【正文】 really prepared to take business on and push hard for reform? Despite the set jaw and aggrieved tone in New York. Probably not. Mr. Bush thinks the current crisis stems from a few badapple chief executives rather than the system as a whole. Hence he focus on tough penalties for corrupt businessmen and his plea for higher ethical standards. The president announced the creation of a financialcrimes SWAT team, at the Justice Department to root out corporate fraud, and wants to double the maximum prison sentence for financial fraud from five to ten years. But he offered few concrete suggestions for systemic reform: little mention of changes to strengthen shareholders39。 rights, not even an endorsement of the Senate corporatereform bill. There are few signs yet that cleaning up corporate America is an issue that animates the voters. Polls show that Americans have little faith in their business leaders, but politicians do not seem to be suffering as a result. Mr. Bush39。s approval ratings have fallen from their skyhighs, but they are still very strong. The president, therefore, need do no more than talk tough. This alone will convince ordinary Americans that he is on top of the issue. As the economy rebounds and public outage subsides, the clamor for change will be quieter. Democratic attacks will fizzle, and farreaching reform bills will be watered down before they bee law. Politically, the gamble makes sense. Unfortunately for American capitalism, a great opportunity will be missed. 52. We can infer from the third paragraph that Mr. Bush______. A) didn39。t intend to take business on and push hard for reform B) did not do anything at all for the presence of the current situation C) took shareholders39。 right into account, but he didn39。t approve reform bill D) took some measures to pave the way for the reform 53. According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE? A) Bush had to offer concrete suggestions for reform as political pressure increase B) At present, the maximum prison sentence for financial fraud is five year C) It is laughable that M Bush publicly attacked America39。s corporate bosses D) Americans have little faith in their business as well as political leaders 54. Which of the following statements about Mr. Bush is mentioned in this passage? A) M Bush is the second President with an MBA in American history B) M Bush contributes a lot to decadelong economic boom C) M Bush39。s approval ratings are still high D) M Bush didn39。t get support in his presidential campaign 55. The author39。s attitude towards the reform is______. A) indifferent B) optimistic C) skeptical D) favorable 56. The phrase a great opportunity mentioned in the last paragraph refers to an opportunity to______. A) carry out reform B) boom economy C) animate the voters D) attack chief executive Passage Two Questions 57 to 61 are based on the following passage. In recent decades, there is a phenomenon which makes us give some attention。 the socalled Southeast Asian tigers have rivaled the western lions for stock cliches that make economic headlines. The myth of American economic hegemony(霸權(quán) ) over Asia in the imposing and patriarchal figure of Uncle Sam has provided frequent political grist (有利 ) for Southeast Asian political leaders, particularly Malaysia39。s Prime Minister Mahathir. He has attempted to fe an international reputation as a snarling tiger, but lately sounds more like a barnyard dog groaning at shadows. Without demeaning in any way the remarkable achievements of the newly developing economies of Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia, these nations at times appear to be their own worst enemies. This is often exemplified by Dr. Mahathir, who rails at Western evil whenever an international or domestic crisis provides an opportunity. To be more specific, the recent devaluation of the Philippine and Thai currencies, and the subsequent pressure on the Malaysian currency has inspired Dr. Mahathir to launch an allout attack on the West as the source of the problem. He even alleges that the United States has deliberately destabilized Southeast Asian economies in revenge for these nations, supporting the brutal military rule in Mahathir, an action which the United States seems to want inspected rather than rewarded. But by resorting to such scapegoat (替罪羊 ), instead of accepting even a bit responsibility, the Prime Minister may undermine the future success of the region and Malaysia in particular. Upon further questioning, Dr. Mahathir narrowed his attack to one wealthy individual, the wellknown philanthropist (慈善家 ), Mr. Gee Soros, whose opposition to Myanmar39。s admission to ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Mahathir found particularity, irritating. The logical mistakes that underlie such conspiracy theories do not help Malaysia address the serious issues of economic overheating that experts have been warning about for all these difficult periods, which include large deficits and low savings to debt ratios. In fact, the recent dramatic drop in Malaysia39。s stock market and currency has led Dr. Mahathir to reverse his initial approach to the crisis. He even announces measures that at least imply he is quite aware of excesses in his own administration39。s spending policies that have contributed to this crisis of confidence. In the end, this kind of reaction undermines the esteem that Dr. Mahathir39。s enlightened leadership has justly earned. 57. It is implied in the first paragraph that Dr. Mahathir______. A) has correctly identified the financial problem in Asia B) tries to manipulate antiWestern actions for political gains C) detests the USA39。s controlling over the regional economies D) believes in the effect of the ghostly influence from the west 58. The author of this essay seems to suggest that______. A) the devaluation