The cola wars became a cultural phenomenon. Credit for that goes to Donald Kendall, PepsiCo's brilliant former boss, who died on September 19th aged 99. A gifted salesman, he rose quickly through the ranks from his start on the bottling line to become the firm's top sales and marketing executive at the young age of 35.

Seven years later he was named CEO. In 1974 he invested in the Soviet Union, which allowed Pepsi to become the first Western product to be legally sold behind the iron curtain. By the time he resigned as boss in 1986, PepsiCo's sales had shot up nearly 40 times, to $ 7.6 billion. His legacy continues to shape the industry.

Mr. Kendall offered a mix of strategic vision, principled leadership and marketing talent. Two years after taking charge he acquired Frito-Lay, a leading producer of snacks, giving PepsiCo an advantage of diversity that continues to this day. PepsiCo brought in $ 67 billion last year in sales compared to Coca-Cola's $ 37 billion.

But his most famous move was the all-out marketing blitz (ÉÁµçÕ½) against Coca-Cola, long the global market leader in non-alcoholic drinks. The two firms had competed for decades, but they mostly fought low-grade battles. Mr. Kendall changed that, by forcing both companies into an advertising arms race. In 1975 Coca-Cola spent around $ 25 million on advertising and PepsiCo some $18 million. By 1985 those figures had shot up to $ 72 million and $ 57 million, respectively. In 1995 Pepsi outspent Coke by $112 million to $ 82 million.

This was a risky strategy for both cola competitors but it paid off by helping non-alcoholic drinks win a greater "share of throat". Last year Coca-Cola and PepsiCo remained in the leading position as usual. Also, the cola wars benefited both companies by turning them into "the world's best marketers". Today a decades-long addiction to cut-price quantity growth has been replaced by a focus on income and profits.

1£®What was Donald Kendall's first position in PepsiCo?

A£®CEO.             B£®A worker.        C£®A salesman.      D£®Marketing executive.

2£®What can we learn about Cola companies from the passage?

A£®PepsiCo has always been ahead of Coca-cola in sales.

B£®Coca-Cola preferred low-grade battles to marketing wars.

C£®Coca-Cola bought a snack firm to enrich its product diversity.

D£®PepsiCo spent $ 30 million more than Coca-cola in advertising in 1995.

3£®Why does the author list the figures in the fourth paragraph?

A£®To prove the success of both Cola companies in advertising products.

B£®To suggest both Cola companies spent too much money in advertising.

C£®To describe how PepsiCo got ahead of Coca-Cola in the fierce marketing wars.

D£®To confirm marketing wars between the Cola companies were a wise move.

4£®What is the passage mainly about?

A£®Donald Kendall was to blame for the cola cultural phenomenon.

B£®Donald Kendall was the most successful boss in PepsiCo history.

C£®Donald Kendall started the cola blitz wars and achieved great success.

D£®Donald Kendall's marketing strategies benefited both Cola companies.