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

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 opposition to globalization is that______.
选项 A、taxes and welfare in the developed countries are reduced without protection of trade barriers
B、there are too great economic differences between rich and poor countries
C、globalization is beneficial to the developing countries only
D、high productivity and specialist knowledge are not suitable to labor-intensive industries
答案A
解析 这是一道细节题。题干中的信号词为opposition to globalization，出自于文章第三段第二句话中。文章第三段指出：在发达国家，尤其是在欧盟，全球化遭到了公众的普遍反对：批评者抱怨说，没有了贸易壁垒的保护，工作机会被穷国的工人拿走，富裕国家工人的工资在减少。这说明，反对经济全球化的主要理由是：没有了贸易壁垒的保护，税收和福利将会减少。A说“没有贸易壁垒的保护，发达国家的税收和福利将会减少”，这与文章的意思相符。文中没有提到B和D。文章第四段第二句话指出：一个更一体化的全球经济最终会给每个人带来好处，因为一体化的经济会使每个国家在其最擅长的领域实行专门化：这说明C不对。
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