Bank of America, holding company for the San Francisco-based Bank of America, was once unchallenged as the nation’s biggest banking organization. At its peak, it had more branches in California, 1,100, than the U.S. Postal Service. It was also a highly profitable enterprise. But since 1980, Bank of America’s earnings have been down or flat. From March 1985 to March 1986, for example, earnings per share dropped 50.8 percent. Samuel H. Armacost, president and CEO, has confessed that he doesn’t expect a turnaround soon.
Some of Bank of America’s old magic seems to have rubbed off on New York’s Citibank, perennial rival for top banking honors. Thanks to aggressive growth policies, Citicorp’s assets topped Bank of America’s for the first time in 1983 and by a healthy margin. Citibank has also been generating profits at a fast clip, enabling it to spend lavishly on campaigns to enter new markets — notably Bank of America’s turf in California.
The bad times Bank of America is currently facing are partly the result of the good times the bank enjoyed earlier. Based in a large and populous state and operating in a regulated environment, Bank of America thrived. Before deregulation, banks could not compete by offering savers a higher return, so they competed with convenience. With a branch at every crossroads, Bank of America was able to attract 40 percent of the California deposit market — a source of high earnings when the legal maximum payable to depositors was much lower than the interest on loans.
The progressive deregulation of banking forced Bank of America to fight for its customers by offering them competitive rates. But how could this mammoth bureaucracy, with its expensive overhead, offer rates as attractive as its loaner competitors? Pruning the establishment was foremost in the minds of Bank of America policymakers. But cutbacks have proceeded slowly. Although the bank is planning to consolidate by offering full services only in key branches, so far only about 40 branches have been closed. Cutbacks through attrition have reduced the work force from 83,000 to fewer than 73,000; wholesale layoffs, it seems, would not fit the tradition of the organization. And they would intensify the morale problems that already threaten the institution.
26. According to the passage, New York’s Citibank ______.
27. Which of the following is NOT the reason for which Bank of America thrived?
28. The phrase “mammoth bureaucracy” (Line 2, Paragraph 4) refers to ______.
29. Now the most important factor for a bank to win in competition seems to be ______.
30. Which of the following conclusions can’t be drawn from the passage?
问题1选项
A.is a dark horse in the field of banking
B.has been growing in a moderate way
C.has been making efforts to conquer the markets of Bank of America
D.has more branches than Bank of America now
问题2选项
A.It’s turf — California was a state with a large number of population.
B.The economic environment that was controlled by the government.
C.Its deposit rate was higher than that of other banks.
D.Its large amount of branches.
问题3选项
A.its expensive overhead
B.its large amount of branches
C.its long history
D.corruption of its leaders
问题4选项
A.higher deposit rate
B.flexibility of capital
C.high banking honors
D.support of the government
问题5选项
A.The U.S. Postal Service had less than 1,100 branches in California a few decades before.
B.The profit of the Bank of America has been reducing since the 1980s.
C.The prospect of the Bank of America is not quite promising.
D.Moral problem is also a factor that leads to the decline of the Bank of America.
第1题:C
第2题:C
第3题:B
第4题:A
第5题:D
26.【试题答案】C
【试题解析】推理判断题。题干意思是“根据文章，纽约花旗银行……”。根据题干定位到文章第二段，由第一句Some of Bank of America’s old magic seems to have rubbed off on New York’s Citibank, perennial rival for top banking honors.（美国银行的一些古老的魔力似乎也影响到了纽约花旗银行，后者是银行业最高荣誉的常年竞争对手），从句中的perennial（常年的）一词可推断，A项“是银行领域的一匹黑马”属于曲解原文。根据最后一句Citibank has also been generating profits at a fast clip, enabling it to spend lavishly on campaigns to enter new markets notably Bank of America’s turf in California.（花旗银行的利润也在快速增长，这使得它能够在进入新市场的宣传活动上花费巨资，尤其是美国银行在加利福尼亚的地盘）可知，花旗银行的利润是快速增长的，所以它能在新市场进入的宣传中花费巨资，尤其是美国银行所在的市场，由此可以推断，花旗银行一直在努力进军美国银行的市场所在地，C项“一直在努力征服美国银行的市场”正确；B项“一直以温和的方式增长”属于反向干扰。D项“现在比美国银行有更多的分行”没有提到，属于无中生有。因此，该题选择C项正确。
27.【试题答案】C
【试题解析】事实细节题。题干意思是“以下哪项不是美国银行蓬勃发展的原因？”。定位文章第三段，第二句提到Based in a large and populous state and operating in a regulated environment, Bank of America thrived.（美国银行总部位于一个人口众多的大州，在一个受监管的环境中运营，因而兴旺发达），可知，因为加州人口众多，以及在监管环境中运营，所以美国银行能蓬勃发展，A项“加州是一个人口众多的州”和B项“政府控制的经济环境”正确。最后一句提到With a branch at every crossroads, Bank of America was able to attract 40 percent of the California deposit market — a source of high earnings when the legal maximum payable to depositors was much lower than the interest on loans.（美国银行在每个十字路口都有分支机构，因此能够吸引加州40%的存款市场，这是一个高收入来源，因为法定最高支付给储户的利息远远低于贷款利息）可知，D项“大量的分行”符合原文。而根据Before deregulation, banks could not compete by offering savers a higher return（在放松管制之前，银行无法通过向储户提供更高的回报来竞争）可知，C项“它的存款利率高于其他银行”是不可能的，属于反向干扰。因此，该题选择C项正确。
28.【试题答案】B
【试题解析】推理判断题。题干意思是“第4段的‘mammoth bureaucracy’指的是……”。定位到第四段第二句But how could this mammoth bureaucracy, with its expensive overhead, offer rates as attractive as its loaner competitors?（但是，这个庞大的官僚机构，有着昂贵的管理费用，怎么能提供与其贷款竞争对手一样有吸引力的利率呢？），结合前面一句The progressive deregulation of banking forced Bank of America to fight for its customers by offering them competitive rates.（逐步放松银行业管制迫使美国银行通过提供有竞争力的利率来争取客户），以及后面一句Pruning the establishment was foremost in the minds of Bank of America policymakers.（在美国银行的政策制定者的心目中，精简现有机构是最重要的）可知，即使银行业管制逐步放松，美国银行也没办法提供与其贷款竞争对手一样的利率，因为管理费用太昂贵了，而美国银行的政策制定者认为，精简现有的机构才是最首要的，所以可推断，美国银行管理费用太高是因为分行太多，所以要精简分行的数量，故mammoth bureaucracy 指的就是美国银行大量的分行，B项“它大量的分行”正确。A项“其昂贵的开销”这是出处错位。C项“其悠久的历史”和D项“其领导人的腐败”在该段没提到，属于无中生有。因此，该题选择B项正确。
29.【试题答案】A
【试题解析】事实细节题。题干意思是“现在，银行要想在竞争中胜出，最重要的因素似乎是……”。从第三段第三句Before deregulation, banks could not compete by offering savers a higher return, so they competed with convenience.（在放松监管之前，许多银行无法通过向储户提供更高的回报来与之竞争，因此美国银行以便利竞争），以及最后一段第一句The progressive deregulation of banking forced Bank of America to fight for its customers by offering them competitive rates.（逐步放松银行业管制迫使美国银行通过提供有竞争力的利率来争取客户），可知，利率在当前竞争中是最重要的，最有竞争力的，所以A项“更高的存款利率”正确。B项“资本的灵活性”、C项“较高的银行荣誉”和D项“政府的支持”可能是因素之一，但是作者并没有提到，所以属于无中生有。因此，该题选择A项正确。
30.【试题答案】D
【试题解析】事实细节题。题干意思是“以下哪个结论不能从文章中得出？”。定位第一段第二句At its peak, it had more branches in California, 1,100, than the U.S. Postal Service.（在鼎盛时期，它在加州有1100家分支机构，超过了美国邮政服务）可知，美国银行在加州有1100家分支机构，这超过了美国邮政服务，所以邮政服务的分支机构不到1100家，A项“几十年前，美国邮政服务在加州只有不到1100家分支机构”能够从文章推出。根据第一段第四句But since 1980, Bank of America’s earnings have been down or flat.（但自1980年以来，美国银行的收益一直在下降或持平）可知，美国银行的利润自20世纪80年代以来一直下降或者持平，B项“美国银行的利润自20世纪80年代以来一直在减少”符合原文。由第一段最后一句Samuel H. Armacost, president and CEO, has confessed that he doesn’t expect a turnaround soon.（公司总裁兼首席执行官塞缪尔阿玛科斯特坦称，他预计公司不会很快好转）可知，美国银行前景还不是很可观，C项“美国银行的前景不太乐观”正确。只有D项“道德问题也是导致美国银行衰落的一个因素”中的moral problem在文中并没有提到，所以无从得知。因此，该题选择D项正确。
