Stabilization and Growth. Branches of government, including Congress and such entities as the Federal Reserve Board, attempt to control the extremes of boom and bust, of inflation and depression, by adjusting tax rates(including regulations pertaining to depreciation), The money supply, and the use of credit. They can also affect the economy through changes in the amount of public spending by the government itself.

Direct Assistance. The government provides many kinds of help to businesses and individuals. For example, tariffs permit certain products to remain relatively free of foreign competition; imports are sometimes taxed so that American products are able to compete better with certain foreign goods. Government also provides aid to farmers by subsidizing (资助，津贴) prices they receive for their crops. In quite a different area, government supports individuals who cannot adequately care for themselves, by making grants to working parents with dependent children, by providing medical care for the aged and the indigent, and through social insurance programs to help the unemployed and retirees. Government also supplies relief for the poor and help for the disabled.

40．Which of the following services is not offered by the federal government?
A. Postal system
B. Military establishment
C. Funding the public educational systems
D. Police and fire protection service

41．If the US government raises its tariffs, then
A. the American products may get an upper hand in competing with certain foreign goods.
B. the American consumers can buy more cheap foreign-made products.
C. the import volume of US may increase greatly
D. the domestic inflation can be eliminated

42．The Food and Drug Administration was established for the purpose of
A. eliminating monopoly
B. supervising the standards of quality in food
C. fighting against the government’s control
D. fighting against the foreign competition

43．In telephone or electric service, regulation is necessary because
A. in these areas monopoly has been established
B. these areas are faced with fierce competitions
C. these enterprises are inclined to make unfair sentfits
D. these enterprises concern a tot with the public security

Questions 44 to 47 are based on the following passage:

As we cross the threshold into the next century, human society is beginning its move from the industrial economy into the knowledge-based economy. In more specific terms, the application of information to the economy is best exemplified in the networking of communication, or the so-called Net economy. This net refers to the computer network of satellites, optic fibers, cables and telephone lines that connect the whole world. With the click of a mouse, information from the other end of the globe will be transported to your computer screen at the dizzying speed of seven-and-half times around the earth per second. Generally, there are two aspects of the Net. One is the networking between businesses and their customers. The other is the networking between individual businesses, or the regional and even global networking between industrial production and scientific research. Internet shopping belongs to the first aspect.