Unit 13
Part Ⅱ Reading Comprehension
(35 minutes)
Directions: There are 4 reading passages in this part. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A), B), C) and D). You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the centre.
Passage One
Questions 21 to 25 are based on the following passage:
Cyberspace (網絡空間)，data superhighways, multi media — for those who have seen the future, the linking of computers, television and telephones will change our lives for ever. Yet for all the talk of a forthcoming technological utopia(烏托邦) little attention has been given to the implications of these developments for the poor. As with all new high technology, while the West concerns itself with the “how,” the question of “for whom” is put aside once again.
Economists are only now realizing the full extent to which the communications revolution has affected the world economy. Information technology allows the extension of trade across geographical and industrial boundaries, and transnational corporations take full advantage of it. Terms of trade, exchange and interest rates and money movements are more important than the production of goods. The electronic economy made possible by information technology allows the haves to increase their control on global markets — with destructive impact on the have-nots. For them the result is instability. Developing countries which rely on the production of a small range of goods for export are made to feel like small parts in the international economic machine. As “futures”(期貨) are traded on computer screens, developing countries simply have less and less control of their destinies.
So what are the options for regaining control? One alterative is for developing countries to buy in the latest computers and telecommunications themselves — so-called “development communications” modernization. Yet this leads to long-term dependency and perhaps permanent constraints on developing countries' economies. Communications technology is generally exported from the U.S., Europe or Japan; the patents, skills and ability to manufacture remain in the hands of a few industrialized countries. It is also expensive, and imported products and services must therefore be bought on credit—credit usually provided by the very countries whose companies stand to gain.
Furthermore, when new technology is introduced there is often too low a level of expertise to exploit it for native development. This means that while local elites, foreign communities and subsidiaries of transnational corporations may benefit, those whose lives depend on access to the information are denied it.
21. From the passage we know that the development of high technology is in the interests of .
A) the rich countries C) the elite
B) scientific development D) the world economy
22. It can be inferred from the passage that .
A) international trade should be expanded
B) the interests of the poor countries have not been given enough considerationC) the exports of the poor countries should be increased
D) communications technology in the developing countries should be modernized
23. Why does the author say that the electronic economy may have a destructive impact on developing countries?
A) Because it enables the developed countries to control the international market.
B) Because it destroys the economic balance of the poor countries.
C) because it violates the national boundaries of the poor countries.
D) Because it inhibits the industrial growth of developing countries.
24. The development of modern communications technology in developing countries may .
A) hinder their industrial production
B) cause them to lose control of their trade
C) force them to reduce their share of exports
D) cost them their economic independence
25. The author's attitude toward the communications revolution is .
A) positive B) critical C) indifferent D) tolerant
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