Question

【題目】In opposing President Barack Obama's opening to Cuba, Florida's Republican senator, Marco Rubio, explained, "This entire policy shift announced today is based on an illusion, on a lie, the lie and the illusion that more commerce and access to money and goods will translate to political freedom for the Cuban people." Rubio has correctly touched on the hottest issue. But theory, logic and history suggest that he's wrong in his conclusions.

I would recommend to Rubio one of the classics of conservative(保守的) thought, Milton Friedman's "Capitalism and Freedom." He doesn't have to spend too much time on it. The first chapter outlines the "relation between economic freedom and political freedom." The point Friedman makes in the book is one that America's founding fathers well understood. Drawing on the political philosopher John Locke, they believed that the freedom to buy, sell, own and trade were primary elements of human freedom and individual autonomy(自治). As they expand, liberty expands.

This is not just theory, of course. Over the last two centuries, the countries that embraced "more commerce and access to money and goods" in Rubio's phrase -- Britain, America, then Western Europe and East Asia -- have moved toward greater prosperity, but also political freedom. If you exclude oil-rich countries, where money is not earned but dug from the ground, on the whole there has been a strong connection between economic freedom and political freedom.

In Latin America today, democracy(民主政治) and markets have acted to strengthen each other, transforming the continent, which 30 years ago was almost entirely ruled by dictatorships(獨裁) to one that is today almost entirely ruled by democracies. After opening up its economy in the 1970s, Chile began to grow, but that growth then produced a stronger civil society that over time contributed to the end of the dictatorship within the country. Yet Cuba is an outlier, one of the last regimes in Latin America that has embraced neither markets nor ballots. The Obama administration is acting on the theory that more commerce, capitalism, contact, travel and trade will empower the people of Cuba and thus gives them a greater voice in their political future. And so the first point to make is that it will help Cubans economically -- it will raise their incomes, their standard of living, and boost access to technology. These are all good things in and of themselves.

But easing the embargo(貿易禁止) will also help Americans, who will benefit from being able to trade with a neighbor. This is the reason that conservatives have long understood that free trade is not a gift bestowed on someone. It helps both countries and in particular, helps the United States. That's why the Wall Street Journal's editorial page -- bastion of conservative thought -- has been an advocate on lifting the trade embargo against Cuba, which is a far larger step than Obama's normalization.

【1】 What message does the writer try to deliver through this passage?

A. President Obama is making a wrong move opening to Cuba.

B. Marco Rubio is making a mistake criticizing Obama’s normalization policy.

C. Obama’s policy will benefit both Cubans and Americans economically and politically.

D. Obama’s decision agrees with the fact that economic freedom grows with political freedom.

【2】 How does the writer prove his point in paragraph 3 and 4?

A. by analyzing cause and effect

B. by giving examples

C. by making comparison and contrast

D. by raising questions

【3】What does the underlined phrase “translate to” most probably mean?

A. connect with B. adapt to

C. get down to D. lead to

【4】It is implied in the passage that_____________

A. The Obama administration wants to help people in Cuba, so President Obama decided to open to Cuba.

B. Chile is different from other countries in Latin America in that it has both economic and political freedom.

C. America’s founding fathers based their ideology on the theory of Milton Friedman.

D. The conservatives and the Wall Street Journal are on the same page on free trade.

【5】Who doesn’t believe that democracy and markets strengthen each other?

A. the writer B. President Obama

C. Milton Friedman D. Marco Rubio

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】D

【2】B

【3】D

【4】B

【5】D

【解析】

試題分析：本文講述奧巴馬決定對古巴開放，而Marco Rubio則對此提出反對意見，作者則以舉例法駁斥了

Marco Rubio的觀點，指出其觀點的不當之處，并提出經濟自由與政治自由相輔相成的論斷。

【1】D分析推理題。本文第一段論述奧巴馬決定對古巴開放，并提出經濟自由與政治自由相輔相成的論點，后面幾段就是通過具體的列子來證明這一論斷，可知本文意圖傳達奧巴馬的決定與該論斷相符，故選D

【2】B分析推理題。根據第三段第二句Britain, America, then Western Europe and East Asia -- have moved toward greater prosperity, but also political freedom.第四段最后一句And so the first point to make is that it will help Cubans economically -- it will raise their incomes, their standard of living, and boost access to technology. These are all good things in and of themselves.可知作者在3、4段主要是通過舉例來論證自己的觀點的，故選B

【3】D詞義猜測題。根據句子more commerce and access to money and goods will translate to political freedom for the Cuban people更多商業(yè)與更便利獲得貨物和金錢會導致古巴人民向往政治自由，可知該短語在此處是導致的意思，故選D

【4】B細節(jié)理解題。根據第四段第二句After opening up its economy in the 1970s, Chile began to grow, but that growth then produced a stronger civil society that over time contributed to the end of the dictatorship within the country.19世紀70年代開放經濟后，智利開始成長，導致市民社會強大最終結束獨裁，可知智利不同于其他拉美國家，它有政治經濟自由，故選B

【5】D分析推理題。根據第一句In opposing President Barack Obama's opening to Cuba, Florida's Republican senator, Marco Rubio, explained, "This entire policy shift announced today is based on an illusion, on a lie, the lie and the illusion that more commerce and access to money and goods will translate to political freedom for the Cuban people. Marco認為當前政策轉向是基于錯誤的論斷即經濟自由會導致政治自由，即他不認為民主和市場是相輔相成的，故選D