1、考研英语阅读理解 A 节(传统题型)分类精讲商业经济类-(一)及答案解析(总分：100.00，做题时间：90 分钟)一、Section Reading Co(总题数：5，分数：100.00)The horns have sounded and the hounds are baying. Across the developed world the hunt for more taxes from the wealthy is on. Recent austerity budgets in France and Italy slapped 3% surcharges on those with
2、 incomes above 500, 000 ($680, 000) and 300, 000 respectively. Now Barack Obama has produced a new deficit-reduction plan that aims its tax increases squarely at the rich, including a “Buffett rule“ to ensure that no household making more than $1m a year pays a lower average tax rate than “middle-cl
3、ass“ families do. Tapping the rich to close the deficit is “not class warfare“, argues Mr. Obama. “Its math.“Actually, its not simply math. The question of whether to tax the wealthy more depends on political judgments about the right size of the state and the appropriate role for redistribution. Th
4、e math says deficits could technically be tamed by spending cuts aloneas Mr. Obamas Republican opponents advocate. Class warfare may be a loaded term, but it captures a fundamental debate in Western societies: who should suffer for righting public finances?There are three good reasons why the wealth
5、y should pay more taxthough not, by and large, in the ways that the rich worlds governments currently propose. First, the Wests deficits should not be closed by spending cuts alone. Public spending should certainly take the brunt. But experience also argues that higher taxes should be part of the mi
6、x. In America the tax take is historically low after years of rate reductions. There, and elsewhere, tax rises need to bear some of the burden.Second, there is a political argument for raising this new revenue from the rich. Spending cuts fall disproportionately on the less well-off; and, even befor
7、e the crunch, median incomes were stagnating. Meanwhile, globalization has been rewarding winners ever more generously. Voters support for ongoing austerity depends on a disproportionate share of any new revenue coming from the wealthy. Given the rich worlds need for faster growth, governments shoul
8、d be wary of sharp tax increasesespecially since they are unnecessary. Indeed, the third argument for raising more money from the rich is that it can be done not by increasing marginal tax rates, but by making the tax code more efficient.The scope for doing so is most obvious in America, which relie
9、s far more than other countries on income taxes and has a mass of deductions on everything from interest payments on mortgages to employer-provided health care, so taxes are levied on a very narrow base. Since the main beneficiaries of the deductions are the wealthy, richer folk would pay most of th
10、at. And since marginal rates would be untouched (or reduced), such a reform would do less to discourage them from creating wealth.（分数：20.00）(1).The word “austerity“(Para. 1) most probably meansA. unpredictability. B. shortage. C. notoriety. D. urgency.（分数：4.00）A.B.C.D.(2).It can be learned from the
11、first paragraph thatA. hunting for more taxes from the rich can reduce the class differences.B. the low-income families do not need to pay income tax.C. Obamas plan is designed to narrow the deficit by taxing the rich.D. Buffett sets a good example for tax payers.（分数：4.00）A.B.C.D.(3).Which of the fo
12、llowing is the reason for taxing more from the rich in the U.S.?A. The tax rate in the U.S. is lower than that in other countries.B. The rich suffer little from spending cuts.C. Spending cut is not enough to settle financial problems.D. The rich are not influenced by the increasing marginal tax rate
13、s.（分数：4.00）A.B.C.D.(4).The authors attitude towards Americas higher taxes on the rich is one ofA. positiveness. B. skepticism.C. objectiveness. D. indifference.（分数：4.00）A.B.C.D.(5).Which of the following is the text mainly about?A. U.S. government should make special tax rules for the rich.B. More t
14、axes should be hunted for from the rich.C. Many countries need new tax policies to handle financial problems.D. Obamas new plan will save the countrys economy.（分数：4.00）A.B.C.D.It is nearly 25 years since The Economist cooked up the Big Mac index. It was devised in September 1986 as a fun way to expl
15、ain “purchasing-power parity“, by comparing the prices of hamburgers in different countries. But burgernomics has since provided serious food for thought. Some economists think the Big Mac index has been surprisingly accurate in predicting long-run movements in exchange rates. It has also provided a
16、 few hot tips (and some half-baked ones) for investors.When the euro was launched in 1999, almost everybody reckoned it would immediately rise against the dollar. But the Big Mac index suggested that the euro was already overvalued. Soros Fund Management, a prominent hedge fund, later said that it s
17、niffed at the sell smell coming from the Big Mac index, but resisted the temptation to bite. It was cheesed off when the euro promptly fell. Today, our burger barometer suggests that the euro is again overvalued against the other main currencies, and it highlights the euro areas internal problems, s
18、howing that Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain have lost competitiveness relative to Germany.Burgernomics is also a handy check on whether governments are understating inflation. It supports claims that Argentina has been cooking the books: over the past decade, Big Mac prices there have, on average,
19、 risen by well over ten percentage points more each year than the official consumer-price indexa far bigger gap than in any other country. But bingeing on burgernomics can be unhealthy. American politicians cite the Big Mac index as proof that the yuan is massively undervalued. It is true that burge
20、rs are cheap in China, but so they should be in all emerging economies, because wages are much lower. If the index is adjusted for GDP per person, it shows that the yuan is now close to its fair value against the dollar.Studies suggest that the Big Mac index fairly closely tracks the purchasing-powe
21、r-parity rates calculated by more sophisticated methods. Yet whereas those fancier techniques require researchers to gather thousands of prices in each country and take two years to produce, the Big Mac index relies on a single product, so the results are almost instant.Official economic statistics
22、are published only after a lag and are subject to big revisions. This explains the popularity of some quirky but timely indicators. When Alan Greenspan was chairman of the Federal Reserve, he monitored several unusual measures. One favourite, supposedly, was sales of mens underwear, which are usuall
23、y pretty constant, but drop in recessions when men replace them less often. The Old Lady of Threadneedle Street is perhaps too prim to inspect mens underpants. Instead, the Bank of England tracks data on internet searches for telltale terms. It has, for example, found that the trend in searches for
24、“estate agents“ can be a predictor of house prices.（分数：20.00）(1).What can we learn about the Big Mac index according to Paragraph 1?A. It predicts the changes in Big Mac prices all over the world.B. It shows purchasing-power parity based on burgers prices.C. It provides investors with absolutely rel
25、iable information.D. It can help people to predict food prices.（分数：4.00）A.B.C.D.(2).The example of Soros Fund Management proved thatA. the Big Mac indexs indication as to euros value was trustworthy.B. there were some obvious problems within the euro area.C. euros value increased as everyone expecte
26、d.D. the firm benefited a lot from the Big Mac indexs predication.（分数：4.00）A.B.C.D.(3).The word “cooking“ (Para. 3) most probably meansA. fabricating. B. indicating.C. utilizing. D. predicting.（分数：4.00）A.B.C.D.(4).The Big Mac index is superior to sophisticated methods inA. its accuracy. B. its relia
27、bility.C. its sample data. D. its efficiency.（分数：4.00）A.B.C.D.(5).It can be inferred from the last paragraph thatA. official economic statistics are not as accurate as the unusual indicators.B. sales of mens underwear can affect the development of economy.C. the internet searches for some words can
28、indicate the economic trend.D. the Bank of England only uses official data to assess the economy.（分数：4.00）A.B.C.D.It is called softwood, but these days it is producing nothing but hard feelings. Softwood is used to build houses stuff that in skilled hands changes from a pile of wood into a recogniza
29、ble home in mere days. In the United States, about 10% of such softwood comes from Canada. But on March 2rid the Department of Commerce announced that it would slap a tariff of around 9% on Canadian softwood. The Americans contend that Canada is subsidizing its timer industry, and dumping wood on to
30、 its neighbor for sale at prices that do not cover its production cost.The Canadians hotly deny this, and the two sides are volleying expertise at each other.“ Theyve hired their experts and weve hired ours.“ says John Allan, president of the British Columbia Lumber Trade council. In Canada the prov
31、incial governments own forests, and each province is given considerable freedom in pricing its “stumpage“, as standing trees are oddly called. American critics say the Canadians all but give away those uncut trees. John Perez-Garcia, a professor of forestry at the University of Washington in Seattle
32、, estimates that Canadian logging companies pay as much as 40 % less for standing trees than they would if the market set the price.Not so, retort the Canadians. Dan Evans, manager of log exports for British Columbias government, points out that stumpage fees cover only a small portion of what it co
33、sts a Canadian company to send lumber across the border. These companies, he says, have to build their own roads, reforest logged lands, and pay the cost of planning their sales. “We feel we price our timber competitively.“ It is worth noting that for years American companies were themselves accused
34、 of receiving subsidies; stumpage prices for trees cut down on federal land were long criticized as too low. Then they were quiet on the subject. But now that most American produced lumber comes from private forests, government subsidies are anathema.In Seattle, Robb Dunn, president of a chain of te
35、n lumber stores, says his customers will just have to put up with higher prices. Some reckon the tariff will increase new-home prices by as much as $13, 000. That may be a bit high, although lumber prices have gone up lately, they are still below the peak reached last summer. And rising interest rat
36、es may slow the American housing market, cutting demand.The two sides hope to continue talks. One way out might be an agreement under which Canada taxes its lumber companies until it reforms its pricing policies to Americans satisfaction. But Mr. Allan, for one, is not optimistic. The United states,
37、 he says, has not negotiated in good faith: “Its government just cant get a grip in its timber industry, which is too powerful./（分数：20.00）(1).Hard feelings produced by softwood results inA. 10 % of Canadian soft wood comes into America.B. America imposes a tax on Canadian softwood.C. Canada is dumpi
38、ng wood into America.D. Canadian softwood is sold at a subsidized price.（分数：4.00）A.B.C.D.(2).It is true of Canada thatA. experts are hired to defend the logging industry.B. the central government sets a uniform price for its forest.C. the uncut trees are given to logging companies for free.D. loggin
39、g companies pay 40 %of the softwood tariff.（分数：4.00）A.B.C.D.(3).The word “anathema“ (Para. 3) probably refers to something that areA. welcomed. B. hated.C. admitted. D. avoided.（分数：4.00）A.B.C.D.(4).What can we infer from the text?A. Lumber price mainly consists of stumpage fee.B. Private forests mon
40、opolize the Canadian logging market.C. Americans apply a double standard in lumber trade.D. Raising stumpage fees will finally solve the problem.（分数：4.00）A.B.C.D.(5).What will probably happen because of this trade war?A. Demand for wooden house will fall.B. Customers will have to pay high prices.C.
41、Canada will place higher tax on lumber industry.D. The U.S. will negotiate the matter sincerely.（分数：4.00）A.B.C.D.Artists routinely mock businesspeople as money-obsessed bores. Or worse, many business people, for their part, assume that artists are a bunch of pretentious wasters. Bosses may stick a f
42、ew modernist paintings on their boardroom walls. But they seldom take the arts seriously as a source of inspiration.The bias starts at business school, where “hard“ things such as numbers and case studies rule. It is reinforced by everyday experience. Bosses constantly remind their underlings that i
43、f you cant count it, it doesnt count. Managers reading; habits often reflect this no nonsense attitude. Few read deeply about art. The Art of the Deal by Donald Trump does not count; nor does Sun Tzus The Art of War, Some popular business books rejoice in their vulgarism: consider Wess Roberts Leade
44、rship Secrets of Attila the Hun.But lately there are welcome signs of a thaw on the business side of the great cultural divide. Business presses are publishing a series of books such as The Fine Art of Success, by Jamie Anderson. Business schools such as the Rotman School of Management at the Univer
45、sity of Toronto are trying to learn from the arts.Mr. Anderson points out that many artists have also been superb entrepreneurs. Damien Hirst was even more enterprising. He not only realised that nouveau-fiche collectors would pay extraordinary sums for dead cows and jewel-encrusted skulls. He uptur
46、ned the art world by selling his work directly through Sothebys, an auction house. Whatever they think of his work, businesspeople cannot help admiring a man who parted art-lovers from 75.5m on the day that Lehman Brothers collapsed.Studying the arts can help businesspeople communicate more eloquent
47、ly. Most bosses spend a huge amount of time “messaging“ and “reaching out“, yet few are much good at it. Their prose is larded with cliches and garbled with gobbledegook. Half an hour with George Orwells Why I Write would work wonders.Studying the arts can also help companies learn how to manage bri
48、ght people. Rob Goffee of the London Business School points out that todays most productive companies are dominated by what they call “clevers“, who are the devil to manage. They hate being told what to do by managers, whom they regard as dullards. They refuse to submit to performance reviews. In sh
49、ort, they are prima donnas. The arts world has centuries of experience in managing such difficult people. Publishers coax books out of authors. Directors persuade actresses to cooperate with actors they hate. Their tips might be worth hearing.Studying the art world might even hold out the biggest prize of all-helping business become more innovative. Companies are scouring the world for new ideas. In their quest for creativity, they surely have something to learn from the creative industries. Look at how modem artists adapted to the arrival of photograp
