外刊经贸知识选读2011年7月真题试题及答案解析（00096）

Communication technology may overcome the disadvantage of Australia’s location.

Sydney plans to become a global finance center as its Asian neighbor Hong Kong does.

Analysis explains the recent rise in Japan’s trade surplus as follows: because of the recession at home, Japan has seen a decline in expensive imports of luxuries, which were enormously fashionable during the second half of the 1980s. This effect has been compounded, thanks to slow growth elsewhere, by low prices for the international commodities that Japanese industry depends upon. Exports of Japanese machinery, on the other hand, withstood the downturn quite well because the Asian economies that buy them continued to boom.

Knowledge-intensive services are Australia’s traditional economic sectors.

Sydney has overwhelming competitiveness than its rivals.

Passage 2

According to the traditional belief of visitors that Sydney was a good place for a holiday rather than somewhere to make money—an activity better fitted to Singapore and Hong Kong. But “that viewpoint is now outdated,“ says New South Wales Premier Bob Carr. He wants to reposition Sydney as a strategic center for global financial services by taking advantage of international finance restructuring and the recent Asian economic crisis. Becoming a regional hub for mega(巨大)-banks, funds managers and insurance groups would attract other (telecommunications providers, law firms, chartered accountants), create jobs, stimulate construction. ”We want to become the Wall Street of East Asia,“ says Federal Finance Services Minister Joe Hockey.Australia traditionally made a living by using its buried treasures rather than its brains. The drive to make Sydney a financial center is part of the country’s shift from resources to knowledge-intensive services. And the politicians are basing their promotional pitch(计划)on the sweeping (大规模的)policy reforms that have turned Australia from one of the world’s most insular and protected economies into one that is open and entrepreneurial. But despite recent tax changes and Hockey calls “the most significant undertaken in our history”, some senior industry figures say Sydney may not have all it takes to outdo the attractions of Australia’s regional rivals. “We are a relatively small country a long way from the major population centers and hence the customers that drive activity,” Reserve Bank of Australia assistant governor Battelino told a recent Senate hearing on financial services. The politicians disagree: communications technology, they insist, is making Australia’s location irrelevant.

Sydney is famous for its tourism.

The employment-protection laws make it easier for workers to find new jobs.

The writer thinks that macroeconomic policy can affect unemployment.

Structural rigidities actually do not lead to Europe’s high unemployment.

Faster economic growth will ease the pressure of unemployment in the EU.

Passage 1

Finland’s finance minister recently made a bold promise to Europe’s 16m unemployed. His country’s presidency of the EU, which starts on July 1st, will be almost unique: it will be marked by no new job-creation schemes.Europe’s unemployment, the central bankers declare, is nothing do with macroeconomic policy: it is solely a “structural” problem. This is nonsense. Some of Europe’s unemployment is cyclical, meaning that it could be cut by faster economic growth without sparking inflation. For example, German’s unemployment rate is 10.6%. The IMF estimates its structural rate at 8.9%. Faster growth could reduce the gap. Even so the bulk of Europe’s unemployment is structural. So is the European Central Bank right to say that macroeconomic policy cannot affect it?Well actually, no. Europe’s high structural unemployment cannot be blamed on labor-market rigidities (僵化) alone. Its labor markets were as just as ossified 20 years ago, yet joblessness was then far lower. However, there is a danger that, when labor markets are gummed up, a cyclical rise in unemployment can turn into a structural one——making it impervious(不受影响的) to an economic upturn. For example, strict employment-protection laws make it hard for workers who lose their jobs to find new ones. The longer they stayed unemployed, the more their skill rust and the less employers are likely to hire them. Unable to compete effectively for jobs, they no longer help retrain pay demands: They have become “structurally” unemployed.

Finland’s presidency of the EU will solve the Europe’s unemployment.

Passage 2

Disputes over farm trade have bedeviled the current round of GATT talks from the start. On cereals, Europe and America have squabbled most fiercely. However, officials on both sides were optimistic that a deal on farming, which would unlock the rest of the round, was within reach.America has shown some flexibility, and Europe should respond. Much of the EC would like to. Germany’s willingness to embrace farm reform enabled the Community to produce its planned reform of the CAP last spring. Germany’s role over the next few days will again be crucial, for it must tell France that its threat to block the Uruguay round is intolerable. To carry out that threat, France is likely to need German support. The Community decides its trade policy by qualified majority vote; France has not straight forward right of veto. Without allies, its only (course) would be to block the decision by citing “vital national interests”——the sort of profoundly (unEuropean thing) that Britain might do, but which France would rather not.

39、What does CAP stand for?

40、What does “course” mean here?

41、What’s your understanding of the “unEuropean thing”?

the service sector

Passage 1

China is now reaching for the next rung on the economic ladder. Last fall Beijing agreed to open its markets to more U.S. goods. In return, Washington would support China’s membership in the GATT. Membership in this club, which includes all the world’s leading economies, could provide a huge boost for a low-wage export economy. Already though, China’s commercial strength is starting to worry competitors. Last year China’s trade surplus surged, buoyed by exports of toys, textiles and consumer electronics. With the U.S. Congress due to consider the renewal of China’s most-favored nation trade status in June, officials in Beijing fear the trade imbalance could surpass human rights as a source of U.S. opposition to preferred status for China. “The trade surplus itself will be the No. 1 problem this year,” says one Chinese official. “After Japan, we will be first in line for retaliation.”

36、In what way would low wages promote the export?

37、Can you find out why trade surplus would be a problem?

38、For what reasons or on what excuse “we might be retaliated”?

preferential tax rate

technology transfer

liquid assets

certificate of origin

Bank of International Settlements

free trade

brain trust

debt restructuring

spot market

进口配额

有价证券

独家经销合同

以美元标价的

证券投资

商业活动中心

贸易逆差

外汇储备

商品市场

可兑换货币

Rumors that Colombian coffee exports would decrease due to recent heavy rains (underpinned) sentiment at the outset.

In the case of some agricultural products, there is a particularly severe (glut) of supplies.

Company (executives) think the popularity of fruit juices can be captured in new soft drink products.

Counterpurchase is a modern form of barter, which can essentially (offset) the buy’s costs.

Economists estimate that up to 20% of trade between nations (is subject to) some form of countertrade.

A large proportion of the aid goes to (finance) programs aimed at helping the rural poor.

To protect its (fledgling) industries, huge subsidies and official favors are showered in China.

Europe and Japan will be (bullied) to meeting American deadlines and priorities.

The (moribund) economies of new EC members, Spain and Portugal jumped with new life.

(Aggregate) output for developing countries were influenced by the jump of the crude oil price.

Some western experts predict that China will become the world’s (dominant) economy in the 21st century.

Economic weakness in some of the region’s traditional markets has underlined the importance of market (diversification).

A substantial proportion of loans from the World Bank is still to be (disbursed).

Outside the zone, any service industry are not (entitled) to any special status.

(Earnings) from tourism have got a pronounced increase during 1990-2000.