单选题
Closing Canada
This month Christian Paradis, Canada"s industry minister, said in parliament: "We are pragmatic and welcome foreign investment". He has a funny way of showing it.
Shortly before midnight on Friday, Mr. Paradis said he intended to block the $5.3bn takeover of Progress Energy Resources, a Canadian gas producer, by Petronas, Malaysia"s national oil company. The decision was misguided, threatening a deal that is good for Progress shareholders and for Canada"s industry. Worse than the ruling itself, though, was the arbitrary and opaque process from which it emerged.
Since BHP Billiton"s $39bn takeover of Potash Corporation was blocked two years ago, international investors have been reassured that the Canadian government would intervene in acquisitions only very rarely.
Over the weekend, Mr. Paradis has thrown that assumption into doubt. The repercussions for a country that needs hundreds of billions of dollars to develop its oil and gas reserves could be deeply damaging.
The 1985 Industry Canada Act gives ministers the power to block a deal if it is not a "net benefit" to Canada based on a laundry list of possible criteria including corporate governance, state ownership, the effect on employment, exports and R&D, and national security. It is a bad law, allowing the government excessive discretion, but previous ministers have generally had the good sense not to use their powers. Mr. Paradis has broken with that precedent, and said that because of the confidentiality provisions of the act, he could not explain why he had done so.
Petronas has proved itself a responsible trading partner and investor, and the objections to it are difficult to understand. If Mr. Paradis is saying that investment from state-controlled companies is now unwelcome, he is shutting Canada off from the rising powers in global energy, from China, Russia, and the Middle East.
His ruling next month on Cnooc of China"s $15bn bid for Calgary-based Nexen has taken on added significance. The government"s most urgent priority, though, is for prime minister Stephen Harper to deliver on his promise of setting out a clear framework for foreign takeovers that will allow investors to predict what deals will be allowed, and show ways to address concerns that might lead to an acquisition being blocked.
Until the policy is clarified, it will be understandable if investors believe their money is no longer welcome in Canada.
单选题 By saying "He has a funny way of showing it", the author means ______.
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】[解析] 加拿大的这位能源部长虽然口头上说欢迎外国投资，但他扬言要block the $5.3 bn takeover却似乎与他的所说的不一致，而这也引起了人们的普遍担心。与它的行为一比较，就发现他在国会面前的讲话似乎成为了一个笑话。
单选题 Of the following statements, which is TRUE according to the passage?
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】[解析] 细节题，由第二段中的The decision was misguided, threatening a deal that is good for Progress shareholders and for Canada"s industry可知这笔交易既对Progress shareholders有利，也有利于Canada"s industry。
单选题 Which of the following is NOT CORRECT about the "1985 Industry Canada Act"?
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】[解析] 细节题，信息主要集中在第五、六段。由and said that because of the confidentiality provisions of the act, he could not explain why he had done so, 可知，他并没有解释这样做的原因，这也就引起了更大的怀疑和争议。
单选题 What is the author"s attitude towards the blocking of the proposed takeover deal?
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】[解析] 这一题考查的是作者对此事的情感态度，从Mr. Paradis has thrown that assumption into doubt, he is shutting Canada off from the rising powers in global energy, from China, Russia, and the Middle East, it will be understandable if investors believe their money is no longer welcome in Canada等可以看出，作者是不支持这一政策的。
单选题 Which of the following is NOT the advice offered by the editorial to Canadian government?
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】[解析] 由His ruling next month on Cnooc of China"s $15 bn bid for Calgary-based Nexen has taken on added significance，可知B项正确，由文章最后一句话可知C项也正确，而Shut of Canada from other state-controlled foreign companies正是作者所担心和不愿发生的，所以A项不是他的建议。