(2013·高考山东卷，D)Sparrow is a fast?food chain with 200 restaurants.Some years ago，the group to which Sparrow belonged was taken over by another company.Although Sparrow showed no sign of declining，the chain was generally in an unhealthy state.With more and more fast?food concepts reaching the market，the Sparrow menu had to struggle for attention.And to make matters worse，its new owner had no plans to give it the funds it required.

Sparrow failed to grow for another two years，until a new CEO，Carl Pearson，decided to build up its market share.He did a survey，which showed that consumers who already used Sparrow restaurants were extremely positive about the chain，while customers of other fast?food chains were unwilling to turn away from them.Sparrow had to develop a new promotional campaign.

Pearson faced a battle over the future of the Sparrow brand.The chain’s owner now favored rebranding Sparrow as Marcy’s restaurants.Pearson resisted，arguing for an advertising campaign designed to convince customers that visits to Sparrow restaurants were fun.Such an attempt to establish a positive relationship between a company and the general public was unusual for that time.Pearson strongly believed that numbers were the key to success，rather than customers’ spending power.Finally，the owner accepted his idea.

The campaign itself changed the traditional advertising style of the fast?food industry.The TV ads of Sparrow focused on entertainment and featured original songs performed by a variety of stars.Instead of showing the superiority of a specific product，the intention was to put Sparrow in the hearts of potential customers.

Pearson also made other decisions which he believed would contribute to the new Sparrow image.For example，he offered to lower the rent of any restaurants which achieved a certain increase in their turnover(营业额)．

These efforts paid off，and Sparrow soon became one of the most successful fast?food chains in the regions where it operated.

1.Which was one of the problems Sparrow faced before Pearson became CEO?

A．The number of its customers was declining.

B．Its customers found the food unhealthy.

C．It was in need of financial support.

D．Most of its restaurants were closed.

2.What does the underlined word“them”in Paragraph 2 refer to?

A．Customers of Sparrow restaurants.

B．Sparrow restaurants.

C．Customers of other fast?food chains.

D．Other fast?food chains.

3.For what purpose did Pearson start the advertising campaign?

A．To build a good relationship with the public.

B．To stress the unusual tradition of Sparrow.

C．To learn about customers’spending power.

D．To meet the challenge from Marcy’s restaurants.

4.The TV ads of Sparrow ________.

A．changed people’s views on pop stars

B．amused the public with original songs

C．focused on the superiority of its products

D．influenced the eating habits of the audience

5.What was Pearson’s achievement as a CEO?

A．He managed to pay off Sparrow’s debts.

B．He made Sparrow much more competitive.

C．He helped Sparrow take over a company.

D．He improved the welfare of Sparrow employees.

（2011·山东卷）B

     Tim Richter and his wife, Linda, had taught for over 30 years near Buffalo, New York--he in computers, she  in special education. "Teaching means everything to us," Tim would say. In April1998, he learned he would need a heart operation. It was the kind of news that leads to some serious thinking about life's purpose.

      Not long after the surgery, Tim saw a brochure describing Imagination Library, a program started by Dolly Parton' s foundation (基金会) that mailed a book every month to children from birth to age five in the singer's home town of Sevier, Tennessee. “I thought, maybe Linda and I could do something like this when we retire," Tim recalls.  He placed the brochure on his desk, "as a reminder."

      Five years later, now retired and with that brochure still on the desk, Tim clicked on imagination library .com. The program had been opened up to partners who could take advantage of book and postage discounts.

The quality of the books was of great concern to the Richters.  Rather than sign up online, they went to Dollywood for a look-see. “We didn’t want to give the children rubbish,” says Linda. The books-reviewed each year by teachers, literacy specialists and Dollywood board members-included classics such as Ezra Jack Keats’s The Snowy Day and newer books like Anna Dewdney’s Llama Llama series.

Satisfied, the couple set up the Richter Family Foundation and got to work. Since 2004, they have shipped more than 12,200 books to preschoolers in their in their area. Megan Williams, a mother of four, is more than appreciative: “This program introduces us to books I’ve never heard of .”

  The Richters spend about ＄400 a month sending books to 200 children. “Some people sit there and wait to die,” says Tim. “Others get as busy as they can in the time they have left.”

62.What did Tim want to do after learning about Imagination Library?

A. Give out brochures.                        B .Do something similar.

C. Write books for children                    D. Retire from being a teacher.

63.According to the text, Dollly  Parton is           .

A. a well-known surgeon                     B. a mother of a four-year-old

C. a singer born in Tennessee                  D .a computer programmer

64.Why did the Richters go to Dollywood?

A. To avoid signing up online.

B. To meet Dollywood board members.

C. To make sure the books were the newest.

D. To see if the books were of good quality.

65.What can we learn from Tim’s words in the last paragraph?

A. He needs more money to help the children.

B. He wonders why some people are so busy.

C. He tries to save those waiting to die.

D. He considers his efforts worthwhile.

（山东卷26）. Before the sales start, I make a list of ______ my kids will need for the coming season.

  A. why           B. what          C. how          D. which

. (山东卷35). Mothers holding jobs outside the home should have _______ schedules to make it easier to care for their children.

  A. heavy          B. smooth        C. flexible        D. complex