Part Ⅱ Reading Comprehension (35 minutes)

Directions: There are 4 passages in this part. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A), B), C) and D). You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the centre.

Passage 1

Questions 21 to 25 are based on the following passage:

According to Forrester Research, 8.6 million online shoppers access the Internet via a high-speed connection, compared to 12 million using dial-up. Taken alone, those findings are hardly groundbreaking. What’s noteworthy is the rest of the picture that emerges from that study: Those broadband users are younger, richer , and better informed than their narrowband counterparts. They spend more time and money online and are more likely to buy customized products and services.

So why hasn’t the Internet become the focus for broadband companies seeking to establish relationships with a demographic that has demonstrated a preference for their product? Simply put, until recently, their attempts fell flat. Just over a year ago, our agency launched an online performance-based e-marketing campaign to promote a broadband service. Despite engaging creative and a compelling offer, it met with resounding silence. Six months later, the response was only marginally better. So we were only cautiously optimistic two months later when we launched another campaign for the same advertiser, using the same offer. This time, it was a success. Response rates tripled and the customer acquisition cost dropped from $300 to under $100.

Clearly, the floodgates have opened and the most sought-after consumers are rushing through to broadband. And while the surge in response wasn’t a complete surprise given the emphasis placed on marketing broadband services, it was enough to make us curious about what other factors were at play. What we discovered was a scenario where so many people have experienced broadband’s superiority at work, school, and even in friends’ homes that they know what they’re missing.

According to U.S. News & World Report, some 20 million households nationwide now have broadband, with another 100,000 signing up each week. That saturation has created a market of increasingly discontent dial-up subscribers for broadband companies to reach. Imagine the impact when -- as dial-up users impatiently wait for Web pages to load -- an ad pops up promising lightning-fast access. Their response starts an on going relationship managed through newsletters and other e-mail communications designed to keep them informed about value-added services, special promotions, etc. Not only is it a demographic pre-disposed to online CRM, it is also one that is far from oversold. In fact, less than one-third of U.S. households will subscribe to a broadband service by 2006. And as services designed specifically for broadband increase and support for dial-up declines, the 42 percent of Internet users who said they didn’t need broadband will become receptive to a well-focused CRM program. But it won’t last forever. While the window of opportunity to reach broadband buyers online is open, it’s not likely to stay that way. Broadband may be the current heir apparent for connectivity, but wireless has given every indication it will be a sleeper hit, emerging from nowhere to take the top spot.

In short, the time for broadband companies to establish online customer relationships is now -- before the window slams shut.

21. What is NOT mentioned as the result of Forrester Research in the first paragraph?

A) A lot of online shoppers access the Internet by broadband.

B) Broadband users get more information than the dial-up users.

C) It is probable for broadband users to buy the products specially made for them.

D) It is the first time for people to find out the number of broadband and narrowband users.

22. What did the online performance-based e-marketing campaign bring at first?

A) The promotion of a broadband service.

B) Cautious responses.

C) No response at all.

D) Some marginal responses.