Retailers who face competition have been forced to react, even as they blame wholesalers and distributors, or inventory lag. In the past month, large American-owned chains such as Wal-Mart have announced new prices for products imported from America.

Will all this placate angry consumers? Perhaps. A recent poll by Ipsos Reid showed that most understood that it would take time for Canadian prices to match those in America. But it might not happen. Just as the introduction of the single currency in Europe exposed differences in taxation and regulation among countries, the same is likely to occur in Canada, says Mr. Orr. Then it will be the government's turn to deal with consumer complaints.

1. About the two prices printed on the covers of American books, which one of the following statements is TRUE?

[A] The American one and the Canadian one are the same.

[B] The American one is usually lower than the Canadian one.

[C] The two prices reflect the continuing appreciation of the Canadian currency.

[D] They are fluctuating with the exchange rate.

2. As reported by the newspapers, thousands of Canadian streaming south in order to _____.

[A] make better deals than buying expensive imported products

[B] make their purchases without paying too much tax

[C] buy cheaper American goods

[D] bargain with the government for cross-boarder shopping

3. Cross-border shopping is easier in theory than in practice due to the following reasons except that _____.

[A] the government has strict limits on the amount of shoppers who can shop across boarder without paying extra taxes

[B] the standards of some goods are different in two countries

[C] the goods bought across boarder are not guaranteed sometimes

[D] Canada has established some regulations on cross-border shopping

4. Which one of the following statements is TRUE of the opinion expressed by the central bank governor?

[A] People should shop around the country to make the best deal.

[B] The government does not have the obligation to encourage competition in domestic market.

[C] The Canadian price does not necessarily have to meet the American price.

[D] Canadian consumers should accept the high price of national goods.

5. Liquor boards are the worst offenders when it passes on currency savings because _____.

[A] they will suffer the most when it passes on currency savings

[B] Canadians will go elsewhere to buy liquors

[C] liquor is charged with a too high price

[D] liquor boards are reluctant to have price reductions





文章剖析


这篇文章主要讲述了在美元贬值后，加拿大社会面临的许多问题。第一段由一个书商的经营情况引出问题；第二段讲述加拿大人正在抗议，在美元贬值后他们还需要支付高额的费用购买商品；第三段讲述许多人到美国购买便宜东西；第四段讲述政府目前针对这种情况采取的一些措施；第五段讲述零售商的策略；第六段讲述大部分消费者在抱怨当前的情况。





词汇注释


mockery n. 嘲笑

bumper n. 缓冲器





难句突破


① Chris Smith, coowner of a small bookshop in Canada, assumed his customers would remain loyal even as the rapid appreciation of the Canadian dollar against its American counterpart made a mockery of the gap between the twin prices printed on the covers of American books.

主体句式：Chris Smith,... assumed his customers would remain loyal...

结构分析：这是一个复合句，coowner...是主语的同位语；assumed后面的宾语从句的结构比较复杂，even as...是时间状语从句。

句子译文：Chris Smith与别人合作在加拿大开了一家小书店，他认为，即使随着美元的贬值和加元的迅速升值，从而导致印在美国图书封面上的两个价格出现显著差异，他的顾客还是会保持忠诚。

② All this is too much for many shoppers, who have either turned on their local retailers and demanded immediate discounts, or turned to the Internet, where goods such as books are easy to buy.

主体句式：All this is too much for many shoppers...

结构分析：这是一个复合句，who引导的定语从句用来修饰shoppers；where引导的定语从句修饰the Internet。

句子译文：这些事对于许多消费者而言实在是无法容忍，他们或是向当地的零售商要求立即打折，或是到网上购买那些容易买到的物品，比如书籍。





题目分析


1. About the two prices printed on the covers of American books, which one of the following statements is TRUE?

[A] The American one and the Canadian one are the same.

[B] The American one is usually lower than the Canadian one.

[C] The two prices reflect the continuing appreciation of the Canadian currency.

[D] They are fluctuating with the exchange rate.

1. 关于美国图书封面上印的两个价格，下列哪项陈述是正确的？

[A] 美国价格和加拿大价格是一样的。

[B] 美国价格通常要比加拿大价格低。

[C] 两个价格体现了加拿大元的持续升值。

[D] 价格要随着汇率的变化而波动。

答案：D　难度系数：☆☆☆☆

分析：推理题。根据第一段，目前两个价格之间出现了显著的差距，因此应该可以推测出，最初定价的时候两个价格可能差不多，但是现在由于美元贬值，美元价格就会降低，而加元价格就相对高了。可见，价格是随着汇率的变化而变化的。因此，选项D为正确答案。选项A和B显然是错误的，而选项C认为加拿大货币持续升值也是没有根据的。

2. As reported by the newspapers, thousands of Canadian streaming south in order to _____.

[A] make better deals than buying expensive imported products

[B] make their purchases without paying too much tax

[C] buy cheaper American goods

[D] bargain with the government for cross-boarder shopping

2. 据报纸报道，成千上万的加拿大人涌向南方是为了 _____。

[A] 以更好的价格成交，而不是购买那些昂贵的进口产品

[B] 不用交很多税就可以购买商品

[C] 购买更便宜的美国物品

[D] 与政府商讨边境贸易事宜

答案：C　难度系数：☆☆☆

分析：细节题。文章第三段第一句就指出：Talk of hundreds of thousands of Canadians streaming south in search of bargains captured the headlines. 即各报纸的头条都是关于加拿大人涌往南方寻找便宜东西的报道，那么可见他们到南部的边境地区是为了买到便宜的美国物品。因此，选项C为正确答案。

3. Cross-border shopping is easier in theory than in practice due to the following reasons except that _____.

[A] the government has strict limits on the amount of shoppers who can shop across boarder without paying extra taxes

[B] the standards of some goods are different in two countries

[C] the goods bought across boarder are not guaranteed some-times

[D] Canada has established some regulations on cross-border shopping

3. 跨边境购物在理论上要比实际容易，这是由于以下除 _____ 外的其他因素。

[A] 政府对于可以免税跨境购物者的数量有严格限制

[B] 两个国家的一些商品的规格是不一样的

[C] 跨边境购买的物品有时候不能保质

[D] 加拿大在跨境购物方面设立了一些规定

答案：A　难度系数：☆☆☆

分析：细节题。第四段中提到了这个问题，实际上跨边境购物有难度的原因一共有三个：一是对购买免税物品的数量有限制；另外两个原因是选项B和C的内容。因此，选项A是错误的，因为受限制的不是购物者人数，而是购买免税物品的数量，因为文中指出：“加拿大严格限制免付销售税和其他税就可以带回家的物品数量”，可见答案为选项A。同时也可以确认选项D的表述是正确的。

4. Which one of the following statements is TRUE of the opinion expressed by the central bank governor?

[A] People should shop around the country to make the best deal.

[B] The government does not have the obligation to encourage competition in domestic market.

[C] The Canadian price does not necessarily have to meet the American price.

[D] Canadian consumers should accept the high price of national goods.

4. 关于中央银行行长的观点，下列哪项陈述是正确的？

[A] 人们买东西的时候应该在国内多走走看看，从而买到价值最适宜的商品。

[B] 政府没有义务来鼓励国内市场的竞争。

[C] 加拿大的价格不必和美国的价格一致。

[D] 加拿大消费者应当接受国内商品的高价格。

答案：C　难度系数：☆☆☆

分析：推理题。中央银行行长表达了两个观点，一个是鼓励加拿大人到物价便宜的地方购物，另一方面又指出边境两边的价格不可能完全一样，因为加拿大的竞争没那么激烈。选项A和B不是他的意思。选项C是正确的，就是两国的价格不一定一样；选项D，他建议消费者到别的地方去购物，那其实就是不接受国内的高价格。因此，正确答案为C。

5. Liquor boards are the worst offenders when it passes on currency savings because _____.

[A] they will suffer the most when it passes on currency savings

[B] Canadians will go elsewhere to buy liquors

[C] liquor is charged with a too high price

[D] liquor boards are reluctant to have price reductions

5. 将价格差转嫁到现金存款后酒商就会变得最不好惹，这是因为 _____。

[A] 当价格差转嫁到现金存款后，他们的损失会是最大的

[B] 加拿大人会到其他地方买酒

[C] 酒的定价过高

[D] 酒商不愿意降低酒价

答案：D　难度系数：☆☆

分析：推理题。第四段提到，中央银行行长认为，因为加拿大的竞争较少，因此美国和加拿大的价格不一定会达到一致，接着就举了酒类行业存在垄断，那么可以推断出，酒商自己定价，不会因为存在竞争而降低酒价。因此，选项D为正确答案。





参考译文


Chris Smith与别人合作在加拿大开了一家小书店，他认为，即使随着美元的贬值和加元的迅速升值，从而导致印在美国图书封面上的两个价格出现显著差异，他的顾客还是会保持忠诚。但是当史密斯先生询问了几个老顾客后，他惊讶地发现，他们可能都要到网上从边境线南边的零售商手里购买美国书了。为了维持生意，他现在按以美元标注的价格收取加元出售图书（这要比实际价格低很多），即使这意味着出售美国图书就相当于亏损。

至少这可以使史密斯先生安全地退到一边，因为愤怒的加拿大人正在抗议，在加元的汇率和美元持平甚至超过美元的情况下，他们还得付很高的费用购买美国商品。加拿大元与美元的汇率自2002年起就在稳步上升，并在那一年达到了历史最低点，即1加元兑换0.62美元。但是今年加元升值了近25%，这是由于美元疲软以及加拿大石油、燃气和金属的出口价格提高的共同作用。当美元和加元的汇率在9月底达到持平时，消费者的不满不断升级，使得加拿大的购物者很容易看到他们得多付多少钱。

成千上万加拿大人涌到南方寻找便宜货的报道占据了报纸头条。许多人确实也这样做了。但是边境贸易实际上没有理论上那么容易。加拿大严格限制免付销售税和其他税购物者就可以带回家的物品数量。一些美国汽车的前灯和缓冲器必须经过改造才能在加拿大使用。一些公司也拒绝为进口物品担保。这些事对于许多消费者而言实在是无法容忍，他们或是向当地的零售商要求立即打折，或是到网上购买那些容易买到的物品，比如书籍。而加拿大邮政局——国有邮政服务机构——不得不在国际邮件分拣中心增加一些轮班了。

政府希望1月份将国内物品和服务的税收从6%降到5%的措施可以起到一些作用，同时，财政部长Jim Flaherty号召零售商们加快降价的速度。中央银行行长David Dodge的话更为微妙，他让加拿大人到其他地方购物以获得最好的价格，但同时又指出，边境两边的价格永远不可能完全一样，因为在加拿大，竞争要少一些。比如在许多省，国有酒商一直处于垄断地位。如果将价格差转嫁到现金存款上，那么酒商可是最不好惹的。

面对竞争，零售商不得不作出一些反应，同时他们也责怪批发商、发行商和库存延误。上个月，美国的大型连锁超市如沃尔玛宣布，从美国进口的商品实行新的价格。

这些能安抚愤怒的消费者吗？也许吧。由Ipsos Reid最近所做的一项民意调查显示，大多数人认为加拿大的价格要与美国的价格相当可能还需要一段时间。但这种情况也许不会发生了。正如欧洲引进单一货币显露出各个国家之间的税收制度和规定的差异，在加拿大可能也会出现同样的情况，Orr先生说。这就轮到政府来处理消费者的抱怨了。