阅读理解 The rise of globalization, both an economic and cultural trend that has swept throughout the world, has forged new ground as we enter the 21st century. But are the effects of globalization always positive? Some say no.
Michael Tenet, head of the International Institute for Foreign Relations in Atlanta, is worried about current resentment throughout the world towards the rise of globalization. "Ever since the 1980s and the economic collapse of the Asian Tigers in the late 1990s, there has been a reevaluation of the role globalization as a force for good," he said. "Incomes in many countries plummeted and the gap between the most rich and the most poor has been exacerbated. Without further intervention by governments, we could see a tragedy expressed in an increased level of poverty throughout Latin America and Asia."
George Frank, an influential economist who works on Wall Street, sees no such danger. "Economic liberalization, increased transparency and market based reforms have positive effects in the long-term, even if market mechanisms can produce short-term destabilization problems," he said. "What is most important is that barriers to trade continue to fall so that active competition for consumer goods reduces prices and in turn raises the average level of income."
Others feel that globalization's cultural impact may be more important than its economic implications. Janice Yawee, a native of Africa, feels strongly that globalization is undermining her local culture and language. Most of the world's dialects will become extinct under globalization. "We're paving the world with McDonald's and English slang. It tears me up inside." she said.
Governments have had mixed responses to the current wave of globalization. The United States is generally seen as an active proponent of greater free trade, and it certainly has enormous cultural influence by virtue of its near monopoly on worldwide entertainment. But other countries, most notably in Europe and developing nations, have sought to reduce the impact that globalization has on their domestic affairs.
"When I was a boy we had very little to speak of," says one Singaporean resident. "Now our country has developed into a booming hub for international finance." Others, however, are not so optimistic. "Globalization is an evil force that must be halted," a union official at a car plant in Detroit recently commented, "It's sucking away jobs and killing the spirit of our country."
单选题 1.In paragraph 2, in regard to globalization, the author cites the example of Michael Tenet as
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】属信息推断题。第二段第一句指出:麦克尔·特内特担心时下全世界对全球化兴起的厌恶之情。最后一句表明观点:若没有政府的进一步干预,我们在拉美和亚洲就会看到贫困升级的悲剧。由此可知,作者引用他的话是用来说明“干涉主义策略”(即选项C正确),而不是“谨慎的支持”(选项A),也不是“阻挠”(选项B),更不是“放任的态度”(选项D)。
单选题 2.Janice Yawee's reference to "it tears me up inside" most likely means that______.
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】属词义推断题。题目中的关键词it tears me up inside(字面意思为“全球化撕碎了我的心”)出现在第四段最后一句。上文提到:全球化趋势下世界上大多数方言都会消失,这个世界上到处都是麦当劳快餐广告和英语俚语……由此可判断it tears me up inside的意思是“这让我很伤心”。因此,选项B正确。其他都是错误的推导(选项A中的injure意为“受外伤”)。
单选题 3.This text deals mainly with______.
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】属主旨思想题。文章第一段引出要讨论的主题:但全球化的作用总是好的吗?第二段列举了反面意见,全球化带来的坏影响;第三指出了全球化的好处;第四段又指出了全球化对文化的负面影响;第五段说明各国政府对全球化浪潮的反响有好有坏。最后一段引用了两位来自不同国家的人对全球化抱有的相反意见。由此可知,本文讨论的中心就是“全球化带来的正反两方面的作用”。因此,选项A正确。选项B、C、D都是文中细节,不能概括全文。
单选题 4.In paragraph 5, the author describes governmental response to globalization as______.
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】属信息推断题。第五段第一句指出:各国政府对全球化浪潮的反响有好有坏。由此可推知,选项C正确(支持或反对,视不同的国家而定),其中supportive and resistive是原文中mixed responses的同义表达。其他选项都与此不符。
单选题 5.The union official's comments on globalization are best described as______.
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】属态度推断题。题目中的关键词union official’s comments出现在文章最后一句:全球化是一股邪恶势力,必须被制止。它使工作机会减少,国家精神沦丧。由此可推断,说话人的态度和语气应该是情绪激动的(即选项B正确),不是“不偏不倚的”(选项A)、“迷惑的”(选项C)和“平静的”(选项D)。