问题 单项选择题

Corzine’s Downfall


The collapse this week of the broker-dealer MF Global and the due punishment of its chief executive Jon Corzine, who resigned Friday, have been and will be put to many political and rhetorical purposes. MF Global’s bankruptcy has been called, possibly, the first domino in a potential collapse of the European banking system; in this rendering, it’s a rough analog to the failure, in the spring of 2008, of Bear Srearns, which warned the chaos of autumn. It might well be cast as a stimulus for more government regulation, or smarter regulation; to some, it might even be a case study in overregulation. Every rationale for regulation seems to contain, as yang to its yin, an argument that regulation is actually to blame.
Corzine’s downfall is an update on Icarus, all illustration of arrogance. It reminds us that leverage kills, that it is dangerous to pick up nickels in front of a steamroller, that risk is risky, that pigs get fat while hogs get slaughtered. It complicates the Democrats’ hopes of controlling anti-Wall Street fervor in the Presidential election, because Corzine has been one of Barack Obama’s most generous supporters-a possible future Treasury Secretary. The Republicans will not soon let this one go.
It certainly further stains the reputation of Goldman Sachs. Corzine, a former C.E.O. of Goldman, took over a company partially owned by the firm of another ex-Goldmanite, Christopher Flowers, and managed, in a year and a half, to destroy it, in part while resisting oversight from a government regulator. That regulator comes from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, whose chairman, Gary Gensle, is also a Goldman alumnus.
It further damages the perception, or myth, that a becoming-a-partner at Goldman Sachs indicates brilliance, or insures success or a lifetime inclusion in the vampire-squid-piracy, although you can find whisperings of a conspiracy theory that Goldman planted Corzine at MF Global in order to destroy it—a notion that is almost as deceiving as it is ridiculous.
Corzane’s collapse is also an occasion for taking-pleasure-in-others’-suffering. It is an occasion for those among Occupy Wall Street’s 99 per cent, who’d be ready to pitchfork him to pieces. It is also an occasion for the tiny cowering minority, who may resent Goldman for its perceived arrogance or cunning, or who may question the conceited folly and civic harm of Corzine’s spending over a hundred million of his own money to get elected to public office. The sentiment, among his peers, was that Corzine wasn’t so great a trader to begin with. And the sentiment was also that in the years since he had left Goldman, his skills, such as they were, had got rusty or outdated.
It is ironic that Corzine blundered by, and is being criticized for, among other things, betting too unbalancedly on Europe. That is, MF Global was banking on the hope that Portugal, Ireland, Italy, and Greece (whose bonds are collectively known as PIIGS) would not default on their debts by the end of the year. It might have turned out to be a good bet, were it not for the fact that it was made sneakily with money that was borrowed and perhaps even effectively stolen-or for the fact that he basically bet the firm, and the farm. Goldman Sachs, meanwhile, has been criticized, since the housing meltdown of 2008, for having profited from bets against the housing market—for shorting crappy derivatives based on mortgages. That was a good bet, except that Goldman made it while dumping those crappy derivatives on its unwitting clients.

The MF Global’s bankruptcy ______.
A. initiates the abrupt reforms of the government regulation
B. arouses the self-inspection of the government regulation
C. triggers the chain-reaction of the European banking system
D. starts the overall collapse of the European banking system

答案

参考答案:C

解析: 依靠“MF Global’s bankruptcy”定位在第一段第三行,得知它的破产产生了多米诺效应。故C符合题意。

阅读理解

A long walk in the desert or the mountains can be exciting. And it’s a great way to keep fit. If you carry a tent and some food, you can camp overnight. But wild places can be dangerous. Here’s how you can enjoy walking and camping safely.

Before your trip

☆ Tell someone where you are going and when you expect to return. If you don’t return on time, the people at home will know that you are lost or in trouble. They will know where to look for you.

☆ Make sure you’ve got a good map of the area that you’re going to.

☆ Make sure you’ve packed the right equipment for your activities. The desert is often hot, but nights can be very cold, and sometimes there are big rainstorms. In the mountains, the weather can change suddenly. A sunny day can turn cold and cloudy quickly.

The tools for survival(生存)

Sunglasses, sun hat, sun cream, windproof jacket, good walking shoes or boots, food, water, maps, compass, first-aid kit, matches, rope, knife, ground sheet,

the pack to carry your equipment.

What to do if you get lost

☆ If you’re in a car and it has broken down, stay with your car.

☆ If you are not traveling by car, make yourself easy to see. A signal fire can be seen at night. During the day, smoke may be used to show where you are. A brightly-colored blanket(毯子) may help rescuers to find you.

☆ Stay where you are.

☆ If you walk for any reason, avoid walking during the hottest part of the day. Morning and evening walking is better for saving your energy water.

☆ Keep yourself away from the rain, wind and sun, but remember: try to make yourself be in sight.

小题1:According to the passage, we should make a fire to _________. 

A.show where we are

B.keep warm at night

C.cook our meal

D.drive animals away小题2:If we get injured, we can choose ________from the following tools.

A.a ground sheet

B.a first aid kit

C.matches

D.sun cream小题3:What can we know from the passage?

A.A map and a compass will show the right direction to us.

B.It is a secret for us to tell where to go or when to return.

C.We should leave our car when it breaks down in the desert.

D.We have to keep walking while the sun is shining brightly.

单项选择题 B型题