It was once unheard-of to be a businessman in China. Nowadays, though, it’s quite common to become your own boss. Let’s say you have an idea. Maybe you want to open an English school or sell Japanese comics. First, you need a business plan. It sets out what you’ll sell and how much everything will cost. Most businesses that fail didn’t have this. If you need to borrow money at the start, banks will ask for a detailed plan.
The best starting place for a business plan is the 4Ps: product, place, price and promotion. All these must be strong to be successful.
□Product
Your product must have something unique. What makes it special compared to other similar products? If you want to start a noodle shop that has nothing new, don’t expect people to show much interest. You can research your product. For food, let people try it for free. For toys, let a few children play with them to see if they like them.
□Place
There’s no point having a product that people want to buy if your shop is in an empty mall. Think about which type of person is going to buy what you sell. Where do they usually go shopping? When looking at possible places, spend the day there. See how many people pass by. Also, are there other shops nearby selling similar products? If so, how can you be better than them?
□Price
Work out how much it costs to make or provide your product. As a general rule, your price will be double the cost. After all, you’re also paying for rent, staff and you need to eat too!
□Promotion
How can you attract people to your shop? Advertising in newspapers and on TV is expensive. Perhaps you can get free advertising by getting a newspaper to write about your business.
小题1:What’s the best title for the passage?
A．How to start a business.
B．Starting a business soon.
C．Starting your own business.
D．Preparations for starting a business.小题2:According to the author, the reason why most businesses fail is due to lack of ________.
A．a business plan
B． a shop
C． money
D．successful businessmen小题3:If you want to start a noodle shop, you should ________.
A．expect people to show much interest
B．research your noodles
C．let people try it at a low price
D．let children have a try小题4:What does “If so” in Paragraph 4 refer to?
A．There are shops selling the goods like yours.
B．Many people pass by.
C．You should think about which type of person is going to buy what you sell.
D．You should spend the day on possible places.小题5:You are selling toys to children. It costs 5 yuan to make each one. How much should you charge the children for each toy?
A．15 yuan.
B． 5 yuan.
C． 10 yuan.
D． 50 yuan.
小题1:C
小题2:A
小题3:B
小题4:A
小题5:C
题目分析：本文主要教育我们如何进行自己的生意，给出了四个具体步骤的建议：product, place, price and promotion.
小题1:C 主旨大意题。根据文章第2段The best starting place for a business plan is the 4Ps: product, place, price and promotion. All these must be strong to be successful.可知本文主要讲述的是如何成功地进行自己的生意的4步骤。
小题2:A 推理题。根据文章第一段Let’s say you have an idea. Maybe you want to open an English school or sell Japanese comics. First, you need a business plan.可知如果我们要自己做生意，首先就是要有一个很好的计划。说明很多人生意失败主要原因就是没有计划性。故A正确。
小题3:B 细节题。根据文章第3段If you want to start a noodle shop that has nothing new, don’t expect people to show much interest. You can research your product.可知如果你想要开面条店，首先你要研究你的商品，要了解你的商店。故B正确。
小题4:A 推理题。根据本句Also, are there other shops nearby selling similar products? If so, how can you be better than them?可知这里的so就是指前面一句中的there are other shops nearby selling similar products.如果在附近有一些其他的出售类似产品的商店，你就要思考如何比对方做得更好。故A正确。
小题5:C 计算题。根据文章倒数第2段As a general rule, your price will be double the cost.可知你的价格要是你成本的2倍，因为你要考虑租金，职工工资和你的支出。故C正确。