雅思阅读真题（Part 2）
时尚产业：从手工定制到全球快时尚
本篇也叫：时尚产业、服装业、时装业、快时尚、服装产业、时尚行业
Part 2 · 考频：中频 · 最近考试：2025.6.29北京理工大学
本篇为雅思阅读真题（Part 2）《The fashion industry》，共 12 题，2025.6.29北京理工大学雅思考试真题回忆，页面提供完整原文、题目、答案与解析，并支持在线机考模式免费练习。本页同时提供 Markdown 版本 供 AI 助手与搜索引擎直接读取。
文章介绍时尚产业这一全球性行业，讲述服装从19世纪前手工定制到缝纫机、工厂制和百货商店出现后大规模标准化生产的发展，并说明如今设计、制造、销售跨国分工的全球化格局，以及纺织技术自动化、可持续时尚（环保纤维如大麻）和高科技合成面料的应用。
A
The fashion industry is a multibillion-dollar global enterprise devoted to the business of making and selling clothes. It encompasses all types of garments, from designer fashions to ordinary everyday clothing. Because data on the industry are typically reported for national economies, and expressed in terms of its many separate sectors, total figures for world production of textiles and clothing are difficult to obtain. However, by any measure, the industry accounts for a significant share of world economic output.
B
The fashion industry is a product of the modern age. Prior to the mid-19th century, virtually all clothing was handmade for individuals, either as home production or on order from dressmakers and tailors. By the beginning of the 20th century, with the development of new technologies such as the sewing machine, the development of the factory system of production, and the growth of department stores and other retail outlets, clothing had increasingly come to be mass produced in standard sizes, and sold at fixed prices. Although the fashion industry developed first in Europe, today it is highly globalised, with garments often designed in one country, manufactured in another, and sold in a third. For example, an American fashion company might source fabric in China and have the clothes manufactured in Vietnam, finished in Italy, and shipped to a warehouse in the United States for distribution to retail outlets internationally.
C
One of the first accomplishments of the Industrial Revolution in the 18th century was the partial automation of the spinning and weaving of wool, cotton, silk and other natural fibres. Today, these processes are highly automated and carried out by computer-controlled, high-speed machinery, and fabrics made from both natural fibres and synthetic fibres (such as nylon, acrylic, and polyester) are produced. A growing interest in sustainable fashion (or 'eco-fashion') has led to greater use of environmentally friendly fibres, such as hemp. In addition, high-tech synthetic fabrics confer such properties as moisture absorption, stain resistance, retention or dissipation of body heat, and protection against fire, weapons, cold, ultraviolet radiation, and other hazards. Fabrics are also produced with a wide range of visual effects through dyeing, weaving, printing, and other processes. Together with fashion forecasters, fabric manufacturers work well in advance of the clothing production cycle, to create fabrics with colours, textures, and other
D
Historically, very few fashion designers have become famous brands such as Coco Chanel or Calvin Klein, who have been responsible for prestigious high-fashion collections. These designers are influential in the fashion world, but, contrary to popular belief, they do not dictate new fashions; rather, they endeavour to design clothes that will meet consumer demand. The vast majority of designers work in anonymity for manufacturers, as part of design teams, adapting designs into marketable garments for average consumers. They draw inspiration from a wide range of sources, including film and television costumes, street clothing, and active sportswear.
The fashion industry's traditional design methods such as paper sketches and the draping of fabric on mannequins, have been supplemented or replaced by computer-assisted design (CAD) techniques. These allow designers to rapidly make changes to a proposed design, and instantaneously share the proposed changes with colleagues – whether they are in the next room or on another continent.
E
An important stage in garment production is the translation of the clothing design into templates, in a range of sizes, for cutting the cloth. Because the proportions of the human body change with increases or decreases in weight, templates cannot simply be scaled up or down. Template making was traditionally a highly skilled profession. Today, despite innovations in computer programming, designs in larger sizes are difficult to adjust for every body shape. Whatever the size, the template – whether drawn on paper or programmed as a set of computer instructions – determines how fabric is cut into the pieces that will be joined to make a garment. For all but the most expensive clothing, fabric cutting is accomplished by computer-guided knives or high-intensity lasers that can cut many layers of fabric at once.
F
The next stage of production is the assembly process. Some companies use their own production facilities for some or all of the manufacturing process, but the majority rely on separately owned manufacturing firms or contractors to produce garments to their specifications. In the field of women's clothing, manufacturers typically produce several product lines a year, which they deliver to retailers on predetermined dates. Technological innovation, including the development of computer-guided machinery, has resulted in the automation of some stages of assembly. Nevertheless, the fundamental process of sewing remains labour-intensive. In the late 20th century, China emerged as the world’s largest producer of clothing because of its low labour costs and highly disciplined workforce.
Assembled items then go through various processes collectively known as 'finishing'. These include the addition of decorative elements, fasteners, brand-name labels and other labels (often legally required) specifying fibre content, laundry instructions, and country of manufacture. Finished items are then pressed and packed for shipment.
G
For much of the period following World War II, trade in textiles and garments was strictly regulated by purchasing countries, which imposed quotas and tariffs. Since the 1980s, these protectionist measures, which were intended (ultimately without success) to prevent textile and clothing production from moving from high-wage to low-wage countries, have gradually been abandoned. They have been replaced by a free-trade approach, under the regulatory control of global organisations. The advent of metal shipping containers and relatively inexpensive air freight have also made it possible for production to be closely tied to market conditions, even across globe-spanning distances.
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答案：the importance of the fashion industry
原文定位：the fashion industry is a multibillion-dollar global enterprise... by any measure, the industry accounts for a significant share of world economic output
答案：the rise of the fashion industry
原文定位：The fashion industry is a product of the modern age. Prior to the mid-19th century, virtually all clothing was handmade;By the beginning of the 20th century;clothing had increasingly come to be mass produced;Although the fashion industry developed first in Europe, today it is highly globalised
答案：producing materials with a range of features
原文定位：fabrics made from both natural fibres and synthetic fibres;high-tech synthetic fabrics confer such properties as moisture absorption, stain resistance;Fabrics are also produced with a wide range of visual effects through dyeing, weaving, printing, and other processes
答案：how new clothing styles are created
原文定位：they endeavour to design clothes that will meet consumer demand;They draw inspiration from a wide range of sources;The fashion industry's traditional design methods;have been supplemented or replaced by computer-assisted design (CAD) techniques
答案：making patterns for people with different physical shapes
原文定位：An important stage in garment production is the translation of the clothing design into templates, in a range of sizes, for cutting the cloth. Because the proportions of the human body change with increases or decreases in weight, templates cannot simply be scaled up or down
答案：joining the garment pieces together
原文定位：The next stage of production is the assembly process;the fundamental process of sewing remains labour-intensive;Assembled items then go through various processes collectively known as 'finishing'
答案：how new clothing styles are created
原文定位：Since the 1980s, these protectionist measures;have gradually been abandoned. They have been replaced by a free-trade approach;The advent of metal shipping containers and relatively inexpensive air freight have also made it possible for production to be closely tied to market conditions, even across globe-spanning distances
答案：sewing machine
原文定位：By the beginning of the 20th century, with the development of new technologies such as the sewing machine, the development of the factory system of production, and the growth of department stores and other retail outlets, clothing had increasingly come to be mass produced in standard sizes
答案：B
原文定位：By the beginning of the 20th century, with the development of new technologies such as the sewing machine, the development of the factory system of production, and the growth of department stores and other retail outlets, clothing had increasingly come to be mass produced in standard sizes
答案：fixed prices
原文定位：By the beginning of the 20th century;clothing had increasingly come to be mass produced in standard sizes, and sold at fixed prices
答案：Europe
原文定位：Although the fashion industry developed first in Europe, today it is highly globalised, with garments often designed in one country, manufactured in another, and sold in a third
答案：C Most businesses use other companies to manufacture their products.,D Fasteners and labels are attached after the clothes have been made up.
原文定位：Some companies use their own production facilities for some or all of the manufacturing process, but the majority rely on separately owned manufacturing firms or contractors to produce garments to their specifications;Assembled items then go through various processes collectively known as 'finishing'. These include the addition of decorative elements, fasteners, brand-name labels and other labels