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  3. History is more or less nonsense, declared Henry Ford in 1916. However, the company that bears his name is not so dismissive of

History is more or less nonsense, declared Henry Ford in 1916. However, the company that bears his name is not so dismissive of

admin2022-04-20  15
问题     History is more or less nonsense, declared Henry Ford in 1916. However, the company that bears his name is not so dismissive of the past. Ford’s website has a prominent heritage section captioned "Automotive history begins here." And Ford is not alone in seeking to capitalise on its history. Bruce Weindruch, founder of The History Factory, a "heritage management" firm that helps companies to document and exploit their past, says that his firm is growing by 30％～40％ annually.
    Some companies are more creative in their use of history than others. HSBC’s History Wall, a striking art installation at the bank’s London headquarters, is made up of 3743 images drawn from the bank’s archives and arranged in chronological order. Wells Fargo, a bank founded in 1852, plays heavily on its role in the development of the American West. It runs nine free museums that tell the story of its expansion and has a fleet of 21 reproduction stagecoaches that appear in some 900 parades and community events every year.
    The benefits of knowing your corporate history can be very practical. Disney constantly mines its archive of old films. Carmakers have overhauled old designs for the modern era: Volkswagen’s New Beetle and the new Fiat 500 are obvious examples. Stacey Schiesl, director of the Harley-Davidson museum, says designers use the company’s collection of historic bikes as inspiration for new products.
    But the bigger payoff tends to be less tangible—that of forging stronger bonds with customers and employees. Age can by itself confer a sense of trustworthiness: brewers and bankers boast deep roots. Jim Gilmore, co-author of "Authenticity", argues that history is also vital in giving companies a genuine sense of personality. Ritz-Carlton’s use of cobalt-blue glasses in its hotel dining rooms can be traced back to Boston in the 1920s, for example, where window glass that had been imported from Europe and turned blue in the New England air was a symbol of wealth. Rather than commissioning dusty biographies to mark anniversaries, Mr. Gilmore reckons that firms should trawl the archives for symbolic stories of this kind.
    Yet, companies still cannot avoid difficult episodes in their pasts. Transparency is a must. Union Carbide, a chemicals firm, has a link to information on the deadly Bhopal gas leak in India on its home page, for example. Far more truthfully, Coca-Cola does not shy away from the failed introduction of New Coke in 1985. "It’s like kids looking at the dirty words in a dictionary," says Mr. Weindruch. "people will notice if the awkward bits are missing. "
Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
选项 A、Respecting History Pays Off
B、Companies Can Benefit from Looking Backwards
C、Companies Can Learn Lessons from History
D、History Is More or Less Nonsense
答案B
解析 本题是主旨题。文章结构清晰，前两段举出公司利用历史的事例，第三、四段阐述公司利用历史收益，末段提出公司不能回避其历史上的污点。概括起来，本文主要阐述了利用历史为公司带来的益处，因此B项“公司可以从回顾过去中受益”最适合做本文标题，高度概括全文，Looking Backwards“回顾过去”即为“利用历史”的意思。A项“尊重历史会有回报”扩大了文章讨论的范围；C项“公司可以从历史中吸取教训”属于偏离主题，文章的主题并不是“吸取教训”；D项“历史或多或少都是胡说”为细节内容，属于以偏概全，而且文章从第二句话开始就笔锋一转，转向讨论历史对公司发展的正面作用。故均排除。
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