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.
长难例句分析
［长难例句］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.
［结构分析］本句中，as though（=as if）引导的是状语从句。在这个状语从句中，the making of semiconductors was going to be the next casualty是句子的主干，which引导了一个非限制性定语从句，用来修饰从句中的主语。
［参考译文］曾有一段时间，似乎半导体制造是另一个濒临覆灭的产业，要知道半导体正是美国人所发明的，它在计算机时代起着核心作用。
全文参考译文
拥有一段不经努力就获得成功的历史可能会成为一种可怕的不利因素，但是，如果处理得当，亦可能成为一种推动力。二战结束后，美国刚好进入了这样一段辉煌的时期，其市场比任何竞争者的至少大8倍，这为美国工业经济的发展提供了从未有过的规模。美国科学家是世界上最棒的，其工人也是技术最熟练的。美国的繁荣是那些经济被战争摧毁的欧亚诸国做梦也没有想到的。
但随着其他国家日趋富强，（美国）这种龙头地位江河日下是显然的。优势渐远的感觉让人痛苦亦是必然的。至20世纪80年代中期，美国人对日趋衰退的工业竞争能力迷惑不解。一些像消费电子产品之类的大工业在面对国外的竞争时已经萎缩或逐渐消失。到1987年，仅剩下Zenith一家电视制造商（而如今一家也没有了；Zenith于当年7月被韩国LG电器公司收买）。外国制造的轿车和纺织品正蜂拥进入美国市场。美国机床工业处于危难之中。曾有一段时间，似乎半导体制造是另一个濒临覆灭的产业，要知道半导体正是美国人所发明的，它在计算机时代起着核心作用。
所有这一切导致了一种信心危机。美国人不再把繁荣当成是理所当然的事。他们开始认为自己缺乏经济头脑，他们认为他们的收入不久亦将下跌。在20世纪80年代中期，对美国工业走下坡路的原因作了一次又一次的调查。惊人的发现不时地在他们耳边充斥的是这样的警告——海外的竞争压力愈来愈烈。
情况改变得多快呀！1995年当日本还在奋力拼搏的时候，美国就可以追忆这5年来稳固发展的历史了。很少有美国人把这一巨变完全归咎于美元贬值和商业周期的循环这些明显原因。人们不再自我否定，取而代之的是盲目的骄傲。借用哈佛大学肯尼迪管理学院行政院长Richard Cavanagh的话说：“美国的工业改变了结构，消除了臃肿，学得更加明智。”来自华盛顿特区的智囊团——卡托研究院的Stephen Moore说：“当我看到我们的企业在提高生产率时，作为一个美国人我感到骄傲。”哈佛商学院的William Sahlman认为，人们将会把这个时期当做美国企业管理的“黄金时代”来追忆。
题目答案与解析
1.美国于第二次世界大战后取得了领先地位的原因是，________。
A.它为实现这个目标付出了艰苦努力
B.它的国内市场比以前大8倍
C.第二次世界大战摧毁了大多数潜在竞争对手的经济
D.它的空前规模的劳动大军促进了经济的发展
【答案】C
【解析】本题可参照文章的第一段。C项与文中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项为正确答案。
2.美国于20世纪80年代失去了在世界经济中的领先地位，美国的_______的事实证实了这一点。
A.电视产业已经萎缩到国内市场 B.半导体产业已经被外国公司取代
C.机床产业在采取自杀行动后崩溃了 D.汽车制造业失去了部分国内市场
【答案】D
【解析】本题可参照文章的第二段。从中可知，由于其他国家逐渐富强起来，美国的领先地位不可避免地被削弱了；到20世纪80年代中期，美国人发觉自己对其日趋衰退的产业竞争力无计可施；面对国外的竞争，一些大型产业已经萎缩或倒闭，比如消费电子业；到1987年时，美国的电视制造业只剩下Zenith一家（如今，连一家也没有了：韩国的LG电子集团于7月收购了Zenith）；外国制造的汽车和纺织品也在涌入美国的国内市场；美国的机床产业也岌岌可危；美国的半导体制造业也似乎要崩溃。据此可知，20世纪80年代，美国失去了在世界经济中的领先地位，许多企业受到影响，外国制造的汽车和纺织品涌入美国国内市场，使其失去了部分国内市场。D项与文章意思相符，因此为正确答案。
3.我们从本文可以推知什么？
A.在自我怀疑和盲目骄傲之间来回转变是人的本性。
B.激烈竞争可以促进经济的发展。
C.经济的复苏取决于国际合作。
D.持续成功的历史可能为进一步的发展铺平道路。
【答案】B
【解析】从文章第二段的内容可知，由于其他国家逐渐富强起来，美国的领先地位不可避免地被削弱了；到20世纪80年代中期，美国人发觉自己对其日趋衰退的产业竞争力无计可施；从第三段的内容可知，所有这一切引发了美国人的信心危机；美国人不再把繁荣看成是理所当然的事，他们开始认为自己缺乏经济头脑，开始相信自己的收入不久也会因此而下降；20世纪80年代中期，对美国经济走下坡路的原因作了一次又一次的调查，惊人地发现不时在他们耳边充斥的是这样的警告——来自海外的竞争压力越来越大。据此可知，一个国家的经济是衰退还是繁荣都是由于竞争所导致的。B项与文章的意思相符，因此为正确答案。
4.作者好像认为，美国20世纪90年代经济的复兴可能归因于________。
A.商业周期循环的转变 B.产业重组
C.企业管理的改善 D.教育方面的成功
【答案】A
【解析】本题可参照文章的第四段。从中可知，1995年，美国的经济已连续5年稳步增长，而日本却一直在苦苦挣扎；几乎没有美国人把这些增长仅仅归因于美元的贬值或者商业周期循环这些显而易见的原因；人们不再自我怀疑，开始盲目骄傲；Richard Cavanagh说，“美国已经改变了它的产业结构，消除了臃肿，学得更加明智”；William Sahlman认为，回顾历史时，人们会把这段时期看成是“美国企业管理的黄金时代”。据此可知，作者认为美国经济的复兴可能是因为美元的贬值或者商业周期的循环。A项与文章的意思相符，因此为正确答案。
5.在1987年前美国只有什么行业仍能保持繁荣？
A.电视。 B.轿车。 C.纺织品。 D.机床。
【答案】A
【解析】本文考查对细节部分的理解。第二部分的后面部分提供了信息。
