Question

Almost everybody in America will spend a part of his or her life behind a shopping cart（推車）. They will, in a lifetime, push the shopping carts many miles, but few will know一or even think to ask一who it was that invented them.

Sylvan 'N. Goldman invented the shopping cart in 1937. At that time he was in the supermarket business. Every day he would see shoppers lugging（拖、拉）groceries around in baskets they had to carry.

One day Goldman suddenly had the idea of putting baskets on wheels. To create the first shopping cart, Goldman used folding chairs. He took out one basket on the seat, and he raised the chair by putting wheels under tare legs. The wheeled baskets would make shopping much easier for his customers, and would help to attract more business.

On June 4, 1937, Goldman's first carts were ready for一use in his market. He was terribly excited on the morning of that day as customers began arriving. He was eager to see them using his invention. However, Goldman was disappointed- Most shoppers gave the carts a long look, but hardly anybody would give them a try. After a while, Goldman decided to ask customers why they weren't using his carts.

"Don't you think this arm is strong enough to carry a shopping basket?" one shopper replied.

Goldman wasn't beaten yet. He knew his carts would be a great success if only he could, let people have a try. To this end, Goldman hired（雇傭）a group of people to push carts around his market and pretend they were shopping! Seeing this, the real customers gradually began copying the unreal customers.

As Goldman had hoped, the carts’ were soon attracting larger and larger numbers of customers to his market. Not only did more people come一those who came bought more. With larger, easier-to-handle baskets, customers unconsciously bought a greater number of items than before.

Today's shopping carts are five times larger than Goldman's original model. Perhaps that's one reason Americans today spend more than five times as much money on food each year as they did before 1937一before the coming of the shopping cart.

1.Who invented the shopping carts?

A.Some shoppers. B.A supermarket assistant.

C.The unreal customers. D.An American supermarket owner.

2.Why did Goldman hire people to push carts around his market?

A.Because he wanted to sell more shopping carts.

B.Because he needed more customers to buy groceries.

C.Because he wanted customers to use the shopping carts.

D.Because he hoped to help shoppers carry their groceries.

3.The right order of the following is _________________.

a. Many shoppers began to use the shopping carts.

b. Goldman invented the shopping carts.

c. Goldman asked some people to pretend they were shopping.

d. Few shoppers would like to use the shopping carts.

A.b-d-c-a B.b-a-d-c C.a-d-c-b D.a-b-d=c

4.What's the best title of this passage?

A.How to Cheat Customers B.Goldman and His Shopping Carts

C.How to Use the Shopping Carts D.The Purpose of Goldmans Invention

Answer 1