单选题 In recent years, railroads have been combining with each other, merging into super systems, causing heightened concerns about monopoly. As recently as 1995, the top four railroads accounted for under 70 percent of the total ton-miles moved by rails. Next year, after a series of mergers is completed, just four railroads will control well over 90 percent of all the freight moved by major rail carriers.
Supporters of the new super systems argue that these mergers will allow for substantial cost reductions and better coordinated service. Any threat of monopoly, they argue, is removed by fierce competition from trucks. But many shippers complain that for heavy bulk commodities traveling long distances, such as coal, chemicals, and grain, trucking is too costly and the railroads therefore have them by the throat.
The vast consolidation within the rail industry means that most shippers are served by only one rail company. Railroads typically charge such "captive" shippers 20 to 30 percent more than they do when another railroad is competing for the business. Shippers who feel they are being overcharged have the right to appeal to the federal government's Surface Transportation Board for rate relief, but the process is expensive, time consuming, and will work only in truly extreme cases.
Railroads justify rate discrimination against captive shippers on the grounds that in the long run it reduces everyone's cost. If railroads charged all customers the same average rate, they argue, shippers who have the option of switching to trucks or other forms of transportation would do so, leaving remaining customers to shoulder the cost of keeping up the line. It's theory to which many economists subscribe, but in practice it often leaves railroads in the position of determining which companies will flourish and which will fail. "Do we really want railroads to he the arbiters of who wins and who loses in the marketplace?" asks Martin Bercovici, a Washington lawyer who frequently represents shipper.
Many captive shippers also worry they will soon be his with a round of huge rate increases. The railroad industry as a whole, despite its brightening fortuning fortunes, still does not earn enough to cover the cost of the capital it must invest to keep up with its surging traffic. Yet railroads continue to borrow billions to acquire one another, with Wall Street cheering them on. Consider the $10. 2 billion bid by Norfolk Southern and CSX to acquire Conrail this year. Conrail's net railway operating income in 1996 was just $ 427 million, less than half of the carrying costs of the transaction. Who's going to pay for the rest of the bill? Many captive shippers fear that they will, as Norfolk Southern and CSX increase their grip on the market.

单选题 According to those who support mergers railway monopoly is unlikely because ______.

A. cost reduction is based on competition.
B. services call for cross-trade coordination.
C. outside competitors will continue to exist.
D. shippers will have the railway by the throat.

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】[解析] 注意原文第二段第二句中的they指代的就是上文中提到的“supporters of the new super systems”，即“支持合并者”，“他们认为来自于公路的激烈竞争消除了铁路运输垄断的威胁”。选项C“外部竞争者依然存在”正是本句话的同义转述。文章中谈到的是兼并而不是竞争可以降低成本，故选项A“成本的降低以竞争为基础”与文章内容不符；选项B“服务需要跨行业协调”文中未提到；而选项D与文章意思相反。

单选题 What is many captive shippers' attitude towards the consolidation in the rail industry?

A. Indifferent.
B. Supportive.
C. Indignant.
D. Apprehensive.

【正确答案】 D

【答案解析】[解析] 文章第三段说由于铁路运输业之间的合并使得发货商只能求助于一家公司，他们所付的运费要高出20%～30%，如果他们觉得收费过高，他们有权提出申诉要求降低费率，但这一过程既昂贵又耗时而且只有在特殊的情况下才有效果；接下来的一段中，铁路运输业人士对此做出了解释；第五段首句 “Many captive shippers also worry they will soon be hit with a round of huge rate increases．”中用了worry一词点明了发货商对于继续增加费用的担忧．所以发货商对于铁路运输业的合并是“充满担忧的”，而不是选项A“漠不关心的”，也不是选项B“支持的”，更不是选项C“义愤的”。

单选题 It can be inferred from Paragraph 3 that ______

A. shippers will be charged less without a rival railroad.
B. there will soon be only one railroad company nationwide.
C. overcharged shippers are unlikely to appeal for rate relief.
D. a government board ensures fair play in railway business.

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】[解析] 选项A“没有其他铁路公司竞争，客户将会被少收费”与原文中的内容相反，因为如果没有竞争，铁路公司将会多收费而不是少收费。文章虽然说“most shippers are served by only one rail company”，但这并不意味着B项“很快全国将只有一家铁路公司”，而且这也与第一段末句所说“Next year...four railroads will control well over 90 percent of au the freight moved by major rail carriers．”不相符；选项D“一个政府部门可以保证铁路行业公平竞争”在文中未提及。