Henry Ford, the famous U.S.inventor and carmanufacturer, once said, "The busi-ness of America is business." By this he meant that the U.S.way of life is based on the values of the business world.

Few would argue with Ford's statement.A brief glimpse at a dailynewspaper vividly shows how many people in the United States think aboutbusiness.For example, nearlyevery newspaper has abusiness section, in which the deals and projects, finance and man-agement,stock prices and labor problems of corporations are reported daily.In addition,business news can appear in some of the unlikeliestplaces.The world of arts and entertain-ment is oftenreferred to as "the entertainment industry" or "showbusiness".

The positive side of Henry Ford's statement can be seen in theprosperity that business has brought to U.S.life.One of the most important reasons so many people from all over theworld come to live in the United States is the dream of a better job.Jobs are produced in abundance (大量地) becausethe U.S.economic system isdriven by competition.People be-lieve that this systemcreates more wealth, more jobs, and a materially better way of life.

The negative side of Henry Ford's statement, however, can be seenwhen the word business is taken to mean big business.And the term big businessreferring to the biggest companies, is seen in opposition to labor.Throughout U.S.historyworking people have had to fight hard for higher wages, better working conditions,and the right to form unions.Today, many of the oldlabor disputes are over, but there is still some employee anxiety.The laying off of thousands of workers to keep expenses low andprofits high cre-ates feelings of insecurity for many.

16.The United States is a typical country__________.

A.which encourages free trade at home and abroad

B.where people's chief concern is how to make money

C.where all businesses are managed scientifically

D.which normally works according to the federal budget

答案：B

17.The influence of business in the U.S.is evidenced by the fact that __________.

A.most newspapers are run by big businesses

B.even public organizations concentrate on working for profits

C.Americans of all professions know how to do business

D.even arts and entertainment are regarded as business

答案：D

18.According to the passage, immigrants choose to settle in the U.S.dreaming that__________.

A.they can start profitable businesses there

B.they can be more competitive in business

C.they will make a fortune overnight there

D.they will find better chances of employment

答案：D

19.Henry Ford's statement can be taken negatively because __________.

A.working people are discouraged to fight for their rights

B.there are many industries controlled by a few big capitalists

C.there is a conflicting relationship between big corporations andlabor

D.public services are not run by the federal government

答案：C

20.A company's efforts to keep expenses low and profits high may resultin__________.

A.reduction in the number of employees

B.improvement of working conditions

C.fewer disputes between labor and management

D.a rise in workers' wages

答案：A

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