| Questions 62 to 66 are based on
the following passage. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) says it expects the world economy to grow more than 4% both this year and next. Its chief economist says these could be the best two years since early this century. But the IMF also says interest rates are very low and will have to rise in the future. When rates are low, more people borrow money to buy things like homes and businesses. Prices increase. The IMF says property values in Britain and some other countries may be too high now. However, it warns that prices could fall sharply if interest rates rise too fast. Some countries also worry that large United States budget deficits (赤字) could harm the current recovery. The Bush administration says it will cut those deficits. The World Bank and IMF held their spring meetings last week in Washington where they are based. This year is their sixtieth anniversary. Protests outside were mostly peaceful. And they were smaller than before. Protesters called on rich nations to cancel the debt of poor ones. A report by the IMF and World Bank says private investment in developing countries is again increasing. The report says money is flowing to Brazil, China, Mexico and Russia. But it says poorer nations, especially in Africa, are not part of this growth. Before the meetings, World Bank President James Wolfensohn said the world is out of balance. He said one sixth of the population owns eighty percent of the wealth. At the same time, another one in sixth people lives in extreme poverty. Mr. Wolfensohn urged developed countries to open their markets and increase aid. He also urged developing nations to improve their governments and to build good legal and financial systems. |