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
In recent years, railroads have been combining with each other, merging into super systems, causing heightened concerns about mo
In recent years, railroads have been combining with each other, merging into super systems, causing heightened concerns about mo
admin
2017-08-15
38
问题
In recent years, railroads have been combining with each other, merging into super systems, causing heightened concerns about monopoly. As recently as 1995, the top four railroads accounted for under 70 percent of the total ton-miles moved by rails. Next year, after a series of mergers is completed, just four railroads will control well over 90 percent of all the freight moved by major rail carriers.
Supporters of the new super systems argue that these mergers will allow for substantial cost reductions and better coordinated service. Any threat of monopoly, they argue, is removed by fierce competition from trucks. But many shippers complain that for heavy bulk commodities traveling long distances, such as coal, chemicals, and grain, trucking is too costly and the railroads therefore have them by the throat.
The vast consolidation within the rail industry means that most shippers are served by only one rail company. Railroads typically charge such "captive" shippers 20 to 30 percent more than they do when another railroad is competing for the business. Shippers who feel they are being overcharged have the right to appeal to the federal government’s Surface Transportation Board for rate relief, but the process is expensive, time consuming, and will work only in truly extreme cases.
Railroads justify rate discrimination against captive shippers on the grounds that in the long run it reduces everyone’s cost. If railroads charged all customers the same average rate, they argue, shippers who have the option of switching to trucks or other forms of transportation would do so, leaving remaining customers to shoulder the cost of keeping up the line. It’s theory to which many economists subscribe, but in practice it often leaves railroads in the position of determining which companies will flourish and which will fail. "Do we really want railroads to be the arbiters of who wins and who loses in the marketplace?" asks Martin Bercovici, a Washington lawyer who frequently represents shipper.
Many captive shippers also worry they will soon be hit with a round of huge rate increases. The railroad industry as a whole, despite its brightening fortunes, still does not earn enough to cover the cost of the capital it must invest to keep up with its surging traffic. Yet railroads continue to borrow billions to acquire one another, with Wall Street cheering them on. Consider the 1.02 billion bid by Norfolk Southern and CSX to acquire Conrail this year. Conrail’s net railway operating income in 1996 was just 427 million, less than half of the carrying costs of the transaction. Who’s going to pay for the rest of the bill? Many captive shippers fear that they will, as Norfolk Southern and CSX increase their grip on the market.
The word "arbiters" (Line 6, Para. 4) most probably refers to those ______.
选项
A、who work as coordinators
B、who function as judges
C、who supervise transactions
D、who determine the price
答案
B
解析
本题可参照文章的第4段。从中可知,这是一种许多经济学家都赞成的理论,但实际上,这使得铁路公司可以决定哪些公司兴旺,哪些公司倒闭。经常为托运人做代理的华盛顿律师问道:“难道我们真的要让铁路公司成为决定市场上谁兴谁衰的仲裁人吗?”据此可知,arbiters的意思应该是“裁决者”。B项与文章的意思相符,因此B项为正确答案。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/jOFO777K
0
考博英语
相关试题推荐
Consumersandproducersobviouslymakedecisionsthatmoldtheeconomy,butthereisathirdmajor【C1】______toconsidertherole
positiondefineforgetfulfancykeybalanceimportanceunhealthylacksubjectope
Everyoneitseemshasahealthproblem.AfterpouringbillionsintotheNationalHealthService,Britishpeoplemoanaboutdirty
Adealofattentionisbeingpaidtodaytotheso-calleddigitaldivide—thedivisionoftheworldintotheinfo(information)ri
Adealofattentionisbeingpaidtodaytotheso-calleddigitaldivide—thedivisionoftheworldintotheinfo(information)ri
Inrecentyears,therehasbeenasteadyassaultonsaltfromthedoctors:Saltisbadforyou—regardlessofyourhealth.Poli
Untilmeninventedwaysofstayingunderwaterformorethanafewminutes,thewondersoftheworldbelowthesurfaceofthesea
Itmightbesupposedthatgreaterefficiencycouldbeachievedifseveralpeopleworkedtogethertosolveaproblemthanifonly
ManypaintingsoftheAmericanSouthwestconveyafeelingofisolationandlonelinessthatmirrorsthe______landscapetheydepic
TodayistheanniversaryofthatafternooninAprilayearagothatIfirstsawthestrangeandappealingdollinthewindowof
随机试题
对破骨细胞的描述,哪一项不正确()
某地2008年、2012年职工人均年收入分别为34000元和48000元,则该地区职工人均年收入平均增长量的算式是()
成人低蛋白治疗饮食指每日蛋白含量为()。
“要尽量多地要求一个人,也要尽可能地尊重每一个人”的提出者是()
对违反卫生法律法规施行行政处罚的机关是
如果企业已经确认收入,又发生销售退回的,均应冲减退回当月的销售收入,同时冲减退回当月的销售成本。
质量检查表的主要内容有________。
取保候审由哪一部门执行?()
下列词语中加点字的读音,完全相同的一组是______。
以下2题是基于下述描述:设有图书管理数据库:图书(总编号C(6),分类号C(8),书名C(16),作者C(6),出版单位C(20),单价N(6,2))读者(借书证号C(4),单位C(8),姓名C(6),性别C(2),职称C(6),地
最新回复
(
0
)