•Read the article below about cruise business.•Choose the best word or phrase

•Read the article below about cruise business.

•Choose the best word or phrase to fill each gap from A, B, C, or D on the opposite page.

•For each question 19--33, mark one letter (A, B, C, or D) on your Answer Sheet.

Cruise Ship Holidays

Passengers on cruise ship holidays, as they are (0) on TV programs and films, usually appear to be both rich and elderly. Such people do not, however, accurately represent the 6.8 million (19) who took this kind of holiday last year. Over the last few years the world cruise industry has concentrated on (20) to younger, less wealthy people, giving them a/an (21) more like a floating disco than the traditional quiet holiday on a luxury ship. Even families with young children are no longer so (22) on cruise ship. Partly as a result, the number of passengers taking a cruise has increased by a/an (23) of 8.5 % a year since 1990.

Cruise Star is now the world's (24) cruise line. The other two major companies are Intersail and Seaways. Together these three carry (25) half the world's cruise passengers and (26) almost all the industry's profits. For the 30 or so smaller firms, life is much tougher. That is because (27) size brings so many benefits to the large firms. They can negotiate bulk discounts on (28) such as food and fuel, and even, if they order enough of them, on ships. A secondary (20) for the smaller operators is that they cannot spread overheads such broadly marketing. A significant part of the cost of (30) people on a cruise happens before they go on board the ship. The three large companies between them spend more than $ 100 million a year on TV (31) in America. They (32) armies of salesman. Delivering passengers to the ship is part of package deal and, once again, (33) means savings: Cruise Star is the biggest single buyer of airline tickets in America.

(19)

A．passengers

B．holders

C．managers

D．producers