Text 3
“There is one and only one social responsibility of businesses,” wrote Milton Friedman, a Nobel prize-winning economist, “That is, to use its resources and engage in activities designed to increase its profits.” But even if you accept Firedman’s premise and regard corporate social responsibility (CSR) policies as a waste of shareholders’ money, things may not be absolutely clear-cut. New research suggests that CSR may create monetary value for companies-at least when they are prosecuted for corruption.
The largest firms in America and Britain together spend more than $ 15 billion a year on CSR, according to an estimate by EPG, a consulting firm. This could add value to their businesses in three ways. First, consumers may take CSR spending as a “signal” that a company’s products are of high quality. Second, customers may be willing to buy a company’s products as an indirect way to donate to the good causes it helps. And third, through a more diffuse “halo effect,” whereby its good deeds earn it greater consideration from consumers and others.
Previous studies on CSR have had trouble differentiating these effects because consumers can be affected by all three. A recent study attempts to separate them by looking at bribery prosecutions under America’s Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). It argues that since prosecutors do not consume a company’s products as part of their investigations, they could be influenced only by the halo effect.
The study found that, among prosecuted firms, those with the most comprehensive CSR programmes tended to get more lenient penalties. Their analysis ruled out the possibility that it was firms’ political influence, rather than their CSR stand, that accounted for the leniency: Companies that contributed more to political campaigns did not receive lower fines.
In all, the study concludes that whereas prosecutors should only evaluate a case based on its merits, they do seem to be influenced by a company’s record in CSR. “We estimate that either eliminating a substantial labour-rights concern, such as child labour or increasing corpora giving by about 20% results in fines that generally are 40% lower than the typical punishment for briding foreign officials,” says one researcher.
Researchers admit that their study does not answer the question of how much businesses ought to spend on CSR. Nor does it reveal how much companies are banking on the halo effect rather than the other possible benefits, when they decide their do-gooding policies. But at least they have demonstrated that when companies get into trouble with the law, evidence of good character can win them a less costly punishment.
31. The author views Milton Friedman’s statement about CSR with
[A] tolerance
[B] skepticism
[C] uncertainty
[D] approval
【答案】[B]
【解析】观点态度题。题干问的是作者对有关CSR方面Milton Friedman的说法是什么态度。根据信号词Milton Friedman这个人定位到首段。注意题干问的是作者的看法，因此定位到第二句but转折处。But后句子的主干为：things may not be absolutely clear-cut，可见作者对Milton Friedman所说的内容并不完全赞同，故选择答案[B]项怀疑。[A]项容忍，[C]项不确定，[D]项赞同，这三项均不是作者的态度，故排除。
32. According to Paragraph 2, CSR helps a company by
[A] winning trust from consumers.
[B] guarding it against malpractices.
[C] protecting it from being defamed.
[D] raising the quality of its products.
【答案】[A]
【解析】细节题。根据题干中的出处提示“Paragraph 2”定位到第二段第二句：This could add value to their businesses in three ways. This指的是CSR，根据接下来讲到的三点：第一点是，消费者认为这样的公司产品质量比较高；第二点是，顾客更愿意购买这样公司的产品；第三点是，通过一个更为广泛的“晕轮效应”，消费者会更多地考虑这样的公司的产品。可知，有CSR支出的公司会吸引更多的消费者，[A]项“赢得消费者的信任”，是对整个三点的总结，故为正确答案。[B]项 防止公司里的玩忽职守，[C]项 保护公司免受毁谤，[D]项 提升公司产品的质量，均在原文中未提及，故排除。
33. The expression “more lenient’ (Line 2, Para. 4) is closest in meaning to
[A] more effective
[B] less controversial
[C] less severe
[D] more lasting
【答案】[C]
【解析】猜词题。根据题干中的出处提示“line 2, para. 4”及信号词“more lenient”定位到原文中的第四段第一句：The study found that...penalties。明显此句中more lenient 修饰 penalties(惩罚) ，要想推测出more lenient的含义，需要知道被起诉的公司中，那些有着全面的CSR项目的公司和penalties 之间的联系。本项在第五段的最后一句最容易被看出来，第五段最后一句提到那些在CSR有较大投资的公司，当被起诉有贿赂行为时，所受到的罚金要比通常的罚金低40%左右，可知这样的公司会受到较轻的惩罚，故more lenient是较轻，即较不严重的意思，故选[C]项。[A]项 更有效的，[B]项 较少有争议的，[D]项 更持久的，这三项均不是more lenient的意思，故排除。
34. When prosecutors evaluate a case, a company’s CSR record
[A] has an impact on their decision.
[B] comes across as reliable evidence.
[C] increases the chance of being penalized.
[D] constitutes part of the investigation.
【答案】[A]
【解析】细节题。题干问的是 CSR record 与 prosecutors evaluate a case 的关系，根据题干中的信号词prosecutors evaluate a case可回文中定位到第五段第一句：In all...in CSR。这里的be influenced与[A]项 has an impact 对应，即一个公司的CSR会影响检察官对其案件的评估，故选[A]项。[B]项被检察官认为是可靠的证据，[C]项 增加了被惩罚的机会，[D]项 构成了调查的一部分，这三项均在原文中没有提及，故排除。
35. Which of the following is true of CSR, according to the last paragraph?
[A] Its negative effects on businesses are often overlooked.
[B] The necessary amount of companies’ spending on it is unknown.
[C] Companies’ financial capacity for it has been overestimated.
[D] It has brought much benefit to the banking industry.
【答案】[B]
【解析】判断题题干问的是根据最后一段，有关CSR的论述哪个是对的。定位到原文最后一段，根据其内容可知“研究人员承认到其研究没有回答如下问题：公司应该在CSR方面花费多少钱”。[B]项的意思是“公司在CSR方面的花费是未知的”，属于原文的同义替换，故正确。[A]项 CSR对公司的负面影响经常被忽视，[C]项 公司对CSR的经济承担力被过高估计了，[D]项 CSR给银行业带来了很多好处，这三项在文中均为提及，故排除。
Text 4
There will eventually come a day when The New York Times ceases to publish stories on newsprint. Exactly when that day will be is a matter of debate. “Sometime in the future,” the paper’s publisher said back in 2010.
Nostalgia for ink on paper and the rustle of pages aside, there’s plenty of incentive to ditch print. The infrastructure required to make a physical newspaper-printing presses, delivery trucks — isn’t just expensive; it’s excessive at a time when online-only competitors don’t have the same set of financial constraints. Readers are migrating away from print anyway. And though print and sales still dwarf their online and mobile counterparts, revenue from print is still declining.
Overhead may be high and circulation lower, but risking to eliminate its print edition would be a mistake, says BuzzFeed CEO Jonah Pere.
Peretti says the Times shouldn’t waste time getting out of the print business, but only if they go about do, it the right way. “Figuring out a way to accelerate that transition would make sense for them,” he said, “but if you discontinue it, you’re going to have your most loyal customers really upset with you.”
Sometimes that’s worth making a change anyway. Peretti gives the example of Netflix discontinuing its DVD-mailing service to focus on streaming. “It was seen as a blunder,” he said. The move turned out to be foresighted. And if Peretti were in charge at the Times? “I wouldn’t pick a year to end print,” he said. “I would raise prices and make it into more of a legacy product.”
The most loyal customers would still get the product they favor, the idea goes, and they’d feel like they were helping sustain the quality of something they believe in. “So if you are overpaying for print, you could feel like you were helping,” Peretti said, “Then increase it at a higher rate each year and essentially try to generate additional revenue.” In other words, if you’re going to make a print product, make it for the people who are already obsessed with it, Which may be what the Times is doing already. Getting the print edition seven days a week costs nearly $500 a year — more than twice as much as a digital-only subscription.
“It’s a really hard thing to do and it’s a tremendous luxury that BuzzFeed doesn’t have a legacy business,” Peretti remarked. “But we’re going to have questions like that where we have things we’re doing that don’t make sense when the market changes and the world changes. In those situations, it’s better to be more aggressive than less aggressive.”
36. The New York Times is considering ending it’s print edition partly due to
[A] the pressure form its investors
[B] the complaints from its readers
[C] the high cost of operation
[D] the increasing online ad sales.
【答案】[C]
【解析】细节题。题干问的是《纽约时报》考虑停止纸质版新闻印刷出版的原因是什么。文章首段首句即是此内容的同义表达，第二段解释具体原因，第二句：The infrastructure...isn’t just expensive; it’s excessive at a time when online-only competitors don’t have the same set of financial constraints. 意思是纸质印刷所要求的基础设施不仅仅贵而且多余，因为他们的网络竞争对手没有这样的经济上的限制。[C]项“运行的高成本”是对原文内容的总结，故正确。[A]项 来自于投资者的压力，[B]项 来自于读者的投诉，[D]项 网络广告销售的增长，这三项在文中均未提及，故排除。
37.Peretti suggests that.in face of the present situation, the Times should
[A] make strategic adjustments
[B] end the print edition for good
[C] seek new sources of readership
[D] aim for efficient management
【答案】[A]
【解析】细节题。题干问的是：面对目前的形势，Peretti建议《纽约时报》怎么做。根据信号词Peretti回原文中定位至第四段，首句内容是Peretti说《纽约时报》不该浪费时间去想着如何停止纸质印刷，而应该找到一种正确的方法去解决这件事。接着第二句Peretti说找到一种方式来促进这种转变会对他们来说有用处。可知Peretti认为《纽约时报》应当做出一些改变而非停止纸质版的发行，[A]项“做出策略上的调整”是对原文的同义转述，故正确。[B]项 永远结束纸质版，与原文意思相反，故排除；[C]项 寻求新的读者资源，[D]项 以高效的管理为目标，在原文中未提及，故排除。
38.It can be inferred front Paragraphs 5 and 6 that a “legacy product”
[A] will have the cost of printing reduced.
[B] is meant for the most loyal customers.
[C] helps restore the glory of former times.
[D] expands the popularity of the paper.
【答案】[B]
【题型】推断题。
【解析】题干意思为：从第五、六段可以推断出“传承产品” 。根据信号词legacy product定位到第五段最后一句：I would raise prices and make it into more of a legacy product.不仅要提高价格还要将它变为一种遗留品。单单这一句不足以做出选择，需要继续往下看在第六段中有没有对于这个词的解释。第六段开头提到了他认为大部分忠实的消费者依旧会坚持购买他们喜欢的产品，而且他们会认为是在帮助维持他们所信任的产品的质量。可见Peretti认为忠实的购买者不会有改变，如果可以每年增加一些比例，那么依旧是可以创收的。紧接着出现了in other worlds(换句话说)，如果我们要做这些print product(印刷产品)，那就为那些已经痴迷于他们的人而做吧。[B]项“是为多数忠实的顾客设计的”，是对原文内容的同义替换，为正确答案。[A]项 会降低印刷成本，[C]项 重建以往的荣耀，[D]项 扩大报纸的受欢迎程度，这三项均在文中未提及，故排除。
39. Peretti believes that in a changing world,
[A] traditional luxuries can stay unaffected.
[B] aggressiveness better meets challenges.
[C] cautiousness facilitates problem-solving.
[D] legacy businesses are becoming outdated.
【答案】[B]
【题型】细节题。
【解析】题干以为：Peretti认为，在一个变化的世界里 。根据信号词Peretti和changing world可回文中定位到文章最后一段，由最后一段可知Peretti认为在市场在变化、世界在变化的情况中，更有进取心是更好的。[B]项“进取精神可以更好地迎接挑战”，本项是对原文的同义转述，故正确。[A]项 传统的奢侈品不会受到影响，在文中未提及，故排除；[C]项 谨慎小心促进问题的解决，与原文意思相反，故排除；[D]项 传统产业正在变得过时，在文中未提及，故排除。
40 . Which of the following would be the best title of the text
[A] Make Your Print Newspaper a Luxury Good
[B] Keep Your Newspaper Forever in Fashion
[C] Cherish the Newspaper Still in Your Hand
[D] Shift to Online Newspapers All at Once
【答案】[A]
【题型】主旨题。
【解析】全文由《纽约时报》纸质版终有一天会面临倒闭的危机引出话题，重点阐述Peretti对此问题的看法：《纽约时报》纸质版应该考虑转型——为大部分忠实的顾客提供遗留品。后面接着阐述了如何将《纽约时报》做成这种专为忠实的顾客制作的高价遗留品。[A]项“将你的印刷报纸做成一个奢侈品”，a luxury good是对原文中提到的高价“legacy product”的同义转述，故正确。B.始终保持你的报纸时尚前沿，[C]项 珍惜你手中仍然拥有的报纸，[D]项 立刻转向网络在线报纸，均不是本文要的主旨，故排除。
