31. The author mentions two books in Paragraph 1 to present
- A. an ongoing conflict.
- B. an intellectual concept.
- C. a prevailing sentiment.
- D. a literary phenomenon.
答案：A
答案句：If you’re heading for your nearest branch of Waterstones, the biggest book retailer in the UK, in search of the Duchess of Sussex’s new children’s book The Bench, you might have to be prepared to hunt around a bit; the same may be true of The President’s Daughter, the new thriller by Bill Clinton and James Patterson. Both of these books are published next week by Penguin Random House (PRH), a company currently involved in a stand-off with Waterstones.
参考译文：如果你正前往英国最大的图书零售商Waterstones最近的分店，寻找苏塞克斯公爵夫人的新童书《长凳》，你可能得准备好稍微找一找；比尔·克林顿和詹姆斯·帕特森的新惊悚小说《总统的女儿》可能也是如此。这两本书都将于下周由企鹅兰登书屋（PRH）出版，该公司目前正与Waterstones陷入僵局。
定位线索：题干“mentions two books in Paragraph 1”→答案句取自第1段“If you're heading...The Bench...The President's Daughter”；文中“a stand-off”对应选项“an ongoing conflict”。
解析：题干问作者在第一段提到两本书的目的。答案句先列举两本书，随后指出它们由PRH出版，而PRH“currently involved in a stand-off with Waterstones”，“stand-off”意为僵局、对峙，即冲突。正确选项A“an ongoing conflict”正是对“stand-off”的同义转述。例子本身（两本书）不是答案依据，例子后面的观点句“a company currently involved in a stand-off with Waterstones”才是关键。B“intellectual concept”、C“prevailing sentiment”、D“literary phenomenon”均与原文无关，属于无中生有。
32. Why did Waterstones shops retire PRH books to their relevant sections?
- A. To make them easily noticeable.
- B. To comply with PRH’s requirement.
- C. To respond to PRH’s business move.
- D. To arrange them in a systematic way.
答案：C
答案句：The problem began late last year, when PRH confirmed that it had introduced a credit limit with Waterstones “at a very significant level”. The trade magazine The Bookseller reported that Waterstones branch managers were being told to remove PRH books from prominent areas such as tables, display spaces and windows, and were “quietly retiring them to their relevant sections”.
参考译文：问题始于去年年底，当时PRH确认已对Waterstones实施了“非常显著水平”的信用额度限制。行业杂志《书商》报道称，Waterstones的分店经理被告知要将PRH的书从桌子、展示空间和窗户等显眼位置移走，并“悄悄地将它们放回相关区域”。
定位线索：题干“Why did Waterstones shops retire PRH books”→答案句取自第2段“Waterstones branch managers were being told to remove PRH books...quietly retiring them”；文中“introduced a credit limit”对应选项“PRH's business move”。
解析：题干问Waterstones为何将PRH的书撤下。答案句先说明PRH对Waterstones实施了信用额度限制，随后报道Waterstones经理被要求移走PRH的书。可见Waterstones的行为是对PRH商业举措的回应，正确选项C“To respond to PRH's business move”。A“make them easily noticeable”与原文“remove from prominent areas”相反；B“comply with PRH's requirement”偷换概念，PRH并未要求撤书；D“arrange them in a systematic way”无中生有。
33. What message does the spokesperson for Waterstones seem to convey?
- A. Their customers remain loyal.
- B. The credit limit will be removed.
- C. Their stock is underestimated.
- D. The book market is rather slack.
答案：A
答案句：. We are not boycotting PRH titles but we are doing our utmost to ensure that availability for customers remains good despite the lower overall levels of stock. We are hopeful with our shops now open again that normality will return and that we will be allowed to buy appropriately. Certainly, our shops are exceptionally busy. The sales for our May Books of the Month surpassed any month since 2018.”
In the m
参考译文：“我们并没有抵制PRH的图书，但尽管库存总量较低，我们仍尽最大努力确保顾客的可得性。我们满怀希望，随着门店重新开放，一切将恢复正常，我们将被允许适当采购。当然，我们的门店异常繁忙。我们五月月度之书的销售额超过了2018年以来的任何一个月。”
定位线索：题干“spokesperson for Waterstones seem to convey”→答案句取自第3段“We are not boycotting...our shops are exceptionally busy”；文中“our shops are exceptionally busy”对应选项“Their customers remain loyal”。
解析：题干问Waterstones发言人传达的信息。答案句中发言人强调“our shops are exceptionally busy”，且五月销售额超过2018年以来任何月份，说明顾客依然光顾，即顾客忠诚。正确选项A“Their customers remain loyal”。B“credit limit will be removed”原文只说“hopeful...normality will return”，并非明确承诺；C“stock is underestimated”无中生有；D“book market is rather slack”与“exceptionally busy”相反。
34. What can be one consequence of the current dispute?
- A. Sales of books by mid-list PRH writers fall off considerably.
- B. Lesser-known PRH writers become the target of criticism.
- C. Waterstones staff hesitate to promote big-name authors’ books.
- D. Waterstones branches suffer a severe reduction in revenue.
答案：A
答案句：In the meantime, PRH authors have been the losers. Big-name PRH authors may suffer a bit, but it’s those mid-list authors, who normally rely on Waterstones staff’s passion for promoting books by lesser-known writers, who will be praying for an end to the dispute.
参考译文：与此同时，PRH的作者们成了输家。PRH的大牌作者可能受些影响，但正是那些中游作者——他们通常依赖Waterstones员工对推广不太知名作家书籍的热情——将祈祷这场争端结束。
定位线索：题干“one consequence of the current dispute”→答案句取自第4段“PRH authors have been the losers...mid-list authors...praying for an end”；文中“mid-list authors”对应选项“mid-list PRH writers”；文中“losers”对应选项“sales fall off considerably”。
解析：题干问当前争端的后果之一。答案句明确指出“PRH authors have been the losers”，并强调中游作者受影响最大，他们“praying for an end to the dispute”，暗示其销售大幅下滑。正确选项A“Sales of books by mid-list PRH writers fall off considerably”。B“become the target of criticism”无中生有；C“hesitate to promote big-name authors' books”与原文“big-name authors may suffer a bit”不符；D“suffer a severe reduction in revenue”范围扩大，原文未提Waterstones收入大减。
35. Which of the following statements best represents Lownie’s view?
- A. Small publishers ought to stick together.
- B. Big publishers will lose their dominance.
- C. The publishing industry is having a hard time.
- D. The merger of publishers is a worrying trend.
答案：D
答案句：“This is all part of a wider change towards concentration of power,” says literary agent Andrew Lownie. “The publishing industry talks about diversity in terms of authors and staff but it also needs a plurality of ways of delivering intellectual contact, choice and different voices. After all, many of the most interesting books in recent years have come from small publishers.”
参考译文：“这都是权力更广泛集中趋势的一部分，”文学经纪人安德鲁·朗尼说。“出版业在作者和员工方面谈论多样性，但它也需要多种方式来提供思想接触、选择和不同的声音。毕竟，近年来许多最有趣的书都来自小型出版商。”
定位线索：题干“Lownie's view”→答案句取自第6段“This is all part of a wider change towards concentration of power”；文中“concentration of power”对应选项“a worrying trend”；文中“needs a plurality”暗示对合并的担忧。
解析：题干问Lownie的观点。答案句中Lownie称合并是“concentration of power”，并强调需要“plurality”和“different voices”，担心小出版商受影响，可见他对合并持担忧态度。正确选项D“The merger of publishers is a worrying trend”。A“Small publishers ought to stick together”无中生有；B“Big publishers will lose their dominance”与原文“concentration of power”相反；C“publishing industry is having a hard time”范围过大，Lownie主要针对合并趋势。