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  3. Most economists in the United States seem captivated by the spell of the free market. Consequently, nothing seems good or normal

Most economists in the United States seem captivated by the spell of the free market. Consequently, nothing seems good or normal

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问题     Most economists in the United States seem captivated by the spell of the free market. Consequently, nothing seems good or normal that does not ac- cord with the requirements of the free market. A price that is determined by the seller or, for that matter, established by anyone other than the aggregate of consumers seems pernicious. Ac- cordingly, it requires a major act of will to think of price-fixing(the determination of prices by the seller)as both "normal" and having a valuable economic function. In fact, price-fixing is nor- mal in all industrialized societies because the industrial system itself provides, as an effortless consequence of its own development, the price-fixing that it requires. Modern industrial planning re- quires and rewards great size. Hence, a comparatively small number of large firms will be competing for the same group of consumers. That each large firm will act with consideration of its own needs and thus avoid selling its products for more than its competitors charge is commonly recognized by advocates of free-market economic theories. But each large firm will also act with full consideration of the needs that it has in common with the other large firms competing for the same customers. Each large firm will thus avoid significant price-cutting, because price-cutting would be prejudicial to the common interest in a stable demand for products. Most economists do not see price-fixing when it occurs because they expect it to be brought about by a number of explic- it agreements among large firms; it is not.
    Moreover, those economists who argue that allowing the free market to operate without interference is the most efficient method of establishing prices have not considered the economies of non-socialist countries other than the United States. These economies employ intentional price-fixing, usually in an overt fashion. Formal price-fixing by cartel and informal price-fixing by agreements covering the members of an industry are commonplace. Were there something peculiarly efficient about the free market and inefficient about price-fixing, the countries that have avoided the first and used the second would have suffered drastically in their economic development. There is no indication that they have.
    Socialist industry also works within a framework of controlled prices. In the early 1970’s, the Soviet Union began to give firms and industries some of the flexibility in adjusting prices that a more informal evolution has accorded the capitalist system. Economists in the United States have hailed the change as a return to the free market. But Soviet firms are no more subject to prices established by a free market over which they exercise little influence than are capitalist firms; rather, Soviet firms have been given the power to fix prices.
With which of the following statements regarding the behavior of large firms in industrialized societies would the author be most likely to agree?
选项 A、The directors of large firms will continue to anticipate the demand for products.
B、The directors of large firms are less interested in achieving a predictable level of profit than in achieving a large profit.
C、The directors of large firms will strive to reduce the costs of their products.
D、Many directors of large firms believe that the government should establish the prices that will be charged for products.
E、Many directors of large firms believe that the price charged for products is likely to increase annually.
答案A
解析 下面哪一个关于工业化社会中大企业行为的叙述是符合作者观点的?A．大企业领导会总期盼着人们对其产品的需要。正确。正是因为有这种期盼，所以大企业不能只为了眼前利益而竞相压价。见原文L29—36。B．大企业领导对一段利润比大利润兴趣小。无。C．大企业领导试图降低货物的成本。本文中未提到成本。D．许多大企业领导相信应由国家定价决定产品价格。无。E．大企业领导相信产品价格会每年上涨。
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