The cola wars became a cultural phenomenon. Credit for that goes to Donald Kendall, PepsiCo's brilliant former boss, who died on September 19th aged 99. A gifted salesman, he rose quickly through the ranks from his start on the bottling line to become the firm's top sales and marketing executive at the young age of 35.

Seven years later he was named CEO. In 1974 he invested in the Soviet Union, which allowed Pepsi to become the first Western product to be legally sold behind the iron curtain. By the time he resigned as boss in 1986, PepsiCo's sales had shot up nearly 40 times, to $ 7.6 billion. His legacy continues to shape the industry.

Mr. Kendall offered a mix of strategic vision, principled leadership and marketing talent. Two years after taking charge he acquired Frito-Lay, a leading producer of snacks, giving PepsiCo an advantage of diversity that continues to this day. PepsiCo brought in $ 67 billion last year in sales compared to Coca-Cola's $ 37 billion.

But his most famous move was the all-out marketing blitz (闪电战) against Coca-Cola, long the global market leader in non-alcoholic drinks. The two firms had competed for decades, but they mostly fought low-grade battles. Mr. Kendall changed that, by forcing both companies into an advertising arms race. In 1975 Coca-Cola spent around $ 25 million on advertising and PepsiCo some $18 million. By 1985 those figures had shot up to $ 72 million and $ 57 million, respectively. In 1995 Pepsi outspent Coke by $112 million to $ 82 million.

This was a risky strategy for both cola competitors but it paid off by helping non-alcoholic drinks win a greater "share of throat". Last year Coca-Cola and PepsiCo remained in the leading position as usual. Also, the cola wars benefited both companies by turning them into "the world's best marketers". Today a decades-long addiction to cut-price quantity growth has been replaced by a focus on income and profits.

1．What was Donald Kendall's first position in PepsiCo?

A．CEO.             B．A worker.        C．A salesman.      D．Marketing executive.

2．What can we learn about Cola companies from the passage?

A．PepsiCo has always been ahead of Coca-cola in sales.

B．Coca-Cola preferred low-grade battles to marketing wars.

C．Coca-Cola bought a snack firm to enrich its product diversity.

D．PepsiCo spent $ 30 million more than Coca-cola in advertising in 1995.

3．Why does the author list the figures in the fourth paragraph?

A．To prove the success of both Cola companies in advertising products.

B．To suggest both Cola companies spent too much money in advertising.

C．To describe how PepsiCo got ahead of Coca-Cola in the fierce marketing wars.

D．To confirm marketing wars between the Cola companies were a wise move.

4．What is the passage mainly about?

A．Donald Kendall was to blame for the cola cultural phenomenon.

B．Donald Kendall was the most successful boss in PepsiCo history.

C．Donald Kendall started the cola blitz wars and achieved great success.

D．Donald Kendall's marketing strategies benefited both Cola companies.

【答案】

1．B

2．D

3．C

4．C

【分析】

这是一篇记叙文。文章主要叙述了百事可乐杰出的前任老板唐纳德•肯德尔利用营销策略，发动可乐大战并取得巨大成功的故事。

1．

细节理解题。根据第一段中的“A gifted salesman, he rose quickly through the ranks from his start on the bottling line to become the firm's top sales and marketing executive at the young age of 35”可知，Donald Kendall作为一名有天赋的推销员，他最一开始在生产线上工作，在35岁的时候迅速晋升为公司的销售和营销高管。由此可知，他最一开始是生产线上的一个工人。故选B。

2．

细节理解题。根据第四段中的“In 1995 Pepsi outspent Coke by $112 million to $ 82 million”可知，1995年百事可乐的支出是1.12亿美元，超过可口可乐是8200万美元。由此推知，百事可乐在1995年在广告上的花费比可口可乐多30万美元。outspend意为“开支比……更大，花费超过……”。故选D。

3．

推理判断题。根据第四段中的“In 1975 Coca-Cola spent around $ 25 million on advertising and PepsiCo some $18 million. By 1985 those figures had shot up to $ 72 million and $ 57 million, respectively. In 1995 Pepsi outspent Coke by $112 million to $ 82 million”可知，1975年，可口可乐在广告上花了大约2500万美元，百事可乐花了大约1800万美元。到1985年，这些数字分别上升到7200万美元和5700万美元。1995年百事可乐的支出超过可口可乐1.12亿美元，达到8200万美元。很明显，列举这些数字就是为了说明两家公司为了获取市场，在广告方面的激烈竞争。结合选项，C选项表达此意。故选C。

4．

主旨大意题。第一段提到：可乐大战成为了一种文化现象。这要归功于唐纳德·肯德尔。二段主要介绍了Donald Kendall对百事可乐公司的巨大贡献。第三段主要介绍肯德尔收购了零食生产商菲多利，使百事可乐公司占据优势。第四段主要介绍肯德尔的全面的营销策略，这使得百事可乐和可口可乐两家公司进入激烈的广告战。最后一段介绍了肯德尔发起的可乐大战带来的影响。因此整篇文章主要介绍了肯德尔发动可乐大战，并获得巨大成功的过程。C选项切题。故选C。