open 34 new locations abroad．

51．What's the purpose of the text？C
A．To tell us a newtrend of the diet．
B．To advertisefor the cupcake ATM．
C．To introduce a newly-invented cupcake ATM．
D．To advise more customers to buy cupcakes on ATM．
52．How did the Nelsons come up with the idea of'a cupulke ATM？B
A．Their first child wagted to eat fresh cupcakes．
B．Candace hoped to eat a fleshly baked cupcake at any time．
C．The cupcakes they sold couldn't satisfy the customers'demands．
D．They couldn't afford to employ enough workers．
53．What problem did the Nelsons face when starting to design the machine？A
A．Serving an unbroken cupcake to customers．
B．Convincing the customers to use the machine．
C．Dealing with so many orders every day．
D．Making as many as four cupcakes at a time．
54．What does the underlined word‘‘it''in Paragraph 4 refer to？A
A．The machine．    B．The block．    C．The cupcake． D．The customer．
55．What can we infer from the text？B
A．The ATM will replace the traditional cake shops．
B．The ATM will appear in more cities in the world．
C．The company will promote different kinds of products．
D．People will get cupcakes through the ATM without paying．

Answer 1

分析 能吐出纸杯蛋糕而不是现金的自动售卖机如今在美国市场上需求非常火热，深夜对现烤甜品的需求．
在美国的六个国家，甜食爱好者如今每天都能在自动机处以4.25美元的价格买到一份纸杯蛋糕．现烤蛋糕是由加利福利亚的纸杯蛋糕店Sprinkles制造的．
公司的合伙人Candace和Charles Nelson是在Candace怀他们的第一个孩子时想到这个主意的．Caandace认为她开着纸杯蛋糕店，非正常时间却吃不到现烤蛋糕，简直太可笑了．那个需求促进了公司于2012年在加利福利亚州的比弗利山庄的第一家纸杯蛋糕自动售卖机的成立．
Charles说每个自动售卖机每天可以供应1，000个纸杯蛋糕．这机器非常受欢迎，以至于当它出现在曼哈顿，小区的顾客排队使用．
当然，发明第一个纸杯蛋糕自动售卖机并不像确定顾客会用它一样容易．当Nelson夫妇最开始设计机器时，他们很快意识到不能给顾客提供完全无破损的纸杯蛋糕．公司必须和一家欧洲公司合作开发能不像典型的机器一样扔下蛋糕几尺的技术．在经历了产品第二次研发周期后，自动售卖机如今可以满足越来越多的顾客的需求，甚至可以一次性做4个纸杯蛋糕．
就公司来说，机器使Sprinkles实现了不可能：不增加成本的前提下增加营业时间．如今公司可以不需要付费雇员就可以通过自动售卖机销售纸杯蛋糕．
如今公司正和一家中东公司合作在国外开设34家新地点．

解答 51．C．主旨大意题．根据本文介绍了纸杯蛋糕自动售卖机的火爆、历史及初期克服的困难，均是围绕纸杯蛋糕自动售卖机来讲的，故选C．
52．B．细节理解题．根据本文第三段"when Candace was pregnant with their first child""Candace thought it was ridiculous that she owned cupcake bakeries aad couldn't get a freshly baked treat at an unusual hour"，可知Candace在怀第一个孩子的时候在非正常时间想吃现烤纸杯蛋糕，故选B．
53．A．细节理解题．根据本文第五段"When the Nelsons started defigning the machine，they quickly realized nothing existed that could give a fully unbroken cupcake to a customer"可知纸杯蛋糕容易破损为初期设计纸杯蛋糕ATM遇到的困难，故选A．serving an unbroken cupcake to customers给顾客提供无破损的纸杯蛋糕．
54．A．细节理解题．根据本文第四段"The machine…to use it"可知it即指代前面提过的"The machine"，故选A．
55．B．推理判断题．根据本文最后一段"Now the company is partnering with a Middle Eastern company to open 34 new locations abroad"可知公司正在和中东公司合作在国外开新地点，业务将会扩大，B．ATM将在世界更多城市出现，故选B．A．ATM将取代传统蛋糕店及C．公司会开发不同种类产品，文章均未提到．D．人们将免费从ATM拿到蛋糕，文中有提到4.25美元一个．

点评 本文从新型纸杯蛋糕自动售卖机的发源、初期困难、受欢迎程度及未来前景进行了叙述，让更多的读者知道了创新可以使不可能的事情变成可能，也让更多的读者知道了这款在美国市场非常火爆的纸杯蛋糕自动售卖机．