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Recent years have brought minority-owned businesses in the United States unprecedented opportunities — as well as new and significant risks. Civil rights activists have long argued that one of the principal reasons why Blacks, Hispanics, and other minority groups have difficulty establishing themselves in business is that they lack access to the sizable orders and subcontracts that are generated by large companies. Now Congress, in apparent agreement, has required by law that businesses awarded federal contracts of more than $500,000 do their best to find minority subcontractors and record their efforts to do so on forms filed with the government. Indeed, some federal and local agencies have gone so far as to set specific percentage goals for apportioning parts of public works contracts to minority enterprises.

Corporate response appears to have been substantial. According to figures collected in 1977, the total of corporate contracts with minority businesses rose from $77 million in 1972 to $1.1 billion in 1977. The projected total of corporate contracts with minority businesses for the early 1980’s is estimated to be over 53 billion per year with no letup anticipated in the next decade.

Promising as it is for minority businesses, this increased patronage poses dangers for them, too. First, minority firms risk expanding too fast and overextending themselves financially, since most are small concerns and, unlike large businesses, they often need to make substantial investments in new plants, staff, equipment, and the like in order to perform work subcontracted to them. If, thereafter, their subcontracts are for some reason reduced, such firms can face potentially crippling fixed expenses. The world of corporate purchasing can be frustrating for small entrepreneurs who get requests for elaborate formal estimates and bids. Both consume valuable time and resources, and a small company’s efforts must soon result in orders, or both the morale and the financial health of the business will suffer.

A second risk is that White-owned companies may seek to cash in on the increasing apportionments through formation of joint ventures with minority-owned concerns. Of course, in many instances there are legitimate reasons for joint ventures; clearly, White and minority enterprises can team up to acquire business that neither could acquire alone. But civil rights groups and minority business owners have complained to Congress about minorities being set up as “fronts” with White backing, rather than being accepted as full partners in legitimate joint ventures.

Third, a minority enterprise that secures the business of one large corporate customer often run the danger of becoming- and remaining-dependent. Even in the best of circumstances, fierce competition from larger, more established companies makes it difficult for small concerns to broaden their customer bases: when such firms have nearly guaranteed orders from a single corporate benefactor, they may truly have to struggle against complacency arising from their current success.

1. The primary purpose of the text is to

[A] present a commonplace idea and its inaccuracies.

[B] describe a situation and its potential drawbacks.

[C] propose a temporary solution to a problem.

[D] analyze a frequent source of disagreement.

2. The text suggests that the failure of a large business to have its bids for subcontracts result quickly in orders might causes it to

[A] experience frustration but not serious financial harm.

[B] face potentially crippling fixed expenses.

[C] have to record its efforts on forms filed with the government.

[D] increase its spending with minority subcontractors.

3. It can be inferred from the text that, compared with the requirements of law, the percentage goals set by “some federal and local agencies” (line 9, paragraph 1) are

[A] more popular with large corporations.

[B] more concrete.

[C] less controversial.

[D] less expensive to enforce.

4. Which of the following, if true, would most weaken the author’s assertion that, in the 1970’s, corporate response to federal requirements (line 1, paragraph 2) was substantial?

[A] Corporate contracts with minority-owned businesses totaled $2 billion in 1979.

[B] Between 1970 and 1972, corporate contracts with minority-owned businesses declined by 25 percent.

[C] The figures collected in 1977 underrepresented the extent of corporate contracts with minority-owned businesses.

[D] The $1.1 billion represented the same percentage of total corporate spending in 1977 as did $77 million in 1972.

5. The author would most likely agree with which of the following statements about corporate response to working with minority subcontractors?

[A] Annoyed by the proliferation of “front” organizations, corporations are likely to reduce their efforts to work with minority-owned subcontractors in the near future.

[B] Although corporations showed considerable interest in working with minority businesses in the 1970’s, their aversion to government paperwork made them reluctant to pursue many government contracts.

[C] The significant response of corporations in the 1970’s is likely to be sustained and conceivably be increased throughout the 1980’s.

[D] Although corporations are eager to cooperate with minority-owned businesses, a shortage of capital in the 1970’s made substantial response impossible.

[答案與考點解析]

1. 【答案】B

【考點解析】本題是一道中心主旨題。破解本題的關鍵在于考生是否完全理解本文第一段首句的內容，尤其是第一句中破折號后面的內容。破折號后面的內容和選項B中的 “its potential drawbacks”是相互吻合的。望考生注意培養捕捉全文中心主旨句的能力。

2. 【答案】A

【考點解析】這是一道邏輯思維上的反推題，也可以說是逆向思維題。本題反推即逆向思維的信息依據在第三段的最后一句。該句在談論小的企業，大概內容是“……一個小企業的投資要馬上在定貨中反映出效果，否則其士氣和財政前景都將深受影響”。根據小的企業的狀況，我們可以推導出大的企業所面臨的處境。希望考生加強逆向思維即反推的解題能力。

3. 【答案】B

【考點解析】本題是一道關鍵詞語的理解題目，其答案信息來源在第一段的尾句，原文當中的 “specific”一詞是本題的答案所在。考生要加強對原文中重點形容詞和副詞的理解。

4. 【答案】D

【考點解析】這是一道反論題。這種題的關鍵在于利用原文的信息否定原文所要表達的觀點。原文講“少數民族企業簽訂的合同金額由1972年的7700萬美元升至1977年的11億美元”。原文所要表達的觀點是合同金額的增長。選項D正是利用原文的信息否定了原文所要表達的觀點。選項D所表達的信息是變化增長數字背后的不變。這種題屬于較難的題型，希望考生加以重視。

5. 【答案】C

【考點解析】這是一道關鍵詞語理解題。本題的答案信息在第二段的尾句，句中 “letup”一詞決定了本題的正確答案是C，因為該詞的含義是“停頓，減弱”。考生在備考過程中要盡力擴大自己的詞匯量。

[參考譯文]

最近幾年美國少數民族所有的企業可以說是空前的機會和重大風險并存。****活動家早就指出過：黑人，拉美裔美國人，以及其他少數民族難以在生意場中立足的主要原因是他們缺少能得到有規模的訂貨或與大公司分合同的機會。現在議會以一致意見通過法律，要求企業獲得價值50萬美元以上的聯邦合同后要盡最大可能來尋找少數民族合作者，并且需將他們在此點上的成效如何在政府中存檔立案。實際上，一些聯邦和地方機構走得更遠，它們甚至規定了公共合同有多少比例要分給少數民族公司。

企業對此的反應是強烈的。從1977年統計的數據看，與少數民族企業簽訂的合同金額由1972年的7700萬美元升至1977年的11億美元。預計此金額要在80年代前期達到每年30億美元以上，在下一個10年中看來也不會停止。

盡管這對少數民族企業來說前途光明，這種增加的財源也給它們帶來了危險。首先，少數民族企業冒著過快膨脹和財政上力不從心的危險，因為它們大部分是小企業，和大企業不同之外在于它們為履行合同常需要在廠房、人員、設備(以及諸如此類)等上做一大筆投資。如果其后由于某種原因其合同量減少，它們將會遇到潛在的財政危機。對于被要求做正式評估和投標的小企業來說，市場供求情況有可能令人非常沮喪。評估和投標都消耗時間、資源，而且一個小企業的投資要馬上在定貨中反映出效果，否則其士氣和財政前景都將深受影響。

第二個危險是有些白人企業想通過和少數民族企業合資也能享受更好的待遇。當然，在許多時候，合資是有正當理由的;顯然，白人和少數民族企業可以聯合起來做成任何一方都無法單獨完成的事業。但是****組織和少數民族企業主已經向議會報怨：少數民族企業常在合資中成為白人操縱者的前臺傀儡，而不是平等的合作伙伴。

第三，已獲得一個大客戶的生意的少數民族企業常會有陷入依賴性的危險。即使在最好的環境下，來自更大、更完備的對手的競爭常使一個小企業很難擴展自己的客戶;當這樣的企業已擁有來自一個客戶的近乎穩定的定貨時，它們確實需要和眼前的勝利所滋生出的自滿做斗爭。

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（責任編輯：rhj）