Anyone who doubts that global financial markets control national economies need only look at the crisis facing the "tigers" of t

admin2014-02-27  59

问题     Anyone who doubts that global financial markets control national economies need only look at the crisis facing the "tigers" of the Far East. Last year, the value of their currencies dropped rapidly, after investors decided that their economic policies were not strong enough; now the region is suffering slower growth, lower living standards and rising unemployment.
    The situation in Asia shows how power has shifted from individual governments to the markets. In theory, governments are free to set their own economic policies; in practice, they must conform to a global economic model or risk being penalized by the markets.
    Adjusting to this new "economic order" is proving difficult. In the developed world, and in particular the European Union, globalization is facing widespread public resistance. Critics complain that, without the protection of trade barriers, jobs are being lost to workers in poorer countries, and wages for employees in rich countries are falling. Opponents in the European Union point to the effects that globalization has had in the U.S. and Britain. In those countries, wages are stagnant — except for a few privileged — and taxes and welfare benefits have been reduced to help companies compete with industries in the developing world.
    Those in favor of globalization accuse their critics of being shortsighted protectionists. They claim that a more integrated global economy will ultimately benefit everyone because it will enable countries to specialize in those areas where they perform best. Developing countries, with their higher populations and lower wages, will concentrate on labor-intensive industries. The richer countries, on the other hand, will diversify into high-tech industries, where high productivity and specialist knowledge are paramount. The effect of this will be to improve productivity in all countries, leading to higher living standards. The free movement of capital will also help poorer countries develop so that they can play a full and active role in the world economy.
    But how close are we to a truly global economy? For those in favor of globalization, probably too close. But in terms of real economic integration, there are still many problems to be solved. A global economy would mean complete freedom of movement of goods and services, capital, and labor. Yet, even ignoring the tariffs and other restrictions still in place, cross-border trade remains tiny as compared with the volume of goods and services traded within countries; foreign investment is also extremely small, amounting to little more than five percent of the developed world’s domestic investments.
    But what is really holding globalization back is the lack of labor mobility. Labor markets remain overwhelmingly national, even in areas like the European Union, where citizens can live and work in any EU country. The main reasons for this are language and cultural barriers; the lack of internationally recognized qualifications; and, in some cases, strict immigration controls.
The main reason why some Asian countries are suffering from economic depression is that they______.

选项 A、doubt that global financial markets will control national economies
B、fail to follow a global economic model adequately
C、have set their own free economic policies
D、have their power interfere with the markets

答案B

解析 这是一道细节题。题干中的信号词为economic depression,出自于文章第一段第一句话中。文章第一段指出:任何怀疑“全球金融市场控制国家的经济需求”的人只要看一下远东的“四小虎”所面临的危机就可以知道是怎么回事了:去年,当投资者断定四小虎的经济政策不够有效后,这几个地区的货币就迅速贬值:如今,该地区的经济增长更缓慢,生活水平更低,失业人数上升。第二段接着指出:理论上,政府可以自由制定自己的经济政策;但实际上,政府必须遵循全球经济模式,否则就要冒被市场惩罚的风险。这说明,原因是这些国家没有遵循全球的经济模式。B说“没有充分遵循全球的经济模式”,这与文章的意思相符。文中没有说“一些亚洲国家怀疑全球金融市场将控制国家的经济”,所以A不是原因;文中是说“理论上,政府可以自由地制定自己的经济政策”,但这并不是亚洲国家正在遭遇经济危机的主要原因,所以C不对:文中没有提到D。
转载请注明原文地址:https://jikaoti.com/ti/umYRFFFM
0

最新回复(0)