History is more or less nonsense, declared Henry Ford in 1916. However, the company that bears his name is not so dismissive of

admin2022-04-20  38

问题     History is more or less nonsense, declared Henry Ford in 1916. However, the company that bears his name is not so dismissive of the past. Ford’s website has a prominent heritage section captioned "Automotive history begins here." And Ford is not alone in seeking to capitalise on its history. Bruce Weindruch, founder of The History Factory, a "heritage management" firm that helps companies to document and exploit their past, says that his firm is growing by 30%~40% annually.
    Some companies are more creative in their use of history than others. HSBC’s History Wall, a striking art installation at the bank’s London headquarters, is made up of 3743 images drawn from the bank’s archives and arranged in chronological order. Wells Fargo, a bank founded in 1852, plays heavily on its role in the development of the American West. It runs nine free museums that tell the story of its expansion and has a fleet of 21 reproduction stagecoaches that appear in some 900 parades and community events every year.
    The benefits of knowing your corporate history can be very practical. Disney constantly mines its archive of old films. Carmakers have overhauled old designs for the modern era: Volkswagen’s New Beetle and the new Fiat 500 are obvious examples. Stacey Schiesl, director of the Harley-Davidson museum, says designers use the company’s collection of historic bikes as inspiration for new products.
    But the bigger payoff tends to be less tangible—that of forging stronger bonds with customers and employees. Age can by itself confer a sense of trustworthiness: brewers and bankers boast deep roots. Jim Gilmore, co-author of "Authenticity", argues that history is also vital in giving companies a genuine sense of personality. Ritz-Carlton’s use of cobalt-blue glasses in its hotel dining rooms can be traced back to Boston in the 1920s, for example, where window glass that had been imported from Europe and turned blue in the New England air was a symbol of wealth. Rather than commissioning dusty biographies to mark anniversaries, Mr. Gilmore reckons that firms should trawl the archives for symbolic stories of this kind.
    Yet, companies still cannot avoid difficult episodes in their pasts. Transparency is a must. Union Carbide, a chemicals firm, has a link to information on the deadly Bhopal gas leak in India on its home page, for example. Far more truthfully, Coca-Cola does not shy away from the failed introduction of New Coke in 1985. "It’s like kids looking at the dirty words in a dictionary," says Mr. Weindruch. "people will notice if the awkward bits are missing. "
Which of the following is TRUE according to Paragraphs 2 and 3?

选项 A、HSBC’s History Wall comprises nearly 4000 images relating to art.
B、Wells Fargo still operates stagecoach lines even in the modern era.
C、Disney constantly adapts old films for new ones.
D、Volkswagen’s New Beetle was inspired by the design of its original Beetle.

答案D

解析 本题是细节题。D项信息源自第三段第三句Carmakers have overhauled old designs for the modern era:Volkswagen’s New Beetle and the new Fiat 500 are obvious examples(汽车制造商们也彻底革新了旧式设计以适应当今时代:大众汽车的新款甲壳虫和新款菲亚特500就是典型的例子)。D项与该句表达的意思相符,故选为答案。A项干扰信息来自第二段第二句,原句大意为“伦敦银行总部的汇丰银行历史墙是引人注目的艺术装置,由银行档案中的3743张图片组成”,而不是说“汇丰的历史墙包括近4000幅与艺术有关的图像”,该项属于偷换概念;B项与文意相悖,属于正反混淆,文中提到“美国富国银行复制了21辆驿站马车,供银行每年举行的大约900场游行和社区活动使用”,由此可见,富国银行在当代已不再运营驿站马车路线;只是造出驿站马车的复制品展示公司发展史;C项的干扰信息来自第三段第二句,将原文的mines(发掘)改写成了adapt(改编),属于偷换概念。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/NGi4777K
0

随机试题
最新回复(0)