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  3. The Trade Protection Society Doctrine in the Crisis Comparisons to the Depression feature are in almost every discussion of

The Trade Protection Society Doctrine in the Crisis Comparisons to the Depression feature are in almost every discussion of

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问题             The Trade Protection Society Doctrine in the Crisis
    Comparisons to the Depression feature are in almost every discussion of the global economic crisis. In world trade, such parallels are especially chilling. Trade declined alarmingly in the early 1930s as global demand imploded, prices collapsed and governments embarked on a destructive, protectionist spiral of higher tariffs and retaliation.
    Trade is contracting again, at a rate unmatched in the post-war period. This week the WTO predicted that the volume of global merchandise trade would shrink by 9% this year. This will be the first fall in trade flows since 1982. Between 1990 and 2006 trade volumes grew by more than 6% a year, outstripping the growth rate of world output, which was about 3 % . Now the global economic machine has gone into reverse: output is declining and trade is tumbling at a faster pace. The turmoil has shaken commerce in goods of all sorts, bought and sold by rich and poor countries alike.
    It is too soon to talk of a new protectionist spiral. Nevertheless, errors of policy risk make a bad thing worse—despite politicians’ promises to keep markets open. When they met in November, the leaders of the G20 rich and emerging economies declared that they would eschew protectionism and will doubtless do so again when they meet on April 2nd. But this pledge has not been honoured. According to the World Bank, 17 members of the group have taken a total of 47 trade restricting steps since November.
    Modern protectionism is more subtle and varied than the 1930s version. In the Depression tariffs were the weapon of choice. America’s Smoot-Hawley act, passed in 1930, increased nearly 900 American import duties and provoked widespread retaliation from America’s trading partners. A few tariffs have been raised this time, but tighter licensing requirements, import bans and anti-dumping have also been used. Rich countries have included discriminatory procurement provisions in their fiscal-stimulus bills and offered subsidies to ailing national industries. These days, protectionism comes in 57 varieties.
    There are good reasons for thinking that the world has less to fear from protectionism than in the past. International agreements to limit tariffs, built over the post-war decades, are a safeguard against all-out tariff wars. The growth of global supply chains, which have bound national economies together tightly, have made it more difficult for governments to increase tariffs without harming producers in their own countries.
    But these defences may not be strong enough. Multilateral agreements provide little insurance against domestic subsidies, fiercer use of anti-dumping or the other forms of creeping protection.
What is the new feature in this depression compared with its 1930s version?
选项 A、It has put fierce effects upon rich and poor countries alike.
B、Protectionism has been adopted in protecting national finance.
C、Tariffs, licensing requirements and import bans are adopted for protection.
D、Modern protectionism takes more subtle and varied forms in protection.
答案D
解析 推理判断题。根据题干定位至第四段。本题可用排除法。20世纪30年代和今年的经济危机同为全球性经济危机，所以[A]错误。根据本段第一句和最后一句可知，为应对本次经济危机，贸易保护主义策略也被采用，所以[B]错误。根据本段第4句开头可知，应对这次经济危机时关税策略也被采用，所以[C]错误。选项[D]与原文第1句的含义吻合，是正确答案。
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