gate专业英语八级考试试题(2)_2

2021年1月10日发(作者：王宽诚)
专业英语八级考试试题(2)
TEXT A
Farmers in the developing world hate price fluctuations. It makes it
hard to plan ahead. But most of them have little choice: they sell at the
price the market sets. Farmers in Europe, the U.S. and Japan are luckier:
they receive massive government subsidies in the form of guaranteed
prices or direct handouts. Last month U.S. President Bush signed a new
farm bill that gives American farmers $$190 billion over the next 10 years,
or $$83 billion more than they had been scheduled to get, and pushes U.S.
agricultural support close to crazy European levels. Bush said the step
was necessary to “promote farmer independence and preserve the farm
way of life for generations”. It is also designed to help the Republican
Party win control of the Senate in November’s midterm elections.
Agricultural production in most poor countries accounts for up to
50% of GDP, compared to only 3% in rich countries. But most farmers in
poor countries grow jus
t enough for themselves and their families. Those who try exporting
to the West find their goods whacked with huge tariffs or competing
against cheaper subsidized goods. In 1999 the United Nations Conference
on Trade and Development concluded that for each dollar developing
countries receive in aid they lose up to $$14 just because of trade barriers
imposed on the export of their manufactured goods. It’s not as if the
developing world wants any favours, says Gerald Ssendwula, Uganda’s
Minister of Finance. “What we want is for the rich countries to let us
compete.”
Agriculture is one of the few areas in which the Third World can
compete. Land and labour are cheap, and as farming methods develop,
new technologies should improve output. This is no pieinthesky
speculation. The biggest success in Kenya’s economy over the past
decade has been the boom in exports of cut flowers and vegetables to
Europe. But that may all change in 2008, when Kenya will be slightly too
rich to qualify for the “leastdeveloped country” status that allows
African producers to avoid paying stiff European import duties on
selected agricultural products. With trade barriers in place, the
horticulture industry in Kenya will shrivel as quickly as a discarded rose.
And while agriculture exports remain the great hope for poor countries,
reducing trade barriers in other sectors also works: Americas African
Growth and Opportunity Act, which cuts duties on exports of everything
from handicrafts to shoes, has proved a boon to Africa’s manufacturers.
The lesson: the Third World can prosper if the rich world gives it a fair
go.
This is what makes Bush’s decision to increase farm subsidies last
month all the
more depressing. Poor countries have long suspected that the rich
world urges rade liberalization only so it can wangle its way into new
markets. Such suspicions caused the Seattle trade talks to break down
three years ago. But last November members of the World Trade
Organization, meeting in Doha, Qatar, finally agreed to a new round of
talks designed to open up global trade in agriculture and
textiles. Rich countries assured poor countries, that their concerns
were finally being addressed. Bush’s handout last month makes a lie of
America’s commitment to those talks and his personal devotion to free
trade.
16. By comparison, farmers ____ receive more government
subsidies than others.
A) in the developing world
B) in Japan
C) in Europe
D) in America
17. In addition to the economic considerations, there is a ____
motive behind Bush’s signing of the new farm bill.
A) partisan
B) social
C) financial
D) cultural

18. The message the writer attempts to convey throughout the