ForChristmaslastyear,Marie’sgrandmawantedtogethersome...

问题详情：

   For Christmas last year, Marie’s grandma wanted to get her something special. So Marie asked her grandma for her dream gift: a brand-new pair of UGG boots. All her friends had them.

    On Christmas morning, Marie really got a pair of boots. They fit perfectly. The quality was superb. There was only one thing missing: the tiny label (标签) on the heel that says UGG.

    Marie thanked her grandma. But she’s only worn those boots twice — both times to visit her grandma. “I would never wear them in public,” she says.

    Marie’s grandma would be heartbroken to know the truth. But at UGG headquarters (总部), a room full of sales managers would be cheering.

    Through clever marketing and expensive advertising, the makers of UGGs have convinced (使信服) Marie — and millions of others — that the name UGG has value far beyond what the homely slipper boots should really cost. UGGs, like North Face jackets, Nike sneakers, and other brand-name items are “status symbols”. People pay double, triple, even 10 times more for brand names than for similar items. Is a pair of $400 True Religion jeans really better than the $18 Wranglers you can get at Walmart? Maybe the quality is a bit higher. Maybe they shrink less. But are brand names really worth the exorbitant prices? Some pricey brands do, in fact, use higher-quality materials that fit better and feel nice on your skin.

    However, the truth is that the value of a brand has little to do with quality and a lot to do with status. A recent study by Consumer Reports found that some of the least expensive jeans are better made than the more expensive jeans. But that doesn’t matter. Wearing a certain label tells the world “I belong” or “I can afford it.”

    A few decades ago, the idea of a kid refusing to wear a pair of boots because the label was wrong would have seemed as crazy as talking on a phone the size of your hand.

    Clearly, times have changed.

28. When she received the Christmas gift from her grandma, Marie seemed          .

    A. excited          B. worried          C. moved            D. disappointed

29. UGG’s managers would be cheering probably because of        .

    A. its particular design            B. its successful marketing

    C. its high-quality products        D. its better customer service

30. The underlined word “exorbitant” in Paragraph 5 probably means        .

    A. high         B. good         C. average          D. attractive

31. In the author’s opinion, people wear brand-name products as a way to       .

    A. follow the fashion          

B. show themselves off

    C. keep pace with the times    

D. improve their quality of life

【回答】

DBAB

知识点：日常生活类阅读

题型：阅读理解