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  3. The Government s Aggressive Dealings with U.S. Automakers In theory, a government bailout should provide a short-term infusi

The Government s Aggressive Dealings with U.S. Automakers In theory, a government bailout should provide a short-term infusi

admin2013-06-05  31
问题             The Government s Aggressive Dealings with U.S. Automakers
    In theory, a government bailout should provide a short-term infusion of cash to give a struggling company the chance to right itself. But in its aggressive dealings with U.S. automakers, most recently General Motors, the Obama administration is coming dangerously close to engaging in financial engineering that ignores basic principles of fairness and economic realities to achieve political goals.
    It is now clear that there is no real difference between the government and GM. For all intents and purposes, the government, which is set to assume a 50 percent equity stake in the company, is GM, and it has been calling the shots in negotiations with creditors. While the Obama administration has been playing hardball with bondholders, it has been more than happy to play nice with the United Auto-Workers (UAW). How else to explain why a retiree health-care fund controlled by the UAW is going to get a 39 percent equity stake in GM for its remaining $ 10 billion in Claims while bondholders are being pressured to take a 10 percent stake for their $ 27 billion? it’s highly unlikely that the auto industry professionals at GM would have reached such a deal if the government had not been watching them or providing the money needed to keep the factory doors open.
    GM is widely expected to file for bankruptcy before the end of this month. If this were a typical bankruptcy, the company would be allowed by law to tear up its UAW collective bargaining agreement and negotiate for drastically reduced wages and benefits. Surely, the government won’t let that happen. Still, the threat of a contract abolition probably played a role in the union’s agreement to cost-cutting measures last week, it’s never easy for unions to make concessions, but the sting of handing back money is being softened by the government’s desire to give the union a huge ownership stake in GM.
    The administration argues that it could not risk alienating the union for fear of triggering a strike that could permanently cripple GM. It also assumes that it had to agree to protect suppliers and fund warranties in order to preserve jobs and reassure potential buyers that their cars would be serviced. These are legitimate concerns. But it’s too bad that the Obama administration has not thought more deeply about how its bullying of bondholders could convince future investors that the last thing they want to do is put money into any company that the government has—or could—become involved in.
The statement "call the shots" (Line 5~6, Para. 2) is closest in meaning to_____.
选项 A、implement strategies
B、have the final say
C、seek compromises
D、make concessions
答案B
解析 语义理解题。这类题型需要根据上下文推断出词义。文中前一句讲到政府实际就代表了通用公司。按照逻辑推理，可知政府在与债权人谈判中，它可以代表通用公司做决定，由此可知B项“有决定权”正确。后一句说到奥巴马政府对债券持有人态度强硬(play hardball)，可排除C项“寻求和解”和D项“做出让步”：A项“贯彻策略”泛泛而谈，且“策略”无出处。
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