阅读理解。
More than 10 years ago, it was difficult to buy a tasty pineapple. The fruits that made it to the UK were
green on the outside and, more often than not, hard with an unpleasant taste within. Then in 1996, the Del
Monte Gold pineapple produced in Hawaii first hit our shelves.
The new type of pineapple looked more yellowy-gold than green. It was slightly softer on the Outside
and had a lot of juice inside. But the most important thing about this new type of pineapple was that it was
twice as sweet as the hit-and-miss pineapples we had known. In no time, the Del Monte Gold took the
market by storm, rapidly becoming the world's best-selling pineapple variety, and delivering natural levels
of sweetness in the mouth, up until then only found in tinned pineapple.
In nutrition (营养) it was all good news too. This nice-tasting pineapple contained four times more vitamin
C (维生素C) than the old green variety. Nutritionists said that it was not only full of vitamins, but also good
against some diseases. People were understandably eager to be able to buy this wonderful fruit. The new type
of pineapple was selling fast, and the Del Monte Gold pineapple rapidly became a fixture in the shopping basket
of the healthy eater.
Seeing the growing market for its winning pineapple, Del Monte tried to keep the market to itself. But other
fruit companies developed similar pineapples, Del Monte turned to law for help, but failed.Those companies
argued successfully that Del Monte's attempts to keep the golden pineapple for itself were just a way to knock
them out of the market.
1. We learn from the text that the new type of pineapple is _____.
A. green outside and sweet inside
B. good-looking outside and soft inside
C. yellowy-gold outside and hard inside
D. a little soft outside and sweet inside
2. Why was the new type of pineapple selling well?
A. It was rich in nutrition and tasted nice.
B. It was less sweet and good for health.
C. It was developed by Del Monte.
D. It was used as medicine.
3. The underlined word "fixture" in Paragraph 3 probably refers to something _____.
A. that people enjoy eating
B. that is always present
C. that is difficult to get
D. that people use as a gift
4. We learn from the last paragraph that Del Monte _____.
A. allowed other companies to develop pineapples
B. succeeded in keeping the pineapple for itself
C. tried hard to control the pineapple marker
D. planned to help the other companies
