McDonald's is the world single biggest food provider with annual sales of around $12.4bn. And the company's symbol Ronald McDonald is now （or so the company claims） the world's most recognized person after Santa Claus.
The first McDonald's restaurant was opened in San Bernardino, California, in 1948 by brothers Mac and Richard “Dick” McDonald. Mac ran the restaurant side; Dick was the marketing genius. He had already invented the drive-in laundry and had been the first person to use neon lights in advertising. Now he spotted the gap in the post-war, baby-boom market for cheap, family-orientated restaurants with simple menus, standardized food and efficient service.
After a slow start, business began to boom. By 1954, the brothers were joined by another entrepreneur, a kitchen equipment salesman called Ray A Kroc who owned the franchise to the Multimixer, milk shake maker used throughout the McDonald's chain. A year later, Kroc had bought the McDonald brothers' chain of 25 franchises for the equivalent of around $70m（￡44m）. Dick remained with the company until the Seventies, when he and Kroc fell out over Kroc's claim that the chain was his creation.
Today, an almost Stalinist cult of personality surrounds Kroc （who died in 1984） at McDonald's, while the brothers who gave the company its name have all but been written out of its history. But though Kroc did not found McDonald's, he was certainly responsible for the empire-building philosophy which led to its world domination. He ushered in such essential contributions to international cuisine as the Big Mac （1968） and the Egg McMuffin （1973）; and helped launch Ronald McDonald —— “in any language he means fun” —— on to television in 1963.
Every three hours, a new McDonald's franchise opens somewhere in the world; it can be found in more than 100 countries including India （vegetarian-only to avoid offending the non-beef-eating populace） and Israel （non kosher, despite fierce local objection）. McDonald's chain embodied the thrusting, can-do spirit of Fifties America with staff mottoes such as “If you've got time to lean, you've got time to clean.”
小题1:McDonald's was founded _____.
A．by a kitchen equipment salesman
B．in California
C．by a marketing genius called Dick McDonald
D．after the first World War小题2:What do we know about McDonald's brothers?
A．They were not McDonald's founders although they named the restaurant.
B．Their business was still in depression after several years.
C．They had clear job separation on business.
D．They sold their restaurant to a salesman in 1954.小题3:Which is not Kroc's contribution to McDonald's ?
A．He launched the restaurant image Ronald McDonald on to television.
B．Under his lead, international cuisine as the Big Mac and the Egg McMuffin earned worldwide fame
C．He spotted the gap in postwar market for cheap, family-orientated restaurants.
D．He built McDonald's empire with a philosophy which led to its world domination.小题4:Which statement is true according to the passage?
A．The single biggest food provider was however, not named after its founder
B．The international cuisine as the Big Mac, a beef hamburger, is provided every chain restaurant in the world.
C．Employees in McDonald's have no time to lean.
D．The symbol Ronald McDonald, means fun in any language, is said to the world most recognized person after Santa Claus.
