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The Origins of Famous Brands
Our lives are full of brand names and trademarked products that we use every day. Although many brand names are simple acronyms(首字母缩略词) or versions of their founders' names, some of the companies we trust every day actually have fascinating and surprising back stories.
Starbucks
It seems fitting that the most famous coffee brand in the world would take its name from one of the world's greatest works of literature. The inspiration for the name of the coffeehouse came from Herman Melville's Moby Dick. The founders' original idea was to name the company after the Captain Ahab's ship — Pequot, but they eventually decided that Pequot wasn't a great name for coffee, so they chose Ahab's first mate, Starbucks, as the name instead.
Nike
Originally founded as a distributor for Japanese running shoes, the company was originally named BRS, or Blue Ribbon Sports. In 1971, BRS introduced its own soccer shoe, a model called Nike, which is also the name for the Greek goddess of victory. In 1978, the company officially renamed itself as Nike, Inc.
The right name is essential to a company's success, and a great origin story is just as crucial as a great product. An attractive origin story is one more thing that keeps customers guessing, wondering, and buying its products.
Google
Google was originally called BackRub, for it searched for links in every corner of the Web. In 1997, when the founders of the company were searching for a new name showing a huge amount of data for their rapidly improving search technology, a friend suggested the word “googol”. When a friend tried to register the new domain name, he misspelled “googol” as “google”.
21. What is the name of the Captain Ahab's ship?
A. Moby Dick. B. Starbucks. C. Pequot. D. Herman Melville.
22. When did the Nike get its name eventually?
A. In 1971. B. In 1978. C. In 1997. D. In 1987.
23. Why did the founders of the Google change its name?
A. They disliked their name.
B. They wanted new customers.
C. The company's original name was too long.
D. The company's search technology was improving rapidly.
【答案】21. C 22. B 23. D
【解析】
这是一篇说明文。文章介绍了几种世界著名品牌的名字来源。
【21题详解】
细节理解题。根据第二段Starbucks中的最后一句The founders' original idea was to name the company after the Captain Ahab's ship — Pequot,可知，创始人最初的想法是用亚哈船长的船命名公司——Pequot。由此可知，the Captain Ahab船的名字是Pequot。故选C。
【22题详解】
细节理解题。根据第三段Nike中的最后一句In 1978, the company officially renamed itself as Nike, Inc.可知，在1978年，该公司最终改名为Nike。故选B。
【23题详解】
细节理解题。根据最后一段Google中的for their rapidly improving search technology, a friend suggested the word “googol”.可知，谷歌创始人之所以改名是因为它迅速提高的搜索技术。故选D。
