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  3. The developing countries of Central and South America, Africa, and Asia once merely exported raw materials and cash crops in ret

The developing countries of Central and South America, Africa, and Asia once merely exported raw materials and cash crops in ret

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问题     The developing countries of Central and South America, Africa, and Asia once merely exported raw materials and cash crops in return for manufactured goods. People in these countries provided for most of their own needs through subsistence agriculture and small-scale crafts. In time, though, people in these countries grew increasingly dependent on the global economy, because local crafts could not compete with the cheap, factory-made exports of the developed countries, such as European nations, the United States, and Japan. To decrease their dependence, many developing countries sought to strengthen their economies by building factories, modern dams, and roads during the 1960s and 1970s: Governments frequently made poor financial choices. However, infrastructure projects such as dams and highways were often too massive for local needs. Choices about industry were sometimes not based on the best interests of the country, and protection from competition frequently resulted in inferior goods. As a result, products could not compete on the global market with the higher-quality goods from the industrialized countries. Many developing countries then had little income to pay off debts incurred (招致) during their expansion.
    A few developing economies succeeded in building prosperity through industrialization during the 20th century. The most notable of these were South Korea, Singapore, and Hong Kong S. A. R. Like Japan during the 19th century, they established tariffs and other barriers to protect local products from foreign competition and invested local wealth in industrial development. Also like Japan, they focused on selling the products they manufactured to foreign consumers in order to bring wealth into the country. By the end of the 20th century some experts considered these economies to be developed, rather than developing, although many of South Korea’s economic successes were reversed in the financial crisis of 1997. Following a similar path, China advanced economically through a rapid expansion of manufactured exports during the late 20th century.
    Meanwhile, multinationals based in the economically developed world set up low-wage manufacturing facilities in some developing countries, particularly in Southeast Asia and in Central and South America. These factories typically generated few long-term benefits for the local economy. The profits flowed outside the country to the shareholders of the foreign multinationals. Also, the developing countries were forced to participate in a "race to the bottom" to attract multinational investment. If a developing country or its people taught higher wages or enforced labor or environmental protections, multinationals often simply relocated production to a country with lower costs.
What is the meaning of "race to the bottom"? (Line 5, Para. 3)
选项
答案Competing by lowering the costs.
解析 本题问到“‘底线竞争’为何意”。根据问题中关键词“race to the bottom”可确定文中相关部分在第三段四行处。文中提到：“the developing countries were forced to participate in a ’race to the bottom’ to attract multinational investment. If a developing country or its people sought higher wages or enforced labor or environmental protections, multinational often simply relocated production to a country with lower costs.”(发展中国家被迫加入“底线竞争”来吸引外商投资。如果任何发展中国家或人民试图提高薪水、保护劳动力或环境，跨国公司会轻而易举地把生产线转移到生产成本更低的国家)。可见，为了吸引外资，发展中国家会不断的降低生产成本以互相竞争。因此，本题答案为Competing by lowering the costs。
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