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Directions: You are expected to study this section in class. Don’t preview.
- Word Pretest
For each italicized word, choose the best meaning below.
1. Efforts have been made to wipe out poverty in the rural areas.
A. city B. countryside
C. mountain D. coast
2. The coastal areas are having a period of prosperity .
A. change B. success and wealth
C. failure and poverty D. improvement
3. I bought this pair of shoes five years ago, and they are so durable that I’m still wearing them now
A. good-looking B. suitable C. long-lasting D. fashionable
4. The woolen clothes will shrink in the wash. So buy a large size when you want them.
A. become darker B. become lighter
C. become large D. become thinner
5. Some plastics are as tough as metal.
A. soft B. heavy
C. hard D. cheap
6. There is a variety of commodities on sale in the department store.
A. goods B. customers
C. clothes D. stationery
7. The trend of prices is still upwards.
A. tendency B. part
C. majority D. minority
8. Levi’s adjusted its products, advertising and marketing approaches to meet the changing market forces.
A. analysis B. surveys
C. methods D. researches
Key
Text
Cultural Background    
Levi Strauss & Co. (LS&CO): American Jeans and Casual wear manufacturer. Producer of the Levi's, Dockers and Slates brands. Levi Strauss & Co. (LS&CO) is a privately held clothing company known worldwide for its Levi's brand of denim jeans.
Levi Strauss & Company
In 1847, 17-year-old Levi Strauss came to America. For three years he made a living by selling clothing and household goods door to door through towns and villages in rural New England and Kentucky The possibility of prosperity led Strauss to go to California in 1850 to sell dry goods — especially tents — to gold miners. There was little demand for tents but great demand for durable work clothes, so Strauss had a tailor make the unsold cloth into waist-high overalls. The pants were so popular that the miners called them “Levi’s, and Strauss was in business. Later, they also became favorites of farmers and cowboys. Since the material was ironically guaranteed to “shrink, wrinkle, and fade”, owners would jump into water with the new pants on. When they dried, they fit like a second skin!
Eventually Strauss used a tough cotton fabric called “serge de Nimes” (later Americanized to “denim”), as it was woven in Nimes France. Similar cloth was also imported from the Italian town of Genoa, called “Genes” in French (later Americanized to “jeans”).
In 1873, the pants were made more durable with the help of a Nevada tailor, Jacob Davis, who put copper pins at all points of strain. The company’s famous logo, a double arc of orange thread stitched on the back pockets, has been in use longer than any other garment trademark in America and is known worldwide as the sign of authentic Levi’s jeans. The original model “501 Double-X blue denim waist overalls” is the only item whose style has remained basically the same for well over a century.
The company has operated in an enlightened manner. After the 1906 earthquake and fire destroyed the company’s buildings, along with most of the business district, advertisements told the 350 employees that their salaries were guaranteed. And the company’s retail merchants were offered low-or no-interest loans to rebuild.
During World WarⅡ, Levi’s jeans were declared an “essential commodity” and were sold only to people doing defense work. Demand was so great and the supply so limited that the jeans had to be rationed for two years after the war was over. Production facilities were finally expanded to meet demand in 1950.
By the lat 1960s, Levi’s jeans had become the standard uniform of the youth culture. In 1968, Strauss introduced “Levi’s for Gals,” a hip-hugging version of the original 501 style. Levi’s adjusted its products, advertising and marketing approaches to meet the changing market forces. The company has branched out from jeans into many other areas, such as men’s and women’s wear. Boots and shoes, belts and hats. In fact, Levi’s warm-up suits, ceremonial wear, and uniforms were worn by the 1984 U.S. Olympic team, staff, and employees.
Levi’s sometimes used high price to attract customers. In the mid-80s, the company produced a limited production of Levi’s 555 at a higher price than its regular 555s. Olay 30,000 to 50,000 pieces were made, and each one had a small copper plate on the back pocket with a serial number.
Today, Levi’s is making efforts to target different age and racial groups. Economic and population trends in California show that Hispanics, blacks, and Asians will have increasing economic influence as their numbers continue to grow. Research says that California’s population will expand by 500,000 people a year, and two-thirds of this increase will be Hispanics and Asians. “From now until the year 2,000, there’s going to be a steady fall in the total number of 18-to-24 year-olds… Hispanic 18-to-24-olds will increase by 40 percent.” California will represent one-fifth of the entire U.S. economic expansion during the same time period. Levi’s is successfully using this information to develop clothing to capture new market.
By creating new products with a well-known trademark, new designs and fabrics, and by improving its advertising and image, Levi Strauss is able to respond to its traditional customers and develop new markets.
Total words: 705
Total reading time minutes seconds
The text is based on Business By Leon C. Megginson, Lyle R. Trueblood and Gayle M. Ross (D.C. Heath and Company, 1985), Business by William Pride, Robert J. Hughes and Jack R. Kapoor (Houghton Mifflin Company, 1991).
Reading Skill: Context Clues to Word Meaning
With the help of the context clues, write down your own definition of the italicized word in the space provided.
1. Even the busiest government official or executive always takes extra time to be polite and offer refreshments. No matter how busy you are, you should make time for this hospitality.
2. Research says that California’s population will expand by 500 000 people a year, and two thirds of this increase will be Hispanics and Asians.
3. He later joined the Census Bureau as its chief mathematician. He developed many new methods for collecting information about the population o the United States.
4. Mr. Deming rejected the idea of using inspectors to judge the work of company employees.
5. By 1980, American industries were in trouble. The United States’ gross national product (GNP), the total of goods and services produced, had fallen from first in the world to seventh.
Reading Comprehension
Circle the letter of the best answer.
1. When did Strauss go to California?
A. 1847 B. 1848
C. 1849 D. 1850
2. In California, Strauss made a lot of .
Ａ．tents Ｂ．fashionable clothes Ｃ．light and thin clothing Ｄ．waist-high overalls
3. Eventually Strauss used cloth from .
A. France only B. Italy only
C. America only D. both France and Italy
4. After the 1906 earthquake and fire, Levi’s company .
Ａ．stopped its business for only a short period of time
Ｂ．guaranteed the salaries of its retail merchants
Ｃ．paid less salaries to the employees Ｄ．lent money to its retail merchants
5. Levi’s jeans had to be rationed .
A. after World WarⅠ B. during World WarⅠ
C. after World WarⅡ D. during World WarⅡ
6. Some Levi’s 555s had a higher price than its regular 555s because these 555s were .
Ａ．of higher quality Ｂ．more fashionable Ｃ．limited in production quantity
Ｄ．supposed to sell to young people only
7. Research says that California’s population will expand by people a year.
A. 500 000 B. 50 000
C. 60 000 D. 600 000
8. Levi’s is making efforts to meet the needs of the following except .
A. Hispanics B. blacks
C. Asians D. Eastern Europeans
Vocabulary Building
① Word Match
Match the following words with their definitions within each group of five words.
wrinkles real, true
stitch showing true and deep understanding
authentic small fold or ling
enlightened food and drink
refreshment sew
facility in or forming a series
bug seize by force
racial equipment
serial hold someone tightly in the arms
capture of race, related to race
retail keep watch over
isle look for
seek the sale of goods in shops to customers
supervise speak against
denounce an island
Complete the sentences by using the words above. Change the forms if necessary.
1. This picture should be very valuable because there is an signature of the painter on it.
2. She was trying to escape from the country.
3. Come into the house for some .
4. My mother me tightly as she saw me back from the university.
5. I am growing up, and at the same time my parents are beginning to get
round their eyes.
6. Some sports, such as swimming and tennis, need sport .
7. The politician spoke openly against discriminations.
8. Usually students write papers under the of their teachers.
9. We have opened a department.
② Suffix
Many adjectives end in suffixes –ial and –ed. Study the examples, and then list some adjectives that end in these suffixes in the space provided. Add more if you can.
Suffixes examples
-ial serial, ceremonial
-ed enlightened, diseased
-ial 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
-ed 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Many verbs end in the suffix –ize. Study the examples, and then list some verbs that end in this suffix in the space provided. Add more if you can.
suffix example
-ize Americanize, modernize
-ize 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Fill in each of the blanks with the given word in its proper form.
1. The news report tried to the damage of the accident. (minimum)
2. I am so to hear the news of your success. (delight)
3. The revolution in the 18th and early 19th century had changed the human history process greatly. (industry)
4. I that this man wasn’t going to hurt me. (real)
5. I was so at the sight of a snake crawling in the grass near my feet. (frighten).
6. A demonstration was to protest the racial discrimination. (organization)
7. This is only a list of the books needed. (part)
8. George is not only a skillful painter, but also a writer. (talent)
Cloze
Fill in each of the blanks with a given word below.
Reason price spread form supermarkets
Work concept criticize open estimate
While hypermarkets (even larger than supermarkets) have across Canada, which has 22 stores, they have only now become a hot in the U.S. One is that America has so many competing discount stores and supermarkets that the Canadian concept had trouble gaining acceptance. Analysts that Bigg’s, a Cincinnati hypermarket opened by Eurpmarche, a French firm, has lost at least 59 million since it was opened three years ago. But the large U.S. chains believe they can make the idea by selling famous brand goods at lower in cheaper package. K. Mart announced last September that it will a joint venture with Bruno’s, an Alabama-based grocery-store group, to a national hypermarket chain. Archival Wal-Mart, meanwhile, hopes to open 50 Hypermart USA stores during the next eight year.
Key
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