Amtrak (美国铁路客运公司) was experiencing a downswing in ridership along the lines comprising its rail system. Of major concern to Amtrak and its advertising agency DDB Needham, were the long-distance western routes where ridership had been declining significantly.
At one time, trains were the only practical way to cross the vast areas of the west. Trains were fast, very luxurious, and quite convenient compared to other forms of transportation at the time.
However, time changed and the automobile became America’s standard of convenience. Also, air travel had easily established itself as the fastest method of traveling great distances. Therefore, the task for DDB Needham was to encourage consumers to consider other aspects of train travel in order to change their attitudes and increase the likelihood that trains would be considered for travel in the west.
Two portions of the total market were targeted: 1) anxious fliers—those concerned with safety, relaxation, and cleanliness, and 2) travel-lovers—those viewing themselves as relaxed, casual, and interested in the travel experience as part of their vacation. The agency then developed a campaign that focused on travel experiences such as freedom, escape, relaxation, and enjoyment of the great western outdoors. It stressed experiences gained by using the trains and portrayed western train trips as wonderful adventures.
Advertisements showed pictures of the beautiful scenery that could be enjoyed along some of the more famous western routes and emphasized the romantic names of some of these trains (Empire Builder, etc.). These ads were strategically placed among family-oriented TV shows and programs involving nature and America in order to most effectively reach target audiences. Results were impressive. The Empire Builder, which was focused on in one ad, enjoyed a 15 percent increase in profits on its Chicago to Seattle route.
1. What’s the author’s purpose in writing this passage?
2. It can be inferred from the passage that the drop in Amtrak ridership was due to the fact that ____.
3. To encourage consumers to travel by train, DDB Needham emphasized ____.
4. The train ads were placed among family-oriented TV involving nature and America because ____.
5. According to the passage, the Empire Builder enjoyed an increase in ridership and profits because ____.
问题1选项
A.To show the inability of trains to compete with planes with respect to speed and convenience.
B.To stress the influence of the automobile on America’s standard of convenience.
C.To emphasize the function of travel agencies in market promotion.
D.To illustrate the important role of persuasive communication in changing consumers’ attitudes.
问题2选项
A.trains were not suitable for short distance passenger transportation
B.trains were not the fastest and most convenient form of transportation
C.trains were not as fast and convenient as they used to be
D.trains could not compete with planes in terms of luxury and convenience
问题3选项
A.the freedom and convenience provided on trains
B.the practical aspects of train travel
C.the adventurous aspect of train travel
D.the safety and cleanliness of train trips
问题4选项
A.they could focus on meaningful travel experience where they could enjoy freedom
B.they could increase the effectiveness of the TV programs which could bring more audience
C.their profit could be increased by 15 percent, which was what they expected
D.most travel-lovers and nervous fliers were believed to be among the audience
问题5选项
A.the attractiveness of its name and route was effectively advertised
B.it provided an exciting travel experience
C.its passengers could enjoy the great western outdoors
D.it was widely advertised in newspapers and magazines in Chicago and Seattle
第1题:D
第2题:B
第3题:C
第4题:D
第5题:A
第1题:
【选项释义】
What’s the author’s purpose in writing this passage? 作者写这篇文章的目的是什么？
A. To show the inability of trains to compete with planes with respect to speed and convenience. A. 为了表明在速度和便利方面火车无法与飞机竞争。
B. To stress the influence of the automobile on America’s standard of convenience. B. 为了强调汽车对美国方便标准的影响。
C. To emphasize the function of travel agencies in market promotion. C. 为了强调旅行社在市场推广中的作用。
D. To illustrate the important role of persuasive communication in changing consumers’ attitudes. D. 为了说明说服性沟通在改变消费者态度方面的重要作用。
【答案】D
【考查点】推理判断题
【解题思路】本题考查的是作者的写作意图。本文的行文结构为“提出问题——分析问题——解决问题”，首段提出“铁路客流量下降”的问题，第二段及第三段前半部分分析该问题产生的原因，从第三段后半部分开始讲DDB Needham确定地解决问题的策略是“鼓励消费者（encourage consumers）考虑火车旅行的其他方面，以改变他们的态度（in order to change their attitudes），并增加在西方考虑火车旅行的可能性”，通过广告宣传把西部的铁路打造成火车旅行体验，最终的结果是，铁路线路的利润增长了。一篇文章的分析问题和解决问题部分是文章的重点，而本文重点部分是在讲DDB Needham的宣传策略和广告投放对于解决西部铁路客流量下降问题的重要作用，因此，D选项“为了说明说服性沟通在改变消费者态度方面的重要作用”符合原文。
【干扰项排除】
A选项“为了表明在速度和便利方面火车无法与飞机竞争”，火车和飞机的比较只在分析问题部分提到了，不是文章话题的重点，不会是作者的写作目的，该选项属于本末倒置；
B选项“为了强调汽车对美国方便标准的影响”，原文第三段第一句虽然提到了“汽车成为了美国交通便利的标准”，但是本文主要讨论的是铁路客运量的问题，该选项属于本末倒置；
C选项“为了强调旅行社在市场推广中的作用”，原文虽然提到了火车旅行，但并未提及旅行社，进行广告宣传的是广告代理商，该选项属于无中生有。
第2题:
【选项释义】
It can be inferred from the passage that the drop in Amtrak ridership was due to the fact that ____. 从文章中可以推断，美国铁路公司客运量的下降是由于____。
A. trains were not suitable for short distance passenger transportation A. 火车不适合短途客运
B. trains were not the fastest and most convenient form of transportation B. 火车不是最快最便捷的交通工具
C. trains were not as fast and convenient as they used to be C. 火车不像过去那样快捷方便了
D. trains could not compete with planes in terms of luxury and convenience D. 在豪华和便利方面，火车无法与飞机竞争
【答案】B
【考查点】推理判断题
【解题思路】根据题干关键词the drop in Amtrak ridership定位到原文第二段及第三段。第二段提到“曾经有一段时间，火车是穿越西部广大地区唯一可行的方法。与当时的其他交通工具相比，火车快速、豪华、便捷（fast, very luxurious, and quite convenient）。”由此可知，火车曾经受欢迎的原因是“它的快速、豪华、便捷”。另外，第三段第一、二句提到“然而，时代变了，汽车（the automobile）成了美国的方便标准。此外，航空旅行（air travel）已经很容易地确立了自己作为长途旅行的最快方法的地位。”由此可知，现在，汽车和飞机成为了更便捷的交通工具。综上所述，铁路客运量下降的原因是，相比较而言，它已经不是最便捷的交通工具了，有其他交通工具取代了它的位置，B选项“火车不是最快最便捷的交通工具”符合原文。
【干扰项排除】
A选项“火车不适合短途客运”，原文并未具体提及短途客运的问题，该选项属于无中生有；
C选项“火车不像过去那样快捷方便了”，原文并不是说火车没有以前快、没有以前方便了，只是有了更快、更方便的交通工具，取代了它的位置，这是相对来说的，该选项属于曲解原文；
D选项“在豪华和便利方面，火车无法与飞机竞争”，原文不仅提到了飞机，还提到了汽车，B选项的表述更完整，该选项属于以偏概全。
第3题:
【选项释义】
To encourage consumers to travel by train, DDB Needham emphasized ____. 为了鼓励消费者乘坐火车旅行，DDB Needham强调了____。
A. the freedom and convenience provided on trains A. 火车提供的自由和便利
B. the practical aspects of train travel B. 火车旅行的实用性
C. the adventurous aspect of train travel C. 火车旅行的冒险性
D. the safety and cleanliness of train trips D. 火车旅行的安全和清洁
【答案】C
【考查点】事实细节题
【解题思路】根据题干关键词To encourage consumers和DDB Needham定位到原文第三段第三句，该句提到“DDB Needham的任务是鼓励消费者考虑火车旅行的其他方面（other aspects），以改变他们的态度，并增加考虑在西部进行火车旅行的可能性。”前两句提到，“汽车是便利（convenience）的标准”、“飞机是最快的（fastest）交通工具”，那么，DDB Needham强调的应该是“便利和速度”以外的因素。第四段最后一句提到“它强调了乘坐火车所获得的经验，并把西部火车旅行描绘成奇妙的冒险（portrayed western train trips as wonderful adventures）。”由此可知，DDB Needham强调的是西部火车旅行的冒险性，C选项“火车旅行的冒险性”符合原文。
【干扰项排除】
A选项“火车提供的自由和便利”，“便利”不是DDB Needham强调的方面，该选项属于反向干扰；
B选项“火车旅行的实用性”，原文并未提及，该选项属于无中生有；
D选项“火车旅行的安全和清洁”，可定位到原文第四段第一句，该句提到“整个市场的两个部分是目标：1）焦虑的飞行者——那些关心安全、放松和清洁（safety, relaxation, and cleanliness）的人”，但这并不是DDB强调的内容，该选项属于出处错位。
第4题:
【选项释义】
The train ads were placed among family-oriented TV involving nature and America because ____. 火车广告之所以出现在以自然和美国为主题的家庭电视中，是因为____。
A. they could focus on meaningful travel experience where they could enjoy freedom A. 它们可以专注于有意义的旅行体验，在这个过程中，他们可以享受自由
B. they could increase the effectiveness of the TV programs which could bring more audience B. 它们可以提高电视节目的效果，这可以带来更多的观众
C. their profit could be increased by 15 percent, which was what they expected C. 它们的利润可以增加15%，这是他们所期望的
D. most travel-lovers and nervous fliers were believed to be among the audience D. 大多数旅行爱好者和忧虑的飞机乘客被认为是节目的观众
【答案】D
【考查点】事实细节题
【解题思路】根据题干关键词The train ads were placed among family-oriented TV定位到原文最后一段第二句，该句提到“这些广告被战略性投放在面向家庭、涉及自然和美国的电视节目中，以便最有效地触及目标受众（in order to most effectively reach target audiences）。”由此可得，这么做是为了“触及目标受众”，即他们认为自己的目标受众是这些节目的观众。第四段提到目标受众有两类，“忧虑的飞机乘客（anxious fliers）”和“旅行爱好者（travel-lovers）”。综上所述，D选项“大多数旅行爱好者和忧虑的飞机乘客被认为是节目的观众”最符合原文。
【干扰项排除】
A选项“它们可以专注于有意义的旅行体验，在这个过程中，他们可以享受自由”，可定位到第四段第二句，该句提到“该机构随后开展了一项活动，专注于旅行体验（focused on travel experiences），如自由（such as freedom）、逃避、放松和享受西部旷野。”由此可知，该选项与本题无关，属于出处错位；
B选项“它们可以提高电视节目的效果，这可以带来更多的观众”，广告并不能提高电视节目的效果，不是为了增加节目观众，而是为了吸引观众成为游客，该选项属于无中生有；
C选项“它们的利润可以增加15%，这是他们所期望的”，可定位到原文最后一句，该句提到“帝国建造者在芝加哥到西雅图的航线上的利润增长了15%”，但这表达的是在这些节目投放广告的效果，而不是原因，该选项属于因果倒置。
第5题:
【选项释义】
According to the passage, the Empire Builder enjoyed an increase in ridership and profits because ____. 根据这篇文章，“帝国建造者”的客流量和利润都有所增加，原因是____。
A. the attractiveness of its name and route was effectively advertised A. 它的名字有吸引力，并且对路线的宣传很有效
B. it provided an exciting travel experience B. 它提供了令人兴奋的旅行经历
C. its passengers could enjoy the great western outdoors C. 它的乘客可以欣赏到大西部的旷野
D. it was widely advertised in newspapers and magazines in Chicago and Seattle D. 它在芝加哥和西雅图的报纸和杂志上做了大量的广告宣传
【答案】A
【考查点】事实细节题
【解题思路】根据题干关键词the Empire Builder定位到原文第五段。本段第一句提到“‘帝国建造者’是一个浪漫的名字（the romantic names of some of these trains（Empire Builder, etc.））”；第二句提到“这些广告被战略性投放在面向家庭、涉及自然和美国的电视节目中，以便最有效地触及目标受众”，由此可知，这些广告的宣传很有效。综上所述，A选项“它的名字有吸引力，并且对路线的宣传很有效”最符合原文。
【干扰项排除】
B选项“它提供了令人兴奋的旅行经历”，选项虽然表述正确，但没有广告宣传，火车的收益不会增加，该选项属于本末倒置；
C选项“它的乘客可以欣赏到大西部的旷野”，这虽然是广告的内容，但火车收益增加主要得益于火车线路的名字以及有效的宣传，该选项属于本末倒置；
D选项“它在芝加哥和西雅图的报纸和杂志上做了大量的广告宣传”，原文提到广告主要投放在电视节目中，“芝加哥到西雅图”是火车的线路，该选项属于曲解原文。
