2 a context that makes it difficult to increase prices

　　3 the consequences of companies trying to conceal their approach to pricing

　　4 the means by which a company ensured precision in the prices it offered

　　5 the fact that companies can learn about the effects of a price reduction

　　6 the first sector to price products according to how much customers were prepared to spend

　　7 the widespread use of rough guidelines to determine prices

　　Getting the price right

　　A、

　　Chief executives need to pay more attention to pricing, according to Roberto Lippi of the Apex Group, a consultancy that offers advice on pricing strategy. He accepts that low inflation figures in many industrialised countries makes raising prices tough, but argues that this should not necessarily deter companies. He gives the example of the airlines, which, with their minimum stay requirements and massive premiums for flexibility, led the way in sorting customers into categories, based on their willingness to pay.

　　B、

　　The key to pricing is to avoid alienating customers. As Lippi points out, once a bad price has been established, it can be very difficult to turn the situation around. He gives the example of a consumer goods company that went bankrupt largely because it did not price its digital cameras properly. In contrast, he cites the case of a Swiss drug company that introduced software for every sales representative's laptop, enabling them to provide consistent and accurate price quotes. To help staff with this innovation, the company also created a new post of director of pricing strategy.

　　C、

　　Many of today's managers have the benefit of modern technology to help them with pricing. Supermarket chains, for example, can easily track customers' 'elasticity' - how their buying habits change in response to a price rise or a discount. But although a company can now measure this sort of thing in a more sophisticated way, following basic rules is still the most common way of setting prices. Most bosses still worry more about their costs than the prices they charge; one recent survey found that they spend as little as 2% of their time on pricing.

　　D、

　　One popular approach to pricing is illustrated by the car companies that charge extra for product add-ons such as electric windows, instead of offering them as part of the standard price. Although many customers are prepared to pay extra, Lippi recommends that companies make sure that price differences reflect real differences in the product, either in quality or in the extra service on offer. The worst approach is to try to keep the pricing structure secret from customers. Nowadays, that is more likely to lead to lost contracts than large profits.

答案詳解：

　　這篇文章主要是關于定價(pricing)的。題目算是閱讀第一部分里比較隱晦的了。四個部分分別介紹了影響定價的一些因素。

　　第一題，公司沒有合理定價。答案是B段引用的一個例子：He gives the example of a consumer goods company that went bankrupt largely because it did not price its digital cameras properly.因為沒有對數碼相機合理定價，所以一個消費品公司破產了。和第一題吻合。

　　Consumer goods: goods such as food, clothing, etc. bought and used by individual customers消費品。

　　第二題，大環境使得漲價很困難。答案是A段，有點不太明顯，甚至可能需要點經濟學基礎：He accepts that low inflation figures in many industrialised countries makes raising prices tough, but argues that this should not necessarily deter companies。很多工業國家的低通貨膨脹率使得漲價變得困難。通貨膨脹率是衡量一國宏觀經濟的重要指標，也就是這題所說的context。低通貨膨脹率，說明經濟不太景氣，漲價會很困難。

　　deter: to make sb decide not to do sth or continue doing sth阻礙

　　eg: The price did not deter most customers

　　第三題，公司隱瞞定價策略的后果。答案是D段的最后一句：The worst approach is to try to keep the pricing structure secret from customers. Nowadays, that is more likely to lead to lost contracts than large profits.最壞的方法是試圖讓定價結構對消費者保密。今天，它更有可能導致失去合同而不是大的利潤。

　　第四題，一個公司確保定價準確的方式。答案是B段的這么一句：a Swiss drug company that introduced software for every sales representative's laptop, enabling them to provide consistent and accurate price quotes。一個瑞士的醫藥公司為每一位銷售代表的手提電腦引進了軟件，確保他們提供持續準確的定價。這里的accurate對應于precision，引進的軟件就是方式(means)。

　　第五題，公司了解降價的后果。答案在C段，但是不那么明顯：Supermarket chains, for example, can easily track customers' 'elasticity' - how their buying habits change in response to a price rise or a discount.大的超市可以輕易追蹤客戶的彈性—他們的購買習慣是如何對漲價或打折做出反應的。這個題需要理解一個常見的經濟學術語：彈性。

　　elasticity ：the extent to which people want to buy more or less of a product or service when its price changes。

　　這個術語的概念基本吻合第五題所說的。能夠了解客戶的需求彈性，也就了解了漲價或者降價的效果。

　　第六題，對產品定價首要的是根據客戶所愿意支付的。答案是A的最后一句：based on their willingness to pay.。集于他們的支付意愿。這里的based on對應于the first sector。

　　第七題，粗糙的定價準則的廣泛應用。答案在C段，有點隱晦：But although a company can now measure this sort of thing in a more sophisticated way, following basic rules is still the most common way of setting prices.雖然公司可以用一種更復雜的方式來衡量，遵守基本的規則仍然是定價的最普遍的方式。BUT是個信號。rough可以從反面對應于sophisticated,,the most common way對應于widespread use。