2023年研究生考試工商管理碩士(MBA)英語2010-2022歷年真題選編帶答案難題含解析

2023年研究生考試工商管理碩士(MBA)英語2010-2022歷年真題選編帶答案難題含解析（圖片大小可自由調(diào)整）第1卷一.歷年考點試題黑鉆版(共75題)1.Withthenation'sfinancialsystemteetering(蹣跚)onacliff,thecompensationarrangementsforexecutivesofthebigbanksandotherfinancialfirmsarecomingundercloseexaminationagain.

Bankers'excessiverisk-takingisasignificantcauseofthisfinancialcrisisandhascontributedtoothersinthepast.Inthiscase,itwasfueledbylowinterestratesandkeptgoingbyafalsesenseofsecuritycreatedbyadebt-fueledbubbleintheeconomy.

Mortgagelendersgladlylentenormoussumstothosewhocouldnotaffordtopaythemback,dividingtheloansandsellingthemofftothenextfinancialinstitutionalongthechain,whichtookadvantageofthesamehigh-techsecuritization(證券化)toloadonmoreriskymortgage-basedassets.

Financialregulationwillhavetocatchupwiththemostirresponsiblepracticesthatledbanksdownthisroad,inhopesofavertingthenextcrisis,whichislikelytoinvolvedifferentfinancialtechniquesanddifferentsortsofassets.Butitisworthexaminingtherootproblemofcompensationschemesthataretiedtoshort-termprofitsandrevenue's,andthusencouragebankerstotakeirresponsiblelevelsofrisk.2.PartADirections:

Writealettertoyourcompanyaskingforfivedaysleave,statingyourreason(s),andthewaystomakeupforit.Youshouldwriteabout100words.Use"LiMing"instead.Donotwritetheaddress.3.Weaimtoensurethatallcandidatesaretreatedfairlyandthattheyhaveequal______toemploymentopportunities.A.entranceB.entryC.accessD.admission4.Statefinancialsupportgiven______scholarshipshasstimulatedthestudentstogreaterefforts.A.incaseofB.intheformofC.inviewofD.bymeansof5.中國有世界上最多的煙民。針對這個現(xiàn)象，政府有意出臺文件，實行全民禁煙。不過，有不少人覺得吸煙是公民的自由，國家不應(yīng)該禁止。請討論。6.Youwillhaveaboutthirtyminutestowriteatleast120wordsonthistask.

AsanexecutiveofHome&OfficeCenters,youfacevariouskindsofgeneralcorrespondence.NowyouareaskedtowritealetterofrecommendationregardingTomStewart,aformeremployee.HeisapplyingforapositionofheadofsecurityatDong-fangOfficeSuppliesCo.,Ltd.TheDirectorofPersonnelatDong-fangisMr.ThomasRichard.7.Itwas______hewastooclumsytodriveacarthatJimhadn'tlearnedtodrive.A.asB.forC.becauseD.becauseof8.Theboyburnedwith______toknowwhatwasintheletteraddressedtohissister.A.interestB.curiosityC.desireD.wish9.Afterayearofrecordmortgageforeclosuresandslumpinghomeprices,Americansaremoredeterminedtoshapeuptheirflabbyfinancesin2008thantheirbodies,accordingtoastudyreleasedbyCountrywideBankonTuesday.

Some67percentofthe1,002adultssurveyednationwidesaidthatbecomingfinanciallyfitisatopNewYear'sresolution,while57percentarecommittedtobecomingphysicallyfitin2008.

Bygender,womenaremoreinsecureabouttheirfinances,with37percentsayingtheyarefinanciallyfit,comparedwith55percentformen.Dadsaremoreconfidentaboutfinancesthanmoms,andsinglepeoplefeelmoresecurethanthemarried.

Geographically,U.S.Northeasternersfeltbetterabouttheirmoney,with52percentsayingtheirarefinanciallyfit.TheMidwestandSouthweretiedatthebottomwith43percentfeelingsecureaboutfinances.

CountrywideBankispartofCountrywideFinancialCorp,thelargestmortgagelenderintheUnitedStateswithabigstakeinthetroubledsubprimemortgagemarket.Ithasbeenbatteredbyescalatingloandefaults.10.Built______naturalmaterials,thehousesarebelievedtobewarm,comfortableandfriendlyplacestolive.A.fromB.withC.byD.in11.______widespreadbelief,cockroaches(蟑螂)wouldnottakeovertheworldiftherewerenoonearoundtosteponthem.A.InviewofB.ThankstoC.IncaseofD.Contraryto12.Directions:

Inthispart,youareaskedtowriteanessaybasedonthefollowingchart.Inyourwriting,youshould

1)interpretthechartand

2)giveyourcomments.

Youshouldwriteatleast150words.

WriteyouressayonANSWERSHEET2.

FinancialSourcesofCollegeStudents

1.描述中美大學(xué)生經(jīng)濟資助狀況

2.分析這種狀況的成因

3.預(yù)測中國大學(xué)生經(jīng)濟資助的可能變化

13.Itissaidthatonehundreddollarscanhardly______onenightatatophotelinShanghai.A.payB.coverC.spendD.cost14.Becauseagricultureissoimportanttoanation'swell-being,governmentshavealwaysbeenconcernedwithit.Forexample,theUnitedStatesandCanadahavelongproducedsurplusesthatcomplicatetheireconomies.Surplusestendtolowerpricestofarmersandseriouslyendangertheagricultureindustry.GovernmentshaveInstitutedsystemsofpricesupportstomaintainafairpricewhensurplusescausepricestodrop.ThesystemintheUnitedStatesisagoodexample.Agovernmentprogramsupportsthepricespaidtofarmersforgrains,andotheragriculturalproducts.

Supportpricesarebasedonparity,whichistheratiobetweenthepricesfarmersreceivefortheircropsandthepricestheymustpayforthingstheyneed.Thegovernmentselectedtheperiodfrom1910to1914asatimewhenfarmpriceswereinafairratiowithfarmingcosts.Thisisthebaseperiodnowusedtodetermineparityprices.15.Engineerslastweekfinishedaworkononeoftheworld'smostambitiousconservationprojects:adoomsdayvaultcarvedintoafrozenmountainsideinthearchipelagoofSvalbard,afewhundredmilesfromtheNorthPole.Overthenextfewweeks,thehugecavern—backedbytheNorwegiangovernmentandtheGatesFoundation—willbefilledwithmorethanamilliontypesofseedandwillbeofficiallyopenedinFebruarynextyear.

"Thiswillbethelastrefugefortheworld'scrops,"saidCaryFowler,oftheRome-basedGlobalCropDiversityTrust,whichisbuildingthevault."Thereareseedbanksinvariouscountriesroundtheglobe,butseveralhavebeendestroyedorbadlydamagedinrecentyears.Weneedaplacethatispoliticallyandenvironmentallysafeifwearegoingtofeedtheplanetasitgetshotter."

About500seedsfromabout1.5milliontypesofcrop—donatedbyindividualcountries—willbeplacedinenvelopesandabout400-500oftheseenvelopesarestoredinasinglebox.Boxeswillthenbestackedlikelibrarybooksalongshelvesinsidethevaults.16.Therearetwobasicwaystoseegrowth;oneasaproduct,theotherasaprocess.Peoplehavegenerallyviewedpersonalgrowthasanexternalresultorproductthatcaneasilybeidentifiedandmeasured.Theworkerwhogetsapromotion,thestudentwhosegradesimprove,theforeignerwholearnsanewlanguage—alltheseareexamplesofpeoplewhohavemeasurableresultstoshowfortheirefforts.

Bycontrast,theprocessofpersonalgrowthismuchmoredifficulttodetermine,sincebydefinitionitisajourneyandnotthespecificsignpostsorlandmarksalongtheway.Theprocessisnottheroaditself,butrathertheattitudesandfeelingspeoplehave,theircautionorcourage,astheyencounternewexperiencesandunexpectedobstacles.Inthisprocess,thejourneyneverreallyends;therearealwaysnewwaystoexperiencetheworld,newideastotry,newchallengestoaccept.17.Hisfatherhasbeenworkinghardformanyyearstosupporthimatuniversitysohedidnotwantto______.A.lethimoutB.lethiminC.lethimdownD.lethimaway18.ResearchbyDeborahTannenprovidesuswithsomeimportantinsightsintothedifferencesbetweenmenandwomenintermsoftheirconversationalstyles.Inparticular,shehasbeenabletoexplainwhygenderoftencreatesoralcommunicationbarriers.TheessenceofTannen’sresearchisthatmenusetalktoemphasizestatuswhereaswomenuseittocreateconnectionTannenstatesthatcommunicationisacontinualbalancingact,jugglingtheconflictingneedsforintimacyandindependence.Intimacyemphasizesclosenessandcommonalities.Independenceemphasizesseparatenessanddifferences.So,formanymen,conversationsareprimarilyameanstopreserveindependenceandmaintainstatusinahierarchicalsocialorder.Formanywomen,conversationsarenegotiationsforclosenessinwhichpeopletrytoseekandgiveconfirmationandsupport.19.Theatmosphereisasmuchapartoftheearthas______itssoilsandthewaterofitslakes,riversandoceans.A.areB.isC.doD.has20.Itookthemedicine10minutesago,butthebitternessisstill______inmymouth.A.scatteringB.feelingC.maintainingD.lingering21.Thelawyeradvisedhimtodropthe______,sincehestandslittlechancetowin.A.caseB.eventC.affairD.incident22.Hewillcometocallonyouthemomenthe______hiswork.A.willfinishB.hadfinishedC.finishesD.finished23.Theprojectrequiresmorelaborthan______becauseitisextremelydifficult.A.hasbeenputinB.havebeenputinC.beingputinD.tobeputin24.Igotaheadache.OtherwiseI______tothelecture.A.wouldgoB.wouldhavegoneC.wentD.have25.體育運動展示了運動員的技能，展現(xiàn)了其精神面貌。對于觀眾而言，哪一方面更有吸引力呢？談?wù)勀愕目捶ā?6.相信你們會認(rèn)真考慮這件事情，并努力防止再次發(fā)生類似惱人的延誤。27.Oneortwofriends______comingoverforsuppersoon.A.isB.areC.hasbeenD.whoare28.Alife-stylethatapparentlyexistsinallsocietiesismarriage--asociallysanctionedunionbetweenawomanandamanwithexpectationthattheywillplaytherolesofwifeandhusband.Afterstudyingextensivecross-culturaldata,theanthropologistGeorgeP.Murdockconcludedthatreproduction,sexualrelations,economiccooperation,andthesocializationofoffspringarefunctionsoffamiliesthroughouttheworld.WenowrecognizethatMurdockoverstatedthematter,sincethereareanumberofsocieties--forinstance,Israelikibbutzcommunities--inwhichthefamilydoesnotencompassallfouro[theseactivities.WhatMurdockdescribesarecommonlyencounteredtendenciesinfamilyfunctioninginmostcultures.

Societiesdifferinhowtheystructuremarriagerelationships.Fourpatternsarefound:monogamy,onehusbandandonewifearefound;polygyny,onehusbandandtwoormorewives;polyandry,twoormorehusbandsandonewife;andgroupmarriage,twoormorehusbandsandtwoormorewives.Althoughmonogamyexistsinallsocieties,Murdockdiscoveredthatotherformsmaybenotonlyallowedbutpreferred.Of238societiesinthissample,onlyaboutone-fifthwerestrictlymonogamous.

Polygynyhasbeenwidelypracticedthroughouttheworld.TheOldTestamentreportsthatbothKingDavidandKingSolomonhadseveralwives.Inhiscross-culturalsampleof238societies,Murdockfoundthat193ofthempermittedhusbandstotakeseveralwives.Inone-thirdofthesepolygynoussocieties,however,lessthanone-fifthofthemarriedmenhadmorethanonewife.Usuallyitisonlytherichmeninasocietywhocanaffordtosupportmorethanonefamily.

Incontrastwithpolygyny,polyandryisrareamongtheworld'ssocieties.Andinpractice,polyandryhasnotusuallyallowedfreedomofmateselectionforwomen;ithasoftenmeantsimplythatyoungerbrothershavesexualaccesstothewifeofanolderbrother.Thuswhereafatherisunabletoaffordwivesforeachofhissons,hemaysecureawifeforonlyhisoldestson.29.Williamshadnotbeenthereduringthe______momentswhenthekidnappinghadtakenplace.A.superiorB.rigorousC.vitalD.unique30.Thedestructionofthetwintowers______shockandangerthroughouttheworld.A.summonedB.temptedC.provokedD.stumbled31.Theycametotheirrescueandconvincedthesetremblingmen______safetyandhelp.A.ofB.withC.forD.as32.Whydoweengageinphilosophy?Whatisthereabouthumanbeingsthatleadsustoengageinreflectivethought,thinkingaboutquestionswhichdonotappeartoproducepracticalresults?Itcouldbearguedthatinthelongrunphilosophicalthoughtdoesproducewidespreadpracticalconsequences.Inthepoliticalrealm,forexample,thewritingsofJohnLockesignificantlyinfluencedthedevelopmentofAmericandemocracy,whilethetheoriesofKarlMarxhavebroughtintobeingaradicallynewformofgovernment.Itcouldalsobesaidthatwhatseparatesusfromtheanimalworldandfromuncivilizedhumanbeingsisjustthisintellectualendeavor,whichcouldbejustifiedasvaluableevenifonlyforitsownsake.Butthereisadeeperreasonforengaginginphilosophy,andthatisthatwesimplycannotturnawayfromcertainquestionswhichconstantlyconfrontus.Ourhumanconstitutionorourhumanconditionpredisposesustowanttoknow.ItwasLudwigWittgenstein(1889-1951)ofCambridgeUniversitywhocomparedoursituationtothatofaflyinabottle.Theflyistryingtogetoutofthebottlebutdoesnotknowhow.Thefunctionandaimofphilosophyistoshowtheflyhowtogetoutofthebottle.Forusthismeansthat,likethefly,wefeeltrappedandhavedifficultyfindingourwayout.Inourcase,thisflybottlerepresentscertainlevelsofignoranceorproblemsandquestionsthataredifficulttosolveandwelooktophilosophyforhelpinfindingourwayout.33.What,then,doesDruckersuggestarethenewknowledge-basedindustriesonwhicheconomicgrowthwilldepend?Hediscussesthreecategoriesofsuchindustries.Thefirstoftheseistheinformationindustry.Thisindustrycollects,stores,spreads,andappliesknowledgeItdependsonthecomputer.Inthefuture,however,thecomputeritselfwillprobablybecomelessimportantthancommunicatingandapplyingknowledge.Druckerforeseesacentralcomputerthatwillmakeinformationavailabletoeveryone.Anothersourceofnewindustriesisthescienceoftheoceans.Newtechnologiesmayhelptosupplyfoodandmineralsfromtheseas.Athirdnewsourceofeconomicgrowthisthematerialsindustry.Thisindustryprovidesthematerialsformakingobjects.Onesuchindustrythathasalreadybecomeeconomicallyimportantistheplasticindustry.Druckerexplainsthatthroughouthistoryourtraditionalmaterialshavebeenmetals,glass,naturalfibers,andpaper.Today,withthehelpofmodernscience,industriescanmakemanynewmaterialstomeetspecificneeds.Becausetheywillbecreatedtofitacertainproduct,theywillbehighlyefficient.Consequently,hepointsout,industriesthatsupplytraditionalmaterialssuchassteelorglasswillhavetroublecompetingwiththosethatproducethesenewmaterials.34.TheU.S.governmentplacesrigidrestrictions______thetypeofhigh-technologyproductsthatcanbeexportedtoChina.A.forB.inC.toD.on35.Whowouldhavethoughtthat,globally,theITindustryproducesaboutthesamevolumesofgreenhousegasesastheworld'sairlinesdo-rough2percentofallCO2emissions?

Manyeverydaytaskstakeasurprisingtollontheenvironment.AGooglesearchcanleakbetween0.2and7.0gramsofCO2dependingonhowmanyattemptsareneededtogetthe"right"answer.Todeliverresultstoitsusersquickly,then,Googlehastomaintainvastdatacentersroundtheworld,packedwithpowerfulcomputers.WhileproducinglargequantitiesofCO2,thesecomputersemitagreatdealofheat,sothecentersneedtobewellair-conditioned,whichusesevenmoreenergy.

However,Googleandotherbigtechprovidersmonitortheirefficiencycloselyandmakeimprovements.Monitoringisthefirststepontheroadtoreduction,hutthereismuchtobedone,andnotjustbybigcompanies.36.推薦登記37.Itisjustoneexampleofthegrowingconcernovertheincreasingpowerconsumptionandenvironmentalimpactofcomputers.Astudyfoundthatthepowerconsumptionofdatacentersdoubledbetween2000and2005,andnowaccountsfor1.2%ofAmericanelectricityconsumption,thoughotherestimatesputthefigureat4%.Companiesnowspendasmuchas10%oftheirtechnologybudgetsonenergy,saysRakeshKumarofGartner,aconsultancy.

Powerconsumptionhasincreasedbecauseoftheriseoftheinternet,ofcourse,butalsobecauseofwayinwhichcomputershavehistoricallybeendesigned:tomaximizeperformanceatallcosts.Between1996and2006,thenumberofserversinusewentfrom6millionto28millionandtheaveragepowerconsumptionofeachservergrewfrom150wattsto400watts.Butthingsarenowstartingtochangeandthecomputerindustryhasbeenseizedwithenthusiasmfor"greencomputing".38.Somepeoplebelievethatgrowingupinalargefamily,withseveralsistersandbrothers,offersmoreadvantagesthandisadvantages.Otherpeoplethinkthatbeingtheonlychildismoreadvantageous.Writeashortcompositionofabout150wordsinwhichyoudiscusstheadvantageanddisadvantagesofeachposition.Explainwhichpositionyousupport.39.Directions:

Inthispart,youareaskedtowriteanessayaccordingtotheinformationbelow.Youshouldwritemorethan150wordsneatlyonANSWERSHEET2.近年來，火車提速一直是一個熱門話題。對此，有些人持肯定態(tài)度，認(rèn)為火車提速能帶來很多便利。但也有些人持否定態(tài)度，他們認(rèn)為火車提速帶來的弊要多于利。請談?wù)勀愕目捶ā?0.Directions:Itisknownthattextmessage(手機短信)hasbothadvantagesanddisadvantages.Somepeoplethinkitisablessing,whileothersregarditasahell.Inthissection,youareaskedtowriteanessayontextmessaging.Youcantakeeitherstandandprovidespecificreasonsandexamplestosupportyouridea.Youshouldwriteatleast150wordsontheANSWERSHEET.41.Wewilladheretothestrategyofexpandingdomesticconsumptionandfocusonincreasingconsumptiondemandandstrengtheningtheroleofconsumptioninfuelingeconomicdevelopment.First,wewillstrivetoraiseurbanandruralincomes.Weneedtoadjustthedistributionofincomes,standardizethewayincomeisdistributed,andincreasetheincomeofpeopleinthelowerandmiddleincomebrackets.Toincreaseruralincomes,wewillcontinuetopursuethepolicyofgivingmore,takinglessandlooseningcontrol.Inparticular,weneedtoadoptmoremeasurestogivemorebenefitstofarmers.Alllocalgovernmentsshouldmakenecessaryadjustmentstotheminimumsalarysystemandimplementitstrictly,andintroduceaminimumhourlywagesystem.Weneedtograduallysolvetheproblemoflowwagesforruralmigrantworkersincities.Wemustestablishlawsandmechanismsforensuringthatwagesarepaidontime.WewillconscientiouslyimplementtherevisedIndividualIncomeTaxLawandlowerthetaxburdenonlow—andmiddle—incomepeople.Thisyear,thegovernmentwillappropriatelyraisebasicpensionbenefitsforretiredenterpriseemployees,subsidiesforentitledgroupsandsubsistenceallowancesforurbanresidents.42.由于實行經(jīng)濟改革，從1998年起，中國開始出現(xiàn)大批下崗工人。下崗工人的出現(xiàn)給改革的順利進行帶來了困難。請你就下崗工人的問題發(fā)表見解，并提出你的解決方案。43.我們發(fā)現(xiàn)他是一位很有能力、很負(fù)責(zé)的工作人員。我們和他的關(guān)系非常和諧。44.Directions:Inthissection,youareaskedtowriteanessaybasedonthefollowinginformation.Makecommentsandexpressyourownopinion.Youshouldwriteatleast150wordsontheANSWERSHEET.

以往許多人報考成人高校，是為圓文憑夢。如今，手持本科、碩士文憑，回頭重新考大學(xué)的大有人在。據(jù)報道，今年報名全國成人高考的上海考生中，有390名本科畢業(yè)生，15名碩士生。45.Britainhasthehighest______ofroadtrafficintheworld--over60carsforeverymileofroad.A.popularityB.densityC.intensityD.prosperity46.Itisawell-knownfactthatthereareconstantconflictsamongdifferentgroupsofpeople,andthatpeopletendtoblametheirmisfortunesonsomeoutsideothergroupsfortheirmisfortunes.Whatarethecausesofgroupprejudice?Thereseemstobelittledoubtthatoneoftheprincipalcausesofprejudiceisfear:inparticularthefearthattheinterestsofourowngrouparegoingtobeendangeredbytheactionsofanother.Thisislesslikelytobethecaseinastable,relativelyunchangingsocietyinwhichthe.membersofdifferentsocialandoccupationalgroupsknowwhattoexpectofeachother,andknowwhattoexpectforthemselves.Intimesofrapidsocialandeconomicchange,however,newoccupationsandnewsocialrolesappear,andpeoplestartlookingjealouslyateachothertoseewhethertheirowngroupisbeingleftbehind.

Onceprejudicedevelops,itishardtostop,becausethereareoftensocialforcesatworkwhichactivelyencourageunfoundedattitudesofhostilityandfeartowardsothergroups.Onesuchforceiseducation:weallknowthatchildrencanbetaughthistoryinsuchawayastoperpetuateoldhatredsandoldprejudicesbetweenracialandpoliticalgroups.Anothersocialinfluencethathastobereckonedwithisthepressureofpublicopinion.Peopleoftenthinkandactdifferentlyingroupsfromthewaythattheywoulddoasindividuals;ittakesaconsiderableeffortofwill,andoftencallsforgreatcourage,tostandoutagainstone'sfellowsandinsisttheyarewrong.47.Ofcourseyouwouldliketodoubleyourmoney.Iunderstandexactlyhowyoufeel.Thehopethatsuchathingwillhappenforthemiswhatpullshundredsofthousandsofpeopletotheracetracksandtothegamblingtableseveryday.Butthere'sonegreatdifferencebetweenthosepeopleandyou.Whentheyplaceabetonahorse,acard,oranumber,theydosowiththefullrealizationthatthemoneytheyputupwillbringthemnodividendsorinterest,andiftheyhappentobewrong,themoneyisgoneforever.Mrs.Brown,youandIhavehadsomelongsessionstogether.Youhavebeenfrankandopenwithme,trustingmeasyourcounselor,andIknowhowimportantitistoyoutopreserveeverybitofyourcapital.You'veshownmethevitalneedtokeepthatmoneyworkingforyousothatitcanproducetheincomeyouneedforyourlivingexpenses.IwouldbedoingyouaseriousdisserviceifIdidnotwarnyou,asemphaticallyasIknowhow,againstthestepyouareconsidering.48.Whenhewasastudent,hisfathergavehimamonthly______tocoverhisexpenses.A.salaryB.permissionC.allowanceD.wage49.Directions:

TranslatethefollowingtextfromEnglishintoChinese.WriteyourtranslationonANSWERSHEET2.

Gettingaproperamountofrestisabsolutelyessentialforbuildingyourenergyresources.Ifyoufrequentlyworkfarintothenightorhaveapoorsleep,itstandstoreasonthatyoumaystarttofeelalittlerundown.Thougheverybodyisdifferent,mostpeopleneedatleastseventoeighthoursofsleeppernightinordertofunctionattheirbest.

Ifyouhavebeenlackingenergy,trygoingtobedearlieratnight.Ifyoucanwakeupfeelingwell-rested,itwillbeanindicationthatyouarestartingtogetanappropriateamountofsleepatnight.Ifyousleepmorethaneighthourseverynightbutstilldon'tfeelenergetic,youmayactuallybegettingtoomuchsleep.

Onceinawhile,youareboundtohavenightswhereyoudon'tgetanadequateamountofsleep.Whenyourschedulepermitsyoucanalsoconsidertakingashortsleepduringtheday,forsometimestakinganapistheperfectwaytorechargeyourbatteries.50.inits14yearsof______theEuropeanUnionhasearnedthescornofitscitizensandskepticismfromtheUnitedStates.A.enduranceB.emergenceC.existenceD.eminence51.ThefreemarketeconomyisnodoubttheprimarystimulusthathasledtotheUnitedStates'dominanceintheworldeconomiccommunity.Bynaturallyrewardingthoseproducersthatexcel,excellenceisactivelyencouragedandthosethatinefficientlyproducegoodsorservicesareeliminated;thus,theeconomybecomesaself-sustainingandself-maintainingmachine,consistentlyandconstantlyachievingthebestpossibleresult.

Thefreemarketeconomyisentirelybasedontheprincipleofsupplyanddemand.Underthisconcept,consumersdecideforthemselveswhichcompanieswillstayinbusiness,votingwiththeirdollarsbyspendingonthosebusinessestheyconsidermostworthy.Bydoingso,thosecompaniesthatarebestliked,ormostindemand,aregrantedtheprivilegeofsupplyingthegoodsandservicesthatconsumerspayfor.Inthatsense,efficiencyisachieved.Forthosecompaniesthatbestperformtotheexpectationsofconsumersareleftprosperousinthemarket,whiletheirlessefficientcounterpartssimplydieoutofthemarket,starvedofthedollarsofconsumerswhosimplyprefernottobuytheirproducts.52.Marriagemaybeaboutlove,butdivorceisabusiness.Forglobalcouples—bornindifferentcountries,marriedinathird,nowworkingsomewhereelseandwithchildren,pensionsandotherassetssprinkledovertheworld—acontesteddivorceisblissforlawyersandanightmareforothers.

Divorcelawsvarywildly,fromcountries(suchasMalta)thatstillforbidittosomestateswhere—forthehusband,atleast—itmaybeobtainedinminutes.Rulesonthedivisionofpropertyandfuturefinancialobligationsvaryhugelytoo.Franceexpectsthepoorerparty,usuallythewife,tostartfendingforherselfalmostimmediately;EnglandandsomeAmericanstatesinsistonlifelongsupport.Somesystemslookonlyatthe"acquest"(assetsbuiltduringthemarriage);otherscountthelot.Afew,likeAustria,stilllinkcashtoblame(eg,foradultery).Japanoffersatemptinglyquickcheapbreak,but—forforeigners—littleornoenforceablecontactwiththekidsthereafter,notesJeremyMorley,aNewYork-based"internationaldivorcestrategist".Otherplacesmaybemum-friendlywhenitcomestomoneybutdad-friendlyonchildcustody.53.______hefacedthedifficultsituationcalmly.A.AshewasyoungB.YoungwasheC.YoungashewasD.Hewasyoung54.(1)IfyoubelievetheMacroeconomists,Europe'snewcommoncurrencywillbringeithereconomicchaosorthedawnofaneweraofgrowth,restructuring,andprosperity.Butforthosewhowillbedealingwiththeeuroonadailybasis,thenewcurrencyleadstoamuchmorepragmaticdilemma:justhowtoputapriceoneverythingfrombuttertoBigMacs.

There'slittledoubtthatconsumerdemandwillleadtosomepricingchanges,especiallyaftereuronotesandcoinsareissuedin2002.ConsiderMagnumicecreambars,whichUnileversellsacrossEurope.InFrancetheycostabout$2.50,whileintheNetherlandstheycost$1Pricedinguildersandfrancs,thedifferenceisn'tsonoticeable.(2)Butwhenpricedineurosbeginningnextyear,Frenchicecreamloverswillsoonfigureoutthatthey'repaying2.5timeswhattheDutcharepaying.Thesameistrueforavastnumberofproducts."Currentlywehavedifferentpricesindifferentcountries,whichisn'tsovisiblewithdifferentcurrencies,"saysGuntherMoisslofGermanmailorderhouseQuelleSchickendanz."Themomentyoupriceineuros,youcanseeit"

Ofcourse,nobodyisgoingtodriveacrossbordersjusttobuycheapericecream.Buttheyalreadydoforbig-ticketitemssuchascars.(3)Moreover,saysJanHaars,Unilevertreasurer:"Theattitudeoftheconsumertowardyourproductmaychangeifhefeelsicecreamistwiceasexpensiveathomeasitissomewhereelse."

Thus,mosteverybodythinkstheeurowillforcepricestoconverge.Volks