The digital onslaught of e-books and Amazon-style e-tailers have put bookstores in an existential dilemma. Digital books are sai

admin2015-02-09  19

问题     The digital onslaught of e-books and Amazon-style e-tailers have put bookstores in an existential dilemma. Digital books are said to outsell print titles by 2015 in Britain, and even sooner in America. With the demise of HMV, that music-peddling giant, still fresh in everyone’s minds, bricks-and-mortar bookstores appear to be on borrowed time. So, what is the future of the bookstore? This was the burning questions on everyone’s lips at a recent event at Foyles’s flagship bookshop on Charing Cross Road in London.
    For a bookstore to remain successful, it must improve "the experience of buying books," says Alex Lifschutz, an architect whose London-based practice is designing the new Foyles. He suggests an array of approaches: "small, quiet spaces cocooned with books; larger spaces where one can dwell and read; other larger but still intimate spaces where one can hear talks from authors about books, literature, science, travel and cookery." The atmosphere is vital, he adds. Exteriors must buzz with activity, entrances must be full of eye-catching presentations and a bar and cafe is essential.
    There are plenty of ways to delight the bookstore customer, but few are easily monetised. The consensus is that bookstores need to become cultural destinations where people are prepared to pay good money to hear a concert, see a film or attend a talk. The programming will have to be intelligent and the space comfortable. Given how common it is for shoppers to browse in shops only to buy online later, some wonder whether it makes sense to charge people for the privilege.
    But forcing people to pay for the privilege of potentially paying for goods could deter shoppers altogether. A more attractive idea might be a membership scheme like those offered by museums and other cultural venues. Unlike reward cards, which offer discounts and other nominal benefits, a club membership could provide priority access to events(talks, literary workshops, retreats)and a private lounge where members can eat, drink and meet authors before events. Different memberships could tailor to the needs of children and students.
    To survive and thrive, bookstores should celebrate the book in all its forms: rare, second-hand, digital, self-printed and so on. Digital and hybrid readers should have the option of buying e-books in-store, and budding authors should have access to self-printing book machines. The latter have been slower to take off in Britain, but in America bookstores are finding them to be an important source of revenue.
    The bookstore of the future will have to work hard. Service will be knowledgeable and personalised, the inventory expertly selected, spaces well-designed and the cultural events attractive. Whether book stores, especially small independents are up to the challenge, is not clear. The fate of these stores is a cliff-hanger.
From paragraph 3, it can be inferred that

选项 A、customers can be easily delighted.
B、shoppers go to bookstores only to browse.
C、extra privileges will be charged in the future.
D、bookstores need to offer more cultural service.

答案D

解析 根据题干定位第三段。段中第2句说人们一致认为书店需要转型成文化终点站,可以花钱听音乐、看电影和座谈。D项符合,即书店需要提供更多的文化服务。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/hpK4777K
0

最新回复(0)