A
There’s no shortage of web sites offering deals-everything from daily deals to members-only private sales. But when it comes to real jaw-dropping deals, there’s one company that seems to have figured out a way to really deliver.
The company is called Quibids and they auction the hottest, in-demand electronics like Apple ipads and ipods, as well as other items like gift cards from the top retailers. Unlike other sites, the prices people pay are nowhere near retail. How low are the prices?
$ 33.84 for a new Apple ipad 32 GB(retail $ 600)
$ 22.10 for a new Nikon D90 Digital SLR Camera(retail $ 1070)
Our first reaction on seeing these prices was disbelief. After all, how could Quibids possibly afford to sell these items for so little — surely they must be losing a lot of money.
That’s where its unique business model comes into play. You see, for every bid a buyer places for an item on Quibids, the company collects a small fee from the bidder. The fee to bid is only about 60 cents, but based on the volume of sales and bids, the company is able to collect enough to make up for the ridiculous prices the items sell for.
But best of all, participating in the Quibids auction is incredibly fun. Because each bid costs a little to place, shoppers can strategize when to place their bids. Each auction has a strict time limit. When you place your bid, the system adds a little time to the auction to see if any other bids come in. If you have the winning bid when the clock runs out — you win the item for that price.
But the best part of Quibids may be the “Buy-It-Now” feature. This allows bidders who did not win an auction to still buy the product they want and apply the cost of the bids they placed as a discount on the regular product price. So you still get the item and the bids you placed previously in the auction don’t cost you anything!
1. According to the passage, the success of Quibids mainly lies in ________.
A. their willingness to risk losing money B. the change in people’s shopping model
C. the quality of the goods and service D. how its buying and selling is conducted
2. It can be inferred from the passage that ________.
A. other retailers will be out of business B. the prices on Quibids are the lowest
C. Quibids only sell popular electronics D. winning a bid is not just a matter of luck
3. A buyer who bid twice for a $ 20 MP4 can get one from “Buy-It-Now” for ________.
A. $ 21.2 B. $ 20 C. $ 19.4 D. $ 18.8
4. Which might be the most suitable title for the passage?
A. The Most Successful Shopping Website B. How to Buy New Must–have Electronics
C. Buy Products for Next to Nothing D. Tips on Shopping Online
【答案】1. D 2. D 3. D 4. C
【解析】
【分析】这是一篇说明文。文章主要说明了Quibids拍卖网站可以不花什么成本购买东西。
【1题详解】
细节理解题。根据倒数第三段“That’s where its unique business model comes into play. You see, for every bid a buyer places for an item on Quibids, the company collects a small fee from the bidder. The fee to bid is only about 60 cents, but based on the volume of sales and bids, the company is able to collect enough to make up for the ridiculous prices the items sell for.(这就是它独特的商业模式发挥作用的地方。你看，买家在Quibids上每投一次价，该公司就会从竞标者那里收取一小笔费用。竞拍费用仅为60美分左右，但根据销售额和竞拍量，该公司能够筹集到足够的资金，以弥补这些物品的荒唐售价)”可知，Quibids的成功主要在于它的买卖进行的方式。故选D。
【2题详解】
推理判断题。根据倒数第二段“But best of all, participating in the Quibids auction is incredibly fun. Because each bid costs a little to place, shoppers can strategize when to place their bids. Each auction has a strict time limit. When you place your bid, the system adds a little time to the auction to see if any other bids come in. If you have the winning bid when the clock runs out — you win the item for that price.(但最棒的是，参加Quibids拍卖非常有趣。因为每次出价都要花很少的钱，所以购物者可以考虑什么时候出价。每次拍卖都有严格的时间限制。 当你出价时，系统会给拍卖增加一点时间，看看是否有其他出价。如果你在时间快到的时候中标了，你就赢得了这个价格的物品)”可推知，赢得竞标不仅仅是运气的问题，要考虑出价的时间。故选D。
【3题详解】
细节理解题。根据倒数第三段中“The fee to bid is only about 60 cents(竞拍费用仅为60美分左右)”以及最后一段“This allows bidders who did not win an auction to still buy the product they want and apply the cost of the bids they placed as a discount on the regular product price.(这使得没有赢得拍卖的竞标者仍然可以购买他们想要的产品，并将他们投标的成本作为常规产品价格的折扣)”可知，一个为20美元的MP4出价两次的买家可以从“现在就买”网站以20-1.2（0.6*2）=18.8美元购得一个。故选D。
【4题详解】
主旨大意题。根据最后一段中“So you still get the item and the bids you placed previously in the auction don’t cost you anything!( 所以你仍然得到项目和你之前在拍卖中放置的出价不花费你任何东西！)”结合文章主要说明了Quibids拍卖网站可以不花什么成本购买东西。可知，C选项“花很少的钱购买产品”最符合文章标题。故选C。
