問題詳情

C.The world, it is often observed, is becoming increasingly standardized. We mostly buy similarthings—drinks, food and fashions—wherever we happen to be. However much we may resist thisapparent trend emotionally and hope that it is only our imagining, intellectually we must accept thatthis brave new world has its advantages. For standardized products save time, reduce confusion, andmay be cheaper and more predictable, especially when attached to a dependable brand. There is onemarket, however, in which the inclinations of our hearts and heads are aligned, and moreover areforcing things back towards variety: women’s clothing. There, the customer is queen, and she seemsto prefer chaos to order.It is not the fashions themselves that are turning the clock back on standardization. Rather, it isthe sizes in which women’s clothing is sold. Not so long ago, these sizes were numerical and orderly,even if the particular system used varied from country to country. It did not matter if a size 12 dressin Britain was called a 38 in the U.S. and a 44 in Italy, for a simple conversion chart would suffice.But that is no longer the case. Clothing sizes have become more and more a matter of vanity and notof measurement, for women have become larger in various ways. Not surprisingly, women wouldlike to indulge their appetites and not be reminded by ever increasing dress sizes of the consequencesfor the waistlines. Some clothing firms have accommodated such desires by retaining the same sizingnumbers but making the clothes larger. Others have resorted to soothing words—petite, regular and“missy”—that trade stark precision for comforting vagueness. In America, it is even possible to buywomen’s clothes in size zero. Will the negative size be next?Men are, of course, going through the same expansion in bodily dimensions. They do not,however, have to deal with the same confusion. While it may occasionally be hard to work out whatexactly is meant by “medium” or “extra-large,” mainly predictable indications of clothing sizes stillpredominate. Some suggest that this is because for men “bigness” does not carry the strong negativeconnotations that it does for women.Women, however, are finding that shopping is becoming difficult, because of the declining levelof standardization in their clothing sizes: More things must be tried on, taking more time and buyingonline is a poor option. One is tempted to make the seemingly sensible proposal of introducingstandardization once more, but this idea ignores the fact that there are powerful marketforces—female preferences for clothing sizes that disguise fattened figures—that would resist suchan imposition. An alternative suggestion that has been put forth is for clothing firms to agree on astandard sizing to be put on some sort of bar code or other marker unreadable to shoppers. In thatcase, those who wanted speed and clarity could easily obtain a size indicator free of obfuscation,while those who would rather deceive themselves and soothe their vanity could continue to do so bysticking to the written labels.
56. What are the advantages of product standardization?
(A) A woman may prefer chaos to order.
(B) They save time and reduce confusion.
(C) Clothing sizes may disguise fattened figures
(D) Clothing sizes become more and more a matter of vanity.

參考答案

答案：B
難度：簡單0.831933
統計：A(5),B(99),C(7),D(4),E(0)

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