McDonald's is the world single biggest food provider
with annual sales of around $12.4bn. And the company's symbol Ronald McDonald
is now （or so the company claims） the world's most recognized person after Santa Claus.
The first McDonald's restaurant was opened in San
Bernardino, California, in 1948 by brothers Mac and Richard “Dick” McDonald.
Mac ran the restaurant side; Dick was the marketing genius. He had already
invented the drive-in laundry and had been the first person to use neon lights
in advertising. Now he spotted the gap in the post-war, baby-boom market for
cheap, family-orientated restaurants with simple menus, standardized food and
efficient service.
After a slow start, business began to boom. By 1954,
the brothers were joined by another entrepreneur, a kitchen equipment salesman
called Ray A Kroc who owned the franchise to the Multimixer, milk shake maker
used throughout the McDonald's chain. A year later, Kroc had bought the
McDonald brothers' chain of 25 franchises for the equivalent of around $70m（￡44m）. Dick
remained with the company until the Seventies, when he and Kroc fell out over
Kroc's claim that the chain was his creation.
Today, an almost Stalinist cult of personality
surrounds Kroc （who died in 1984） at McDonald's, while the brothers who gave the
company its name have all but been written out of its history. But though Kroc
did not found McDonald's, he was certainly responsible for the empire-building
philosophy which led to its world domination. He ushered in such essential
contributions to international cuisine as the Big Mac （1968） and the Egg McMuffin （1973）; and helped launch
Ronald McDonald —— “in any language he means fun” —— on to television in 1963.
Every three hours, a new McDonald's franchise opens
somewhere in the world; it can be found in more than 100 countries including
India （vegetarian-only to avoid offending the
non-beef-eating populace） and Israel （non
kosher, despite fierce local objection）. McDonald's
chain embodied the thrusting, can-do spirit of Fifties America with staff
mottoes such as “If you've got time to lean, you've got time to clean.”
1.McDonald's was founded _____.
A. by a kitchen equipment salesman
B. in California
C. by a marketing genius called Dick McDonald
D. after the first World War
2.What do we know about McDonald's brothers?
A. They were not McDonald's founders although they
named the restaurant.
B. Their business was still in depression after
several years.
C. They had clear job separation on business.
D. They sold their restaurant to a salesman in 1954.
3.Which is not Kroc's contribution to McDonald's ?
A. He launched the restaurant image Ronald McDonald on
to television.
B. Under his lead, international cuisine as the Big
Mac and the Egg McMuffin earned worldwide fame
C. He spotted the gap in postwar market for cheap,
family-orientated restaurants.
D. He built McDonald's empire with a philosophy which
led to its world domination.
4.Which statement is true according to the passage?
A. The single biggest food provider was however, not
named after its founder
B. The international cuisine as the Big Mac, a beef
hamburger, is provided every chain restaurant in the world.
C. Employees in McDonald's have no time to lean.
D. The symbol Ronald McDonald, means fun in any
language, is said to the world most recognized person after Santa Claus.
