单选题   Is 20th-century capitalism failing 21st-century society? Members of the global elite debated that unusual question at the annual World Economic Forum.
    It is encouraging that more than three years since the global financial crisis, a belated (迟到的)process of soul-searching has begun in search of the right lessons to learn from it.
    There is a great difference, however, between being willing to talk about an issue and being ready to act.
    It is a difference between those who still believe that all governments can do is get out of the way and those who believe there is a real role for governments in first reviving our economies, and then setting the right rules for future success.
    If we learned anything from the 1930s, it was that governments cannot shrug their shoulders and watch as their own people are being laid off.
    Nor should we forget the causes of the current growth and debt crisis as we seek to put our economies on a more sustainable footing.
    Both the United States and Britain suffered because their economies were overly reliant on the financial sector's artificial profits; living standards for the many worsened while the economic rewards went to the top 1 percent; a capitalist model encouraged short-term decision-making oriented toward quarterly profits rather than long-term health; and interest groups like giant banks were deemed too big to fail or too powerful to challenge.
    We need to recognize that the trickle-down promise (benefits given to the rich will eventually be passed on to the poor) of conservative theorists has turned into a gravity-defying reality in which wealth has flowed upward disproportionately and, too often, undeservedly. To address the problem requires fresh thinking from governments about how people train for their working lives and what a living wage should be.
    Governments can set better—not necessarily more—rules to encourage productive businesses that make and sell real products and services. We need rules that discourage the predatory (掠夺的) behavior of those seeking the fast buck through hostile takeovers and asset-stripping that do not have the interests of the shareholders, the employees or the economy at heart.
    And governments must remember they are elected to serve the people, not the powerful lobbies who can pay for access or influence. Too often the real enemies of market capitalism are some of the leading beneficiaries of the current model, which favors big monopolies and consumer exploitation.
    I believe that changing the rules of capitalism will require a change in what citizens expect and ask of politics. The question is not so much whether 20th-century capitalism is failing 21st-century society but whether politics can rise to the challenge of changing a flawed economic model.
单选题     What important lesson could be drawn from the 1930s?______
 
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】由题干中的1930s定位到第五段。 推理判断题。定位段提到，如果要说我们从20世纪30年代的世界经济危机中学到了什么，那就是在人们纷纷失业时，政府不能漠然视之。很多考生会因此误选B“政府应该为失业者提供救济金”。需要注意的是，定位段中的as引导的从句使用的是现在进行时，由此推知，并不是要给予已经失业的人员补贴，而是在面对失业这种情况时，政府应该有所作为。由此再定位到第四段…those who believe there is a real role for governments in first reviving our economies，and then setting the right rules for future success，该段提到，有些人认为政府真正该做的事情，一是振兴经济，二是为未来的成功制定合适的规章制度。作者列举20世纪30年代的经济危机，旨在证明上一段的观点，即政府应在振兴经济中有所作为，故A为答案。 [参考译文] 20世纪的资本主义不适应21世纪的礼会吗?来自全球的精英聚集在年度世界经济论坛上讨论这一不寻常的问题。 全球金融危机发生三年多后，人类终于进行了迟到的自我反省，开始寻找从危机中得到的正确的教训，这是鼓舞人心的。 然而，愿意谈这个问题和准备好行动之间还是有天壤之别的。 有人仍坚持政府能做的就是对经济不予干预，也有人相信政府真正该做的事情，一是振兴经济，二是为未来的成功制定合适的规章制度。两者之间的差别可见一斑。 如果要说我们从20世纪30年代中学到东西的话，那就是在人们纷纷失业时，政府不能漠然视之。 当我们寻求经济更加可持续发展时，我们也不应忘记当前经济增长危机和债务危机产生的种种原因。 英美都未能在经济危机中幸免，因为它们的经济过于依赖金融机构的虚假利润；当经济报酬不断涌入1%的富人手中时，大众的生活水平却在不断下降；它们的资本主义模式鼓励以眼前利益而非长期健康发展为导向的短期决策；像银行巨头那样的利益集团被视为大而不倒或强而不摧。 我们要明白，保守理论家们提出的“涓滴”承诺(即让一部分人先富起来，最后达到共同富裕)已使现实失衡，财富分配不均，多流进了富人手中，而他们的所劳跟所得往往并不相配。要解决这一问题，政府需要转换思维，考虑如何进行职业培训以及最低生活工资到底该是多少。 政府可通过制定更好的——不必是更多的——政策来鼓励制造、销售真正产品和服务的生产性企业。我们的政策要打击通过恶意收购或资产倒卖来快速敛财的掠夺性行为，这些行为无视股东的利益、雇员的利益，本质上也无视经济发展的利益。 政府必须谨记，他们被选出来是为人民服务的，而不应充当那些用钱买特权或换影响力的游说团体。现有模式有利于大型垄断组织和消费剥削，而市场资本主义的真正敌人往往是这种模式的某些既得利益者。 我认为改变资本主义的规则将需要先改变公民对政治的希冀和诉求。问题讨论的重点不是20世纪的资本主义是否适应21世纪的社会，而是政治是否能接受改变不完善的经济模式这一挑战。
单选题     What is one of the factors contributing to the recent financial crisis in the United States and Britain?______
 
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】由题干中的the United States and Britain 定位到第七段。 细节辨认题。定位段第一个分句提到，英国和美国都遭受了经济危机是因为它们的经济过于依赖金融机构的虚假利润。D中的relying heavily on与原文中overly reliant on表达的意思相同，故D为正确答案。
单选题     What does the author say about the so-called trickle-down promise?______
 
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】由题干中的trickle-down promise定位到倒数第四段第一句。 推理判断题。定位句提到，“涓滴”承诺已使现实失衡，财富分配不均。定位句中的gravity-defying意为“违反重力的”，由此可推知，“让一部分人先富起来，最后达到共同富裕”的承诺是不会实现的，故B为答案。
单选题     What rules does the author say governments should set to guarantee sustainable economic development?______
 
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】由题干中的rules，governments should set，economic development定位到倒数第三段第一句。 推理判断题。定位句提到，政府可通过制定更好的——不必是更多的——政策来鼓励制造、销售真正的产品和服务的生产性产业，故答案为C。
单选题     What should the government do about the current economy according to the author?______
 
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】由题干中的current economy定位到末段末句。 推理判断题。定位句提到，问题讨论的重点不是20世纪的资本主义是否适应21世纪的社会，而是政治是否能接受改变不完善的经济模式这一挑战。B与原文表述一致，故为答案。