If a business wants to sell its products internationally, it had better do some market research first. This is a lesson that some large American corporations have learned the hard way.
What’s in the name?
Sometimes the problem is the name. When General Motors introduced its Chevy Nova into Latin America, it overlooked the fact that Nova in Spanish means “It doesn’t go”. Sure enough the Chevy Nova never went anywhere in Latin America.
Translation problems
Sometimes it is the slogan that doesn’t work. No company knows this better than Pepsi-Cola with its “Come alive with Pepsi!” campaign. The campaign was so successful in the United States that Pepsi translated its slogan literally for its international campaign. As it turned out, the translations weren’t quite right. Pepsi was begging Germans to “Come out of the grave (坟墓)” and telling the Chinese that “Pepsi brings your ancestors back from the grave.”
A picture’s worth a thousand words
Other times, the problem involves packaging. A picture of a smiling baby has helped sell countless jars of Gerber baby food. When Gerber started selling baby food in Africa, they used the same packaging as in the US, with the smiling baby on the label. Later they learned that in African countries, the picture on the jar shows what the jar has in it for many people there can’t read.
Twist of fate
Even the culture and religious factors and pure coincidence can be involved. Thorn McAn shoes have a Thorn McAn “signature” inside. To people in Bangladesh, which is a Muslim country, this signature looked like Arabic script for the word Allah. In that country feet are considered unclean and Muslims felt the company was offending God’s name by having people walk on it.
1. From the text we learned that _________.| A．Chevy Nova was a hit in Latin America |
| B．General Motors did the best market research of all companies |
| C．Pepsi still sold well in China owing to the translation problems |
| D．the “Come alive with Pepsi” campaign worked well in the US |
| A．The picture on the jar | B．A translation problem |
| C．Cultural factor | D．Religious factor |
| A．They are not designed attractively |
| B．Their advertisements are not persuasive |
| C．A signature looking like the word Allah was in the shoes |
| D．Problem for Thorn McAn was the company’s name |
| A．Lessons from some large corporations. | B．How to make use of advertisements |
| C．The importance of market research | D．The importance of packaging |
| A．product advertisers | B．market researchers |
| C．managers of Sales Department | D．businesses to promote products abroad |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Small batteries are big problems, but nobody really pays attention to where they end up. Researchers at the Cellulose & Wood Materials Laboratory are working to address this problem. Their new research paper describes a water-activated paper battery developed from environmentally friendly materials that could eventually present a sustainable alternative to the more harmful batteries common in low-power devices.
The paper battery has the same key components as standard batteries but packages them differently. Like a typical chemical battery, it has a positively charged side called a cathode, a negatively charged side called an anode, and a conductive material called an electrolyte (电解质) between the two. A traditional battery’s components are encased in plastic and metal; in the new battery, the anode and cathode are inks printed onto the front and back of a piece of paper. That paper is filled with salt, which dissolves (溶解) when the paper is dampened with water. The resulting saltwater solution acts as the electrolyte.
Sustainable materials were a precondition for the researchers, who considered only safe and plentiful ingredients to create their device. “We were fairly confident that we would have something that would work in the end, but developing these materials and ink systems is challenging,” says Gustav Nyström, senior author of the study.
After trying hundreds of formulations for the battery components, the researchers settled on a graphite ink to make the cathode, a zinc ink for the anode, and salt-filled paper to create the electrolyte.
When the paper is dry, the battery is shelf-stable. Add just a couple of drops of water, however, and the salt dissolves, allowing electrons to flow. Once the paper is dampened, the battery activates within 20 seconds. The new battery’s operating performance declines as the paper dries. When the scientists re-wet the paper during testing, the battery regained functionality and lasted an hour before beginning to dry out again.
Although the researchers demonstrated that their battery could power an alarm clock, the paper batteries are unlikely to replace standard ones on store shelves. Nyström envisions a future where these paper batteries could make their way into products within the next two to five years. “The performance that you see on this device, I think, is sufficient for a lot of other applications already,” he says. It is mostly a matter of scaling up production and integrating the batteries into systems such as diagnostic tests and environmental sensors.”
1. How is the paper battery similar to the standard battery?| A．They both have two charged sides and an electrolyte. |
| B．They are both packaged in plastic and metal. |
| C．The key components are environmentally friendly. |
| D．Both batteries can operate for only an hour. |
| A．Heating the salt | B．Wetting the paper |
| C．Drying out the battery | D．Charging the electrons |
| A．major technological breakthrough will be made in the near future |
| B．all home appliances will be powered by paper batteries |
| C．paper batteries will have longer shelf life than traditional ones |
| D．the future for a wide application of paper batteries is not far off |
| A．It advances the battery manufacturing industry. |
| B．It is a low-cost alternative to traditional battery. |
| C．It is a creative way to reduce potential e-waste. |
| D．It turns dangerous e-waste into useful products. |
Ever since then, the programme has enjoyed great success, mainly because the birds now being set free are Mexican birds illegally caught in the wild, confiscated （没收） on arrival north of the border, and raised by their parents in the safety of the programme. The experience shows how little we know about the behaviour and psychology （心理） of parrots, as Peter Bennett, a bird researcher, points out: “Reintroducing species of high intelligence like parrots is a lot more difficult. People like parrots, always treating them as nothing more than pets or valuable ‘collectables’.”
Now that many species of parrot are in immediate danger of dying out, biologists are working together to study the natural history and the behaviour of this family of birds. Last year was an important turning point: conservationists founded the World Parrot Trust, based at Hayle in Cornwall, to support research into both wild and caged birds.
Research on parrots is vital for two reasons. First, as the Arizona programme showed, when reintroducing parrots to the wild, we need to be aware of what the birds must know if they are to survive in their natural home. We also need to learn more about the needs of parrots kept as pets, particularly as the Trust’s campaign does not attempt to discourage the practice, but rather urges people who buy parrots as pets to choose birds raised by humans.
1. What do we know about the area where the five parrots were reintroduced?
| A．Its landscape is new to parrots of their kind. |
| B．It used to be home to parrots of their kind. |
| C．It is close to where they had been kept. |
| D．Pine trees were planted to attract birds. |
| A．can find their way back home in Jersey |
| B．are unable to recognize their parents |
| C．are unable to adapt to the wild |
| D．can produce a new species |
| A．The Trust shows great concern for the programme. |
| B．We need to know more about how to preserve parrots. |
| C．Many people are interested in collecting parrots. |
| D．Parrots’ intelligence may some day benefit people. |
| A．to treat wild and caged parrots equally |
| B．to set up comfortable homes for parrots |
| C．not to keep wild parrots as pets |
| D．not to let more parrots go to the wild |
【推荐3】On August 29th，Elon Musk, the boss of Tesla, an electric-car maker, announced that some of his customers would find that their cars had suddenly developed the ability to drive farther on a single battery charge. Like many modern vehicles, Mr.Musk's products are best thought of as Internet-connected computers on wheels. The cheaper models in Tesla' line-up have parts of their batteries disabled by the car’s software in order to limit their range. At the tap of a keyboard in Palo Alto, the firm was able to remove those restrictions and give drivers temporary access to the full power of their batteries.
Mr. Musk's computerized cars are just one example of a much broader trend. As computers and connectivity become cheaper, it makes sense to bake them into more and more things that are not, in themselves, computers creating an “Internet of things”, or IoT. It is a slow revolution that has been gathering pace for years, as computers have found their way into cars, telephones and televisions. But the transformation is about to speed up. One forecast is that by 2035 the world will have a trillion connected computers, built into everything from food packaging to bridges and clothes.
Such a world will bring many benefits.Consumers will get convenience. Amazon's Ring smart doorbells, for instance, come equipped with motion sensors(运动传感器) and video cameras. Working together, they can also form what is, in effect, a private CCTV(closed circuit television) network, allowing the firm to offer its customers a“digital neighborhood-watch”scheme and pass any interesting video along to the police.
Business will get efficiency, as information about the physical world that used to be temporary and uncertain becomes concrete and analyzable. Connected cows can have their eating habits and vital signs tracked in real time, which means they produce more milk and require less medicine when they fall ill. Such gains are individually small but, mixed again and again across an economy, they are the raw material of growth potentially a great deal of it.
In the long term, though, the most noticeable effects of the IoT will be on how the world works. One way to think of it is to regard it as the second phase of the Internet. Ever, more companies will become tech companies; the Internet will become widespread. As a result, a series of unsolved arguments about ownership, data, competition and security will spill over from the virtual world into the real one.
1. Why does the author mention Elon Musk?| A．To tell a story about his car. |
| B．To introduce the topic. |
| C．To inform readers of his Tesla. |
| D．To explain batteries on electric Cars. |
| A．It is under connection. |
| B．It is getting computerized. |
| C．It is getting widespread use. |
| D．It is connecting computers. |
| A．It will bring convenience and efficiency. |
| B．It can help upload videos onto the Internet. |
| C．It can save cows from being ill. |
| D．It will bring small gains. |
| A．The evolution of the IoT. |
| B．Applying the IoT to the virtual world. |
| C．Its main use in tech companies. |
| D．Its effects on the real world. |
【推荐1】Almost all cultures celebrate the end of one year and the beginning of another in some way. Different cultures celebrate the beginning of a new year in different ways, and at different times on the calendar(日历).
In western countries, people usually celebrate the new year at midnight on December 31st—January 1st. People may go to parties, sometimes dressed in formal clothes, and they may drink champagne at midnight. During the first minutes of the new year, people cheer and wish each other happiness for the year ahead. But some cultures prefer to greet the new year with the first light of the sunrise.
Many cultures also do special things to get rid of bad luck at the beginning of a new year. For example, in Ecuador, families make a big doll from old clothes. The doll is filled with old newspapers and firecrackers. At midnight, these dolls are burned to show the bad things from the past year are gone and that the new year can start afresh(重新). Other common traditions to keep away from bad luck in a new year include throwing things into rivers or the ocean, or saying special things on the first day of the new year.
Other New Year traditions are followed to bring good luck in the new year. One widespread Spanish tradition for good luck is to eat grapes on New Year’s Day. The more grapes a person eats, the more good luck the person will have in the year. In France, people eat oysters(牡蛎) on New Year’s Eve. In the United States, some people eat black-eyed peas for good luck—but to get good luck for a whole year you have to eat 365 of them.
1. What is the text mainly about?| A．The meaning of “Happy New Year!”. |
| B．Several different New Year traditions. |
| C．What to eat on New Year’s Day. |
| D．Why people dress up nicely on New Year’s Day. |
| A．To bring good luck. |
| B．To keep away from bad luck. |
| C．To forget everything. |
| D．To plan for the next year. |
| A．friends talk to each other in special ways |
| B．families make big dolls filled with old clothes |
| C．some people get up early to watch the sunrise |
| D．Europeans eat 365 grapes on New Year’s Day |
Culture Shock
Culture shock is the emotional and mental reaction to being in a completely new cultural environment. This is often a very difficult experience for many people and it consist of several stages of feelings until someone successfully adapts to being in the new culture.
The “honeymoon” stage of culture shock is usually the first stage that people go through when surrounded by different cultural values and lifestyles. During this stage, people often have very positive images of their new cultural surroundings. They tend to view these in an idealistic way and ignore or minimize problems. This stage quickly gives way to the second stage, called “the frustration phase”.
During the “frustration stage”, the newcomer begins to experience a more negative view of their cultural surroundings. There is a definite frustration that things that should be easy are still difficult. For example, people who may have been enjoyed learning the basics of a language during the honeymoon phase would now find it a chore to try and communicate with locals in the frustration phase.
After the frustration stage ends, the adjustment phase begins. This marks the time when newcomers begin to adjust themselves to the new culture. They begin to accept the differences around them and the challenges of everyday life. This opens the door to two possible outcomes— mastery and rejection.
Those newcomers who enter the “mastery stage” have completely accepted the values and beliefs of the new culture. Those who choose the “rejection phase” have decided not to accept it. They usually choose to permanently withdraw from the culture through isolation or returning home.
Culture shock is a very emotional experience for most people and there are many symptoms. It is important to recognize these symptoms in newcomers and understand the reasons for these feelings.
1. Culture shock refers to how people2. People usually take a(n)
3. In which of the four stages do people feel worst, according to the passage?
4. The following paragraph is a short summary of the passage. Fill in each blank with no more than 8 words.
People experience
【推荐3】While you are studying or working abroad, sharing an apartment with people from other cultures is a great way of getting the most out of a period of the beginning. This is a situation to which it will take some time to adapt. Here are some tips to make the process go smoother.
Start by being aware of your own culture, values and attitudes. Understand that people who have not grown up in the same country or context as you can sometimes translate some of your behavior in the wrong way. To avoid this, seek advice from your friends and family to find out more about what type of person you are and what you might come across when it comes to people who don’t know you. You might also consider conducting a little research about what type of stereotypes (成见) other cultures might hold about the people of your own country.
Be understanding and patient. Now that you know that people are all different, be understanding when you get to know them. Try to be open-minded so that you can start off on the right foot. This will promote communication with them. To get to know each other better, plan to spend some time doing what each of you likes to do in your spare time. You can cook meals together, go out to the town, listen to music, take a weekend trip and plan some board games. Moreover, the other person might be from a place where People do not usually do these activities. The opportunities to learn from each other are endless, but sometimes it can take some initiative (主动权) to actually make it happen.
People are more similar than you think most of the time. We grow up in such a large world with so much information everywhere and sometimes we can be misled into thinking something that we should not believe, but we have the opportunity to make up our own minds. So be kind. You don’t know where people come from and what their story is.
1. Why does the author suggest being aware of your own culture?| A．To learn to behave well. | B．To build the sense of independence. |
| C．To prevent yourself being misunderstood. | D．To gain an insight into other cultures. |
| A．Mind your own business in spare time. | B．Suggest some activities to do together. |
| C．Involve your roommate in what you like. | D．Team up with your roommate in video games. |
| A．The world is so large and people are different. |
| B．Being friendly is good for cross-cultural communication. |
| C．People from different cultures should learn from each other. |
| D．Go to the Internet to get more information about different cultures. |
| A．How to Study or Work Abroad | B．How to Learn Cultures of Your Roommates |
| C．How to Have a Good Time with Foreigners | D．How to Live with People from Different Cultures |
