1 . Société Cartier designs, manufactures, distributes and sells jewellery and watches. Founded in Paris, France in 1847 by Louis-François Cartier, the company remained under family control until 1964. The company maintains its headquarters in Paris and is now a wholly owned subsidiary of the Compagnie Financière Richemont SA.

Cartier is well known for its jewellery and wrist watches, including the “Bestiary” (best illustrated by the Panthère brooch of the 1940s created for Wallis Simpson), the diamond necklace created for Bhupinder Singh the Maharaja of Patiala and the first practical wristwatch, the “Santos,” of 1904.

Cartier has a long history of sales to royalty and celebrities. King Edward VII of England referred to Cartier as “the jeweler of kings and the king of jewelers.” For his coronation in 1902, Edward VII ordered 27 tiaras and issued a royal warrant to Cartier in 1904. Similar warrants soon followed from the courts of Spain, Portugal, Russia, Siam, Greece, Serbia, Belgium, Romania, Egypt, Albania, Monaco, and the House of Orleans.

In 1986, the French Ministry for Culture appointed Perrin head of the “Mission sur le mecenatd’ entreprise” (a commission to study business patronage of the arts). Two years later, Cartier acquired a majority holding in Piaget and Baume & Mercier. In 1990 the Musee du Petit Palais staged the first major exhibition of the Cartier collection, “l’Art de Cartier”.

Perrin founded an international committee in 1991, Comite International de la Haute Horlogerie, to organise its first salon, held on 15 April 1991. This has become an annual meeting place in Geneva for professionals. The next year, the second great exhibition of “l’Art de Cartier” was held at the Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg. In 1993, the “Vendome Luxury Group” was formed as an umbrella company to combine Cartier, Alfred Dunhill, Montblanc, Piaget, Baume & Mercier, Karl Lagerfeld, Chloé, Sulka, Hackett, Seeger.

In 1995, a major exhibition of the Cartier Antique Collection was held in Asia. The next year, the Lausanne Hermitage Foundation in Switzerland hosted the exhibition “Splendours of the Jewellery”, presenting a hundred and fifty years of products by Cartier. As of 2012, Cartier is owned, through Richemont, by the South African Rupert family and 24-year-old who is the granddaughter of Pierre Cartier, Elle Pagels.

1. Which one of the following features distinguishes Cartier from other ordinary brands?

A．It is well known for its jewelry, wrist watches and wearable products.

B．It began to sell products to royalty and celebrities years ago.

C．Cartier became a member of the “Vendome Luxury Group” in 1991.

D．Cartier received warrant mainly from Asian countries.

2. Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A．Cartier has a history of more than 400 years.

B．Cartier has always been under family control and it designs, manufactures, distributes and sells jewellery and watches.

C．The Musee du Petit Palais staged the first major exhibition of the Cartier collection four years after Perrin was appointed head of the “Mission sur le mecenatd ’entreprise”.

D．The exhibition “Splendours of the Jewellery” presented products from Chloé, Sulka and Hackett.

3. Which of the following might be the best title for the passage?

A．Cartier, a local Paris brand.	B．Cartier, a brand standing the test of time.
C．Cartier, a brand with modern technology.	D．Cartier, a shining star in exhibitions.