Passage 6
Students taking business courses are sometimes a little surprised to find that lectures on business ethics have been included in their syllabuses of study.They often do not realize that，later in their careers，they may be tempted to bend their principles to get what they want；perhaps also they are not fully aware that bribery in various forms is on the increase in many countries.
In dealing with the topic of business ethics，some lecturers ask students how they would act in the following situation：suppose you were head of a major soft-drinks company and you want to break into a certain overseas market where the growth potential for your company is likely to be very great indeed.During negotiations with government officials of this country，the Minister of Trade makes it clear to you that if you offer him a substantial bribe，you will find it much easier to get an import licence for your goods，and you are also likely to avoid“bureaucratic delays”，as he puts it.Now，the question is：do you pay up or stand by your principles？
It is easy to talk about having high moral standards but，in practice，what would one really do in such a situation？Some time ago the British car manufacturer，British Leyland，was accused of operating a“slush fund”，and of questionable practices such as paying agents and purchasers with padded commission，offering additional discounts and making payments to numbered bank accounts in Switzerland.The company rejected these allegations and they were later withdrawn.Nevertheless，at this time，there were people in the motor industry in Britain who were prepared to say in private：“Look，we’re in a wheeling-dealing business.Every year we’re selling more than₤1，000 million worth of cars abroad.If we spend a few million greasing the palms of some of the buyers，who’s hurt？If we didn’t do it，someone else would.”
It is difficult to resist the impression that bribery and other questionable payments are on the increase.Indeed，they seem to have become a fact of commercial life.To take just one example，the Chrysler Corporation，third largest of the U.S.motor manufacturers，disclosed that it made questionable payments of more than$2.5 million.By making this revelation，it joined more than 300 U.S.companies that had admitted to the U.S.Securities and Exchange Commission that they had made dubious payments.
1.The lectures on business ethics make students surprised because____.
A.they are unaware of their later potential violation of the rules
B.the forms of bribery are on the increase in many countries
C.they do not know how to act to entertain the officials in other countries
D.it is hard to avoid bureaucratic delays without such lectures
2.Towards standing by ethnic rules in real practice，the writer seems____.
A.indifferent B.pessimistic
C.affirmative D.optimistic
3.Which of the following is one of questionable practices of British Leyland？
A.He operated“slush fund”to bribe.
B.He offered additional discounts and then withdrew the money.
C.He made the use of banks in Switzerland to evade the tax.
D.He paid more money to its agents and buyers.
4.The writer uses the example of Chrysler Corporation to argue that____.
A.the revelation of bribery is difficult in America
B.bribery has become common in commercial life
C.Securities and Exchange Commission supervises dubious payments
D.the wheeling-dealing business drives people to bribe
5.The best title of this passage would be____.
A.Bribery is Inevitable Nowadays
B.Business Ethics Lectures are Necessary
C.Bribery and Securities and Exchange Commission
D.How to Avoid Business Bribery
Words&Expressions
syllabus n. 课程提纲(https://www.daowen.com)
Minister of Trade 贸易部长
bureaucratic delays 官僚主义的拖延
be accused of 因……而受指控
padded commission n. 佣金
allegation n. 指控
wheeling-dealing adj. 不择手段的
grease the palm of 买通，贿赂
Securities and Exchange Commission 证券交易署
dubious adj. 可疑的，不确定的
文章大意
选修商业课程的学生会多少有些惊讶地发现在他们所学的课程中，还有关于商业道德方面的讲座。他们常意识不到，工作后，为了达到目的，他们可能会做出违背原则的事情；或许他们还没有清醒地认识到，在许多国家，贿赂正在以各种形式呈上升势头，愈演愈烈。
讲到商业道德这一话题，一些讲课人总是问学生在下面的情形中他们会怎么做：假设你是一家大型饮料公司的头儿，你想打入对公司发展前景有利的某一海外市场。在与该国政府官员的谈判过程中，贸易部长明确表示如果你给他可观的贿赂，你就可以轻而易举地获得产品进口许可证；同时，你很可能会避免他所谓的“因官僚主义而延误”的情况。现在，问题是：你是出钱还是坚持原则？
空谈坚持崇高的道德标准很容易，而在现实中，在这种情形下，人们到底会怎么做呢？不久前，英国的一家汽车制造商，英国莱兰汽车公司，被指控设有一笔用来支付非法事务的款项以及其他一些不正当做法，如向代理商和买方支付高额回扣、提供附加折扣以及向瑞士银行某些编号账户存款等。这家公司驳回了这些指控，后来这些指控也被撤销了。然而，此时英国汽车业却有人暗地私语，“瞧，我们所干的事竞争异常激烈，往往需不择手段。每年我们将价值超过10亿英镑的汽车销往海外。如果我们花上几百万贿赂买方，那又何妨？即使我们不那么做，别人也会那么做的。”
行贿和其他不正当的送钱情况越来越多，这种印象很难磨灭。的确，这种情况已经成了商界无可争辩的事实。仅以美国第三大汽车制造商克莱斯勒公司为例，该公司透露支付了超过2 500万美元的不正当款项。透露了这一秘密之后，该公司也变成了三百多家美国公司的一分子，这些公司向美国证券交易署承认近年来曾经支付过各种不正当的款项。
答案、考点及解析
1.【答案】A
【考点】因果类细节题
【解析】文章开头指出一种现象，选修商业课程的学生会多少有些惊讶地发现在他们所学的课程中，还有关于商业道德方面的讲座。然后作者在本段中解释原因，一是：They often do not realize that they may bend their principles（他们没有意识到在今后的工作中可能会丧失原则），二是：bribery in various forms is on the increase（各种形式的贿赂在增加）。A项符合第一点的论述，所以正确。B项错在原文中on the increase的主语是bribery，而不是forms，在语义上两者也是有区别的，原文的意思是贿赂在增加，而B项的意思却是贿赂的形式在增加。C项的内容文章并未提及；D项把bureaucratic delays和lectures这两个在原文中毫无关系的答案拼在一起，干扰考生。
2.【答案】B
【考点】作者的观点态度
【解析】根据题干中的关键词standing by和in real practice，可以在第三段第一句话中找到答案。原文用一个设问句提出：It is easy to talk about having high moral standards but，in practice，what would one really do in such a situation？（空谈坚持崇高的道德标准很容易，而在现实中，在这种情形下，人们到底会怎么做呢？），然后作者列举了Leyland这个反面例子来证明坚持原则是很难的，由此可以得出作者对此的态度是pessimistic（悲观的），而不是affirmative（坚定的）和optimistic（乐观的）。
3.【答案】D
【考点】局部理解
【解析】本题旨在考查考生对于长句的理解，答案可以定位到原文第三段第二句话。这句话很长，其中operating a“slush fund”和questionable practices两者并列，做accused of的宾语，paying agents and purchasers，offering additional discounts和making payments to numbered bank accounts做such as的宾语，所以题干中的questionable practices就是这三种举动。A项错在它与questionable practices是并列的关系，而不是隶属的关系。B项错在原文并没有提到Leyland withdrew the money。C项错在文章没有提到evade the tax（逃税）的问题。D项正是对paying agents and purchasers with padded commission的改写，为正确答案。
4.【答案】B
【考点】理解论据和论点的关系
【解析】英语文章中在举例时，要说明的问题一般都会在这个例子的前面或后面的文字里面。所以，遇到类似的题目，考生要注意上下文的意思。原文最后一段中，Chrysler Corporation这个例子的前文指出：questionable payments are on the increase；they seem to have become a fact of commercial life（行贿和其他不正当的送钱情况越来越多，已经成了商界无可争辩的事实），然后作者举例，如此之大的公司依然有类似的行为，正是说明前文的内容，所以B项为正确答案。A项的内容文章并未提及；C项的内容不是这个例子要说明的问题，与上下文的意思相距甚远；D项的内容文章并未提到。
5.【答案】A
【考点】文章主题
【解析】通观全文，可见文章的第一段并非主题段，而是起到了引入话题的作用。文章从商业道德课谈起，然后设计了一个想象的情境，接下来指出在现实中人们的表现，最后一段点出文章的主题：行贿和其他不正当的送钱情况越来越多，这种印象很难磨灭。由此可见，文章讲的是贿赂不可避免的主题，所以A项为正确答案。B、C两项为文章细节，而D项的内容本文并没有涉及。