Question

Does style really sell? How can the appearance of a product be more important than what it does? The battle between form and function rose again when James Dyson, British inventor of the Dvson vacuum cleaner that has sold in millions around the world, resigned as chairman of London's Design Museum. It is widely believed that Mr. Dyson felt that the museum put too much stress on style at the expense of serious industrial design.
Mr. Dyson accused the museum of not keeping true to itself. He may be right, but these days, museums everywhere can no longer afford to be unique centers of scholarship and learning. Among competition for sponsorship, they must use exhibitions of populist culture, nice cafes and shops or, best of all, a new building by Frank Gehry to increase visitor numbers.
On the one hand, some producers can be too old-fashioned and too concerned with the importance of product engineering and the functionality of their goods. On the other hand, there are those who believe that how a product looks is more important. Design is indeed a broad term, involving both function and form. Typically, in any given product area, it changes from the former to the latter.  Clothing is a good example. But surely you would have to be a very shallow person to think something's appearance is more important than what it does.
Today nearly all goods at any given price point do much the same job. So almost the  only way producers can differentiate their products from those of their competitors is to create some sort of emotional connection with the consumer, which could be through the visual appeal of the product or its packaging, or the imagery(意象) created by advertising. And what of the Dyson vacuum cleaner? Mr. Dyson may believe that people buy these machines because of the graphs showing their superior suction, but most vacuum cleaners do a good job; the main reason people pay extra for a Dyson is that it is a vacuum cleaner with a fashionable  brand. With its inside workings exposed, it is a bit like a Richard Rogers building with all its pipes shown in bright colors on the outside instead of being hidden inside. Functional it may be, but it is a bit of a trick, too.
小题1:Mr. Dyson left the Design Museum because he thought the museum     .

A．didn't increase the number of visitors

B．couldn't provide scholarships for learners

C．wasn't loyal to its original purpose of learning

D．didn't have great appeal for serious industrial design

小题2:What can we learn from Paragraph 4 ?

A．A product with convenient packaging sells well.

B．The majority of consumers prefer to buy branded goods.

C．Most similarly priced products are of a comparable standard.

D．Emotion contributes much to the development of advertising industry.

小题3:The author believes that people buy the Dyson vacuum cleaner because      .

A．it has very good suction	B．it is fashionable
C．it sells well around the world	D．it is invented by James Dyson

小题4:What is the author's attitude towards the form of a product?

A．Optimistic.	B．Doubtful.
C．Disapproving.	D．Objective.

Answer 1

小题1:C
小题2:C
小题3:B
小题4:D  

试题分析：文章介绍现在的设计者和厂家更在乎产品的包装形式和品牌效应，但是产品的功能都是差不多的。
小题1:细节题：从第一段的句子：It is widely believed that Mr. Dyson felt that the museum put too much stress on style at the expense of serious industrial design. 可知Mr. Dyson离开了博物馆因为他认为它没有忠实于最初的学习的目的，选C
小题2:细节题：从第四段的句子：Today nearly all goods at any given price point do much the same job.可知大部分相似价格的产品会有可比较的水平的，选C
小题3:细节题：从第四段的句子：but most vacuum cleaners do a good job; the main reason people pay extra for a Dyson is that it is a vacuum cleaner with a fashionable  brand. 可知人们购买Dyson vacuum cleaner因为它很时尚，选B
小题4:写作态度题：从第三段的句子：On the one hand, some producers can be too old-fashioned and too concerned with the importance of product engineering and the functionality of their goods. On the other hand, there are those who believe that how a product looks is more important. 可知作者对产品形式的分析是客观的，选D