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  3. Minority-owned business in the United States had unprecedented opportunities as well as new and significant risks. Civil rights

Minority-owned business in the United States had unprecedented opportunities as well as new and significant risks. Civil rights

admin2010-06-30  77
问题      Minority-owned business in the United States had unprecedented opportunities  as well as new and significant risks. Civil rights activists have long argued that one of the principal reasons why Blacks and other minority groups have difficulty establishing themselves in business is that they lack access to sizable orders and subcontracts that are generated by large companies. Now Congress, in apparent agreement, has required by law that business awarded federal contracts of more than $500,000 do their best to find minority subcontractors and record their efforts to do so on forms filed with the government. Indeed, some federal and local agencies have gone so far as to set specific percentage goals for apportioning parts of public works contracts to minority enterprises.
     Corporate response appear to have been substantial: According to figures collected in 2003. the total of corporate contracts with minority business rose from $77 million in 1998 to $1.1 billion in 2003. The projected total of corporate contracts with minority business for the early 2004 is estimated to be over $3 billion per year with no ceasing anticipated in the next decade.
     Promising as it is for minority business, this increased protection poses dangers for them, too. First, minority firms risk expanding too fast and overextending themselves financially, since most are small concerns and, unlike large business, they often need to make substantial investments in new plants, staff, equipment, and the like in order to perform work subcontracted to them. If, thereafter, their subcontracts are for some reason reduced, such firms can face potentially crippling fixed expenses. The world of corporate purchasing can be frustrating for small entrepreneurs who get requests for elaborate formal estimates and bids. Both consume valuable time and resources, and a small company’s efforts must soon result in orders, or both the morale and the financial health of the business will suffer.
     A second risk is that White-owned companies may seek to cash in on the increasing apportionments through formation of joint ventures with minority-owned concerns. Of course, in many instances there are legitimate reasons for joint ventures; clearly, White and minority enterprises can team up to acquire business that neither could acquire alone. But civil rights groups and minority business owners have complained to Congress about minorities being set up as "fronts" with White backing, rather than being accepted as full partners in legitimate joint ventures.
     Third, a minority enterprise that secures the business of one large corporate customer often runs the danger of becoming--and remaining dependent. Even in the best of circumstances, fierce competition from large, more established companies makes it difficult for small concerns to broaden their customer bases; when such firms have nearly guaranteed orders from a single corporate benefactor. they may truly have to struggle against serf-satisfaction arising from their current success.
Why does the author say "minority-owned business in the United States had unprecedented opportunities"?
选项 A、Because minority-owned business takes up more shares in the market.
B、Because large companies generate more subcontracts.
C、Because they are awarded federal contracts.
D、Because the government provides favorite conditions and protection.
答案D
解析 根据文章第一段可知由少数民族企业近年来获得了前所未有的好机会，是因为国会通过立法的形式要求得到联邦政府五十万以上的合同的大公司要尽他们最大的努力来寻找少数民族分包商来分包他们的合同，而且政府还会对这些大公司进行记录。一些联邦和地方机构还确立了要分配给少数民族企业的具体百分率。由于政府创造的这些优惠、扶持条件和保护，这些企业获得了空前的好机遇。A、B文章未提及。C与文意不符，并不是少数民族企业获得了联邦的合同，而是大企业获得后要分包给他们。
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