Question

【題目】閱讀下列短文，從每題所給的四個選項（A、B、C和D）中，選出最佳選項。

Henry Ford, the famous U.S. inventor and car manufacturer, once said, “The business of America is business.” By this he meant that the U.S. way of life is based on the values of the business world.

Few would argue with Ford’s statement. A brief glimpse at a daily newspaper vividly shows how much people in the United States think about business. For example, nearly every newspaper has a business section, in which the deals and projects, finances and management, stock prices and labor problems of corporations are reported daily. In addition, business news can appear in every other section. Most national news has an important financial aspect to it. Welfare, foreign aid, the federal budget, and the policies of the Federal Reserve Bank are all heavily affected by business. Moreover, business news appears in some of the unlikeliest places. The world of arts and entertainment is often referred to as“the entertainment industry”or“show business.”

The positive side of Henry Ford’s statement can be seen in the prosperity that business has brought to U.S. life. One of the most important reasons so many people from all over the world come to live in the United States is the dream of a better job. Jobs are produced in abundance because the U.S. economic system is driven by competition. People believe that this system creates more wealth, more jobs, and a materially better way of life.

The negative side of Henry Ford’s statement, however, can be seen when the word business is taken to mean big business. And the term big business—referring to the biggest companies, is seen in opposition to labor. Throughout U.S. history working people have had to fight hard for higher wages, better working conditions, and the fight to form unions. Today, many of the old labor disputes are over, but there is still some employee anxiety. Downsizing—the laying off of thousands of workers to keep expenses low and profits high—creates feelings of insecurity for many.

【1】The United States is a typical country ________.

A. which encourages free trade at home and abroad

B. where people’s chief concern is how to make money

C. where all businesses are managed scientifically

D. which normally works according to the federal budget

【2】The influence of business in the U.S. is evidenced by the fact that ________.

A. most newspapers are run by big businesses

B. even public organizations concentrate on working for profits

C. Americans of all professions know how to do business

D. even arts and entertainment are regarded as business

【3】Henry Ford’s statement can be taken negatively because ________.

A. working people are discouraged to fight for their fights

B. there are many industries controlled by a few big capitalists

C. there is a conflicting relationship between big corporations and labor

D. public services are not run by the federal government

【4】A company’s efforts to keep expenses low and profits high may result in ________.

A. reduction in the number of employees

B. improvement of working conditions

C. fewer disputes between labor and management

D. a rise in workers’ wages

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】B

【2】D

【3】C

【4】A

【解析】

試題分析：這篇材料的核心內(nèi)容是美國無處不在的商業(yè)哲學。美國人的生活方式搭建在商業(yè)世界的價值基礎(chǔ)之上（way of life is based on the values of the business world）。

【1】B推理判斷題。根據(jù)第一段最后一句話By this he meant that the U.S. way of life is based on the values of the business world.可知美國人連自己的生活方式都是基于商業(yè)世界的價值，那么他們首先關(guān)心的確實應(yīng)該是賺錢——商業(yè)的本質(zhì)就是賺錢。商業(yè)新聞無孔不入，說明人們非常關(guān)心這類新聞，否則刊登這類新聞的報紙的銷路就會受到影響。 故B正確。

【2】D 推理判斷題。根據(jù)第二段最后一句話相照應(yīng)：The world of arts and entertainment is often referred to as “the entertainment industry” or “show business.” 可知在美國即便是藝術(shù)和娛樂也被視為生意。故D正確。

【3】C推理判斷題。福特名言的消極一面是最后一段的內(nèi)容（開頭即提到The negative side of Henry Ford’s statement）。最后一段先是指出進行消極理解的前提條件：business指代大公司。在這一前提下，大公司是與工人對立的（in opposition to labor），后文具體論述了二者如何對立，如工人要求提高工資待遇、資方進行裁員等等。故C正確。

【4】A 推理判斷題。題干里的keep expenses low and profits high一句出現(xiàn)在最后一段的最后一句話：Downsizing—the laying off of thousands of workers to keep expenses low and profits high—creates feelings of insecurity for many，可以看出keep前面有to，表明這是一個目的狀語，那么to前面的內(nèi)容就是題目所問的內(nèi)容。這道題可以歸結(jié)為是對短語the laying off的考查。Laying off的意思是“解雇”，那么the laying off of thousands of workers就是“解雇成千上萬的工人”，恰好是A所說的“減少員工數(shù)量”。