Passage 1

Already though, China’s commercial strength is starting to worry competitors. Last year China’s trade surplus surged, buoyed by exports of toys, textiles and consumer electronics. Its trade surplus with the United States hit a record $18 billion. Only Japan’s was larger. With the U.S. Congress due to consider the renewal of China’s most-favored nation trade status in June, officials in Beijing fear the trade imbalance could surpass human rights as a source of U.S. opposition to preferred status for China. “The trade surplus itself will be the No. 1 problem this year,” says one Chinese official. “After Japan, we’ll be first in line for retaliation.”

36、What is the meaning of the underlined word “though”? And why is it used here?

37、Why would trade surplus be a problem?

38、For what reason(s) or on what excuse will we be “first in line for retaliation”?

By doing proper market research, most business mistakes could have been avoided.

In the most recent talks about farm trade, America has shown a new willingness to compromise on details, doubtless reflecting George Bush’s need for an economic success to boast of in his election campaign. Whatever the motive a spirit of compromise makes sense for America, since it stands to gain a lot more from a successful round than any other country. But the EC continues to hesitate—because of France. French farmers are violently opposed to the reform of the common agricultural policy (CAP) that Europe’s governments agreed to last May.

分值分配In the most recent talks about farm trade(1分),

America has shown a new willingness to compromise on details(1分),

doubtless reflecting George Bush’s need for an economic success to boast of in his election campaign(2分).

Whatever the motive a spirit of compromise makes sense for America(2分),

since it stands to gain a lot more from a successful round than any other country(2分).

But the EC continues to hesitate—because of France(1分).

French farmers are violently opposed to the reform of the common agricultural policy (CAP)(2分)

that Europe’s governments agreed to last May(1分).

Matador is a poor name because it has an unfavorable connotation in Puerto Rico, while Kodak is a good name because it has a favorable connotation in any language.

“Come alive out of the grave with Pepsi” is a proper translation of “Come alive with Pepsi”.

The paper—manufacturing firm met with enormous difficulty in Sicily because it hired an inefficient labor force.

Chuck might have gone to the nearest gas station if he had seen it advertising brand names on sale.

Passage 2

Doing business in another country may be extremely tricky. For example, merely asking the right question is sometimes crucial. In one reported case, a paper-manufacturing firm neglected to inspect some wooded land for sale in Sicily prior to its purchase. Only after the company had bought the land, built a plant, and hired a labor force did it realize that the trees were only knee-high and not suitable for making paper. The plant had to import logs.Numerous problems result from the failure to adapt packaging for different cultures. Sometimes only the color of the package needs to be altered to enhance a product’s sales. White, for instance, symbolizes death in much of Asia; green represents danger or disease in Malaysia. Obviously, use of these colors in these countries might produce negative reactions to products.Some product names travel poorly. American Motor’s Matador car might conjure up images of strength and power in America, but in Puerto Rico its name means “Killer”, an unfavorable connotation in a place with a high traffic fatality rate. When the gasoline company Esso realized that its name means “stalled car” in Japan, it understood why it had had difficulties in that market.However, some company names have travelled well. Kodak may be one of the most famous examples. A research team deliberately developed this name after searching for a word that was pronounceable everywhere but had no specific meaning anywhere.Many international advertising errors are due to faulty translations. The best translations embody the general theme and concept of the original ad campaign but do not attempt to be precise duplicates of the original slogan. Pepsi Co. learned this lesson when it reportedly discovered that its slogan “Come alive with Pepsi” was literally translated into German as “Come alive out of the grave with Pepsi”. And in Asia, it was translated as “Bring your ancestors back from the dead.” General Motors encountered problems in Belgium, where “Body by Fisher” was translated as “Corpse by Fisher”.Proper market research may reduce or eliminate most international business mistakes. Market researchers can uncover needs for product adaptation, potential name problems, promotional requirements, and proper market strategies. Good research techniques may even uncover potential translation problems.

International companies run the risk of failure if they overlook differences between countries.

Since Chuck’s car wasn’t working, his neighbor voluntarily offered to drive him to the Sears store nearest his house.

As the batteries advertised in the newspapers had similar prices, Chuck thought it wise to buy brand name battery.

It is difficult to judge what elements influence a buyer’s decision.