单选题 For American parents, bargain prices for toys this holiday season qualify as good news: A Barbie fan who rose before dawn for Wal-Mart's Black Friday sale could secure the "Barbie Diamond Castle Princess Liana Doll" for $5-royally marked down from its regular retail price. At Target, a radiocontrolled helicopter cost a mere $15. The price wars were enough to draw consumers out of their bunkers (碉堡) for their first shopping outing in months.
But wrapped up with those cheap toys are ominous economic omens for both sides of the Pacific. The rock-bottom prices show how desperate US retailers are to plump up weak consumer demand—a symptom of the ailing US economy and a serious problem for China, which makes nine of every 10 toys sold in American stores.
The toy industry has played a major role in China's economic surge (猛增) over the past 30 years. But Chinese toy makers began feeling the economic squeeze well before the US recession was made official in late November. The volume of Chinese toys passing through eight major US ports was down 5.9 percent in the first nine months in 2008, compared to the same period in 2007, according to economic forecasters IHS Global Insight, which tracks the information for the National Federation of Retailers.
China's new labor contract law which imposed stricter conditions and compensation for layoffs of temporary workers took effect in 2007, increasing costs for manufacturers that rely heavily on migrants on production lines, including toy makers and other labor-intensive manufacturers based mainly in southern Guangdong province. Toy makers also were hard hit by the rising price of oil, which surged to more than $140 a barrel in June, and in turn sharply increased the price of plastic.
Industry sources say the toy makers saw profits squeezed to the point where many tried to renegotiate contracts with buyers—especially major US players like Wal-Mart. When they discovered the buyers wouldn't move even slightly on the purchase agreements, many simply decided to close their factories. "Over half (of the factories) that have closed had negotiated a price, then when they couldn't get the retailer to move (on the price), they wouldn't make it at a loss and closed down," said Britt Beemer, a retail strategist and founder of America's Research Group.
To be sure, some of the factories that were shut down were small shops that employed only a few dozen workers. And the contraction is to some degree a natural consolidation process in an industry that is overbuilt.
单选题 What does the word "ominous" (Line 1, Para. 2) mean?
  • A. Prosperous
  • B. Threatening
  • C. Confusing
  • D. Significant
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】[考点] 语意题 [解析] 对应原文But wrapped up with those cheap toys are ominous economic omens for both sides of the Pacific. (第二段第一句)由关键句可知，玩具价格便宜对中国的生产商和美国的商家来说并不是好事。本段第二句说这反映了美国糟糕的经济，对中国来说也是需要面临的严重问题。因此，这种预兆是不祥的。
单选题 Which of the following is TRUE about the toy industry in China?
  • A. The toy industry in China is influenced by the retail business in the US
  • B. The toys made in China have a total market share in the US
  • C. The toy industry is the main cause for the economic downfall in China
  • D. The toy industry didn't suffer until the US recession was made official
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】[考点] 细节题 [解析] 由第二段第二句“But wrapped up with those cheap toys are ominous economic omens for both sides of the Pacific...a symptom of the ailing US economy and a serious problem for China, which makes nine of every 10 toys sold in American stores. ”可知，美国玩具价格大幅度下跌，对中美商家都不是什么好兆头。在美国市场销售的玩具10个中有9个是中国制造。由此可见，美国玩具销量直接影响中国玩具产业。B．中国生产的玩具占据了美国所有的市场份额。与关键句不符；C．玩具业是中国经济下滑的主要原因。原文第三段第一句说玩具业为中国过去30年的经济增长作出了巨大贡献，但没有说是导致中国经济下滑的主要原因；D．直到美国正式宣布经济萧条之时，中国玩具业才受到影响。文中第三段第二句明确指出早在美国正式宣布经济萧条之前，中国玩具业就已经受到了冲击。
单选题 What is the effect China's new labor contract law has on toy industry?
  • A. It ensures better protection of temporary workers in the industry
  • B. Its stricter conditions cause more layoffs in toy industry
  • C. It affects toy industry more than other manufacturing businesses
  • D. It adds more cost for labor-intensive manufacturers like toy makers
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】[考点] 细节题 [解析] 由第四段第一句“China's new labor contract law...increasing costs for manufacturers that rely heavily on migrants on production lines, including toy makers and...”可知2007年正式执行的中国新劳动合同法使玩具生产商和其他劳动密集型企业的成本增加。其他三项的内容都与关键句表达的意思不符。
单选题 What can you infer from the last paragraph?
  • A. Small factories are more seriously affected by the economic recession
  • B. The closing down of toy factories is not extremely serious
  • C. Only a few workers are laid off in each toy manufacturing factory
  • D. It may not be all bad for some of the toy factories to close down
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】[考点] 细节题 [解析] 由全文末段可知，一些关门的工厂是只有几十个工人的小作坊。目前，玩具业已经发展过盛，这种小型工厂关闭，在某种程度上也是整个行业的一种整合过程。
单选题 What's the main idea of the passage?
  • A. The development of toy manufacturing industry in China
  • B. The major causes of the closing down of toy factories
  • C. The present situation of toy industry in China
  • D. The connection between toy industry in China and retailers in the US
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】[考点] 主旨题 [解析] 通读全文，文章一直在讲目前中国玩具业所面临的问题和部分玩具生产商解决这些问题的方式。C．项概括最准确。A．中国玩具制造业的发展，文章并没有讲述中国玩具业的发展历史；B．玩具厂家倒闭的主要原因，这只是文章的一部分内容，答案过于片面；D．中国玩具业和美国零售业的关系。本部分内容只在第二段有所涉及，不能认定为文章主要内容。