第二篇Newsweek: Asian Wisdom
For most of the 20th century, Asia asked itself what it could learn from the modern, innovating West. Now the question must be reversed: what can the West’s overly indebted and sluggish nations learn from a flourishing Asia?
Just a few decades ago, Asia’s two giants were stagnating under faulty economic ideologies. (57) However, once China began embracing free-market reforms in the 1980s, followed by India in the 1990s, both countries achieved rapid growth. Crucially, as they opened up their markets, they balanced market economy with sensible government direction. As the Indian economist Amartya Sen has wisely said, “The invisible hand of the market has often relied heavily on the visible hand of government.”
Contrast this levelheaded middle path with America and Europe, which have each gone ideologically overboard in their own ways. (58) Since the 1980s, America has been increasingly clinging to the ideology of uncontrolled free markets and dismissing the role of government—following Ronald Reagan’s idea that “government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem.” (59) Of course, when the markets came crashing down in 2007, it was decisive government intervention that saved the day. Despite this fACT, many Americans still strongly opposed to “big government,”
If Americans could only free themselves from their antigovernment straitjackets, they would begin to see that the U.S.’s problems are not insoluble. A few sensible federal measures could put the country back on the right path. A simple consumption tax of, say, 5 percent would make a significant dent in the country’s huge government deficit without damaging productivity. A small gasoline tax would help wean America from its dependence on oil imports and create incentives for GREen energy development. In the same way, a significant reduction of wasteful agricultural subsidies and other earmarks could also lower the deficit. (60) But in order to take advantage of these common-sense solutions, Americans will have to put aside their own attachment to the idea of smaller government and less regulation. American politicians will have to develop the courage to follow what is taught in all American public-policy schools: that there are good taxes and bad taxes. Asian countries have embraced this wisdom, and have built sound long-term fiscal policies as a result.
(61) Meanwhile, Europe has fallen prey to a different ideological trap: the belief that European governments would always have infinite resources and could continue borrowing as if there were no tomorrow. Unlike the Americans, who felt that the markets knew best, the Europeans failed to anticipate how the markets would reACT to their endless borrowing. Today, the EU is creating a $580 billion fund to ward off sovereign collapse. This will buy the EU time, but it will not solve the bloc’s larger problem.
57. What has contributed to the rapid economic growth in China and India?
A. Copying western-style economic behavior.
B. Heavy reliance on the hand of government.
C. Timely reform of government at all levels.
D. Free market plus government intervention.
答案：D
解析：用China和India定位至二段第二句（同时也是however后的重点信息），该句提到八十年代中国和印度先后实行市场改革之后都获得了发展，下句用crucially同时引出发展的另一个因素即政府的指引。D选项融合了这个两个重要因素。
58. What does Ronald Reagan mean by saying “government is the problem” (Line 4, Para 3)?
A. Many social ills are caused by wrong government policies.
B. Many social problems arise from government inefficiency.
C. Government ACTion is key to solving economic problems.
D. Government regulation hinders economic development.
答案：D
解析：定位至第三段第二句，该句内部已经提到美国一直坚持自由市场、忽视政府的角色，该段末两句提到尽管2007年政府干预拯救了市场、许多美国人仍然反对政府管理。结合定位句本身可推出大部分美国人不认可政府对市场和经济的作用，D选项即是此意。另外三个选项虽然都在否定政府，但具体细节是从定位句前后无从得出的。
59. What stopped the American economy from collapsing in 2007?
A. Self-regulatory repair mechanisms of the free market.
B. Cooperation between the government and businesses.
C. Abandonment of big government by the public.
D. Effective measures adopted by the government.
答案：D
解析：用2007和collapse定位至第三段倒数第二句，该句后半用强调句形式指出2007年正式政府坚决的干预拯救了经济，D选项即是此意。Effective measures意指原文的decisive intervention。
60. What is the author’s suggestion to the American public in face of the government deficit?
A. They urge the government to revise its existing public policies.
B. They develop GREen energy to avoid dependence on oil import.
C. They give up the idea of smaller government and less regulation.
D. They put up with the inevitable sharp increase of different taxes.
答案：C
解析：由deficit可定位至第四段中部。从第三句开始作者开始列举具体建议，但重点出现在第六句首的But处，其后作者强调所有这些建议都需要美国人将自己淡化政府、减少规章的想法放到一边。C选项是这句话的改写。give up改写原文的put aside。
61. What’s the problem with the European Union?
A. Conservative ideology
B. Shrinking market.
C. Lack of resources.
D. Excessive borrowing.
答案：D
解析：由European Union定位至末段。末段首句提及欧洲人陷入了一些错误的信念之中，诸如资源无限、不停借钱等等。后几句持续提到具体的借钱行为和数额。D选项即是此意。
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