Amazon has given in to publisher pressure and agreed to abandon their $9. 99 price point for e-books.
Publisher Macmillan felt that the $9. 99 price devalued many of its bestsellers, which often sell for $30 in hardcover format. In response to the pricing dispute, Amazon briefly removed all Macmillan books from its store last week. However, the boycott lasted only a few days before Amazon gave in to Macmillan’s demands.
In a statement Sunday, Amazon defended its position to customers:
Macmillan, one of the “big six” publishers, has clearly communicated to us that, regardless of our viewpoint, they are committed to switching to an agency model and charging $12. 99 to $14. 99 for e-books versions of bestsellers and most hardcover releases.
We have expressed our strong disagreement and the seriousness of our disagreement by temporarily ceasing the sale of all Macmillan titles. We want you to know that ultimately, however, we will have to capitulate and accept Macmillan’s terms because Macmillan has a monopoly over their own titles, and we will want to offer them to you even at prices we believe are needlessly high for e-books.
Amazon’s decision to throw in the towel may be related to Macmillan’s recent agreement to sell books in Apple’s iBookstore. Amazon has captured an overwhelming share of the e-book market with its Kindle reader, but if the iPad becomes successful publishers’ may turn to Apple to sell their e-books.
Publishers seem more interested in protecting the value of their hardcover books than competing in a digital format. Will higher eBook prices convince you to purchase a physical copy of your next novel, or will you accept a modest price increase given that e-books are typically cheaper?
1.What can be said of the pricing dispute between Amazon and Macmillan?
2.“To throw in the towel” in the last but one paragraph means（ ） .
3.What accounted for Amazon's failure to continue its boycott according to its statement?
4.Which of the following is true?
问题1选项
A.Macmillan won the dispute.
B.Amazon won the dispute.
C.Neither of them won the dispute.
D.Customers enjoyed the dispute.
问题2选项
A.to make up one's mind to try something
B.to indicate your disagreement
C.to threaten to fight back
D.to admit that you have been defeated
问题3选项
A.Amazon s cowardice.
B.Macmillan’s arrogance.
C.Amazon’s generosity.
D.Macmillan’s monopoly.
问题4选项
A.Macmillan preferred to sell traditional books rather than e-books.
B.Apple made more profit than Amazon in selling e-books.
C.Macmillan intended to increase its e-book market.
D.Amazon was ready to sell e-books at lower prices.
第1题:
1.【选项释义】
1. What can be said of the pricing dispute between Amazon and Macmillan? 1. 关于亚马逊和麦克米伦之间的价格纠纷，我们能说些什么呢？
A. Macmillan won the dispute. A. 麦克米伦赢得了这场纠纷。
B. Amazon won the dispute. B. 亚马逊赢得了这场纠纷。
C. Neither of them won the dispute. C. 两者都没有赢得这场纠纷。
D. Customers enjoyed the dispute. D. 顾客们喜欢这种纠纷。
【考查点】推理判断题。
【解题思路】根据关键词pricing dispute定位至第二段最后两句“作为对价格争端的回应，亚马逊上周短暂地从其商店下架了麦克米伦的所有书籍。然而，抵制活动只持续了几天，亚马逊就屈从于麦克米伦的要求（the boycott lasted only a few days before Amazon gave in to Macmillan’s demands）。”，从中可知，关于亚马逊和麦克米伦之间的价格纠纷，亚马逊抵制了几天后还是屈从了麦克米伦的要求，所以推断，麦克米伦赢得了这场价格纠纷。A项正确。
【干扰项排除】
B项“亚马逊赢得了这场纠纷”和C项“两者都没有赢得这场纠纷”根据解题思路可知，该两项曲解原文；
D项“顾客们喜欢这种纠纷”没有提到，属于无中生有。
第2题:
2.【选项释义】
2. “To throw in the towel” in the last but one paragraph means ______. 2. 倒数第二段中“To throw in the towel”的意思是______。
A. to make up one’s mind to try something A. 下定决心做某事
B. to indicate your disagreement B. 表示你的不同意
C. to threaten to fight back C. 威胁要反击
D. to admit that you have been defeated D. 承认你被打败了
【考查点】词义推测题。
【解题思路】根据题干定位至倒数第二段第一句“亚马逊决定to throw in the towel可能与麦克米伦最近同意在苹果的iBookstore销售图书有关”，由上文可知，亚马逊对麦克米伦公司的要求作出了让步，所以推测to throw in the towel在这里的意思是“承认让步，认输”。故该题选择D项正确。
【干扰项排除】A项“下定决心做某事”、B项“表示你的不同意”和C项“威胁要反击”根据解题思路可知，这三项属于曲解原文。
第3题:
3.【选项释义】
3. What accounted for Amazon’s failure to continue its boycott according to its statement? 3. 根据亚马逊的声明，是什么原因导致其未能继续抵制？
A. Amazon’s cowardice. A. 亚马逊的懦弱。
B. Macmillan’s arrogance. B. 麦克米伦的傲慢。
C. Amazon’s generosity. C. 亚马逊的慷慨。
D. Macmillan’s monopoly. D. 麦克米伦的垄断。
【考查点】事实细节题。
【解题思路】根据第五段最后一句“我们将不得不屈服并接受麦克米伦的条件，因为麦克米伦垄断了他们自己的图书……”，从中可知，亚马逊未能继续抵制是因为麦克米伦的垄断，D项符合题意。
【干扰项排除】
A项“亚马逊的懦弱”，从文中亚马逊的抵制来看，亚马逊并不懦弱，该项属于反向干扰；
B项“麦克米伦的傲慢”和C项“亚马逊的慷慨”在文中没有提到，属于无中生有。
第4题:
4.【选项释义】
4. Which of the following is true? 4. 下列哪一项是正确的？
A. Macmillan preferred to sell traditional books rather than e-books. A. 麦克米伦更喜欢销售传统书籍而不是电子书。
B. Apple made more profit than Amazon in selling e-books. B. 苹果在销售电子书方面的利润超过了亚马逊。
C. Macmillan intended to increase its e-book market. C. 麦克米伦打算扩大电子书市场。
D. Amazon was ready to sell e-books at lower prices. D. 亚马逊愿意以更低的价格出售电子书。
【考查点】推理判断题。
【解题思路】根据第五段最后一句“……即使我们认为电子书的价格高得没有必要，我们也会提供给你们”，从中可推断，亚马逊愿意以低价出售电子书给顾客，所以D项“亚马逊愿意以更低的价格出售电子书”是正确的。
【干扰项排除】
A项“麦克米伦更喜欢销售传统书籍而不是电子书”，从文章倒数第二段提到“麦克米伦最近同意在苹果的iBookstore销售图书”可以看出，麦克米伦倾向于电子书销售，该项反向干扰；
B项“苹果在销售电子书方面的利润超过了亚马逊”，文中没有提到亚马逊和苹果销售电子书方面的利润的比较，该项属于无中生有；
C项“麦克米伦打算扩大电子书市场”也没有提到，属于无中生有。
