2019年高考英语 阅读理解专题选编（八）（含解析）.docVIP

PAGE PAGE 10 2019高考英语阅读理解专题选编（8） 李仕才 A The British are supposed to be famous for laughing at themselves, but even their sense of humor has a limit, as the British retailer Gerald Ratner found out to his cost. When Ratner took over his father’s chain of 140 jewelry shops in 1984, he introduced a very clear company policy. He decided that his shops should sell down market products at the lowest possible prices. It was a great success. The British public loved his cheap gold earrings and his tasteless silver decorations. By 1991, Ratner’s company had 2,400 shops and it was worth over 680 million pounds. But in April of that year, Gerald Ratner made a big mistake. At a bit meeting of top British business people, he suited up and explained the secret of his success —People say “How can we sell our goods for such a low price?”. He say “Because they are absolute rubbish.” His audience burst out laughing. But the British newspapers and the British public were not so amused. People felt??insulted?and stayed away from Ratner’s shops. Sales fell and six months after his speech ,Ratner’s share price had fallen by 42%. The following year, things got worse and Gerald Ratner was forced to resign. By the end of 1992, he lost his company, his career and his house. Even worse, 25,000 of his employees had lost their jobs. It had been a very expensive joke. 1.What are the British noted for according to the passage? A. Their jewelry shops. B. Their love for jewelry. C. Their jokes about themselves. D. Their harmless humor. 2.How did Ratner achieve success in his business? A. He cut down his labor cost. B. He adopted an effective business model. C. He employed a lot of new staff. D. He developed great relations with business VIPs. 3.Which of the following can best replace the underlined word “insulted”? A. Offended. B. Amazed. C. Abused. D. Attracted. 4.What does the story of Gerald Ratner suggest? A. Action speaks louder than words. B. What goes around comes arou