阅读理解
For most people,shopping is still a matter of wandering down the street or loading a cart in a shopping mall.Soon,that will change. Electronic commerce (trade) is growing fast and will soon bring people more
choices.There will, however, be a cost:protecting the consumer from being cheated will be harder. Many
governments therefore want to apply strict regulations to the electronic world. But politicians would be
wiser to see cyberspace as a basis for a new era of corporate selfregulation.
Consumers in rich countries have grown used to the idea that the government takes responsibility for
everything from the stability of the banks to the safety of the drugs or their rights to refund when goods are
faulty.But governments cannot enforce national laws on businesses whose only presence is on the screen.
Even in a country where a clear right to compensation exists,the online customer in Tokyo,say,can hardly
go to New York to get a refund for a clothes purchase.
One answer is for government to cooperate more:to recognize each other's rules.But that requires years
of work and volumes of detailed rules.And plenty of countries have rules too fanciful for sober countries to
accept.There is,however,another choice.Let the electronic businesses do the regulation themselves.They
do,after all,have a selfinterest in doing so.
In electronic commerce,a reputation for honest dealing will be a valuable competitive asset.Governments,
too,may compete to be trusted.For instance,customers ordering medicines online may prefer to buy from
the United States because they trust the rigorous screening of the Food and Drug Administration；or they
may decide that the FDA's rules are too strict,and buy from Switzerland instead.
Customers will still need to use their judgment.But precisely because the technology is new,electronic
shoppers are likely for a while to be a lot more cautious than customers of the normal sort.And the new
technology will also make it easier for them to complain when a company lets them down.In this way,at l
east,the advent of cyberspace may argue for fewer consumer protection laws,not more.
1．According to the author,what will be the best policy for electronic commerce?
A．Selfregulation by the businesses.
B．Strict consumer protection laws.
C．Close international cooperation.
D．Government protection
2．In case an electronic shopper bought faulty goods from a foreign country,what could he do?
A．Refuse to pay for the purchase.
B．Go to the seller and ask for a refund.
C．Appeal to consumer protection law.
D．Complain about it on the Internet.
3．In the author's view,businesses would place a high emphasis on honest dealing because in the
electronic world________.
A．international cooperation would be much more frequent
B．consumers could easily seek government protection
C．a good reputation is a great advantage in competition
D．it would be easy for consumers to complain
4．We can infer from the passage that in licensing new drugs the FDA in the United States is________.
A．very quick
B．very cautious
C．very slow
D．rather careless
5．If a customer buys something that does not meet his expectation,what is the advantage of dealing
through electronic commerce over the present normal one?
A．It will be easier for him to return the goods he is not satisfied with.
B．It will be easier for him to attain the refund from the seller.
C．It will be easier for him to get his complaints heard by other consumers.
D．It will be easier for him to complain about this to the government.
