англ. яз - вопрос №1658481

Задание 1. Прочитайте заглавие текста и спрогнозируйте его содержание. Прочитайте текст, переведите, найдите подтверждение или опровержение вашему предположению.

RICHERPICKINGS

ByNigelCope

1Who is the busiest retailer in Britain? Marks and Spencer? Sainsbury perhaps, or Tesco? Wrong on all three counts. The answer is Richer Sounds, a little-known, privately-owned, cut-price retailer of hi-fi equipment with 28 shops in the UK.

2In the Guinness Book of Records, Richer Sounds warrants an entry for the highest sales per square foot of any retailer in the UK — £17,000 — for its store on London Bridge Walk in the City Even taking an average across all 28 stores. Richer Sounds still clocks up £5,780 per square foot, ten times more than Marks and Spencer, six times the sales achieved by Sainsbury.

3It is profitable too. Sales are up and its operating margin has soared from 3.4 per cent in 1989 to almost thirteen per cent today Last year Richer Sounds made profits of more than £3m on sales of almost £48 m.

4The man behind Richer Sounds' success is founder, managing director and 98 per cent shareholder Julian Richer, a 39-year- old Londoner who, at the age of 14, used to buy and sell candles during the energy crisis of 1974. A likeable bloke who wears his blond hair in a ponytail and operates from a small converted Victorian vinegar factory in Bermondsey, south-east London, he raps out his sales pitch (what salespeople say to persuade you to buy sth).

5«Even when I was at school I wanted to go into business,» he says, «but my age was against me. Property was out – I wasn't old enough to sign a contract. Cars were out — I couldn't drive. So I turned to hi-fi, which was catching on at school. I bought a second-hand Bang and Olufsen for £10, did it up (to repair sth) and sold it for £22.» In 1979, at the age of 19, he opened his first shop — the one on London Bridge Walk.

6Since then little has changed. In simple terms, Richer Sounds sells discounted hi-fi from tiny basic shops with low overheads. Stock turnover is rapid and the company's smallness gives it flexibility to take advantage of deals offered by manufacturers on end-of-line or surplus equipment.

7The technique has enabled Richer Sounds to secure itself a lucrative niche in a £4 bn audiovisual market dominated by independents.

9Suppliersare keen to do business with this quirky (unusual) retailer.

12Good service is another priority. At Richer Sounds staff are trained not to be pushy (rude, bold). They all attend two training seminars a year at Richer's country house in Yorkshire, where more attention is paid to following the correct administrative procedures.

13First-time hi-fi buyers get a call to check that they have plugged in the equipment correctly. Customer receipts include a free phone number they can dial if they have a problem. Richer's own name and office number are supplied too.

14The emphasis is on fun. If it's raining, customers are given a free umbrella. Other seasonal gifts include mince pies at Christmas and hot-cross buns at Easter. «We have a laugh,» Richer says. «We don't take ourselves seriously, but we do take our customers seriously.»

Задание 2. Определите, являются ли утверждения:

а) ложными

b) истинными

1.Richer Sounds, a little-known, privately-owned, cut-price retailer of hi-fi equipment in the US.

2.The owner of Richer Sounds is Julian Richer, a 39-year- old Londoner.

3.Julian Richer at the age of 14 used to buy and sell candles during the energy crisis of 1974.

4.Julian Richer opened his first shop when he was 30.

5.Suppliers like to do business with this unusual retailer.

Задание 3. Сформулируйте главную мысль текста. Дайте свое название тексту.

Задание 4.Выберите один вариант ответа. Заполните пропуски. Дайте перевод.

1Richer Sounds is ____

a) a single outlet retailer.

b) privately-owned retail chain.

c) a department store.

2Richer Sounds ____

a)sells ten times more than Marks and Spencer.

b)has more outlets than most UK retailers.

c) sells more per square foot than any other UK retailer.

3Richer Sounds is cheaper than other hi-fi retailers because_____

a)it only sells old models of hi-fi equipment.

b) it buys equipment from manufacturers at special prices.

c) it sells second-hand equipment.

4At Richer Sounds, staff______

a) regularly receive further training.

b) do not have to follow rules.

c) install equipment for their customers.