华科2012博士入学英语试题及参考答案Passage1Recentyearshavebroughtminority-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(aperson,group,orthingusedtomasktheidentityortruecharacteroractivityoftheactualcontrollingagent)”withWhitebacking,ratherthanbeingacceptedasfullpartnersinlegitimatejointventures.Third,aminorityenterprisethatsecuresthebusinessofonelargecorporatecustomeroftenrunsthedangerofbecoming-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.Theauthorwouldmostlikelyagreewithwhichofthefollowingstatementsaboutcorpora...
