Passage Two
Questions 51 to 55 are based on the following passage.
Macy's reported its sales plunged 5.2% in November and December at stores open more than a year, a disappointing holiday season performance that capped a difficult year for a department store chain facing wide-ranging challenges. Its flagship stores in major U.S. cities depend heavily on international tourist spending, which shrank at many retailers due to a strong dollar. Meanwhile, Macy's has simply struggled to lure consumers who are more interested in spending on travel or dining out than on new clothes or accessories.
The company blamed much of the poor performance in November and December on unseasonably warm weather. "About 80% of our company's year-over-year declines in comparable sales can be attributed to shortfalls (短缺) in cold-weather goods," said chief executive Teny Lundgren in a press release. This prompted the company to cut its forecasts for the full fourth quarter.
However, it's clear that Macy's believes its troubles run deeper than a temporary aberration (偏离) off the thermometer. The retail giant said the poor financial performance this year has pushed it to begin implementing $400 million in cost-cutting measures. The company pledged to cut 600 back-office positions, though some 150 workers in those roles would be reassigned to other jobs. It also plans to offer "voluntary separation" packages to 165 senior executives. It will slash staffing at its fleet of 770 stores, a move affecting some 3,000 employees.
The retailer also announced the locations of 36 stores it will close in early 2016. The company had previously announced the planned closures, but had not said which locations would be affected. None of the chain's stores in the Washington metropolitan area are to be closed.
Macy's has been moving aggressively to try to remake itself for a new era of shopping. It has plans to open more locations of Macy's Backstage, a newly-developed off-price concept which might help it better compete with ambitious T. J. Maxx. It's also pushing ahead in 2016 with an expansion of Bluemercury, the beauty chain it bought last year. At a time when young beauty shoppers are often turning to Sephora or Ulta instead of department store beauty counters, Macy's hopes Bluemercury will help strengthen its position in the category.
One relative bright spot for Macy's during the holiday season was the online channel, where it rang up "double-digit" increases in sales and a 25% increase in the number of orders it filled. That relative strength would be consistent with what was seen in the wilder retail industry during the early part of the holiday season. While Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Monday all saw record spending online, in-store sales plunged over the holiday weekend.
51. What does the author say about the shrinking spending of international tourists in the U.S.?
A) It is attributable to the rising value of the U.S. dollar.
B) It is a direct result of the global economic recession.
C) It reflects a shift of their interest in consumer goods.
D) It poses a potential threat to the retail business in the U.S.
52. What does Macy's believe about its problems?
A) They can be solved with better management.
B) They cannot be attributed to weather only.
C) They are not as serious in its online stores.
D) They call for increased investments.
53. In order to cut costs, Macy's decided to ________.
A) cut the salary of senior executives
B) relocate some of its chain stores
C) adjust its promotion strategies
D) reduce the size of its staff
54. Why does Macy's plan to expand Bluemercury in 2016?
A) To experiment on its new business concept.
B) To focus more on beauty products than clothing.
C) To promote sales of its products by lowering prices.
D) To be more competitive in sales of beauty products.
55. What can we learn about Macy's during the holiday season?
A) Sales dropped sharply in its physical stores.
B) Its retail sales exceeded those of T. J. Maxx.
C) It helped Bluemercury establish its position worldwide.
D) It filled its stores with abundant supply of merchandise.
答案解析：
由题干中的关键词“shrinking spending of international tourists in the U.S.”定位到第一段“Its flagship stores in major U.S. cities depend heavily on international tourist spending, which shrank at many retailers due to a strong dollar.”，其中提到美国主要城市梅西百货旗舰店严重依赖国际游客消费，而由于美元走强，许多零售商的国际游客消费萎缩，即国际游客在美国消费的萎缩归因于美元升值，所以选A。
由题干中的关键词“Macy's believe about its problems”定位到第三段“However, it's clear that Macy's believes its troubles run deeper than a temporary aberration (偏离) off the thermometer.”，表明梅西百货认为其问题不仅仅是由天气造成的，所以选B。
由题干中的关键词“In order to cut costs, Macy's decided to”定位到第三段“The company pledged to cut 600 back-office positions... It will slash staffing at its fleet of 770 stores, a move affecting some 3,000 employees.”，其中提到公司承诺削减600个后台职位，并将大幅削减其770家门店的员工数量，即梅西百货决定裁员以削减成本，所以选D。
由题干中的关键词“Macy's plan to expand Bluemercury in 2016”定位到第五段“It's also pushing ahead in 2016 with an expansion of Bluemercury... Macy's hopes Bluemercury will help strengthen its position in the category.”，其中提到梅西百货希望Bluemercury能加强其在美容产品领域的地位，即梅西百货计划在2016年扩大Bluemercury是为了在美容产品销售方面更具竞争力，所以选D。
由题干中的关键词“Macy's during the holiday season”定位到最后一段“While Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Monday all saw record spending online, in-store sales plunged over the holiday weekend.”，其中提到感恩节、黑色星期五和网络星期一的在线消费均创下纪录，而实体店销售额在假日周末大幅下降，即梅西百货在假日季实体店销售额大幅下降，所以选A。
