Passage 1What is more, currency movements over the past year have unexpecte made matters worse for many producers. In the first half of the 1980s, it was conventional wisdom to say that the exceptional strength of the dollar was partly responsible for——and helped to offset——the increasing weakness of dollar-dominated commodity prices.【All other things】 being equal, so the argument went, subsequent 【fall in the dollar】 might be expected to give a compensating 【boost】 to dollar commodity prices.37.What was the "fall in the dollar"subsequent to?

Passage 1What is more, currency movements over the past year have unexpectedly made matters worse for many producers. In the first half of the 1980s, it was conventional wisdom to say that the exceptional strength of the dollar was partly responsible for——and helped to offset——the increasing weakness of dollar-dominated commodity prices.【All other things】 being equal, so the argument went, subsequent 【fall in the dollar】 might be expected to give a compensating 【boost】 to dollar commodity prices.38.Why should the"boost"have been a compensating one?

Passage 2Countertrade is not the exclusive province of debtor nations. Says Yoffie, "Even countries with strong foreign exchange positions, such as Australia, Canada and Indonesia, are insisting on countertrade in certain areas.Linking imports and exports is way to exert power over multinational corporations.Countries that lack expertise in intemational marketing try to use countertrade as leverage 【to tap the net-works of global firms"】.But international trade by barter is, in fact, an inefficient and expensive means of doing business compared to trading with money. Observes David Yoffie,"To cover the additional costs it incurs in handling goods it is forced to take in countertrade, a multinational company simply boosts the price of the goods it sells." 【Yoffie sees countertrade as a form of protectionism】. "It helps one group and hurts another,"he says.39.What does "global firms"refer to?

Passage 2Countertrade is not the exclusive province of debtor nations. Says Yoffie, "Even countries with strong foreign exchange positions, such as Australia, Canada and Indonesia, are insisting on countertrade in certain areas.Linking imports and exports is way to exert power over multinational corporations.Countries that lack expertise in intemational marketing try to use countertrade as leverage 【to tap the net-works of global firms"】.But international trade by barter is, infact, an inefficient and expensive means of doing business compared to trading with money. Observes David Yoffie,"To cover the additional costs it incurs in handling goods it is forced to take in countertrade, a multinational company simply boosts the price of the goods it sells." 【Yoffie sees countertrade as a form of protectionis】. "It helps one group and hurts another,"he says.40.What is meant by "tap the net-works of global firms"?

Passage 2Countertrade is not the exclusive province of debtor nations. Says Yoffie, "Even countries with strong foreign exchange positions, such as Australia, Canada and Indonesia, are insisting on countertrade in certain areas.Linking imports and exports is way to exert power over multinational corporations.Countries that lack expertise in intemational marketing try to use countertrade as leverage 【to tap the net-works of global firms"】.But international trade by barter is, infact, an inefficient and expensive means of doing business compared to trading with money. Observes David Yoffie,"To cover the additional costs it incurs in handling goods it is forced to take in countertrade, a multinational company simply boosts the price of the goods it sells." 【Yoffie sees countertrade as a form of protectionis】. "It helps one group and hurts another,"he says.41.In what sense is countertrade seen as a form of protectionism?

(翻译题）Against this deteriorating global background, the improvement in economic performance in a few developing regions in 1991-which carried over into 1992- was especially noteworthy.This improvement is attributable, in part, to the implementation by many goverments of measures to stabilize their economies and restructure incentives to encourage private initiative and international trade. Policy reforms in Latin America helped to moderate inflation and domestic demand; East Asia economics, supported by growth in export volume in the range of 10 per cent and by ro bust domestic demand, continued to grow raprdly. Also noteworthy was the implementation by the Paris Club of a new menu of enhanced concessions on debt rescheduling for the severely indebted, low-income countries.

After a decade focused on events in the Middle East, the United States has recently 【bolstered】 its presence in the Asia-Pacific.

The Asia-Pacific region, which was one of the few areas enjoying 【dynamic】 economic development at that time, aroused U.S. interest.

I 【reckon】 this year's corn imports are likely to stand between 2 million tons and 2.5 million tons.

In foreign exchange markets, hedge funds are the currency 【speculators】 that worry governments the most.