《考研英語閱讀理解100篇 高分版》 Unit 15 - TEXT FOUR

Chris Smith, coowner of a small bookshop in Canada, assumed his customers would remain loyal even as the rapid appreciation of the Canadian dollar against its American counterpart made a mockery of the gap between the twin prices printed on the covers of American books. But when Mr. Smith asked a few regulars, he was shocked to find that they were going online to buy American books from retailers south of the border. In an effort to keep his existing trade, he now uses the much lower American figure as the Canadian price, even though this means selling American books at a loss.
At least this has moved Mr. Smith safely to the sidelines as angry Canadians rebel against paying higher prices for American goods now that the loonie has met and surpassed the value of the greenback. The Canadian dollar has been rising steadily against the American dollar since 2002, when it hit a historic low of about $0.62. But this year it has soared by almost 25%, owing to a combination of the American currency's weakness and the high prices of Canadian exports such as oil, gas and metals. Consumer grumbling became a roar when the gap between the two dollars closed in late September, making it easy for shoppers north of the border to see how much more they were paying.
Talk of hundreds of thousands of Canadians streaming south in search of bargains captured the headlines. Many went. But cross-border shopping is easier in theory than it is in practice. Canada has stringent limits on the amount shoppers can bring home without paying sales taxes and other duties. Headlights and bumpers on some American cars must be modified for use in Canada. And some firms refuse to honour warranties on imported goods. All this is too much for many shoppers, who have either turned on their local retailers and demanded immediate discounts, or turned to the Internet, where goods such as books are easy to buy. Canada Post, the state-owned postal service, has had to add extra shifts at its international mail-sorting centres as a result.
The government hopes that the reduction in January of the national goods and services tax from 6% to 5% will help, and Jim Flaherty, the finance minister, has called upon retailers to speed up price reductions. David Dodge, the central bank governor, was more nuanced in his comments, urging Canadians to shop around for the best deal, but also pointing out that prices will never be exactly the same on both sides of the border because there is less competition in Canada. State-owned liquor boards in many provinces, for example, have monopolies. When it comes to passing on currency savings, liquor boards are the worst offenders.
Retailers who face competition have been forced to react, even as they blame wholesalers and distributors, or inventory lag. In the past month, large American-owned chains such as Wal-Mart have announced new prices for products imported from America.
Will all this placate angry consumers? Perhaps. A recent poll by Ipsos Reid showed that most understood that it would take time for Canadian prices to match those in America. But it might not happen. Just as the introduction of the single currency in Europe exposed differences in taxation and regulation among countries, the same is likely to occur in Canada, says Mr. Orr. Then it will be the government's turn to deal with consumer complaints.
1. About the two prices printed on the covers of American books, which one of the following statements is TRUE?
[A] The American one and the Canadian one are the same.
[B] The American one is usually lower than the Canadian one.
[C] The two prices reflect the continuing appreciation of the Canadian currency.
[D] They are fluctuating with the exchange rate.
2. As reported by the newspapers, thousands of Canadian streaming south in order to _____.
[A] make better deals than buying expensive imported products
[B] make their purchases without paying too much tax
[C] buy cheaper American goods
[D] bargain with the government for cross-boarder shopping
3. Cross-border shopping is easier in theory than in practice due to the following reasons except that _____.
[A] the government has strict limits on the amount of shoppers who can shop across boarder without paying extra taxes
[B] the standards of some goods are different in two countries
[C] the goods bought across boarder are not guaranteed sometimes
[D] Canada has established some regulations on cross-border shopping
4. Which one of the following statements is TRUE of the opinion expressed by the central bank governor?
[A] People should shop around the country to make the best deal.
[B] The government does not have the obligation to encourage competition in domestic market.
[C] The Canadian price does not necessarily have to meet the American price.
[D] Canadian consumers should accept the high price of national goods.
5. Liquor boards are the worst offenders when it passes on currency savings because _____.
[A] they will suffer the most when it passes on currency savings
[B] Canadians will go elsewhere to buy liquors
[C] liquor is charged with a too high price
[D] liquor boards are reluctant to have price reductions