2010年考研英語Part B新題型部分，第一次考到了新題型的段落排序題，但是與考研大綱不同的是，這次段落排序題不是5選5，而是6選5，有一個不能選的段落。這是讓廣大考生感到沒有思想準備的一道題。題目要求中明確指出，本題共出現標號從A到G的7個段落，其中E段的位置已經給出，而要求從A, B, C, D, F, G這6個段落中選取5段，並結合已經給的E段，進行排序。
題目的素材。選自2003年第一期《麥肯錫週刊》(The Mckinsey Quartly)。請注意，這已經是這本註明的經濟管理類雜誌第二次入選考研英語試題的素材庫了。原文的名字叫“A wholesale shift in European groceries”，翻譯成漢語，爲“歐洲日常用品銷售向批發轉型”。整個文章主要描述的目前歐洲的日用消費品零售商(主要是連鎖大超市集團)在歐洲面臨的困境——缺乏增長動力。而它們卻忽視了現在消費者的習慣正在發生改變這一事實。下面我們來分析一下新題型這道題的解題方法。
[A]The first and more important is the consumer’s growing preference for eating out: the consumption of food and drink in places other than hours has risen from about 32 percent of total consumption on 1995 to 35% in 2000 and is expected to approach 38% by 2005. This development is boosting wholesale demand from the food service segment by 4 to 5% a year as the recession is looming large, people are getting anxious. They tend keep a tighter hold on their purse and consider eating at home a realistic alternation。
Retail, sales of food and drink in Europe’s largest markets are at a standstill, leaving European grocery retailers hungry for opportunities to grow. Most leading retails have already tried e-commerce, with limited success, and expansion aboard. But almost all have ignored the big profitable opportunity in their own back yard: the wholesale food and drink trade, which appears to be just the kind of market retailers need。
Will such variations bring about a change in overall structure of the food and drink market? Definitely not. The functioning of the market is base on flexible trends dominated by potential buyers. In other words, it is up to the buyer, rather than the seller, to decide. What to buy. At any rate, this change and international consumers, regardless of how long the current consumer pattern will take hold。
All in all, this clearly seems to be a market in which big retailers could profitably apply their gigantic scale, existing infrastructure, and proven skills in the management of product ranges, logistics, and marketing intelligence. Retailers that master the intricacies of wholesaling in Europe may well expect to rank in substantial profits thereby. At last, that is how it looks as a whole. Closer inspection reveals important differences among the biggest nation market especially in their customer segment and wholesale structures, a as well as the competitive dynamics。
[E] Despite variations in detail, wholesale markets in the countries that have been closely examined---France, Germany—are made out of the same building block. Demand mainly from two sources: in dependent mom—and –pop grocery stores which, unlike large retail chains, are too small to buy straight when they don’t eat at home. Such food service operators, but most of these businesses are known in the trade as “horeca”：hotels, restaurant and cafes. Overall, Europe’s wholesale market for food and drink is growing at the same sluggish pace as the retail market, but the figure when assed together, mask too opposing trends。
[F] For example, wholesale food and drink sales came to $268 billion in France, Germany, Spain, America in 2000 --- more than 40 percent of retail sales. Moreover, average overall margins are higher in wholesale than in retail ; wholesale demand from the food service sector is growing quickly as more Europeans eat out more often ;and in the competitive dynamics of this fragmented industry are at last man it feasible for wholesalers to consolidate。
[G] However, none of these requirements should deter large retailers land even some large food producers and existing wholesalers, from trying their hand, foe those that master the intricacies of wholesaling in Europe stand to reap considerable gains。
解題步驟與思路：