阅读理解

　　We can see how the product life cycle works by looking at the introduction of instant coffee．When it was introduced, most people did not like it as well as “regular” coffee, and it took several years to gain general acceptance(introduction stage)．At one point, though, instant coffee grew rapidly in popularity, and many brands were introduced(stage of rapid growth)．After a while, people became attached to one brand and sales leveled off(stage of maturity)．Sales went into a slight decline when freeze-dried coffees were introduced(stage of decline)．

　　The importance of the product life cycle to marketers is this：Different stages in the product life cycle call for different strategies．The goal is to extend product life so that sales and profits do not decline．One strategy is called market modification．It means that marketing managers look for new users and market sections．Did you know, for example, that the backpacks that so many students carry today were originally designed for the military?

　　Market modification also means searching for increased usage among present customers or going for a different market, such as senior citizens．A marketer may re-position the product to appeal to new market sections．

　　Another product extension strategy is called product modification．It involves changing product quality, features, or style to attract new users or more usage from present users．American auto manufacturers are using quality improvement as one way to recapture world markets．Note, also, how auto manufacturers once changed styles dramatically from year to year to keep demand from falling．

完形填空

　　ON receiving my learner driver license a couple of months ago, I started driving lessons straight away．In New Zealand, the 　　1　　 driving age is 15．

　　However it wasn't 　　2　　 two days ago that Dad finally allowed me to drive on the motorway．Our 　　3　　 was Orewa, a seaside town about 60 kilometers away from my home in Auckland．That morning I 　　4　　 sure I had enough to drink and went to the toilet about three times 　　5　　 we left．I thought I was totally 　　6　　 for the journey, but nothing could have prepared me for my family's 　　7　　．“Relax!Don't hold the steering wheel(方向盘)so 　　8　　．The car is going zigzag(弯弯曲曲的),”called a nervous voice from the 　　9　　．“Speed up．70km/h isn't fast enough．You are holding up the traffic,”another voice ordered from the seat next to mine．

　　How 　　10　　!My parents were really starting to get on my nerves．To satisfy them I sped up and within a second, an angry voice began to yell again．“Stop!　　11　　!Are you crazy?”

　　Everything did not go fine until I pulled off the motorway and drove into the city, 　　12　　 the speed limit was only 50km/h．My family seemed relieved(放心的)and 　　13　　 telling me what to do．They all looked out of the windows and enjoyed the scenery．　　14　　, that silence didn't last very long．My mum suddenly cried out,“Look at those 　　15　　 above us．Aren't they lovely?”

　　How did she expect me to look up in the 　　16　　?As the driver I had to 　　17　　．Who knows what would have happened if I had taken my eyes off the 　　18　　?Four hours later we drove home．This time the journey was much 　　19　　 than before as everyone else 　　20　　 fast asleep．So, I just took my time and enjoyed the drive．