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  3. In some ways they are a marketers’ dream. They have billions of dollars in income — and spend most of it. Although their individ

In some ways they are a marketers’ dream. They have billions of dollars in income — and spend most of it. Although their individ

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问题     In some ways they are a marketers’ dream. They have billions of dollars in income — and spend most of it. Although their individual purchases are small, they buy regularly, often in response to peer pressure. They are heavily influenced by television advertising. And, as a result of today’s smaller families and the increase in the number of two-income households, they have more to say about family purchase decisions than ever before.
    "They" are children, of course, a group whose spending habits are attracting the attention of more and more marketers. One recent study estimates that the thirty million U. S. children 4 to 12 years old receive about $4.7 billion annually from allowances, gifts, and odd jobs. Of that amount, they spend a total of $4.2 billion each year on a variety of goods. But children’s financial muscle does not end there. Researchers estimate that children directly influence more than $40 billion in adult purchases each year. Another study found that children are extremely aware of brands and have considerable input into their parents’ selections of apparel, cereal, snacks, cars, videocassette recorders, televisions, and personal computers. Many children are involved in actual household purchasing, especially food; in a recent Teenage Research study, half the teen girls surveyed reported shopping for groceries at least once a week. Recognizing this indirect purchasing power that children have, a growing number of marketers are approaching the youths directly. The National Dairy Board, for example, now airs milk commercials with youth appeal, and Procter & Gamble has developed a Crest for Kids toothpaste.
    How did children acquire such buying power? Researchers point to several factors. As the number of working couples and single-parent households increased, many parents shifted certain household responsibilities onto children’s shoulders. Thrust into adult roles, children have ended up with more influence over the family’s purchases, and they also tend to spend increased amounts of money themselves. In addition, many older, professional couples have fewer children. These parents can afford to lavish more on their children, including extra spending money for such items as Fisher-Price Toys’ $255 children’s camcorder and the My First Sony line of electronics gear for children. The bandwagon effect is yet another factor: when one marketer begins to focus on children, competitors follow suit, encouraging even more children’s purchases. McDonald’s Corp., for example, has aimed advertisements for its hamburgers, meal kits, and parties at children for years; now Hardee’s Food Systems, Inc, and Wendy’s International Inc. are doing the same.
    Intelligent marketers realize that children actually represent three markets: current consumers, influential consumers, and future buyers. Because children are steadily developing brand awareness and product preferences that someday will translate into purchasing decisions, even companies not selling youth products per se are beginning to pay attention to children. Marketers are overcoming their traditional reluctance to sell directly to children, realizing that, out there somewhere, tomorrow’s big-ticket customer is playing video games today.
Which of the following sums up the main idea of this passage?
选项 A、Children have great power as buyers and consumers.
B、Children shoulder more household responsibilities.
C、Children have more to say about family decisions.
D、Children are important members of society.
答案A
解析 本题为主旨分析题。综合全文可知，孩子的零花钱越来越多，而且对家庭购物拥有越来越大的话语权，因此孩子成为越来越重要的一种购买力。A选项符合原文的中心思想。B和C选项只是其中一个原因，不足以概述全文。D选项并未提及，属无中生有。因此，A选项正确。
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