1994年Passage 2
One hundred and thirteen million Americans have at least one bank-issued credit card. They give their owners automatic credit in stores, restaurants, and hotels, at home, across the country, and even abroad, and they make many banking services available as well. More and more of these credit cards can be read automatically, making it possible to withdraw or deposit money in scattered locations, whether or not the local branch bank is open. For many of us the "cashless society" is not on the horizon—it’s already here.
While computers offer these conveniences to consumers, they have many advantages for sellers too. Electronic cash registers can do much more than simply ring up sales. They can keep a wide range of records, including who sold what, when, and to whom. This information allows businessmen to keep track of their list of goods by showing which items are being sold and how fast they are moving. Decisions to reorder or return goods to suppliers can then be made. At the same time these computers record which hours are busiest and which employees are the most efficient, allowing personnel and staffing assignments to be made accordingly. And they also identify preferred customers for promotional campaigns. Computers are relied on by manufacturers for similar reasons. Computer-analyzed marketing reports can help to decide which products to emphasize now, which to develop for the future, and which to drop. Computers keep track of goods in stock, of raw materials on hand, and even of the production process itself.
Numerous other commercial enterprise, from theaters to magazine publishers, from gas and electric utilities to milk processors, bring better and more efficient services to consumers through the use of computers.
58. What is this passage mainly about?
[A] Approaches to the commercial use of computers.
[B] Conveniences brought about by computers in business.
[C] Significance of automation in commercial enterprises.
[D] Advantages of credit cards in business.
[答案] B
[解题思路]
本题考察的是文章的中心思想。通过文章第二段和第三段的首句“While computers offer these conveniences to consumers, they have many advantages for sellers too”（计算机在为消费者提供诸多方便的同时，也给商家带来很多优势）和“Numerous other commercial enterprise, from theaters to magazine publishers, from gas and electric utilities to milk processors, bring better and more efficient services to consumers through the use of computers”（许多其他商业企业，从剧院到杂志社，从燃气电器公司到牛奶加工厂都通过计算机的使用为消费者提供更好、效率更高的服务）可以看出，本文主要讨论的是计算机给商业带来的便利，因此B为正确答案。D选项与文章第一段有一定联系，但信用卡的例子仅仅是为了引出主要话题，并不是文章关注的重点。而A和C选项都与文章强调“计算机带来的便利”这一侧重点不同。
[题目译文]
这篇文章的主要内容是什么？
[A] 计算机商业化的形式
[B] 计算机
责任编辑:zhaotingting
