A history of long and effortless success can be a dreadful handicap, but, if properly handled, it may become a driving force. When the United States entered just such a glowing period after the end of the Second World War, it had a market eight times larger than any competitor, giving its industries unparalleled economies of scale. Its scientists were the world's best, its workers the most skilled. America and Americans were prosperous beyond the dreams of the Europeans and Asians whose economies the war had destroyed.
It was inevitable that this primacy should have narrowed as other countries grew richer. Just as inevitably, the retreat from predominance proved painful. By the mid-1980s Americans had found themselves at a loss over their fading industrial competitiveness. Some huge American industries, such as consumer electronics, had shrunk or vanished in the face of foreign competition. By 1987 there was only one American television maker left, Zenith. (Now there is none: Zenith was bought by R.O. Korea's LG Electronics in July.) Foreign-made cars and textiles were sweeping into the domestic market. America's machine-tool industry was on the ropes. For a while it looked as though the making of semiconductors, which America had invented and which sat at the heart of the new computer age, was going to be the next casualty.
All of this caused a crisis of confidence. Americans stopped taking prosperity for granted. They began to believe that their way of doing business was failing, and that their incomes would therefore shortly begin to fall as well. The mid-1980s brought one inquiry after another into the causes of America's industrial decline. Their sometimes sensational findings were filled with warnings about the growing competition from overseas.
How things have changed! In 1995 the United States can look back on five years of solid growth while Japan has been struggling. Few Americans attribute this solely to such obvious causes as a devalued dollar or the turning of the business cycle. Self-doubt has yielded to blind pride. "American industry has changed its structure, has gone on a diet, has learnt to be more quick-witted," according to Richard Cavanagh, executive dean of Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. " It makes me proud to be an American just to see how our businesses are improving their productivity," says Stephen Moore of the Cato Institute, a think-tank in Washington, and William Sahlman of the Harvard Business School believes that people will look back on this period as "a golden age of business management in the United States."
1.The U.S. achieved its predominance after World War because_______.
A.it had made painstaking efforts towards this goal
B.its domestic market was eight times larger than before
C.the war had destroyed the economies of most potential competitors
D.the unparalleled size of its workforce had given an impetus to its economy
2.The loss of U.S. predominance in the world economy in the 1980s is manifested in the fact that the American_______.
A.TV industry had withdrawn to its domestic market
B.semiconductor industry had been taken over by foreign enterprises
C.machine-tool industry had collapsed after suicidal actions
D.auto industry had lost part of its domestic market
3.What can be inferred from the passage?
A.It is human nature to shift between self-doubt and blind pride.
B.Intense competition may contribute to economic progress.
C.The revival of the economy depends on international cooperation.
D.A long history of success may pave the way for further development.
4.The author seems to believe the revival of the U.S. economy in the 1990s can be attributed to the_______.
A.turning of the business cycle B.restructuring of industry
C.improved business management D.success in education
5.Which industry in America could only still keep prosperous by 1987?
A.Television. B.Car. C.Textile. D.Machine-tool.
長難例句分析
［長難例句］For a while it looked as though the making of semiconductors, which America had invented and which sat at the heart of the new computer age, was going to be the next casualty.
［結構分析］本句中，as though（=as if）引導的是狀語從句。在這個狀語從句中，the making of semiconductors was going to be the next casualty是句子的主干，which引導了一個非限制性定語從句，用來修飾從句中的主語。
［參考譯文］曾有一段時間，似乎半導體制造是另一個瀕臨覆滅的產業(yè)，要知道半導體正是美國人所發(fā)明的，它在計算機時代起著核心作用。
全文參考譯文
擁有一段不經努力就獲得成功的歷史可能會成為一種可怕的不利因素，但是，如果處理得當，亦可能成為一種推動力。二戰(zhàn)結束后，美國剛好進入了這樣一段輝煌的時期，其市場比任何競爭者的至少大8倍，這為美國工業(yè)經濟的發(fā)展提供了從未有過的規(guī)模。美國科學家是世界上最棒的，其工人也是技術最熟練的。美國的繁榮是那些經濟被戰(zhàn)爭摧毀的歐亞諸國做夢也沒有想到的。
但隨著其他國家日趨富強，（美國）這種龍頭地位江河日下是顯然的。優(yōu)勢漸遠的感覺讓人痛苦亦是必然的。至20世紀80年代中期，美國人對日趨衰退的工業(yè)競爭能力迷惑不解。一些像消費電子產品之類的大工業(yè)在面對國外的競爭時已經萎縮或逐漸消失。到1987年，僅剩下Zenith一家電視制造商（而如今一家也沒有了；Zenith于當年7月被韓國LG電器公司收買）。外國制造的轎車和紡織品正蜂擁進入美國市場。美國機床工業(yè)處于危難之中。曾有一段時間，似乎半導體制造是另一個瀕臨覆滅的產業(yè)，要知道半導體正是美國人所發(fā)明的，它在計算機時代起著核心作用。
所有這一切導致了一種信心危機。美國人不再把繁榮當成是理所當然的事。他們開始認為自己缺乏經濟頭腦，他們認為他們的收入不久亦將下跌。在20世紀80年代中期，對美國工業(yè)走下坡路的原因作了一次又一次的調查。驚人的發(fā)現(xiàn)不時地在他們耳邊充斥的是這樣的警告——海外的競爭壓力愈來愈烈。
情況改變得多快呀！1995年當日本還在奮力拼搏的時候，美國就可以追憶這5年來穩(wěn)固發(fā)展的歷史了。很少有美國人把這一巨變完全歸咎于美元貶值和商業(yè)周期的循環(huán)這些明顯原因。人們不再自我否定，取而代之的是盲目的驕傲。借用哈佛大學肯尼迪管理學院行政院長Richard Cavanagh的話說：“美國的工業(yè)改變了結構，消除了臃腫，學得更加明智。”來自華盛頓特區(qū)的智囊團——卡托研究院的Stephen Moore說：“當我看到我們的企業(yè)在提高生產率時，作為一個美國人我感到驕傲?！惫鹕虒W院的William Sahlman認為，人們將會把這個時期當做美國企業(yè)管理的“黃金時代”來追憶。
題目答案與解析
1.美國于第二次世界大戰(zhàn)后取得了領先地位的原因是，________。
A.它為實現(xiàn)這個目標付出了艱苦努力
B.它的國內市場比以前大8倍
C.第二次世界大戰(zhàn)摧毀了大多數(shù)潛在競爭對手的經濟
D.它的空前規(guī)模的勞動大軍促進了經濟的發(fā)展
【答案】C
【解析】本題可參照文章的第一段。C項與文中America and Americans were prosperous beyond the dreams of the Europeans and Asians whose economies the war had destroyed的意思相符，因此C項為正確答案。
2.美國于20世紀80年代失去了在世界經濟中的領先地位，美國的_______的事實證實了這一點。
A.電視產業(yè)已經萎縮到國內市場 B.半導體產業(yè)已經被外國公司取代
C.機床產業(yè)在采取自殺行動后崩潰了 D.汽車制造業(yè)失去了部分國內市場
【答案】D
【解析】本題可參照文章的第二段。從中可知，由于其他國家逐漸富強起來，美國的領先地位不可避免地被削弱了；到20世紀80年代中期，美國人發(fā)覺自己對其日趨衰退的產業(yè)競爭力無計可施；面對國外的競爭，一些大型產業(yè)已經萎縮或倒閉，比如消費電子業(yè)；到1987年時，美國的電視制造業(yè)只剩下Zenith一家（如今，連一家也沒有了：韓國的LG電子集團于7月收購了Zenith）；外國制造的汽車和紡織品也在涌入美國的國內市場；美國的機床產業(yè)也岌岌可危；美國的半導體制造業(yè)也似乎要崩潰。據(jù)此可知，20世紀80年代，美國失去了在世界經濟中的領先地位，許多企業(yè)受到影響，外國制造的汽車和紡織品涌入美國國內市場，使其失去了部分國內市場。D項與文章意思相符，因此為正確答案。
3.我們從本文可以推知什么？
A.在自我懷疑和盲目驕傲之間來回轉變是人的本性。
B.激烈競爭可以促進經濟的發(fā)展。
C.經濟的復蘇取決于國際合作。
D.持續(xù)成功的歷史可能為進一步的發(fā)展鋪平道路。
【答案】B
【解析】從文章第二段的內容可知，由于其他國家逐漸富強起來，美國的領先地位不可避免地被削弱了；到20世紀80年代中期，美國人發(fā)覺自己對其日趨衰退的產業(yè)競爭力無計可施；從第三段的內容可知，所有這一切引發(fā)了美國人的信心危機；美國人不再把繁榮看成是理所當然的事，他們開始認為自己缺乏經濟頭腦，開始相信自己的收入不久也會因此而下降；20世紀80年代中期，對美國經濟走下坡路的原因作了一次又一次的調查，驚人地發(fā)現(xiàn)不時在他們耳邊充斥的是這樣的警告——來自海外的競爭壓力越來越大。據(jù)此可知，一個國家的經濟是衰退還是繁榮都是由于競爭所導致的。B項與文章的意思相符，因此為正確答案。
4.作者好像認為，美國20世紀90年代經濟的復興可能歸因于________。
A.商業(yè)周期循環(huán)的轉變 B.產業(yè)重組
C.企業(yè)管理的改善 D.教育方面的成功
【答案】A
【解析】本題可參照文章的第四段。從中可知，1995年，美國的經濟已連續(xù)5年穩(wěn)步增長，而日本卻一直在苦苦掙扎；幾乎沒有美國人把這些增長僅僅歸因于美元的貶值或者商業(yè)周期循環(huán)這些顯而易見的原因；人們不再自我懷疑，開始盲目驕傲；Richard Cavanagh說，“美國已經改變了它的產業(yè)結構，消除了臃腫，學得更加明智”；William Sahlman認為，回顧歷史時，人們會把這段時期看成是“美國企業(yè)管理的黃金時代”。據(jù)此可知，作者認為美國經濟的復興可能是因為美元的貶值或者商業(yè)周期的循環(huán)。A項與文章的意思相符，因此為正確答案。
5.在1987年前美國只有什么行業(yè)仍能保持繁榮？
A.電視?！.轎車?！.紡織品。 D.機床。
【答案】A
【解析】本文考查對細節(jié)部分的理解。第二部分的后面部分提供了信息。
