外刊经贸知识选读2010年4月真题试题及答案解析（00096）

To many developing countries, the trend is deeply worrying as well as bewildering——the terms of trading have worsened dramatically for them. For the industrialized world, by contrast, the drop in commodity prices has been a real boon in the fight against inflation. The explanation for the general weakness in commodity prices is complex, and the factors in play will obviously vary greatly from one commodity to another. For example, while falling oil prices ought to provide a fillip to western economic growth——and therefore, indirectly, to demand for other commodities——they are bound to have other, perhaps less desirable, spin-offs.

The US economy was not influenced by the financial crisis.

East Asia countries kept on importing more under the international financial crisis.

The trade war against Japan had successfully decreased the US’s trade deficit.

Economy of the Western industrial countries highly depended on their export.

Passage 2

Starting from the mid-1990s, the international financial crisis has hit almost the whole world. The global financial system is breaking apart and it is hurtling ever more national economies in the abyss( 深渊) with it. In order to earn foreign exchange, the economies are forced to dump the rest of their production onto the shrinking world market at bargain-basement prices. That is why the average prices of raw materials are currently at their lowest level since the mid-1970s. But it was not only the prices for raw materials that collapsed; collapsing prices and reduced demand has also hit trade in automobiles, ships, chemical products, and computer chips. Now it is hitting the core of the Western industrial countries, which are heavily export-dependent.Looking at world economic developments from the west European point of view, the gale warnings are up. East Asia, which had accounted for more than half of the additional worldwide demand for industrial goods of all kinds since the beginning of 1990s, has largely dropped away as an importer.The supposed land of economic miracles of the past year, the United States, which increased its imports from Germany in 1997 by 30%, is finally showing the traces of the global economic collapse. On Nov.8，1998, representatives of the US government threaten the European Union with trade war. They warned that a “protectionist fire” would take hold in the United States if the European were not willing to massively reduce their trade surplus. US representatives had made similar threats against Japan one year before. The backdrop of these threats is, of course, the explosive growth of the US balance of payments deficit.

“Bargain-basement prices” means high prices.

A US buyer has the same buying behavior as a Mexico consumer.

Perhaps buying preferences are quite different among national borders.

Japanese consumers usually like large boxes because they are lower in prices.

Passage 1

Culture differences are sometimes ignored in marketing campaigns. Culture awareness in marketing is a lot more than careful translation of your products. There are subtleties and nuances(细微差别) to every culture. Almost most people wouldn’t be able to list the rules of their own culture, they certainly know when hose rules are violated.In Japan, for example, a major household products company spent many millions of dollars on a marketing campaign in advance of introducing its laundry detergent (清洁剂). Nevertheless, when the detergent was made available, sales were miniscule. In fact, few shops stocked the soap. Non-tariff trade barriers? No, it was something much simpler. The typically American “large, economy-sized” boxes were far too big for the tiny Japanese retail establishments. And Japanese housewives don’t usually have cars —— they walk to the stores and carry their purchase home, to very small living spaces.It can be a big mistake to assume a Pan-Asia market( 泛亚市场) or a “Latin American” or “European” buyer. Neighboring cultures elsewhere don’t necessarily share buying preferences any more than a US buyer does with a Mexico consumer. Furthermore, national borders don’t always delineate (描绘) buying behavior; regional patterns can be just as strong.

Advertising and coupons are examples of marketing campaigns.

The detergent was popular in Japan.

Passage 1

America wants Japan to meet import targets for some American goods. An unwilling Japan has decided to draw the line.It is the persistent surplus that has provoked anger in Washington —— and Mr Clinton’s remark that “the possibility of obtaining real, even access to the Japanese market is somewhat remote”. This year the surplus has been growing fast. A Japanese economist estimates that Japan’s surplus could reach $200 billion if the yen stays at current level. With the economy still barely growing, despite two fiscal packages in the past nine months, Japan’s critics say that the country is once more exporting its way out of recession.MITI argues (a persistent surplus is inevitable as long as Japanese households save more than American ones, and America’s budget deficit remains untamed). This is a familiar point: trade balances are determined by macroeconomic factors, not by trade policy.

36、What’s the meaning of “draw the line” here?

37、What’s the meaning of “exporting its way out of recession”?

38、How do you understand the underlined sentence?

Passage 2

The sleeper among the products turns out to be Cherry Coke, which contains no fruit juice at all. Cherry Coke has captured shares of 4% to 8% in test market. The drink probably won’t do as well when it is rolled out nationally, since price promotions have been helping it along. But beverage analysts believe Cherry Coke could eventually displace Dr Pepper as the nation’s fifth-best-selling soft drink.Even if consumers swill the new sodas by the liter in test market, however, Coca-Cola and PepsiCo still face a struggle in persuading bottlers across the nation to take the products. One of the biggest battles in the soda wars, in fact, may not be for drinkers but for bottlers. Bottlers have a symbiotic but occasionally fractious relationship with the syrup makers. Although Coca-Cola and PepsiCo own some of their own bottling companies, most bottlers are still independent.

39、What’s your understanding of “price promotions” here?

40、What’s the “symbiotic” aspect of the relationship between the bottlers andthe syrup makers?

41、What’s the “occasionally fractious” aspect?

futures

export quota system

convertible currency

countervailing duty

consumer goods

visible trade

Gross Domestic Product

trade balance

coupon

fiscal packages

批发商

市场力量

新兴工业

(企业等的)总部

有价证券

贸易制裁

资本市场

人均收入

企业家精神

最惠国待遇

In the U.S. soft drink industry is (dominated) by Coca-Cola and PepsiCo.

Investment funds have moved out of commodities and into (liquid) assets.

Korea’s ambitious plans include a wholesale (revamping) of the country’s basic industries.

Even the well established consultants are finding it hard to secure definitive (lucrative) projects.

Japanese managers act more like western managers, putting profits before their firm’s market (share).

Economists (reckon) Japanese bilateral trade surplus with America is also growing rapidly.

Because of the mutual benefits no one would take a (breach) of those law lightly.

Many governments have promised to take (measures) to help the unemployed.

(Discrimination) against goods from foreign countries is prohibited by WTO.

America’s (embrace) of the free-trade agreements balanced all the criticism from the developing countries.

Foreign investors want to enjoy the same tax (status) as the domestic ones.

More than a decade of fast growth makes China to (supplant) Japan as West’s main trade worry in Asia.

The authorities are willing to permit a (run-down) in the country’s international reserves over the next few years.

Owing to the financial crisis, economic problems were (exacerbated) all over the world.

Figures show that the bulk of our foreign (obligations) consist of non-bank trade-related credits.