It’s really a tough job for automakers doing marketing and sales in China, where competition is acute and customers have little loyalty. They have tried a range of tricks in recent years.
But there should be a moral bottom line. Unfortunately, a Buick dealership used the tragedy of a two-month-old infant to advertise its cars last week on Weibo – Micro blog. And Hyundai Motor followed suit.
On March 4, an SUV was stolen with the infant left inside alone in the northeastern city of Changchun. The news spread widely on Weibo after the baby’s father called the local police and radio station for help. The next day it was revealed that the infant was choked to death and buried in snow by the thief. The online community expressed its deeply felt sympathy and condolences.
The Buick dealership posted a photo of the baby and two of its cars on its official Weibo account to advertise its GPS system that can locate the stolen car. “A few thoughts on the Changchun stolen car and baby incident: when buying a car it’s entirely OK to choose a brand with advanced technology,” said the post. Though the post was made before tragic fate of the infant was known, the action generated a storm of outrage on Weibo. Some online commentators said it is “marketing at the cost of lives” and “extremely despicable.”
Worse was the post on Hyundai’s official Weibo account that advertised the anti – theft system on its new SUV Santa Fe, an entry made after the child was known to have died. The action also enraged micro bloggers.
Both posts were soon deleted. The Buick dealership made an apology on Weibo to the family of the victim and the public. But screenshots saved by users continued to be posted and the negative impact on both brands persists.
The two brands probably didn’t expect such a firestorm of fury from the Internet community, but they really made a big mistake sinking below the moral bottom line. They certainly ruined their own brand images.
The Chinese have the same proverb as the English language – a little leak will sink a great ship. It takes decades to build the great ship of a respectable brand but it can take just a moment of negligence to make it fail completely.
For those in corporate marketing, two lessons should be learned: first, be careful in the era of social media when one wrong can be easily magnified and have disastrous impacts in just a few clicks.
Second and more importantly, think with your brain and heart. Never break the moral bonds of respect for human life and sympathy for our fellow man.
【小题1】Who is to blame for the tragedy of Changchun infant according to the passage?

It’s really a tough job for automakers doing marketing and sales in China, where competition is acute and customers have little loyalty. They have tried a range of tricks in recent years.

But there should be a moral bottom line. Unfortunately, a Buick dealership used the tragedy of a two-month-old infant to advertise its cars last week on Weibo – Micro blog. And Hyundai Motor followed suit.

On March 4, an SUV was stolen with the infant left inside alone in the northeastern city of Changchun. The news spread widely on Weibo after the baby’s father called the local police and radio station for help. The next day it was revealed that the infant was choked to death and buried in snow by the thief. The online community expressed its deeply felt sympathy and condolences.

The Buick dealership posted a photo of the baby and two of its cars on its official Weibo account to advertise its GPS system that can locate the stolen car. “A few thoughts on the Changchun stolen car and baby incident: when buying a car it’s entirely OK to choose a brand with advanced technology,” said the post. Though the post was made before tragic fate of the infant was known, the action generated a storm of outrage on Weibo. Some online commentators said it is “marketing at the cost of lives” and “extremely despicable.”

Worse was the post on Hyundai’s official Weibo account that advertised the anti – theft system on its new SUV Santa Fe, an entry made after the child was known to have died. The action also enraged micro bloggers.

Both posts were soon deleted. The Buick dealership made an apology on Weibo to the family of the victim and the public. But screenshots saved by users continued to be posted and the negative impact on both brands persists.

The two brands probably didn’t expect such a firestorm of fury from the Internet community, but they really made a big mistake sinking below the moral bottom line. They certainly ruined their own brand images.

The Chinese have the same proverb as the English language – a little leak will sink a great ship. It takes decades to build the great ship of a respectable brand but it can take just a moment of negligence to make it fail completely.

For those in corporate marketing, two lessons should be learned: first, be careful in the era of social media when one wrong can be easily magnified and have disastrous impacts in just a few clicks.

Second and more importantly, think with your brain and heart. Never break the moral bonds of respect for human life and sympathy for our fellow man.

1.Who is to blame for the tragedy of Changchun infant according to the passage?

A．The baby’s father                      B．Buick and Hyundai dealership

C．Weibo                                D．Not clear

2.Which of the following statements is correct?

A．The missing infant was found alive in the stolen car.

B．Micro blog marketing of tragic infant death fuels firestorm of criticism.

C．People can’t see the two posts any more because they were deleted.

D．The two car brands mentioned in the passage spoiled their own reputation by selling the stolen car.

3.What does the underlined word – “despicable” in paragraph 4 mean?

A．Immoral          B．Important         C．Distinguished       D．Considerable

4.The reason why Hyundai’s post was worse than Buick’s is that _________.

A．Hyundai dealership didn’t make an apology on Weibo

B．Buick dealership expressed its deeply sympathy and condolences

C．Hyundai’s post was made after people knew the infant had died

D．Buick’s car was more advanced on its GPS system

5.In the last paragraph, the author encourages people _____________.

A．not to sink below the moral bottom line

B．not to sympathize our fellow man

C．to think twice before making decision

D．to magnify the mistakes people make

The weather predictions for Asia in 2050 read like a script from a doomsday(世界末日，最后审判日)movie. Many climatologists and green groups fear they will come true unless there is a concerted global effort to rein in greenhouse gas emissions.  
In the decades to come, Asia -- home to more than half the world's 6.3 billion people -- will lurch（突然倾斜）from one climate extreme to another, with impoverished farmers battling droughts, floods, disease, food shortages and rising sea levels.
"It's not a pretty picture," said Steve Sawyer, climate policy adviser with Greenpeace in Amsterdam. Global warming and changes to weather patterns are already occurring and there is enough excess carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere to drive climate change for decades to come.
Already, changes are being felt in Asia but worse are likely to come, Sawyer and top climate bodies say, and could lead to mass migration and widespread humanitarian crises. (人道主义危机)
According to predictions, glaciers will melt faster, some Pacific and Indian Ocean islands will have to evacuate or build sea defenses, storms will become more intense and insect and water-borne diseases will move into new areas as the world warms.
All this comes on top of rising populations and spiraling demand for food, water and other resources. Experts say environmental degradation(环境恶化) such as deforestation(森林砍伐) and pollution will likely magnify the impacts of climate change. In what could be a foretaste of the future, Japan was hit by a record 10 typhoons and tropical storms this year, while two-thirds of Bangladesh, parts of Nepal and large areas of northeastern India were flooded, affecting 50 million people, destroying livelihoods and making tens of thousands ill. The year before, a winter cold snap(寒流，寒潮，骤冷)and a summer heat wave killed more than 2,000 people in India. 
59. Which of the following has the similar meaning to rein in?
A. slow down, control        B. increase, enhance    C. bring in                      D. take in
60. According to the passage, which one is true?
A. The changes of weather will never lead to mass migration and widespread humanitarian crises.
B. The number of the population in Asia is the largest of all continents.
C. Global warming and changes will happen in the near future if we don’t take any actions.
D. Deforestation and pollution will not magnify the impacts of climate change.
61. The reason why glaciers will melt faster is that                
A. there is more and more carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
B. there is less carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere
C. the weather changed suddenly.   
D. The reason is still unknown.
62. This passage is mainly about              .
A. what kind of weather we like best.
B. the whole world will not be suitable for us to live in.
C. how to improve our environment.
D. the weather predictions for Asia in the future and the reasons.

The weather predictions for Asia in 2050 read like a script from a doomsday(世界末日，最后审判日)movie. Many climatologists and green groups fear they will come true unless there is a concerted global effort to rein in greenhouse gas emissions.  

In the decades to come, Asia -- home to more than half the world's 6.3 billion people -- will lurch（突然倾斜）from one climate extreme to another, with impoverished farmers battling droughts, floods, disease, food shortages and rising sea levels.

"It's not a pretty picture," said Steve Sawyer, climate policy adviser with Greenpeace in Amsterdam. Global warming and changes to weather patterns are already occurring and there is enough excess carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere to drive climate change for decades to come.

Already, changes are being felt in Asia but worse are likely to come, Sawyer and top climate bodies say, and could lead to mass migration and widespread humanitarian crises. (人道主义危机)

According to predictions, glaciers will melt faster, some Pacific and Indian Ocean islands will have to evacuate or build sea defenses, storms will become more intense and insect and water-borne diseases will move into new areas as the world warms.

All this comes on top of rising populations and spiraling demand for food, water and other resources. Experts say environmental degradation(环境恶化) such as deforestation(森林砍伐) and pollution will likely magnify the impacts of climate change. In what could be a foretaste of the future, Japan was hit by a record 10 typhoons and tropical storms this year, while two-thirds of Bangladesh, parts of Nepal and large areas of northeastern India were flooded, affecting 50 million people, destroying livelihoods and making tens of thousands ill. The year before, a winter cold snap(寒流，寒潮，骤冷)and a summer heat wave killed more than 2,000 people in India. 

59. Which of the following has the similar meaning to rein in?

A. slow down, control        B. increase, enhance    C. bring in                      D. take in

60. According to the passage, which one is true?

A. The changes of weather will never lead to mass migration and widespread humanitarian crises.

B. The number of the population in Asia is the largest of all continents.

C. Global warming and changes will happen in the near future if we don’t take any actions.

D. Deforestation and pollution will not magnify the impacts of climate change.

61. The reason why glaciers will melt faster is that                

A. there is more and more carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

B. there is less carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere

C. the weather changed suddenly.   

D. The reason is still unknown.

62. This passage is mainly about              .

A. what kind of weather we like best.

B. the whole world will not be suitable for us to live in.

C. how to improve our environment.

D. the weather predictions for Asia in the future and the reasons.

       The weather predictions for Asia in 2050 read like a script from a doomsday(世界末日，最后审判日)movie. Many climatologists and green groups fear they will come true unless there is a concerted global effort to rein in greenhouse gas emissions.  

       In the decades to come, Asia -- home to more than half the world's 6.3 billion people -- will lurch（突然倾斜）from one climate extreme to another, with impoverished farmers battling droughts, floods, disease, food shortages and rising sea levels.

       "It's not a pretty picture," said Steve Sawyer, climate policy adviser with Greenpeace in Amsterdam. Global warming and changes to weather patterns are already occurring and there is enough excess carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere to drive climate change for decades to come.

       Already, changes are being felt in Asia but worse are likely to come, Sawyer and top climate bodies say, and could lead to mass migration and widespread humanitarian crises. (人道主义危机)

       According to predictions, glaciers will melt faster, some Pacific and Indian Ocean islands will have to evacuate or build sea defenses, storms will become more intense and insect and water-borne diseases will move into new areas as the world warms.

All this comes on top of rising populations and spiraling demand for food, water and other resources. Experts say environmental degradation(环境恶化) such as deforestation(森林砍伐) and pollution will likely magnify the impacts of climate change. In what could be a foretaste of the future, Japan was hit by a record 10 typhoons and tropical storms this year, while two-thirds of Bangladesh, parts of Nepal and large areas of northeastern India were flooded, affecting 50 million people, destroying livelihoods and making tens of thousands ill. The year before, a winter cold snap(寒流，寒潮，骤冷)and a summer heat wave killed more than 2,000 people in India. 

59. Which of the following has the similar meaning to rein in?

       A. slow down, control        B. increase, enhance    C. bring in                       D. take in

60. According to the passage, which one is true?

       A. The changes of weather will never lead to mass migration and widespread humanitarian crises.

       B. The number of the population in Asia is the largest of all continents.

       C. Global warming and changes will happen in the near future if we don’t take any actions.

       D. Deforestation and pollution will not magnify the impacts of climate change.

 61. The reason why glaciers will melt faster is that                

    A. there is more and more carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

    B. there is less carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere

   C. the weather changed suddenly.   

D. The reason is still unknown.

62. This passage is mainly about              .

           A. what kind of weather we like best.

           B. the whole world will not be suitable for us to live in.

           C. how to improve our environment.

           D. the weather predictions for Asia in the future and the reasons.