This truck is large and not easily adaptable () new uses.

A.Truck

B.Container

C.Ship

D.Aircraft

When faced with the decision of selecting a mode of transportation, the exporter has five basic types available from which to choose, depending, of course, upon the geographicalproximity[1] of the countries of export and import: ocean, air, rail, truck, and inland water. A sixth alternative is pipeline which transports very specialized products. The choice between available methods of transportation is usually determined by a combination of cost , time , and security.

Ocean transportation is by far the most dominant mode of international transportation , and air transport is the most " glamorous" and fastest growing. The significance of the other basic types of international transportation varies depending upon the countries involved. For example,rail and truck shipments do not constitute a significant portion of the export transactions of the United States, except perhaps for those that involve buyers in Canada. In contrast,these transport modes carry large amounts of export goods among the countries of Europe. Similarly,inland waterways are not important carriers of goods between countries except in Europe where waterways such as the Rhine and Danube rivers carry large amounts of goods among the countries through which they flow. Often the use of these relatively less important modes of transport depends upon the nature of specific products in unique geographic situations. The use of trucks to haul fresh produce from northem Mexico to the United States illustrates this practice.

Ocean transportation is widely used because it is a relatively low-cost way to transport goods, and it can easily handle large shipments. In addition, certain geographic conditions may make it impossible to use overland transportation to some foreign markets andinfeasible[2] to use it to others.

Many diverse types of products are being transported to foreign markets by air in large volume-computers, office machines, electrical and electronic equipment, automobile parts, television sets,pharmceuticals[3], certain metal manufactures, and wearing apparel to name but a few. Thus , even with existing technology, it is evident that air cargo movements are no longer confined to fast shipments of emergency supplies, goods of high value , (for example ,jewel) and perishable products (for example , fresh flowers) , although it is widely used for such products. Not only is time in transit reduced from a minimum of 10 days to a few hours, but also less handling and simpler packing requirements are involved.

Time in transit is but one of the so-called hidden costs that may be relevant. For example,concerning time in transit and the ability to put a f'acility to use sooner (thus avoiding lost sales) ,a West German company bought 230hosiery-knitting machines[4] from a US manufacturer. The machines were shipped by air at a cost of USD 224 per unit which was considerably greater than the ocean rate of USD37. 80 per unit. Delivery time was shortened by 10 days giving the Cerman manuf'acturer the opportunity to produce 207 000 pairs of hosiery, which apparently offset the transportation cost.

Small shipments may be sent by intemational parcel post, air parcel post, or air couner service rather than pay the higher minimum bill of lading charges for ocean freight or air shipment. While larger shipments are charged on the basis of weight or measurement,very small shipments are charged a set flat fee because of the costs involved in documentation and handling.

The method of transportation is usually selected by the importer. The route selected for the export shipment may be determined by either the exporter or the importer. In practice , the importer should indicate the route he or she thinks is most desirable. The final selection of the exact route,however,should generally be left to thediscretion[5] of the exporter, since the exporter is more fully acquainted with conditions surrounding the shipment in the country from which it is sent, and particularly the immediate conditions at time of shipment.

[1]接近

[2]不可行的

[3]医药的

[4]针织品编织机

[5]判断力

Questions for reading :

Forklift truck is very convenient equipment for().

A.loadinggoods

B.unloadinggoods

C.transportationbrokers

D.insurancebrokers

There is a truck ______ the classroom.

A、in the front of

B、 in front of

C、in front

D、at the front of

One of the types of the truck exploded because of _____.(over, load)

A.改正

B.卡车

C.改观

D.真相

Storage, or warehousing, is a necessary function because production and consumption of goods rarely match: items generally are not sold as quickly as they are made.Inventories build up,both in warehouses and at retail establishments, before the foods are sold.The transporta-tion function is involved in bringing goods to a warehouse and taking them from it to retail stores.

Storage performs the service of stabilizing market price.If, for example, no agricultural product could be stored, all food would have to be put on the market immediately.This would, of course, create a glut and lower prices drastically.There would be an immediate benefit to consumers, but in the long run they would suffer.Farmers, because of low prices, would be forced off the land, and the amount of food produced would decrease.This, in turn, would raise consumer prices.

Warehouses for storage are of several types.Private warehouses are owned by manufactur-ers.Public warehouses, in spite of their name, are privately owned facilities, but they are in-dependent of manufacturer ownership.General-merchandise warehouses store a great variety of products.Cold-storage warehouses store perishable goods, especially food products.Grain ele-vators are a kind of warehouse used to keep wheat and other grains from spoiling.A bonded warehouse is one that stores foods, frequently imported, on which taxes must be paid before theyare sold.Cigarettes and alcoholic beverages are common examples.

The distribution center is a more recently developed kind of warehouse.Many large com- panics have several manufacturing plants, sometimes located outside the country.Each plant doesnot make every company product but specializes in one or more of them.The distribution center allows a manufacturer to bring together all product lines in one place.Its purpose is to minimize storage and to ease the flow of goods from manufacturers to retailers rather than build up extensive inventories.It reduces costs by speeding up product turnover.Very large corporations will have several distribution centers regionally or internationally based

1.The main subject of this passage is______.

A、transportation and storage

B、storage of products

C、distribution center

D、two main aspects of product distribution

2.Warehousing is important in that ______.

A、inventories build up before the goods are sold

B、the prices will go down

C、more goods are produced than can be consumed

D、the food has to be put on the market immediately

3.How many types of warehouses for storage are discussed in the passage？()

A、3

B、4

C、6

D、7

4.Where might one find meat and milk？()

A、Grain elevator

B、Cold-storage warehouse

C、Private warehouse

D、Bonded warehouse

5.What is NOT true of a distribution center？()

A、It is a relatively new type of warehouse

B、Product is replaced more quickly and costs are down

C、Some distribution centers are not built in the sane country as the factory

D、It builds up extensive inventories to minimize storage

A.highstoryshelf

B.rail

C.stacker

D.truck

The truck driver was fined for exceeding the speed ______.

A．range

B．limit

C．rule

D．regulation