The Result of the Falling US Dollar

Like a ticking time bomb, the falling dollar has grabbed the attention of Japan and West Germany, forcing them to consider adopting economic polices the United States advocates. The U.S. government wants the dollar to fall because as the dollar declines in value against the yen and Deutsche mark, U.S. good becomes cheaper. U.S. companies then sell more at home and abroad, and U.S. trade deficit declines. Cries for trade protection abate, and the global free-trade system is preserved.

Then, the cheaper dollar makes it cheaper for many foreign investors to snap up U.S. stocks. That prompts heavy buying from abroad—especially from Japan. Also, if the trade picture is improving, that means U.S. companies eventually will be more competitive. Consequently, many investors are buying shares of export-oriented U.S. companies in anticipation of better profits in the next year or so. But that is a rather faddish notion right now; if corporate earnings are disappointing in interest rates, the stock market rally could stall.

Improving U.S. competitiveness means a decline in another’s competitiveness.

Japan and West Germany are verging on recession. Their export-oriented economies are facing major problems. Japan is worried about the damage the strong yen will do to Japanese trade. West Germany is also worried. Share prices in Frankfurt plummeted this past week. Bonn is thought to be considering a cut in interest rates to boost its economy.

Could the falling dollar get out of hand? If the dollar falls too far, investors might lose confidence in U.S. investments—especially the government bond market. The money to finance?? the federal budget and trade deficits could migrate elsewhere. Inflation could flare up, too, since Japanese and German manufacturers will eventually pass along price hikes—and U.S. companies might follow suit to increase their profit margins. The U.S. federal Reserve then might need to step in and stabilize the dollar by raising interest rates. And higher interest rates could cause the U.S. economy to slow down and end the Wall Street Rally.

Worried about these side effects, Federal Reserve chairman Paul Volcher has said the dollar has fallen far enough. What is the equilibrium level? Probably near where it is or slightly lower. It all depends on when the U.S. trade deficit turns around or if investors defect from U.S. Treasury Bonds. “It requires a good deal of political patience on the part of the U.S. Congress,” says Dr. Cline, “And there must be an expectation of patience on the part of private investors. The chance are relatively good that we will avoid an investor break or panic.”

1.?What is the main idea of this passage?
[A] The impression of the falling U.S. dollar.
[B] The result of the U.S. falling dollar.
[C] The side effect of U.S. falling dollar.
[D] Japan and West Germany are worried about U.S. falling dollar.

2.?What does the word “rally” mean.
[A] prosperity.????? [B] decline.??????? [C] richness.??????? [D] import.

3.?Why are Japan and West Germany worried about the falling dollar?
[A] Because the falling dollar may cause inflation in their countries.
[B] Because it may force them to sell a lot of U.S, stocks.
[C] Because it may do damage to their trade.
[D] Because it may make Japanese company less competitive.

4.?If? dollar-falling got out of hand, and the U.S. Federal Reserve might step in , what would happen?
[A] The prosperity of the U.S. economy would disappear.
[B] The U.S. economy might face serious problems.
[C] Investors might lose confidence in U.S. investments.
[D] Inflation could flare up.

答案詳解（反白可見）：

1.?B. 美元下跌的結(jié)果。全篇文章都講的美元下跌的后果。
A. 美元下跌的印象。??? C. 美元下跌的副作用，均不對。?? 因為還講述了有利的一面。??????? D. 日本的、西德?lián)鷳n美元下跌，這只是其中的部分內(nèi)容。
2.?A.? 繁榮。第五段“美元下跌是否會失控：如果美元下跌過多，投資者可能會失去對美國投資的信心，特別是對美國的債務市場。對聯(lián)邦政府預算和貿(mào)易赤字提供的資金可能移向其它市場，因為日本和西德廠商最終會將上漲的價格轉(zhuǎn)嫁出去，美國公司也可能這么做，以提高其市場利潤幅度，從而使通貨膨脹再次爆發(fā)。美國聯(lián)邦儲備委員會這時可能需要介入，提高利率來穩(wěn)定美元。而較高利率會導致美國經(jīng)濟減慢，華爾街的繁榮行將結(jié)束。”
B. 衰退。????? C. 富有。???????? D. 出口，都不是rally之含義。
3.?C. 因為下跌對他們貿(mào)易有損害。第三段“改善美國競爭力意味著其他國家的競爭力下降?！钡谒亩危叭毡竞臀鞯抡秊l于經(jīng)濟衰退的邊緣。其出口導向的經(jīng)濟正在面臨嚴重問題。日本擔心由于日元堅挺而給其貿(mào)易帶來損害，西德也在發(fā)愁。上個星期，法蘭克福股市價格暴跌。據(jù)說，波恩已在考慮降低利率以振興其經(jīng)濟。
A. 美元下跌會使他們國家通貨膨脹。沒有正式提到, 內(nèi)涵只是貿(mào)易帶來的其他具體問題。??????? B. 它可能迫使他們賣掉許多美國股票。?? D. 這可能使日本競爭力下降。問題是提出兩國，不單單是日本。
4.?A. 美國經(jīng)濟繁榮消失，見第2題答案A的注釋。
B. 美國經(jīng)濟可能面臨嚴重問題。太籠統(tǒng)。?????? C. 投資者可能對在美國投資失去信心。這不是美國聯(lián)邦儲備委員會介入后發(fā)生之事。?? D. 通貨膨脹全面爆發(fā)。這也是介入之后果。

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