Question

Shoppers who have cut back on purchases in the worrying U.S. economy are likely to continue their conservative shopping habits even if the economy improves, according to a new study.

That signals continued bad news for retailers(零售商), who have been struggling to respond to a great cutback in spending as consumers have opened their wallets only for basic items, while cutting back on unimportant purchases.

The report, which estimates retail sales growth to be flat this year, found that three-quarters of respondents to a monthly survey of 4,000 consumers said they had shifted their shopping behaviors because of the economy. Most said they were making do with less or going without some favorite items.

“The habits learned during this economic crisis have the potential to permanently change the mind-set of consumers,” the report said. “The vast majority of shoppers who are changing their near-term shopping behavior say they plan to continue them as the economy improves.”

To ease the consumer discomfort, smart retailers will focus on downsizing, the report said, as adding stores to an already crowded retail landscape is out of fashion. It came up with smaller initiatives to build shopping buzz, such as limited editions of products or having existing stores target local markets. The report also forecast that retailers will increasingly focus on private brands to attract cost-conscious shoppers, while adding complementary categories of goods to their stores to make one-stop shops for consumers.

While warehouse clubs and super centers are expected to fare the best in the weak environment in 2009, discount department stores and supermarkets will be the weakest, the report warned. Sales of clothes, though expected to rebound in 2010, will be the hardest hit and slowest to recover.

 

71. The current shopping behavior in the US is becoming________.

   A. arbitrary              B. protective                 C. conservative             D. aggressive

72. Which is the measure the retailers won’t take to attract shoppers?

  A. Adding more stores to the busy retail landscape.

  B. Keeping the editions of products limited.

  C. Making “one-stop” shops for customers.

  D. Concentrating on private brands and downsizing.

73. What will the consumers do with the worrying US economy?

  A. Having existing stores target local markets.

  B. Going without some favorite items.

  C. Giving up their near-term shopping plan.

  D. Opening their wallets for daily buying.

74. The underlined phrase “fare the best” most probably means “________”.

  A. setting the best example                          B. working out the best

  C. making the greatest efforts                     D. having the most discount

75. According to the report, _______.

   A. bigger shops will be more successful

   B. supermarkets do better than super centers

  C. clothing will recover smoothly in 2010

  D. most respondents suffer from the crisis

Answer 1

CABBD