Consumers are being confused and misled by the hodge-podge of environmental claims made by household products, according to a "green labeling" study published by Consumers International Friday.

Text3 Brands began as badges of product quality,going back at least as far as the medieval association of craftsmen who used them to distinguish their work.Now in providing consumers with.a host of fascinating facts,companies are striving to grant their brands"authenticity".Interbrand,a consultant on branding,describes authenticity as"an internal truth and capability",a"defined heritage"and a"well-grounded value set".Authenticity is being advertised as a cure for consumers'fading loyalty to brands.It is not hard to see why the old marketing magic is fading,in an age in which people can instantly learn truth about the things they are thinking about buying.Online reviews and friends'comments on social media help consumers see a product's underlying merits and demerits.For brands that lack any truly distinguishing features,that is bad news.The declining faith in brands is a greater threat to some types of products than others:snacks and household gadgets,say,as opposed to luxury handbags.But for a range of consumer goods,brands'strength as a signal of quality,and their power to open people's wallets,are fading,argue Itamar Simonson and Emanuel Rosen in their book,Absolute Value:What Really Influences Customers in the Age of Peifect Information.Surveys back up this conclusion.In North America consumers say they trust only about a fifth of brands,according to a poll by a marketing agency.Consumers seem particularly wary of big brands.About half ofAmerican shoppers say they trust small companies to do the right thing,compared with just 36%who say the same oflarge ones,reports a research firm.These opinions are starting to have effects.Of the top 100 consumers packaged-goods brands in America,90 lost market share in the year to July,according to a marketing firm.In big emerging markets,foreign-branded goods are losing their appeal,as shoppers realise that local products are no longer so inferior.The silver lining to the dark cloud looming over brands is that as people become better informed about products'underlying qualities,and more sceptical of marketing strategies,they are exhibiting a desire for brands that are"honest"and seem to have some identifiable merit.Inevitably,this is leading some marketers to embrace campaigns that seek to bring about the inexpressible quality of authenticity out of thin air.As the cynics among them might say:authenticity is the secret of success;once you fake it,you've got it made.33.American customers'selection could be

A.reliable brands in the market.
B.packaged foreign goods.
C.small responsible companies.
D.products with appealing packages.

根据下列内容，回答207-210题。
The makers of Europe's toilet paper and other household paper goods are contributing todeforestation by failing to offer consumers enough recycled products, conservationists said recently.
"Everyday about 270,000 trees are effectively flushed down the toilet or end up as garbagearound the world; such a use of the forests is both wasteful and unnecessary," said Duncan Poundof WWF, formerly known as the World Wildlife Fund.
According to a WWF study, the five biggest manufacturers of disposable paper products inEurope are Procter and Gamble, SCA, Kimberly Clark, Mesa Tissue and Georgia Pacific, whichcontrolabout 70 percent of European market. The vast majorityof their products contain"alarmingly low levels" of recycled fibers, it said.
That means that"virgin fibers" extracted from natural forests and tree plantations around theworld"end up as waste without the consumer's knowledge, ” the Switzerland-based internationalconservation group said in this communique.
"Consumers have no idea that they may be threatening the world's forests when they go to thebathroom, "said Pollard, who heads the WWF program on European forests.
"The manufactures claim that retailers mainly want non-recycled products because that is whatconsumers choose." the WWF said.
"It's a myth that recycled tissue products are not of good quality." Pollard said.
The European tissue business is worth around 8.5 billion euros(10 billion dollars) annuallyand accounts for 26 percent of global consumption.
Each European uses on average 13 kilos of paper products per year, the WWF said.
The WWF has asked the companies to better inform consumers about how much of theirhousehold paper goods are made with recycled fibers and to advise them to buy bounds of recycledtoilet paper and tissues.
What does the underlined part"end up as waste without the consumer's knowledge" mean ?__________

A.Consumers waste "virgin fibers" because they lack knowledge
B.Consumers don't waste "virgin fibers" without knowledge
C.Consumers stopped using "virgin fibers" as waste because of knowledge
D.Consumers waste "virgin fibers" without know it

Consumers are being confused and misled by the hodge-podge of environmental claims made by household products, according to a "green labeling" study published by Consumers International Friday.
Among the report's more outrageous findings--a German fertilizer described itself as "earthworm friendly" a brand of flour said it was "non-polluting" and a British toilet paper claimed to be "environmentally friendlier".
The study was written and researched by Britain's National Consumer Council (NCC) for lobby group Consumer International. It was funded by the German and Dutch governments and the European Commission.
"While many good and useful claims are being made, it is clear there is a long way to go in ensuring shoppers are adequately informed about the environmental impact of products they buy." said Consumers International director Anna Fielder.
The lO-country study surveyed product packaging in Britain, Western Europe, Scandinavia and the United States. It found that products sold in Germany and the United Kingdom made the most environmental claims on average.
The report focused on claims made by specific products, such as detergent insect sprays and by some garden products. It did not test the claims, but compared them to labeling guidelines set by the International Standards Organization (ISO) in September,1999.
Researchers documented claims of environmental friendliness made by about 2,000 products and found many too vague or too misleading to meet ISO standards.
"Many products had specially-designed labels to make them seem environmentally friendly, but in fact many of these symbols mean nothing." said report researcher Philip Page.
"Laundry detergents made the most number of claims with 158. Household cleaners were second with 145 separate claims, while paints were third on our list with 73. The high numbers show how very confusing it must be for consumers to sort the true from the misleading." he said.
The ISO labeling standards ban vague or misleading claims on product packaging, because terms such as "environmentally friendly" and "non-polluting" can not be verified. "What we are now pushing for is to have multinational corporations meet the standards set by the ISO." said Page.
According to the passage, the NCC found it outrageous that_________.

A. all the products surveyed claim to meet ISO standards
B. the claims made by products are often unclear or deceiving
C. consumers would believe many of the manufactures' claim
D. few products actually prove to be environment friendly

Text3 Brands began as badges of product quality,going back at least as far as the medieval association of craftsmen who used them to distinguish their work.Now in providing consumers with.a host of fascinating facts,companies are striving to grant their brands"authenticity".Interbrand,a consultant on branding,describes authenticity as"an internal truth and capability",a"defined heritage"and a"well-grounded value set".Authenticity is being advertised as a cure for consumers'fading loyalty to brands.It is not hard to see why the old marketing magic is fading,in an age in which people can instantly learn truth about the things they are thinking about buying.Online reviews and friends'comments on social media help consumers see a product's underlying merits and demerits.For brands that lack any truly distinguishing features,that is bad news.The declining faith in brands is a greater threat to some types of products than others:snacks and household gadgets,say,as opposed to luxury handbags.But for a range of consumer goods,brands'strength as a signal of quality,and their power to open people's wallets,are fading,argue Itamar Simonson and Emanuel Rosen in their book,Absolute Value:What Really Influences Customers in the Age of Peifect Information.Surveys back up this conclusion.In North America consumers say they trust only about a fifth of brands,according to a poll by a marketing agency.Consumers seem particularly wary of big brands.About half ofAmerican shoppers say they trust small companies to do the right thing,compared with just 36%who say the same oflarge ones,reports a research firm.These opinions are starting to have effects.Of the top 100 consumers packaged-goods brands in America,90 lost market share in the year to July,according to a marketing firm.In big emerging markets,foreign-branded goods are losing their appeal,as shoppers realise that local products are no longer so inferior.The silver lining to the dark cloud looming over brands is that as people become better informed about products'underlying qualities,and more sceptical of marketing strategies,they are exhibiting a desire for brands that are"honest"and seem to have some identifiable merit.Inevitably,this is leading some marketers to embrace campaigns that seek to bring about the inexpressible quality of authenticity out of thin air.As the cynics among them might say:authenticity is the secret of success;once you fake it,you've got it made.35.The author's attitude to brands'authenticity is

A.supportive.
B.sarcastic.
C.indifferent.
D.regretful.

Text3 Brands began as badges of product quality,going back at least as far as the medieval association of craftsmen who used them to distinguish their work.Now in providing consumers with.a host of fascinating facts,companies are striving to grant their brands"authenticity".Interbrand,a consultant on branding,describes authenticity as"an internal truth and capability",a"defined heritage"and a"well-grounded value set".Authenticity is being advertised as a cure for consumers'fading loyalty to brands.It is not hard to see why the old marketing magic is fading,in an age in which people can instantly learn truth about the things they are thinking about buying.Online reviews and friends'comments on social media help consumers see a product's underlying merits and demerits.For brands that lack any truly distinguishing features,that is bad news.The declining faith in brands is a greater threat to some types of products than others:snacks and household gadgets,say,as opposed to luxury handbags.But for a range of consumer goods,brands'strength as a signal of quality,and their power to open people's wallets,are fading,argue Itamar Simonson and Emanuel Rosen in their book,Absolute Value:What Really Influences Customers in the Age of Peifect Information.Surveys back up this conclusion.In North America consumers say they trust only about a fifth of brands,according to a poll by a marketing agency.Consumers seem particularly wary of big brands.About half ofAmerican shoppers say they trust small companies to do the right thing,compared with just 36%who say the same oflarge ones,reports a research firm.These opinions are starting to have effects.Of the top 100 consumers packaged-goods brands in America,90 lost market share in the year to July,according to a marketing firm.In big emerging markets,foreign-branded goods are losing their appeal,as shoppers realise that local products are no longer so inferior.The silver lining to the dark cloud looming over brands is that as people become better informed about products'underlying qualities,and more sceptical of marketing strategies,they are exhibiting a desire for brands that are"honest"and seem to have some identifiable merit.Inevitably,this is leading some marketers to embrace campaigns that seek to bring about the inexpressible quality of authenticity out of thin air.As the cynics among them might say:authenticity is the secret of success;once you fake it,you've got it made.32.Itamar Simonson and Emanuel Rosen point out that

A.brands still have the power to guide customers.
B.people are more loyal to some specific household products.
C.customers ofluxury handbags always have the faith on brands.
D.big companies have greater influence than that of small companies.

Consumer International. It was funded by the German and Dutch governments and the European Commission.
"While many good and useful claims are being made, it is clear there is a long way to go in ensuring shoppers are adequately informed about the environmental impact of products they buy." said Consumers International director Anna Fielder.
The lO-country study surveyed product packaging in Britain, Western Europe, Scandinavia and the United States. It found that products sold in Germany and the United Kingdom made the most environmental claims on average.
The report focused on claims made by specific products, such as detergent insect sprays and by some garden products. It did not test the claims, but compared them to labeling guidelines set by the International Standards Organization (ISO) in September,1999.
Researchers documented claims of environmental friendliness made by about 2,000 products and found many too vague or too misleading to meet ISO standards.
"Many products had specially-designed labels to make them seem environmentally friendly, but in fact many of these symbols mean nothing." said report researcher Philip Page.
"Laundry detergents made the most number of claims with 158. Household cleaners were second with 145 separate claims, while paints were third on our list with 73. The high numbers show how very confusing it must be for consumers to sort the true from the misleading." he said.
The ISO labeling standards ban vague or misleading claims on product packaging, because terms such as "environmentally friendly" and "non-polluting" can not be verified. "What we are now pushing for is to have multinational corporations meet the standards set by the ISO." said Page.
As indicated in this passage, with so many good claims, the consumers_________.

A. are becoming more cautious about the products they are going to buy
B. are still not willing to pay more for products with green labeling
C. are becoming more aware of the effects different products have on the environment
D. still do not know the exact impact of different products on the environment

Consumers are being confused and misled by the hodge-podge of environmental claims made by household products, according to a "green labeling" study published by Consumers International Friday.
Among the report's more outrageous findings--a German fertilizer described itself as "earthworm friendly" a brand of flour said it was "non-polluting" and a British toilet paper claimed to be "environmentally friendlier".
The study was written and researched by Britain's National Consumer Council (NCC) for lobby group Consumer International. It was funded by the German and Dutch governments and the European Commission.
"While many good and useful claims are being made, it is clear there is a long way to go in ensuring shoppers are adequately informed about the environmental impact of products they buy." said Consumers International director Anna Fielder.
The lO-country study surveyed product packaging in Britain, Western Europe, Scandinavia and the United States. It found that products sold in Germany and the United Kingdom made the most environmental claims on average.
The report focused on claims made by specific products, such as detergent insect sprays and by some garden products. It did not test the claims, but compared them to labeling guidelines set by the International Standards Organization (ISO) in September,1999.
Researchers documented claims of environmental friendliness made by about 2,000 products and found many too vague or too misleading to meet ISO standards.
"Many products had specially-designed labels to make them seem environmentally friendly, but in fact many of these symbols mean nothing." said report researcher Philip Page.
"Laundry detergents made the most number of claims with 158. Household cleaners were second with 145 separate claims, while paints were third on our list with 73. The high numbers show how very confusing it must be for consumers to sort the true from the misleading." he said.
The ISO labeling standards ban vague or misleading claims on product packaging, because terms such as "environmentally friendly" and "non-polluting" can not be verified. "What we are now pushing for is to have multinational corporations meet the standards set by the ISO." said Page.
It can be inferred from the passage that the lobby group Consumer International wants to__________.

A. make product labeling satisfy ISO requirements
B. see all household products meet environmental standards
C. warn consumers of the danger of so-called green products
D. verify the efforts of non-polluting products