OG12 66 不懂啊

xiaoxiaomi

OG12-66
To protect certain fledgling industries, the government of Country Z banned imports of the types of products
those industries were starting to make. As a direct result, the cost of those products to the buyers,
several export-dependent industries in Z, went up, sharply limiting the ability of those industries to
compete effectively in their export markets.

Which of the following conclusions about Country Z’s
adversely affected export-dependent industries is best supported by the passage?

(A) Profit margins in those industries were not high
enough to absorb the rise in costs mentioned above.

(B) Those industries had to contend with the fact
that other countries banned imports from Country Z.

(C) Those industries succeeded in expanding the domestic market for their products.

(D) Steps to offset rising materials costs by decreasing labor costs were taken in those industries.

(E) Those industries started to move into export markets that they had previously judged unprofitable.


这道题该怎么理解？

sdcar2010

This is an inference question. Inference question is a Must-Be-True type of question, which is 100% true based on the stimulus.  In other words, if stimulus is right, the answer for an inference question MUST be right. Choice A is 100% true based on the stimulus.

"Those industries" refer to "export-dependent industries in Z" since both phrases are in the same sentence.

If the export-dependent industries in Z cannot compete effectively due to the rising cost of the imported product, surely answer A describes one possible reason.

xiaoxiaomi

我看有翻译上说Profit margins是边际利润，是这样的吗

RayGT

profit margin 是净利润除以销售额

littlexian

Profit margin can be explained as how much you can get from the sell after you pay all the cost. The passage says that because Country Z wanted to protect some industries, so it banned those products from outside. It makes the source of the products that these industries produce become smaller. Demand of that product was still the same, but the supply decreased, so the prices of those products went up.
To the buyers who needed those products to make things to sell out of Country Z, their cost went up.

The passage points out that the result was "Those export-dependent industries  lost ability to compete effectively in their export markets." Which means those export-dependent industries needed to rise their price of their products because of the cost rise. Clearly, once you rise the price of your products, it is harder to sell them. Therefore, no one wants to rise their price and lose ability to compete if there is any option.

A. states that, those industries lost the ability to compete( rise their price) becuase "rofit margins in those industries were not high enough to absorb the rise in costs mentioned above"

For example, you sell ice cream, the price is $5, cost of milk $1, other expense $1.  you earn $3 everytime.(profit margin)
However, one day, the cost of milk rises to $4, you earn nothing now because your profit margin is not high enough to absorb the rise in cost. So you need to rise your ice cream price and lose your competition ability (while other people still sell $5 ice cream) without choice.

meris619

哈哈哈，楼上的真清楚。让我想明白了limiting the ability of those industries to compete的真正内在含义结果是涨价引起的！谢谢~~~

sdcar2010

raise the price

onlyonyou

Cost上涨则降低了竞争力，证明它本身的收益不足以承受cost的上涨。
但是我可以说，如果本身收益能够承受cost上涨，那么这个上涨也还是会降低竞争力，所以成本上涨降低竞争力，不是一定能推出本身的收益不足以承受成本上涨。
但是至少这个A选项是能够文章推出的结果。
所以，A可以是答案。

我这个理解对么？

木头鞋子

赞！

supermario5

8楼可能不太理解出口企业的盈利过程，感觉很多人做错这题都是因为GMAC假设大家都理解出口企业的竞争力和产品定价、利润、成本之间的关系。
科普一下：
出口企业的竞争力一般指的是价格上的竞争力，即对于同类产品来说，只要质量差别不大，那么就是谁价格低，外国消费者就更愿意买他的产品，他的竞争力就高。
（1）即同类产品中，价格低→竞争力高，价格高→竞争力低。
出口企业的产品价格和成本共同决定了他的单位产品利润，单位产品利润=单位产品价格-单位产品成本。只要单位产品利润>0，企业继续出口就能赚钱，否则就亏本。在单位产品价格一定的情况下，单位成本越高，企业的单位产品利润越低。
（2）即单位产品价格（出口价格）一定的情况下，单位产品成本高→单位利润低，单位利润低于0时企业继续出口就会亏本。
来看题目：Z国某些通过加工进口原料再出口获利的企业，因为进口原料被禁止了，所以只能买国内高价的同类原料。结果就是：
单位产品成本上升→在出口价格不变的前提下，单位产品利润下降→利润下降到0以下→企业出口亏本→为了不亏本，出口价格要上升→竞争力下降
从最初的原因 单位产品成本上升 到最后的结果 竞争力下降 中间的每个环节都必须具备，所以中间每个环节都是assumption，也就是中间环节是结论成立时must be true的。所以对A取非，即如果单位产品利润足以弥补上升的成本而不会降到0以下，出口企业为了不失去外国顾客都会保持原来的出口价格，因此不会失去竞争力，原来结论不成立。对A取非使结论不成立，说明A是assumption，也就是原文结论成立时must be true的东东。