The larger a machine and the more numerous its parts, the greater likelihood of a breakdown and the more expensive to repair. What has been said about market forces and management was necessarily oversimplified. The economies of modern industrial nations are large and very complex. To be sure, there is management, and there are market forces at work, but there are also many other factors that help or hinder economic function.
In modern industrial societies’ governments play a large role. There is a great amount of regulation, most of it meant for the protection of the public. All regulations affect the way businesses operate, often increasing their costs and reducing their profits. Lower profits, in turn, reduce the amount of money which is known as working capital that a company can use for expansion. Auto emission standards, for instance, have had a significant impact on the manufacture and pricing of automobiles. Other government policies such as taxation, budget deficits, and regulation of the money supply have an effect on how much money is available for people to spend on goods and services.
International crises and other conditions also affect the working of an economy. A severe frost in Brazil can ruin a coffee crop and raise the price of that commodity. War can cut off the supply of such resources as petroleum, chromium, or copper. In the United States environmental protests have slowed the development of nuclear energy capacity and the mining of vast tracts of protected land. Weather affects agriculture, a hot, dry summer can damage the wheat crop; floods can destroy thousands of acres of crops suddenly, and insect pests can devastate cropland with a rapid onslaught.
People’s attitudes also have an impact on the marketing of goods. Health-conscious individuals, for example, may stop smoking, curtail their intake of alcohol, and eat less of certain kinds of food. Advertising affects what people buy, and it can create a market where none existed. Style and fashion are significant for many consumers.
There are other economic problems that are more difficult to understand. For centuries economies have been subject to periods of prosperity followed by periods of decline. Although periods of prosperity can be explained rather easily, the reasons for panics, recessions, and depressions are of a complex nature. So many factors contributed to the Great Depression of the 1930s, for example, that no economist has ever been able to account for all of them.
Because the causes of decline are uncertain, the remedies are equally uncertain. In the late 20th century all industrialized societies through their governments have tried to stabilize economies, keep them prosperous, and reduce unemployment. None of the remedies has worked to the extent that was hoped. How economies work and what remedies can be found to keep them operating efficiently are the tasks of economists, who must work together with businessmen and politicians.
1. The chief purpose of the passage is ________.
2. The “machine” in the first sentence of Paragraph 1 is comparable here to ________.
3. The example of auto emission standards is here used to make it clear that ________.
4. Why is it difficult to explain the onset of economic decline?
5. The author believes that, to find efficient ways of keeping economy going, economists ________.
问题1选项
A.to review the factors that affect economic operation
B.to explore the causes of periodic economic decline
C.to discuss the role governments play in modern industrialized societies
D.to propose remedies for correcting economic recessions
问题2选项
A.the political system of a nation
B.the economy of a nation
C.the market force
D.the government of a nation
问题3选项
A.it is harmful for a government to interfere with economic matters
B.state policies tend to lower profits and discourage investment
C.regulation may affect business operation by increasing the cost
D.most regulations are not meant for the protection of the public
问题4选项
A.Because no economist knows everything.
B.Because it always follows a period of prosperity.
C.Because there are too many reasons behind it.
D.Because it is hard to predict when it will be coming.
问题5选项
A.find the exact causes for economic decline
B.find ways to fight unemployment
C.work out all the factors that lead to economic prosperity
D.cooperate with businessmen and politicians
第1题:A
第2题:B
第3题:C
第4题:C
第5题:D
1.【试题答案】A
【试题解析】主旨大意题。第一段指出有许多因素影响经济功能的实现,第二段讲政府对经济的作用,第三段讲国际情况对经济的影响,第四段讲人们的态度影响经济,第五段讲还有其他影响经济的因素,而这些非常复杂,第六段讲述对于经济发展态势相对应的措施。综上所述,本文讲述的是影响经济运行的因素,A选项“讨论影响经济运行的因素”正确。B选项“探究周期性经济衰退的原因”,C选项“讨论政府在现代工业化社会中扮演的角色”和D选项“为挽救经济衰退提出补救措施”:是文章的部分内容,属于以偏概全。因此A选项正确。
2.【试题答案】B
【试题解析】语义推测题。根据第一段第一句The larger a machine and the more numerous its parts, the greater likelihood of a breakdown and the more expensive to repair.(机器越大,部件越多,发生故障的可能性就越大,维修成本也就越高。),结合该段第三句The economies of modern industrial nations are large and very complex.(现代工业国家的经济规模庞大,非常复杂。),可知这里的机器指的是国家经济,B选项“国家经济”正确。A选项“国家的政治制度”,C选项“市场力量”和D选项“国家政府”:不是此处表达的意思,属于偷换概念。因此B选项正确。
3.【试题答案】C
【试题解析】推理判断题。根据第二段第三句All regulations affect the way businesses operate, often increasing their costs and reducing their profits…Auto emission standards, for instance…(所有的法规都会影响企业的经营方式,往往会增加成本,降低利润……例如,汽车尾气排放标准……),可知这个例子是为了证明上面的论点,也就是国家法规可能会提高成本,影响企业的经营方式,C选项“法规可能会增加成本,从而影响企业的经营”正确。B选项“国家政策倾向于降低利润,抑制投资”:国家制定政策的目的不是限制企业的发展,而是为了维护公众的权益,属于偷换概念。A选项“政府干预经济是有害的”:作者没有表明这件事情有害,属于无中生有。D选项“大多数法规并不是为了保护公众”:根据第二段第二句There is a great amount of regulation, most of it meant for the protection of the public.(在大量的规章制度中,大部分是为了保护公众。),可知大多数法规是为了保护公众,属于反向干扰。因此C选项正确。
4.【试题答案】C
【试题解析】推理判断题。根据第五段第三句the reasons for panics, recessions, and depressions are of a complex nature(恐慌,经济衰退和萧条的原因很复杂),可知这是因为经济衰退的原因太复杂,有众多因素,C选项“因为这背后有太多的原因”正确。A选项“因为没有经济学家无所不知”:根据第五段最后一句So many factors contributed to the Great Depression of the 1930s, for example, that no economist has ever been able to account for all of them.(例如,造成上世纪30年代大萧条的因素如此之多,以至于没有经济学家能够解释所有这些因素。),这里表达的是原因太多,经济学家不能解释,而不是强调经济学家知道的不多,属于偷换概念。B选项“因为它总是伴随着一段时期的繁荣”:根据第五段第二句For centuries economies have been subject to periods of prosperity followed by periods of decline.(几个世纪以来,经济经历了一段又一段的繁荣和衰退。),这里指的是经济有起有落的这个现象,而不是经济衰退伴随着繁荣,属于偷换概念。D选项“因为很难预测它什么时候会到来”:文中没有提到,属于无中生有。因此C选项正确。
5.【试题答案】D
【试题解析】事实细节题。根据文章最后一句How economies work and what remedies can be found to keep them operating efficiently are the tasks of economists, who must work together with businessmen and politicians.(经济如何运行,以及找到什么补救措施来保持其高效运行,这是经济学家的任务,他们必须与商人和政治家合作。),可知为了保持经济持续发展,经济学家需要与商人和政治家合作,D选项“与商人和政治家合作”正确。A选项“找出经济衰退的确切原因”:根据最后一段第一句the causes of decline are uncertain(衰退的原因不确定),可知无法找出经济衰退的确切原因,属于反向干扰。B选项“找到解决失业问题的方法”:根据最后一段第二句all industrialized societies through their governments have tried to stabilize economies, keep them prosperous, and reduce unemployment(所有工业化社会都通过政府努力稳定经济,保持繁荣,降低失业率),可知这是政府做的事,而非经济学家做的事,属于张冠李戴。C选项“找出导致经济繁荣的所有因素”:在这里没有提到,属于无中生有。因此D选项正确。