精品学习网收集整理了，2013年考研英语阅读理解经典练习（经济学类），希望对大家有所帮助！

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[经济学类]

Recentyearshavebroughtminority-ownedbusinessesintheUnitedStatesunprecedentedopportunities—aswellasnewandsignificantrisks.CivilrightsactivistshavelongarguedthatoneoftheprincipalreasonswhyBlacks,Hispanics,andotherminoritygroupshavedifficultyestablishingthemselvesinbusinessisthattheylackaccesstothesizableordersandsubcontractsthataregeneratedbylargecompanies.NowCongress,inapparentagreement,hasrequiredbylawthatbusinessesawardedfederalcontractsofmorethan$500,000dotheirbesttofindminoritysubcontractorsandrecordtheireffortstodosoonformsfiledwiththegovernment.Indeed,somefederalandlocalagencieshavegonesofarastosetspecificpercentagegoalsforapportioningpartsofpublicworkscontractstominorityenterprises.

Corporateresponseappearstohavebeensubstantial.Accordingtofigurescollectedin1977,thetotalofcorporatecontractswithminoritybusinessesrosefrom$77millionin1972to$1.1billionin1977.Theprojectedtotalofcorporatecontractswithminoritybusinessesfortheearly1980’sisestimatedtobeover53billionperyearwithnoletupanticipatedinthenextdecade.

Promisingasitisforminoritybusinesses,thisincreasedpatronageposesdangersforthem,too.First,minorityfirmsriskexpandingtoofastandoverextendingthemselvesfinancially,sincemostaresmallconcernsand,unlikelargebusinesses,theyoftenneedtomakesubstantialinvestmentsinnewplants,staff,equipment,andthelikeinordertoperformworksubcontractedtothem.If,thereafter,theirsubcontractsareforsomereasonreduced,suchfirmscanfacepotentiallycripplingfixedexpenses.Theworldofcorporatepurchasingcanbefrustratingforsmallentrepreneurswhogetrequestsforelaborateformalestimatesandbids.Bothconsumevaluabletimeandresources,andasmallcompany’seffortsmustsoonresultinorders,orboththemoraleandthefinancialhealthofthebusinesswillsuffer.

AsecondriskisthatWhite-ownedcompaniesmayseektocashinontheincreasingapportionmentsthroughformationofjointventureswithminority-ownedconcerns.Ofcourse,inmanyinstancestherearelegitimatereasonsforjointventures;clearly,Whiteandminorityenterprisescanteamuptoacquirebusinessthatneithercouldacquirealone.ButcivilrightsgroupsandminoritybusinessownershavecomplainedtoCongressaboutminoritiesbeingsetupas“fronts”withWhitebacking,ratherthanbeingacceptedasfullpartnersinlegitimatejointventures.

Third,aminorityenterprisethatsecuresthebusinessofonelargecorporatecustomeroftenrunthedangerofbecoming-andremaining-dependent.Eveninthebestofcircumstances,fiercecompetitionfromlarger,moreestablishedcompaniesmakesitdifficultforsmallconcernstobroadentheircustomerbases:whensuchfirmshavenearlyguaranteedordersfromasinglecorporatebenefactor,theymaytrulyhavetostruggleagainstcomplacencyarisingfromtheircurrentsuccess.

1.Theprimarypurposeofthetextisto

[A]presentacommonplaceideaanditsinaccuracies.

[B]describeasituationanditspotentialdrawbacks.

[C]proposeatemporarysolutiontoaproblem.

[D]analyzeafrequentsourceofdisagreement.

2.Thetextsuggeststhatthefailureofalargebusinesstohaveitsbidsforsubcontractsresultquicklyinordersmightcausesitto

[A]experiencefrustrationbutnotseriousfinancialharm.

[B]facepotentiallycripplingfixedexpenses.

[C]havetorecorditseffortsonformsfiledwiththegovernment.

[D]increaseitsspendingwithminoritysubcontractors.

3.Itcanbeinferredfromthetextthat,comparedwiththerequirementsoflaw,thepercentagegoalssetby“somefederalandlocalagencies”(line9,paragraph1)are

[A]morepopularwithlargecorporations.

[B]moreconcrete.

[C]lesscontroversial.

[D]lessexpensivetoenforce.

4.Whichofthefollowing,iftrue,wouldmostweakentheauthor’sassertionthat,inthe1970’s,corporateresponsetofederalrequirements(line1,paragraph2)wassubstantial?

[A]Corporatecontractswithminority-ownedbusinessestotaled$2billionin1979.

[B]Between1970and1972,corporatecontractswithminority-ownedbusinessesdeclinedby25percent.

[C]Thefigurescollectedin1977underrepresentedtheextentofcorporatecontractswithminority-ownedbusinesses.

[D]The$1.1billionrepresentedthesamepercentageoftotalcorporatespendingin1977asdid$77millionin1972.

5.Theauthorwouldmostlikelyagreewithwhichofthefollowingstatementsaboutcorporateresponsetoworkingwithminoritysubcontractors?

[A]Annoyedbytheproliferationof“front”organizations,corporationsarelikelytoreducetheireffortstoworkwithminority-ownedsubcontractorsinthenearfuture.

[B]Althoughcorporationsshowedconsiderableinterestinworkingwithminoritybusinessesinthe1970’s,theiraversiontogovernmentpaperworkmadethemreluctanttopursuemanygovernmentcontracts.

[C]Thesignificantresponseofcorporationsinthe1970’sislikelytobesustainedandconceivablybeincreasedthroughoutthe1980’s.

[D]Althoughcorporationsareeagertocooperatewithminority-ownedbusinesses,ashortageofcapitalinthe1970’smadesubstantialresponseimpossible.