单选题
People find it hard to like businesses once they grow
beyond a certain size. Banks that were "too big to fail" sparked a global
economic crisis and burned bundles of taxpayers' cash. Big retailers such as
Walmart and Tesco squeeze suppliers and crush small rivals. Some big British
firms minimize their tax bills so aggressively that they provoke
outrage. It is shrewd politics to champion the little guy. But
the popular fetish for small business is at odds with economic reality. Big
firms are generally more productive, offer higher wages and pay more taxes than
small ones. Economies dominated by small firms are often sluggish.
Countries such as Greece, Italy and Portugal have lots of small firms
which, thanks to burdensome regulations, have failed to grow. Firms with at
least 250 workers account for less than half the share of manufacturing jobs in
these countries than they do in Germany, the euro zone's strongest economy. For
all the support around small business, it is economies with lots of biggish
companies that have been able to sustain the highest living standards.
Big firms can reap economies of scale. A big factory uses far less cash
and labor to make each car or steel pipe than a small workshop. Big supermarkets
such as the Walmart offer a wider range of highquality goods at lower prices
than any corner store. Size allows specialization, which fosters
innovation. Big firms have their flaws, of course. They can be
slow to respond to customers' needs, changing tastes or innovative technology.
To idolize big firms would be as unwise as to idolize small ones.
Rather than focusing on size, policymakers should look at growth. One of
the reasons why everyone loves small firms is that they create more jobs than
big ones. But many small businesses stay small indefinitely. The link between
small firms and jobs growth relies entirely on new start-ups, which are usually
small, and which by definition create new jobs. Rather than
spooning out subsidies and regulatory favors to small firms, governments should
concentrate on removing barriers to expansion. In parts of Europe, for example,
small firms are exemptedfrom the most burdensome social regulations. {{U}}This{{/U}}
gives them an incentive to stay small. Far better to abolish burdensome rules
for all firms. The same goes for differential tax rates, such as Britain's, and
the separate bureaucracy America maintains to deal with small businesses. In a
healthy economy, entrepreneurs with ideas can easily start companies, the best
of which grow fast and the worst of which are quickly swept aside. Size doesn't
matter. Growth does.
单选题
According to Paragraph 1, the British are angered by ______.
A. the banks that were too big to go bankrupt
B. Walmart that presses its suppliers
C. Tesco that oppresses its small competitors
D. big companies that reduce their tax payments sharply
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】[考点] 事实细节题
[解析] 根据第一段最后一句“Some big British firms minimise their tax bills so aggressively that they provoke outrage”，可以推断一些大型的英国公司削减税款的幅度过大，以致激起了公愤，所以D正确。根据该段的第二句和第三句可知，“大而不倒”的银行，以及沃尔玛和乐购的所作所为是人们难以喜欢大公司的原因，但并非英国人被激怒的原因，所以A、B、C均排除。
单选题
Why can't the small enterprises expand in Italy?
A. Due to too many rules
B. Because of less cash
C. For insufficient employees
D. Owing to low-quality goods
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】[考点] 事实细节题
[解析] 由第三段第一句“Countries such as Greece, Italy and Portugal have lots of small firms which, thanks to burdensome regulations, have failed to grow”可知，意大利拥有许多小公司，但由于烦琐的法规，这些企业难以发展，因此A为正确选项。第四段第二句提到“far less cash and labour”，但这里指的是与小作坊相比，大工厂生产的每辆汽车或每根钢管所用的资金和劳力要少得多，所以排除B、C；第四段第三句提到“high-quality goods”，指的是与街头小店相比，大型超市能以更低的价格提供更多种类的高质量商品，但这并不意味着意大利的小公司不能与扩大规模是由于其产品质量比大公司低，所以排除D。
单选题
The connection between small companies and jobs growth depends
completely on ______.