Question

Made In The USA: An Export Boom

In his State of the Union address two years ago, President Obama argued that in order to recover from the economic recession, one of the few things the U．S. needed to do was to export more goods around the world. That night, the president unveiled a new goal: to double U．S. exports over the next five years. It would be an increase that the president said would “support two million jobs in America.”

Most economists dismissed the promise at the time as something unrealistic, but two years later, the U．S. is on pace to meet that goal. American exports are up 34 percent since the president gave that speech, and the number continues to rise.

Competitive In A Global Market

Marlin Steel, a metal working business in Baltimore, makes parts that ship all across the world. “We export to 36 countries，” owner Drew Greenblatt tells All Things Considered Host Guy Raz. “We're working around the clock, and we're growing.”

It's not just advanced manufacturing exports on the rise, but pork, cattle and all kinds of agricultural exports are up as well. Even American craft beer has found an export market.

Flying Dog CEO Jim Caruso says that increasingly, people all over the world are trying the beer from the Maryland-based brewery. Caruso says，“Even in those top beer-producing countries, a competitive American product is finding a market.”

Services Are Exports, Too

Another place exports are coming from is New York City—in particular, the 30th floor of a Manhattan skyscraper on 5th Avenue and 52nd Street. That's where the consulting firm Kurt Solomon lies. It doesn't actually produce a product for export; it provides management advice and strategy.

“Four out of every five Americans is now employed in the service industry，” the nation's top trade official, Ron Kirk says, “Services are a significant part of our exports, and make up about a quarter of our exported goods.” These services can include everything from legal consulting, finance, information technology and even engineering.

And There Are Other Factors

So why has there been an increase of more than 30 percent for exports in almost everything? Part of the increase, at least for the manufacturing side, is due to better technology, says Tyler Cowen, an economist. “A lot of it is being driven by smart machines，” he tells Raz，“The U．S. has high wage rates, which is a disadvantage, but if machines are doing a lot of the work, that doesn't matter.”

China factors a lot in America's export economy, too. “Wages in China have been going up as the country becomes more productive. Thus China is losing the cheap labor advantage it has held for some time.” Cowen says.

Will Jobs Grow, too?

“Companies have become more productive by dismissing workers and lowering costs.” Cowen says. “So I don't view exporting as a way of creating a very large number of jobs, but it will create more profits.”

So not every business or worker is necessarily benefiting from the export boom in the U．S., and Cowen says that could ultimately lead to a polarization (兩極) of economic outcomes.

Made In the USA: An Export Boom

Outline	Details
The purpose of  increasing exports	*To help America make a (1)______ from the economic recession. *To help increase the nation's (2)______ .
The current situation	*American exports have risen (3)______ thirty-four percent up to now. *There has been an increase in exports in everything. *The export boom does not necessarily (4)______ every business or worker.
(5)______ contributing to the export boom	(6)______products	Even in those top beer-producing countries, people try craft beer from Flying Dog, a brewery (7)______ in Maryland.
Various products	A variety of products are provided around the world，services (8)______ for 25%.
Lower costs	*(9)______ take the place of labor, helping companies reduce wages. *China, who used to take (10)______ of cheap labor, has given way to America in exports to some extent because of its increasing production.

 

Answer 1

【答案】

 recovery

 jobs

 by

 benefit　

 Factors

 Competitive

 located/based　

 accounting

 Machines

 advantage

【解析】

試題分析：這篇文章主要介紹了美國的出口繁榮。

 根據President Obama argued that in order to recover from the economic recession.

  根據support two million jobs in America.

 根據 American exports are up 34 percent since the president gave that speech, and the number continues to rise.

 根據So not every business or worker is necessarily benefiting from the export boom in the U．S., and Cowen says that could ultimately lead to a polarization (兩極) of economic outcomes.

 根據And There Are Other Factors

 根據Competitive In A Global Market

 根據Flying Dog CEO Jim Caruso says that increasingly, people all over the world are trying the beer from the Maryland-based brewery.

 根據Services are a significant part of our exports, and make up about a quarter of our exported goods.

 根據“A lot of it is being driven by smart machines，” he tells Raz，

 根據Thus China is losing the cheap labor advantage it has held for some time.” Cowen says.

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