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  3. On Wednesday, incoming Financial Secretary Donald Tsang said he is "committed to the principle and philosophies enshrined by his

On Wednesday, incoming Financial Secretary Donald Tsang said he is "committed to the principle and philosophies enshrined by his

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问题     On Wednesday, incoming Financial Secretary Donald Tsang said he is "committed to the principle and philosophies enshrined by his predecessor, Sir Hamish Macleod. " Such commitments are unsurprising given that the government has in recent months consistently reiterated its policy of nonintervention.
    The twin policies of low taxation and free market have been both boon and bane for the economy of the island territory. While the government is correct in crediting its policies for the recent economic surge, it has also left officials wary of being seen as meddling with the private sector. Such interference , say government critics, might well kill the goose that laid the golden egg and slow economic development and trade.
    Since 1945, government spending in monetary terms has never exceeded 20% of Gross Domestic Product (CDP). Yet even as the specter of unemployment looms over the heads of many island residents , the government has done nothing to avert the growing crisis, this is in part clue to government reluctance to upset the apple cart and interfere with the island’s "market miracle". Meanwhile, the unemployment rate continues to rocket skyward and the government seems unable or unwilling to act in the midst of a growing crisis.
    "Those measures currently in place are inadequate and unnecessarily complicated," says activist P. T. Chang," the unemployed in this society are already under a great deal of stress and those who do seek help from the Social Welfare Department (SWD) have to endure the complicated application procedure and the inhumane and harsh ’ means test’ .
    As a result, activists like Chang, are calling on the government to make the invisible hand of the market just a little more visible by creating more opportunities for the unemployed, legislating against discrimination based on age or gender, and making it more difficult for employers to unjustly fire or lay off employees.
    Such measures face strong opposition from the island’s business community who reject any government interference in the private sector. They say companies will bear the brunt of paying for these new-policies. Such policies argue business leaders, will drive up the cost of labor and force companies to cut back on staff.
    " They want to lower unemployment," says one executive who declined to be named, " but these policies will have the opposite effect of driving up the unemployment. "
    The business community argues that higher labor costs mean companies can afford fewer workers. However this newspaper (Washington Post) considers this argument, as well as darker suggestions that these policies will mean the inevitable slow down of economic growth, as specious. Without action soon, the government risks social instability which will have a far more detrimental effect on the economy than enacting the new policies.
The government made almost no efforts to fight unemployment because ______.
选项 A、they were busy dealing with more important political issues
B、they wanted the present hard-earned economic growth to stay
C、they were making budget in which expenditure would go up
D、they were afraid to interfere in the high profit apple production
答案B
解析 细节题。题干中的“unemployment”出自文章第三段。第三段首先提到，尽管失业的阴霾笼罩着这个岛国，但政府并没有采取任何行动来防止这个危机，随后解释说，政府之所以不干涉失业问题的部分原因在于他们不愿意扰乱现状，不愿意干扰这个岛国的“市场奇迹”。这说明：原因是政府不愿干预“市场奇迹”。B符合题意，故为正确选项。A和C属于not given类型；D是误解了该段中“upset the apple cart”这个短语的意思，该短语的意思为“使美梦破灭，搞砸或毁坏某事物”。
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