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英语四级阅读模拟实战 54

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2022年05月25日

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54

Governments that want their people to prosper in the burgeoning world economy should guarantee two basic rights: the right to private property and the fight to enforceable contracts, says Mancur Olson in his book Power and Prosperity. Olson was an economics professor at the University of Maryland until his death in 1998.

Some have argued that such fights are merely luxuries that wealthy societies bestow, but Olson turns that argument around and asserts that such rights are essential to creating wealth. "Incomes are low in most of the countries of the world, in short, because the people in those countries do not have secure individual rights," he says.

Certain simple economic activities, such as food gathering and making handicrafts, rely mostly on individual labor; property is not necessary. But more advanced activities, such as the mass production of goods, require machines and factories and offices. This production is often called capital-intensive, but it is really property-intensive, Olson observes.

No one would normally engage in capital-intensive production if he or she did not have rights that kept the valuable capital from being taken by bandits, whether roving or stationary, he argues. "There is no private property without government—individuals may have possessions, the way a dog possesses a bone, but there is private property only if the society protects and defends a private right to that possession against other private parties and against the government as well."

Would-be entrepreneurs, no matter how small, also need a government and court system that will make sure people honor their contracts. In fact, the banking systems relied on by developed nations are based on just such an enforceable contract system. "We would not deposit our money in banks.., if we could not rely on the bank having to honor its contract with us, and the bank would not be able to make the profits it needs to stay in business if it could not enforce its loan contracts with borrowers," Olson writes.

Other economists have argued that the poor economies of Third World and communist countries are the result of governments setting both prices and the quantities of goods produced rather than letting a free market determine them. Olson agrees there is some merit to this point of view, but he argues that government intervention is not enough to explain the poverty of these countries. Rather, the real problem is lack of individual rights that give people incentive to generate wealth. "If a society has clear and secure individual rights, there are strong incentives(刺激,动力)to produce, invest, and engage in mutually advantageous trade, and therefore at least some economic advance," Olson concludes.

1.Which of the following is true about Olson?

A.He was a fiction writer.

B.He edited the book Power and Prosperity.

C.He taught economics at the University of Maryland.

D.He was against the ownership of private property.

2.Which of the following represents Olson's point or view?

A.Protecting individual property fights encourages wealth building.

B.Only in wealthy societies do people have secure individual rights.

C.Secure individual rights are brought about by the wealth of the society.

D.In some countries, people don't have secure individual rights because they're poor.

3.What does Olson think about mass production?

A.It's capital intensive.    B.It's property intensive.

C.It relies on individual labor.  D.It relies on individual skills.

4.What is the basis for the banking system?

A.Contract system that can be enforced.

B.People's willingness to deposit money in banks.

C.The possibility that the bank can make profits from its borrowers.

D.The fact that some people have surplus money while some need loans.

5.According to Olson, what is the reason for the poor economies of Third World countries?

A.government intervention B.lack of secure individual rights

C.being short of capital  D.lack of a free market

54

1.【答案】C。

【解析】本题的四个选项中,只有C项正确。这可以从文中第一段最后一句推出,即Olson一直在马里兰大学任经济学教授直至1998年去世。

2.【答案】A。

【解析】本题的四个选项中,只有A项正确。这可以从文中第二段第一句的后半句推出,即Olson把那个论点翻了个个儿,声称这种权利(财产权)对于创造财富至关重要。

3.【答案】B。

【解析】本题的四个选项中,只有B项正确。这可以从文中第三段的最后一句推出,即这种生产(批量生产)往往被称为资本密集型生产,但Olson认为其实这是财产密集型生产。

4.【答案】A。

【解析】本题的四个选项中,只有A项正确。这可以从文中第五段的第二句推出,即银行体系的基础就是银行与其客户之间的协议可以得到执行。

5.【答案】B。

【解析】本题的四个选项中,只有B项正确。这可以从文中的最后一段推出,即Olson认为第三世界国家贫困的真正原因在于人们没有个人权利,也就没有动力去创造财富。

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