“When a customer enters my store, forget me. He is King, ’’said John Wanamaker, who in l876 turned an abandoned railway station in Philadelphia into one of me world’s first department stores. This revolutionary concept __21__ the face of retailing (零售业) and led to the development of advertising and marketing as we know it today.
But convincing as that slogan was, __22__ the shopper was cheated out of the crown. Although manufacturing efficiency increased the variety of goods and lowered prices, people still relied on __23__ to get most information about products. Through much of the past century, ads spoke to an audience restricted to just a few radio or television channels or a __24__ number of publications. Now media choice, has __25__ too, and consumers select what they want from a far greater variety of sources—especially with a few clicks of a computer mouse. _26__ the internet, the consumer is finally seizing power.
As our survey shows, __27__ has great implications for companies, because it is changing the way the world shops. Many firms already claim to be “customer-driven” or “consumer-centered”. Now their _28__ will be tested as never before. Taking advantage of shoppers’ __29__ will no longer be possible: people will know—and soon tell others, even those without the internet—that prices in the next town are cheaper or that certain goods are inferior. The internet is working wonders in __30__ standards. Good and honest firms should benefit most.
21. A. changed B. maintained C. restored D. rescued
22. A. in time B. in truth C. in case D. in theory
23. A. radio B. TV C. firms D. advertisements
24. A. 1imited B. minimum C. sufficient D. great
25. A. disappeared B. existed C. exploded D. survived
26. A. According to B. Thanks to C. But for D. Apart from
27. A. consumer power B. product quality
C. purchasing habit D. manufacturing efficiency
28. A. information B. investment C. claims D. shops
29. A. generosity B. knowledge C. curiosity D. ignorance
30. A. raising B. lowering C. abandoning D. carrying
