MBA英语阅读习题和答案九.docx

MBA英语阅读习题和答案九.docx

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MBA英语阅读习题和答案九

MBA英语阅读习题和答案（九）

Inrecentyears,railroadshavebeencombiningwitheachother,mergingintosupersystems,causingheightenedconcernsaboutmonopoly.Asrecentlyas1995,thetopfourrailroadsaccountedforunder70percentofthetotalton-milesmovedbyrails.Nextyear,afteraseriesofmergersiscompleted,justfourrailroadswillcontrolwellover90percentofallthefreightmovedbymajorrailcarriers.

Supportersofthenewsupersystemsarguethatthesemergerswillallowforsubstantial

costreductionsandbettercoordinatedservice.Anythreatofmonopoly,theyargue,isremovedbyfiercecompetitionfromtrucks.Butmanyshipperscomplainthatforheavybulkcommoditiestravelinglongdistances,suchascoal,chemicals,andgrain,truckingistoocostlyandtherailroadsthereforehavethembythethroat.

Thevastconsolidationwithintherailindustrymeansthatmostshippersareservedbyonlyonerailcompany.Railroadstypicallychargesuch“captive”shippers20to30percentmorethantheydowhenanotherrailroadiscompetingforthebusiness.Shipperswhofeeltheyarebeingoverchargedhavetherighttoappealtothefederalgovernment’sSurfaceTransportationBoardforraterelief,buttheprocessisexpensive,timeconsuming,andwillworkonlyintrulyextremecases.

Railroadsjustifyratediscriminationagainstcaptiveshippersonthegroundsthatinthelongrunitreduceseveryone’scost.Ifrailroadschargedallcustomersthesameaveragerate,theyargue,shipperswhohavetheoptionofswitchingtotrucksorotherformsoftransportationwoulddoso,leavingremainingcustomerstoshoulderthecostofkeepinguptheline.It’stheorytowhichmanyeconomistssubscribe,butinpracticeitoftenleavesrailroadsinthepositionofdeterminingwhichcompanieswillflourishandwhichwillfail.“Dowereallywantrailroadstobethearbitersofwhowinsandwholosesinthemarketplace?

”asksMartinBercovici,aWashingtonlawyerwhofrequentlyrepresentsshipper.

Manycaptiveshippersalsoworrytheywillsoonbehiswitharoundofhugerateincreases.Therailroadindustryasawhole,despiteitsbrighteningfortuningfortunes,stilldoesnotearnenoughtocoverthecostofthecapitalitmustinvesttokeepupwithitssurgingtraffic.Yetrailroadscontinuetoborrowbillionstoacquireoneanother,withWallStreetcheeringthemon.Considerthe2billionbidbyNorfolkSouthernandCSXtoacquireConrailthisyear.Conrail’snetrailwayoperatingincomein1996wasjustmillion,lessthanhalfofthecarryingcostsofthetransaction.Who’sgoingtopayfortherestofthebill?

Manycaptiveshippersfearthattheywill,asNorfolkSouthernandCSXincreasetheirgriponthemarket.

1.Accordingtothosewhosupportmergersrailwaymonopolyisunlikelybecause.

A.costreductionisbasedoncompetition

B.servicescallforcross-tradecoordination

C.outsidecompetitorswillcontinuetoexist

D.shipperswillhavetherailwaybythethroat

2、Whatismanycaptiveshippers’attitudetowardstheconsolidationintherailindustry?

A.A.Indifferent.

B.Supportive.

C.Indignant.

D.Apprehensive.

3、Itcanbeinferredfromparagraph3that.

A.shipperswillbechargedlesswithoutarivalrailroad

B.therewillsoonbeonlyonerailroadcompanynationwide

C.overchargedshippersareunlikelytoappealforraterelief

D.agovernmentboardensuresfairplayinrailwaybusiness

4.Theword“arbiters”（line6,paragraph4）mostprobablyreferstothose.

A.whoworkascoordinators

B.whofunctionasjudges

C.whosupervisetransactions

D.whodeterminetheprice

5.Accordingtothetext,thecostincreaseintherailindustryismainlycausedby.

A.thecontinuingacquisition

B.thegrowingtraffic

C.thecheeringWallStreet

D.theshrinkingmarket

参考答案：

CDCBA　WhenschoolofficialsinKalkaska,Michigan,closedclasseslastweek,themediaflockedtothestory,portrayingthetown’s2,305studentsasvictimsofstingy（吝啬的）taxpayers.Thereissometruthtothat;theproperty-taxratehereisone-thirdlowerthanthestateaverage.ButshuttingtheirschoolsalsoallowedKalkaska’seducatorsandthestate’slargestteachers’union,theMichiganEducationAssociation,tomakeapoliticalpoint.TheiraimwastospurpassageoflegislationMichiganlawmakersaredebatingtoincreasethestate’sshareofschoolfunding.

ItwasnocoincidencethatKalkaskashutitsschoolstwoweeksafterresidentsrejecteda28percentproperty-taxincrease.Theschoolboardarguedthatwithouttheincreaseitlackedthe$1.5millionneededtokeepschoolsopen.

Buttheschoolsystemhadnotdoneallitcouldtokeeptheschoolsopen.Officialsdeclinedtoborrowagainstnextyear’sstateaid,theyrefusedtotrimextracurricularactivitiesandtheydidnotconsiderseekingasmaller—perhapsmoreacceptable—taxincrease.Infact,closingearlyiscostingKalkaskaasignificantamount,including$600,000inunemploymentpaymentstoteachersandstaffand$250,000inloststateaid.InFebruary,theschoolsystempromisedteachersandstafftwomonthsofretirementpaymentsincaseschoolsclosedearly,adealthatwillcostthedistrict$275,000more.

Othersignssuggestschoolauthoritieswereatleastaseagertomakeapoliticalstatementastokeepschoolsopen.TheMichiganEducationAssociation.hiredapublicrelationsfirmtostagearallymarkingtheschoolclosings,whichattracted14localandnationaltelevisionstationsandnetworks.ThepresidentoftheNationalEducationAssociation,theMEA’sparentorganization,flewfromWashington,D.C,fortheevent.Andtheuniontutoredschoolofficialsintheartoftelevisioninterviews.SchoolsupervisorDoyleDisbrowacknowledgesthedistrictcouldhavekeptschoolsopenbycuttingprogramsbutdeniesthemoveswerepoliticallymotivated.

Michiganlawmakershavereactedangrilytotheclosings.ThestateSenatehasalreadyvotedtoputthesystemintoreceivership（破产管理）andreopenschoolsimmediately;theMichiganHouseplanstoconsiderthebillthisweek.

1.WelearnfromthepassagethatschoolsinKalkaska,Michigan,arefunded.

A.mainlybythestategovernment

B.exclusivelybythelocalgovernment

C.bytheNationalEducationAssociation

D.byboththelocalandstategovernments

2.Oneofthepurposesforwhichschoolofficialsclosedclasseswas.

A.todrawtheattentionoflocaltaxpayerstopoliticalissues

B.toavoidpayingretirementbenefitstoteachersandstaff

C.topressureMichiganlawmakersintoincreasingstatefundsforlocalschools

D.tomakethefinancialdifficultiesoftheirteachersandstaffknowntothepublic

3.Theauthorseemstodisapproveof.

A.theshuttingofschoolsinKalkaska

B.theinvolvementofthemassmedia

C.theMichiganlawmakers’endlessdebating

D.delayingthepassageoftheschoolfundinglegislation

4.WelearnfromthepassagethatschoolauthoritiesinKalkaskaaremoreconcernedabout.

A.makingapoliticalissueoftheclosingoftheschools

B.theattitudeoftheMEA’sparentorganization

C.araiseintheproperty-taxrateinMichigan

D.reopeningtheschoolsthereimmediately

5.Accordingtothepassage,theclosingoftheschoolsdevelopedintoacrisisbecauseof.

A.thestrongprotestonthepartofthestudents’parents

B.thepoliticalmotivesonthepartoftheeducators

C.theweakresponseofthestateofficials

D.thecomplexityoftheproblem

参考答案：

DCAABTheUnitedStatesisacountrymadeupofmanydifferentraces.Usuallytheyaremixedtogetherandcan’tbetoldfromoneanother.Butmanyofthemstilltalkaboutwheretheirancestorscamefrom.Itissomethingtheyareproudof.

TheoriginalAmericans,ofcourseweretheIndians.Theso-calledwhitemenwhothencameweremostlyfromEngland.ButmanycamefromothercountrieslikeGermanyandFrance.

OneproblemtheUnitedStateshasalwayshadisdiscrimination.AsnewgroupscametotheUnitedStatestheyfoundtheywerediscriminatedagainst.FirstitwastheIrishandItalians.Lateritwastheblacks.Almosteverygrouphasbeenabletofinallyescapethisdiscrimination.Theonlyimmigrantswhohavenotaretheblacks.SurprisinglyenoughtheworstdiscriminationtodayisshowntowardstheIndians.

OnereasontheIndiansarediscriminatedagainstisthattheyhavetriedsohardtokeeptheiridentity.Ofcoursetheyarenottheonlyoneswhohavedoneso.TheJapanesehavetheirLittleTokyoinLosAngelesandtheChineseaChinatowninNewYork.TheDutchsettlementinPennsylvaniaalsostaysseparatefromotherpeople.Theirtownsarelikesomethingfromthe19thcentury.Theyhaveadifferentreasonfromtheothergroupsforstayingseparately.Theyliveseparatelyforreligiousreasonsratherthankeeptogetherinaracialgroup.

Althoughsomegroupshavekeptthemselvesseparateandothershavebeendiscriminatedagainst,allgroupshavehelpedmaketheUnitedStatesagreatcounty.Thereisnogroupthathasnothelpedinsomeway.Andthereisnogroupthatcansaytheyhavedonethemosttomakeitagreatcountry.

ManypeoplestillcomefromothercountriestohelptheUnitedStatesgrow.AgoodexampleistheAmericanprojectthatletamanwalkonthemoon.ItwasascientistfromGermanywhowasmostresponsiblefordoingthat.ItiscertainthatinthefuturetheUnitedStateswillstillneedthehelpofpeoplefromallracialgroupstoremainagreatcountry.

1.Whichofthefollowingstatementscanbestdescribethemainideaofthispassage?

A.TheUnitedStatesisacountrymadeupofmanydifferentraces.

B.DiscriminationisthemostseriousproblemintheUnitedStates.

C.AllracesintheUnitedStateshavehelpedmakethe