Question

It was the summer of 1965. DeLuca, then 17, visited Peter Buck, a family friend. Buck asked DeLuca about his plans for the future. “I’m going to college, but I need a way to pay for it,” DeLuca recalls saying. “Buck said, ‘You should open a sandwich shop.’”

That afternoon, they agreed to be partners. And they set a goal: to open 32 stores in ten years. After doing some research, buck wrote a check for $1000. DeLuca rented a storefront (店面) in Connecticut, and when they couldn’t cover their start-up costs, Buck kicked in another $1000.

But business didn’t go smoothly as they expected. DeLuca says, “After six months, we were doing poorly, but we didn’t know how badly, because we didn’t have any financial controls.” All he and Buck knew was that their sales were lower than their costs.

DeLuca was managing the store and going to the University of Bridgeport at the same time. Buck was working at his day job as a nuclear physicist in New York. They’d meet Monday evenings and brainstorm ideas for keeping the business running. “We convinced ourselves to open a second store. We figured we could tell the public, ‘We are so successful, we are opening a second store.’” And they did—in the spring of 1966. Still, it was a lot of learning by trial and error.

But the partners’ learn-as-you-go approach turned out to be their greatest strength. Every Friday, DeLuca would drive around and hand-deliver the checks to pay their suppliers. “It probably took me two and a half hours and it wasn’t necessary, but as a result, the suppliers got to know me very well, and the personal relationships established really helped out,” DeLuca says.

And having a goal was also important. “There are so many problems that can get you down. You just have to keep working toward your goal,” DeLuca adds.

DeLuca ended up founding Subway Sandwich, the multimillion-dollar restaurant chain.

DeLuca opened the first sandwich shop in order to ____.

A. support his family

B. pay for his college education

C. help his partner expand business

D. do some research

Which of the following is true of Buck?

A. He put money into the sandwich business.

B. He was a professor of business administration.

C. He was studying at the University of Bridgeport.

D. He rented a storefront for DeLuca.

What can we learn about their first shop?

A. It stood at an unfavorable palace.

B. It lowered the prices to promote sales.

C. It made no profits due to poor management

D. It lacked control over the quality of sandwiches

They decided to open a second store because they ___.

A. had enough money to do it.

B. had succeeded in their business

C. wished to meet the increasing demand of customers

D. wanted to make believe that they were successful

What contribute most to their success according to the author?

A. Learning by trial and error.

B. Making friends with suppliers.

C. Finding a good partner.

D. Opening chain stores.

Answer 1

【小题1】B

【小题2】A

【小题3】C

【小题4】D

【小题5】A

解析:

【小题1】细节理解题。由第一段关键句““I’m going to college, but I need a way to pay for it,”.” 可知其目的是为了支付大学的费用。

【小题2】判断正误题。由第二段关键句“Buck wrote a check for $1000”和“Buck kicked in another $1000.”，可知是投资人，他投入了很多运转资金。B项错在a professor of …C项错在studying at ….D项错在rented a …

【小题3】推理判断题。由第三段的内容描述，But business didn’t go smoothly as they expected. DeLuca says, “After six months, we were doing poorly, but we didn’t know how badly, because we didn’t have any financial controls.” All he and Buck knew was that their sales were lower than their costs.可判断出他们的第一家商店由于经营不善，以亏本失败而告终。

【小题4】细节理解题。由第四段的“We convinced ourselves to open a second store. We figured we could tell the public, ‘We are so successful, we are opening a second store.’可知他们之所以在开第二家商店主要就是为了向别人证明他们是能够成功的。

【小题5】推理判断题。总结全文故事发展脉络，根据第四段最后一句话“Still, it was a lot of learning by trial and error.可推论出他们取得成功的主要原因在于他们的坚持不懈，反复尝试。