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第1页共41页2001年MBA英语真题及答案Questions31to34arebasedonthefollowingpassage:ThestabilityoftheU.S.bankingsystemismaintainedbymeansofsupervisionandregulation,inspections,depositinsurance,andloanstotroubledbanks.Forover50years,theseprecautionshavepreventedbankingpanics.However,therehavebeensomeclosecalls.ThecollapseofContinentallllinoisBank&TrustedCompanyofChicagoin1984didnotbringdownthebankingsystem,butitcertainlyrattledsomewindows.Inthelate1970s,ContinentalsoaredtoaleadershippositionamongMidwesternbanks.Partsofitsgrowthstrategywererisky,however.Itmademanyloansintheenergyfield,includingbillionthatittookoverfromPennSquareBandofOklahomaCity.Toobtainthefundsitneededtomaketheseloans,Continentalreliedheavilyonshorttermborrowingfromotherbanksandlarge,30daycertificatesofdeposit-hotmoney,inbankingjargon.AtleastoneContinentalofficersawdangersignsandwroteawarningmemotohersuperiors,butthememowentunheeded.AlthoughtheComptrolleroftheCurrencyinspectedContinentalonaregularbasis,itfailedtoseelowseriousitsproblemsweregoingtobe.PennSquareBankwasclosedbyregulatorsinJuly1982.Whenenergypricesbegantoslip,mostofthebillioninloansthatContinentalhadtakenoverfromthesmallerbanksturnedouttobehad.OtherloanstotroubledcompaniessuchChrysler,lnternationalHarvester,andBranifflookedquestionable.Seeingtheseproblem，hotmoneyownersbegantopulltheirfundsoutofContinental.Bythespringof1984,arunonContinentalhadbegun.InMay,thebankhadtoborrow.5billionfromtheFedtoreplaceovernightfundsitbadlost.Butthiswasnotenough.TotrytostemtheoutflowofdepositsfromContinemtal,theFDICagreedtoguaranteenotjustthefirst,000ofeachdepositorsmoneybutallofit.Nevertheless,theruncontinued.FederalregulatorstriedhardtofindasoundbankthatcouldtakeoverContinental-acommonwayofrescuingfailingbanks.ButContinentalwasjusttoobigforanyonetobuy.ByJuly,allhopeofaprivatesectorrescuewasdashed.Regulatorsfacedastarkchoice:LetContinentalcollapse,ortakeitoverthemselves.Lettingthebankfailseemedtoorisky.Itwasestimatedthatmorethan100otherbankshadplacedenoughfundsinContinentaltoputthematriskifContinentalfailed.Thus,onarainyThursdayattheendofJuly,theFDICineffectnationalizedContinentalIllinoisatacostof.5billion.Thiskeptthebanksdoorsopenandpreventedachainreaction.However,inallbutatechnicalsense,ContinentalhadbecomethebiggestbankfailureinU.S.history.31.Inthespringof1984,Continentalexperienced------.Aafastgrowthperiod.BastabilityperiodCarun.Danoilpricedecrease.32.ByJuly,allhopeofaprivatesectorrescuewas------.Adestroyed.BabsurdCdesperate.Ddamaged.33.ThenationalizatinofContinental------.AsaveditBmadehotmoneyownerscontinuetopulltheirfundsoutofContinental.CalmostbroughtdownthebankingsystemDfiredmanyhighrankingofficers.34.Bankingpanicsmaybepreventedbymeansof------.Adepositinsurance.BgrowthstrategyClongtermborrowing.Dwarningmemo.Questions35to38arebasedonthefollowingpassage:Ifsustainablecompetitiveadvantagedependsonworkforceskills,Americanfirmshaveaproblem.HumanresourcemanagementisnottraditionallyseenascentraltothecompetitivesurvivalofthefirmintheUnitedStates.Skillacquisitionisconsideredasanindividualresponsibility.Laborissimplyanotherfactorofproductiontobehired-rentedatthelowestpossiblecost-muchasonebuysrawmaterialsorequipment.Thelackofimportanceattachedtohumanresourcemanagementcanbeseeninthecorporationhierarchy.InanAmericanfirmthechieffinancialofficerisalmostalwayssecondincommand.Thepostofheadofhumanresourcemanagementsisusuallyaspecializedjob,offattheedgeofthecorporatehierarchy.TheexecutivewhoholdsitisneverconsultedonmajorstrategicdecisionsandhasnochancetomoveuptoChiefExecutiveOfficer(CEO).Bywayofcontrast,inJapantheheadofhumanresourcemanagementiscentral-usuallythesecondmostimportantexecutive,aftertheCEO,inthefirms第2页共41页hierarchy.WhileAmericanfirmsoftentalkaboutthevastamountsspentontrainingtheirworkforces,infacttheyinvestlessintheskilloftheiremployeesthandotheJapaneseorGermanfirms.Themoneytheydoinvestisalsomorehighlyconcentratedonprofessionalandmanagerialemployees.Andthelimitedinvestmentsthataremadeintrainingworkersarealsomuchmorenarrowlyfocusedonthespecificskillsnecessarytodothenextjobratherthanonthebasicbackgroundskillsthatmakeitpossibletoabsorbnewtechnologies.Asaresult,problemsemergewhennewbreakthroughtechnologiesarrive.IfAmericanworkers,forexample,takemuchlongertolearnhowtooperatenewflexiblemanufacturingstationsthanworkersinGermany(astheydo),theeffectivecostofthosestationsislowerinGermanythanitisintheUnitedStated.Moretimeisrequiredbeforeequipmentisupandrunningatcapacity,andtheneedforextensiveretraininggeneratescostsandcreatesbottlenecksthatlimitthespeedwithwhichnewequipmentcanbeemployed.Theresultisaslowerpaceoftechnologicalchange.Andintheendtheskillsofthebottomhalfofthepopulationaffectthewagesofthetophalf.Ifthebottomhalfcanteffectivelystafftheprocessesthathavetobeoperated,themanagementandprofessionaljobsthatgowiththeseprocesseswilldisappear.35.WhichofthefollowingappliestothemanagementofhumanresourcesinAmericancompanies?A.Theyhirepeopleatthelowestcostregardlessoftheirskills.B.Theyseethegainingofskillsastheiremployeesownbus