题目内容：

For Christmas last year, Marie’s grandma wanted to get her something special. So Marie asked her grandma for her dream gift: a brand-new pair of UGG boots. All her friends had them.

On Christmas morning, Marie really got a pair of boots. They fit perfectly. The quality was superb. There was only one thing missing: the tiny label (标签) on the heel that says UGG.

Marie thanked her grandma. But she’s only worn those boots twice — both times to visit her grandma. “I would never wear them in public,” she says.

Marie’s grandma would be heartbroken to know the truth. But at UGG headquarters (总部), a room full of sales managers would be cheering.

Through clever marketing and expensive advertising, the makers of UGGs have convinced (使信服) Marie — and millions of others — that the name UGG has value far beyond what the homely slipper boots should really cost. UGGs, like North Face jackets, Nike sneakers, and other brand-name items are “status symbols”. People pay double, triple, even 10 times more for brand names than for similar items. Is a pair of $400 True Religion jeans really better than the $18 Wranglers you can get at Walmart? Maybe the quality is a bit higher. Maybe they shrink less. But are brand names really worth the exorbitant prices? Some pricey brands do, in fact, use higher-quality materials that fit better and feel nice on your skin.

However, the truth is that the value of a brand has little to do with quality and a lot to do with status. A recent study by Consumer Reports found that some of the least expensive jeans are better made than the more expensive jeans. But that doesn’t matter. Wearing a certain label tells the world “I belong” or “I can afford it.”

A few decades ago, the idea of a kid refusing to wear a pair of boots because the label was wrong would have seemed as crazy as talking on a phone the size of your hand.

Clearly, times have changed.

 

1.When she received the Christmas gift from her grandma, Marie seemed .

A. excited   B. worried   C. moved   D. disappointed

2.UGG’s managers would be cheering probably because of .

A. its particular design

B. its successful marketing

C. its high-quality products

D. its better customer service

3.The underlined word “exorbitant” in Paragraph 5 probably means .

A. high   B. good   C. average   D. attractive

4.In the author’s opinion, people wear brand-name products as a way to .

A. follow the fashion

B. show themselves off

C. keep pace with the times

D. improve their quality of life