首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
外语
Napoleon was wrong when he dismissed the British as a nation of shopkeepers (and hence unfit to defeat France in war). Compared
Napoleon was wrong when he dismissed the British as a nation of shopkeepers (and hence unfit to defeat France in war). Compared
admin
2017-03-15
36
问题
Napoleon was wrong when he dismissed the British as a nation of shopkeepers (and hence unfit to defeat France in war). Compared with France, Britain in the 1790s already had a bigger manufacturing base, a higher income per head and hence a tax base wide enough to pay for 22 years of conflict that led to the emperor’s Waterloo. Indeed, the demand for ships and munitions, created by the long war against France, boosted British industry.
Two centuries later, however, the little Corsican may have a point. This week ICI, the company that once symbolised British industry, became the target of a takeover bid from Akzo Nobel, a Dutch competitor. Meanwhile, Britain’s Tesco supermarket group is boldly expanding into America and other foreign markets in a bid to overtake France’s Carrefour (sorry, Monsieur l’Empereur) to become the world’s second-biggest retailer behind Wal-Mart. Britain has a much more open economy than America, measured by foreign trade or capital flows. Indeed, there could be no greater testimony to its health than the unsentimental ability to let one-time national champions float quietly off into another’s embrace.
Imperial Chemical Industries was born on the liner Aquitania in the mid-Atlantic when four British chemical barons of the 1920s agreed to combine forces. But the company started coming apart in the 1990s. It balked at buying Glaxo to become a world-class drugs company. Funking as predator, it became prey itself. Prodded by the threat of a hostile break-up bid from Lord Hanson, a corporate raider at the height of his powers, ICI floated off its drugs division, now AstraZeneca.
As it moved upmarket, ICI became progressively less imperial, less chemical and less industrial. It paid too much for Unilever’s specialty chemicals business and struggled to pay down the debt it incurred by selling its commodity petrochemicals operations at just the wrong point in the cycle. Its giant petrochemicals complex on Teesside—once the very symbol of British manufacturing strength—was sold to some Americans and now belongs to a Saudi company.
Such sell-offs go almost without comment now in Britain. When investors from Dubai snapped up P&O, another commercial relic of the British empire, Britons shrugged, even as nationalistic opposition in America forced the Arab buyers to find someone more trustworthy to take on the ports it owned there. German and French firms have snapped up British water and electricity companies, and London’s airports belong to a Spanish construction company. First the Dutch, then the Indians walked off with Britain’s steel industry. The Chinese bought Rover, the rump of Britain’s car industry, and shipped its machine tools back home.
It may only be a matter of time before BT (conveniently, no longer called British Telecom) becomes the first "national" telecoms incumbent in foreign hands; its mobile arm has already been taken by Spain’s Telefonica. Likewise BAE Systems (no longer British Aerospace) sees its future in America, perhaps in the belly of a beast named Boeing, Northrop Grumman or Lockheed Martin.
In most countries that would count as a litany of failure. But just as Britain led the world into industrialisation, so now Britain is leading it out. Today you can still find a few British engineers and scientists making jet engines and pharmaceuticals—and doing rather well at it. But many more are cooking up algorithms for hedge funds and investment banks—where in many cases they add more value. The economy has boomed these past 15 years, as manufacturing has been left behind and London has become the world’s leading international financial centre. Britain’s deficit in manufactured goods is hitting record highs. But so are the capital inflows.
All those foreign investors have brought a lot, too. Nissan’s car factory in Sunderland, for instance, is one of its finest anywhere. If foreigners think they can manage British factories or finances better than the natives can, they are welcome.
Which of the basic writing skills does the author mainly use in the passage?
选项
A、Classification.
B、Definition.
C、Illustration.
D、Argumentation.
答案
D
解析
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/H5SO777K
本试题收录于:
NAETI高级口译笔试题库外语翻译证书(NAETI)分类
0
NAETI高级口译笔试
外语翻译证书(NAETI)
相关试题推荐
AlthoughtherearemanyskillfulBraillereaders,thousandsofotherblindpeoplefinditdifficulttolearnthatsystemTheyar
However,beyondthatdolorouspicture,thereisarevolutionatworkinworldagriculture.
Underthecircumstanceofanewmediaage,emergenciesofpublichealthcanbemoredevastatingbecausetheycaneasilyresulti
Iamdelightedtobewithyou.IfirstvisitedChina22yearsago,butthisismyfirstvisittoyouruniversity,inacitywhos
A、Peoplefromdifferentpartsoftheworldliveandworktogether.B、Therearealmostthreemillionpeoplelivingandworkingin
A、Thelibraryisnotjustaplaceforquietreadingasbefore.B、Moreandmorepeoplegotothelibrary,butfewerandfewerof
"Truth,efficiency,confidence."Underthisguidingtrinity,ManuelVallsmadehisinauguralspeechasprimeministeronApril
WhichofthefollowingistrueaboutTrinityRoot?
A、TwoB、TenC、TwentyD、ThirtyB
AlbertoBautista,30,isararityinSantaCruzMixtepec:ayoungadultmale.Mostofthesons,husbandsandbrothersfromthis
随机试题
某工业生产企业委托评估机构对其自用的办公用房(含办公楼和土地)进行抵押评估,评估基准日为2020年6月30日,评估对象基本情况,土地面积2200平方米,于2012年6月30日通过出让方式获得:房屋建筑面积为7700平方米,于2014年6月30日竣工投入使用
快餐:中式快餐:日式快餐
A.20%甘露醇B.5%碳酸氢钠C.大量生理盐水D.20%甘露醇或5%碳酸氢钠E.不可使用20%甘露醇或5%碳酸氢钠代谢性酸中毒宜用
以下因素与特发性血小板减少性紫癜发病无关的是
A.轻宣凉燥,理肺化痰B.增液润燥C.清养肺胃,降逆下气D.清宣温燥,润肺止咳E.清肺润燥,益气养阴桑杏汤的功效为
下列选项中,适合企业采用集中化战略的是()。
下列各项中,不属于按照“服务业”税目征收营业税的项目是()。
法律关系有纵向法律关系和横向法律关系之分,在以下法律关系中,属于横向法律关系的有哪些?()
BROWSE命令的作用是()。
AccommodationNearthetowncentre-SingleroomsavailableSunningdaleHotelFrench,German,SpanishandRussianspoken£150per
最新回复
(
0
)