C "Fast-food companies must be a thick-skinned bunch." Health experts regularly criticize them severely for selling food that makes people fat. Critics even complain that McDonald's, whose logo symbolizes calorie excess, should not have been allowed to sponsor the World Cup. These are things fast-food firms have learnt to cope with. But not perhaps for much longer. The burger business faces more pressure from regulators at a time when it is already adapting strategies in response to shifts in the global economy. Fast food was once thought to be recession-proof. When consumers need to cut spending, the logic goes, cheap meals like Big Macs and Whoppers become even more attractive. Such “trading down” proved true for much of the latest recession, when fast-food companies picked up customers who could no longer afford to eat at casual restaurants. Traffic was boosted in America, the home of fast food, with discounts and promotions, such as 1 menus and cheap combination meals. But not all fast-food companies have been as fortunate. Many, such as Burger King, have seen sales fall. In a severe recession, while some people trade down to fast food, many others eat at home more frequently to save money. David Palmer, an analyst at UBS, a bank, says smaller fast-food chains in America, such as Jack in the Box and Carl's Jr., have been hit particularly hard in this downturn because they are competing with the global giant McDonald's, which increased spending on advertising by more than 7% last year as others cut back. Some fast-food companies also sacrificed their own profits by trying to give customers better value. During the recession companies set prices low, hoping that once they had tempted customers through the door they would be persuaded to order more expensive items. But in many cases that strategy did not fire. Last year Burger King franchisees(特许经营人) sued(起诉) the company over its double-cheeseburger promotion, claiming it was unfair for them to be required to sell these for 1 when they cost 1.10 to make. Analysts expect the fast-food industry to grow modestly this year. But the downturn is making companies rethink their strategies. Many are now introducing higher-priced items to entice(引诱) consumers away from 1 specials. KFC, has launched a chicken sandwich that costs around 5. And in May Burger King introduced barbecue pork ribs at 7 for eight.1. In paragraph 2, "Traffic was boosted in America" probably refers to the idea that _____.A: Transportation firms gained considerable profits.B: The number of customers for fast-food firms increased visibly.C: American's public transport system was improved consistently.D: Fast-food firms made a lot of money by selling high-price items.2. In severe recessions, Jack in the Box and Carl's Jr. _____.A: suffered great negative impacts of economic declineB: increased their spending on advertising by more than 7%C: used McDonald's over its double-cheeseburger promotionD: had great advantages compared with their global giant competitors3. What can we learn from the passage?A: Burger King will continue to use its low-price strategies.B: Fast-food restaurants can make a lot of money by selling breakfast.C: Many people eat out more often to save money in times of recession.D: During the recession, many customers turned to fast food to save money.4. We can probably read this passage in _____.A: a research reportB: a traffic magazineC: a promotional planD: a commercial advertisement
C
"Fast-food companies must be a thick-skinned bunch." Health experts regularly criticize them severely for selling food that makes people fat. Critics even complain that McDonald's, whose logo symbolizes calorie excess, should not have been allowed to sponsor the World Cup. These are things fast-food firms have learnt to cope with. But not perhaps for much longer. The burger business faces more pressure from regulators at a time when it is already adapting strategies in response to shifts in the global economy.
Fast food was once thought to be recession-proof. When consumers need to cut spending, the logic goes, cheap meals like Big Macs and Whoppers become even more attractive. Such “trading down” proved true for much of the latest recession, when fast-food companies picked up customers who could no longer afford to eat at casual restaurants. Traffic was boosted in America, the home of fast food, with discounts and promotions, such as $1 menus and cheap combination meals.
But not all fast-food companies have been as fortunate. Many, such as Burger King, have seen sales fall. In a severe recession, while some people trade down to fast food, many others eat at home more frequently to save money. David Palmer, an analyst at UBS, a bank, says smaller fast-food chains in America, such as Jack in the Box and Carl's Jr., have been hit particularly hard in this downturn because they are competing with the global giant McDonald's, which increased spending on advertising by more than 7% last year as others cut back.
Some fast-food companies also sacrificed their own profits by trying to give customers better value. During the recession companies set prices low, hoping that once they had tempted customers through the door they would be persuaded to order more expensive items. But in many cases that strategy did not fire. Last year Burger King franchisees(特许经营人) sued(起诉) the company over its double-cheeseburger promotion, claiming it was unfair for them to be required to sell these for $1 when they cost $1.10 to make.
Analysts expect the fast-food industry to grow modestly this year. But the downturn is making companies rethink their strategies. Many are now introducing higher-priced items to entice(引诱) consumers away from $1 specials. KFC, has launched a chicken sandwich that costs around $5. And in May Burger King introduced barbecue pork ribs at $7 for eight.
1. In paragraph 2, "Traffic was boosted in America" probably refers to the idea that _____.
A: Transportation firms gained considerable profits.
B: The number of customers for fast-food firms increased visibly.
C: American's public transport system was improved consistently.
D: Fast-food firms made a lot of money by selling high-price items.
2. In severe recessions, Jack in the Box and Carl's Jr. _____.
A: suffered great negative impacts of economic decline
B: increased their spending on advertising by more than 7%
C: used McDonald's over its double-cheeseburger promotion
D: had great advantages compared with their global giant competitors
3. What can we learn from the passage?
A: Burger King will continue to use its low-price strategies.
B: Fast-food restaurants can make a lot of money by selling breakfast.
C: Many people eat out more often to save money in times of recession.
D: During the recession, many customers turned to fast food to save money.
4. We can probably read this passage in _____.
A: a research report
B: a traffic magazine
C: a promotional plan
D: a commercial advertisement
题目解答
答案
1. B
正确率: 52%, 易错项: A
2. A
正确率: 45%, 易错项: B
3. D
正确率: 41%, 易错项: C
4. A
解析
考查要点：
- 词汇在语境中的理解（如“traffic”在文中的隐喻用法）；
- 细节理解与逻辑推理（如经济衰退对不同快餐品牌的影响）；
- 文章主旨与出处判断（如分析文章的客观性与专业性）。
解题核心思路：
- 联系上下文：通过段落前后文推断词义或句意；
- 对比选项与原文：排除干扰项，锁定关键细节；
- 归纳文章类型：根据内容的分析性、数据性特征判断出处。
第1题
关键句：
“Traffic was boosted in America, with discounts and promotions, such as $1 menus and cheap combination meals.”
解析：
- “Traffic”在此处并非字面的“交通”，而是隐喻顾客流量（即顾客数量）。
- 原文提到通过折扣和促销（如$1菜单）吸引顾客，说明“顾客数量增加”是正确答案。
错误选项排除： - A、C选项与“交通”无关；D选项中“高价商品”与原文的“折扣”矛盾。
第2题
关键句：
“smaller fast-food chains in America, such as Jack in the Box and Carl's Jr., have been hit particularly hard in this downturn because they are competing with the global giant McDonald's...”
解析：
- 小连锁店因与麦当劳竞争而“受到重创”，说明经济衰退对它们影响严重。
- 麦当劳反而是通过增加广告投入（+7%）扩大优势，与选项B无关。
错误选项排除： - B、C选项描述的是麦当劳的行为，而非小连锁店；D选项与“特别 hard”矛盾。
第3题
关键句：
“During the recession, fast-food companies picked up customers who could no longer afford to eat at casual restaurants.”
解析：
- 经济衰退时，部分人选择更便宜的快餐（如麦当劳）以节省开支，说明选项D正确。
- 其他选项与原文矛盾：A选项未提及“继续”低价策略；B选项未涉及早餐；C选项与“在家吃饭更省钱”矛盾。
第4题
关键句：
文章分析了快餐行业在经济衰退中的表现，引用分析师观点（如UBS的David Palmer），并包含数据（如7%广告投入）。
解析：
- 研究性报告通常具有分析性、数据性特征，与选项A匹配。
- 其他选项不符合文章的客观分析风格：B、D聚焦具体行业或促销，C为商业计划。