In 1998 consumers could purchase virtually anything over the Internet. Books, compact discs, and even stocks were available from

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问题     In 1998 consumers could purchase virtually anything over the Internet. Books, compact discs, and even stocks were available from World Wide Web sites that seemed to spring up almost dally. A few years earlier, some people had predicted that consumers accustomed to shopping in stores would be reluctant to buy things that they could not see or touch in person. For a growing number of time-starved consumers, however, shopping from their home computer was proved to be a convenient alternative to driving to the store.
    A research estimated that in 1998 US consumers would purchase $ 7.3 billion of goods over the Internet, double the 1997 total. Finding a bargain was getting easier owing to the rise of online auctions and Web sites that did comparison shopping on the Internet for the best deal.
    For all the consumer interest, retailing in cyberspace was still a largely unprofitable business, however. Internet pioneer Amazon. com, which began selling books in 1995 and liter branched into recorded music and videos, posted revenue of $ 153.7 million in the third quarter, up from $ 37.9 million in the same period of 1997. Overall, however, the company’s loss widened to $ 45.2 million from $ 9.6 million, and analysis did not expect the company to turn a profit until 2001. Despite the great loss, Amazon. com had a stock market value of many billions, reflecting investors’ optimism about the future of the industry Internet retailing appealed to investors because it provided an efficient means for reaching millions of consumers without having the cost of operating conventional stores with their armies of salespeople. Selling online carried its own risks, however. With so many companies competing for consumers’ attention, price competition was intense and profit margins thin or nonexistent. one video retailer sold the hit movie Titanic for $ 9. 99, undercutting (削价) the $ 19.99 suggested retail price and losing about $ 6 on each copy sold. With Internet retailing still in its initial stage, companies seemed willing to absorb such losses in an attempt to establish a dominant market position.  
Which of the following is TRUE according to the writer?

选项 A、Consumers are reluctant to buy things on the Internet.
B、Consumers are too busy to buy things on the Internet.
C、Internet retailing is a profitable business.
D、More and more consumers prefer Internet shopping.

答案D

解析 文章第一段“For a growing number of time-starved consumers,however,shopping from their home computer was proved to be a convenient alternative to driving to the store.”对于越来越多时间不充裕的消费者来说,与开车到商场购物相比,通过家用电脑购物被证实是一个方便的选择。可见尽管说网上购物有一些不习惯,但是相比之下,它确实是一个方便的选择。所以A、B项不对,而D项正确。第三段第1句话讲到“尽管消费者感兴趣,但是,网络空间还是一个不赚钱的生意”,可见C项也不对。
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