GWD第一套阅读中的一题， 求助各位牛牛，谢谢！

hujing92

 In corporate purchasing, competitive scrutinyis typically limited to suppliers of items that are directly related to endproducts. With “indirect” purchases (such as computers, advertising, and legalservices), which are not directly related to production, corporations oftenfavor “supplier partnerships” (arrangements in which the purchaser forgoes theright to pursue alternative suppliers), which can inappropriately sheltersuppliers from rigorous competitive scrutiny that might afford the purchasereconomic leverage.  There are twoindependent variables—availability of alternatives and ease of changingsuppliers—that companies should use to evaluate the feasibility of subjectingsuppliers of indirect purchases to competitive scrutiny. This can create fourpossible situations.
     In Type 1situations, there are many alternatives and change is relatively easy.  Open pursuit of alternatives—by frequentcompetitive bidding, if possible—will likely yield the best results.  In Type 2 situations, where there are manyalternatives but change is difficult—as for providers of employee health-carebenefits—it is important to continuously test the market and use the results tosecure concessions from existing suppliers. Alternatives provide a credible threat to suppliers, even if the abilityto switch is constrained. In Type 3 situations, there are few alternatives, butthe ability to switch without difficulty creates a threat that companies canuse to negotiate concessions from existing suppliers. In Type 4 situations,where there are few alternatives and change is difficult, partnerships may beunavoidable.

Which ofthe following can be inferred about supplier partnerships, as they aredescribed in the passage?
A.   They cannot be sustained unless the goods orservices provided are available from a large number of suppliers.

B.   They can result in purchasers paying morefor goods and services than they would in a competitive-bidding situation.
C.   They typically are instituted at the urgingof the supplier rather than the purchaser.
D.   They are not feasible when the goods orservices provided are directly related to the purchasers’ end products.
E.    They are least appropriate when thepurchasers’ ability to change suppliers is limited.


红色字体的是定位句，答案是B。


看不懂是什么意思啊！求助牛牛们！