The Risk Behind Amazon (Listening Practice) (High-Intermediate)

The Risk Behind Amazon

Listen to the following text and choose the correct answer.

Read the following questions and choose the correct answer:

1. What is the speaker’s perspective on how most people view Amazon’s history?

A) People focus too much on the tech tools Bezos used in his garage.

B) The common public perception ignores the slow and difficult reality of its growth.

C) Most people exaggerate how wealthy Jeff Bezos was before he started the company.

D) The public mistakenly believes Amazon started as a traditional bookstore.

2. Based on the podcast, how did Bezos view his high-paying Wall Street job in 1994?

A) As a secure position that would allow him to save up enough money to start a business later.

B) As a boring career that didn't allow him to use his true talent as a computer programmer.

C) As a professional trap that might cause him emotional dissatisfaction later in life.

D) As an unstable environment due to the rapid growth of the internet market.

3. What made books a more strategic product for an online store compared to a physical store?

A) Books were easier for a new website to track and organize in a database.

B) Physical stores were limited by geography, whereas online stores could ship books faster.

C) The book market was expanding by 2,300% every year.

D) Websites could overcome the inventory limitations that trapped traditional retailers.

4. What does the speaker imply about the investment made by Bezos's parents?

A) They trusted their son's business data more than the warnings of Wall Street experts.

B) They were financially comfortable enough to survive a 70% loss of their savings.

C) Their decision to invest was driven more by family support than financial safety.

D) They didn't realize how high the failure rate was for internet startups at the time.

5. Why did Bezos target Seattle as his business location?

A) It was the most affordable city for renting warehouse and garage space.

B) It allowed him to minimize travel time between his suppliers and his target market.

C) The city offered immediate access to the specific resources and labor his business required.

D) It was a strategic midpoint between his parents' home and New York.

6. Why did Wall Street analysts predict that traditional retail giants would beat Amazon?

A) Traditional retailers already had larger fulfillment centers and better software.

B) Experts assumed established brands would easily adapt to the internet and use their size as an advantage.

C) Amazon was losing customers rapidly to physical bookstores in 1995.

D) Traditional bookstores were intentionally lowering their prices to force Amazon out of business.

7. What did the phrase "Amazon.toast" reveal about the business experts of the 1990s?

A) They were frustrated that Amazon refused to pay out dividends to shareholders.

B) They dismissed Amazon's long-term potential because of its immediate financial losses.

C) They didn't understand how an online catalog worked compared to a physical shelf.

D) They were trying to manipulate stock prices to help traditional bookstores.

8. Why did Bezos's early business decisions cause tension with his investors?

A) He was expanding into non-book products before the book business was stable.

B) He prioritized building long-term infrastructure over delivering short-term financial returns.

C) He mismanaged the initial $250,000 investment on expensive software.

D) He refused to share the company's financial data and revenue reports with them.

9. Why does the speaker describe Amazon's first profit in 2001 as a "psychological" victory?

A) It made investors realize they were finally going to become incredibly wealthy.

B) It was a huge financial windfall that completely erased all previous company debts.

C) It forced critics to accept that an internet-based retail model was actually viable.

D) It allowed Bezos to finally move the company out of his garage and into an office.

10. What central business concept is illustrated by the narrative arc of this script?

A) Upfront financial sacrifice and patience are often required to validate a disruptive business model.

B) Starting a business in a garage is a reliable method to reduce initial operational costs.

C) Statistical data analysis is the only accurate way to predict consumer trends.

D) A company cannot survive unless it secures significant funding from family members.

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