Dear Economist, My newly-wedded wife and I are deeply in love．There is, however,

Dear Economist,

My newly-wedded wife and I are deeply inlove．There is,however, one issue that threatens the happiness of our marriage．I absolutely insist on shoppingat Walmart．My wife,meanwhile, would rather avoid Walmart at all costs．

Ihave recently tried to convince her that not only does Walmart offer the lowestprices known to man, but that the chain is also a force for good―lower pricesmean better standards of living for all consumers, increased global trade meansa tighter-knit(紧密团结的) international community, and efficient operations translate intohigher productivity growth for the economy．My wife complains about poor labour policies, the “fact” thatWalmart squeezes suppliers, and that it puts local shops out of business．

Whois right? Will our marriage survive?

Brian Gee

Dear Brian,

I have to agree with you about Walmart．Jason Furman, then an economistat New York University, now an adviser to President Obama, famously argued in2005 that Walmart was unwittingly (不知不觉地) a progressive success story．The chain’s prices don’t much affect me (I prefer Whole Foods) butFurman estimated that they benefited low-and-middle-income Americans to the sumof around $250 billion a year．

Walmartdoes not pay much, so it may depress wages．Then again, it may increase wages by offering jobs to theotherwise-unemployed．Either way, the benefits of low prices to Walmart shoppers faroutweigh any seemingly reasonable costs to Walmart employees．And while it is true thatWalmart employees tend to be poor, the same is true of Walmart shoppers．

Armedwith this information you can face your wife with confidence．You are sure to win theconversation．Thedivorce is likely to be more argued．

Economist

1.What concerns Brian Gee so much that hewrote the letter?

2.Brian Gee’s wife tends to hold theopinion that _________．

3.What can be inferred from the replyletter?

试题答案

【答案】

1.D

2.A

3.A

【解析】 略