Section B

In recent years, railroads have been combining with each year, merging into supersystems, causing heightened concerns about monopoly. As recently as 1995, the top four railroads accounted for under 70% of the total ton-miles moved by rails. Next year, after a series of mergers is completed, just four railroads will control well over 90% of all the freight moved by major rail carriers.
Supporters of the new supersystems argue that these mergers will allow for substantial cost reductions and better coordinated service. Any threat of monopoly, they argue, is removed by fierce competition from trucks. But many shippers complain that for heavy bulk commodities traveling long distances, trucking is too costly and the railroads
The vast consolidation within the rail industry means that most shippers are served by only one rail company. Railroads typically charge such "captive" shippers 20 to 30 percent more than they do when another railroad is competing for the business. Shippers who feel that they are being overcharged have the right to appeal to the federal government's Surface Transportation Board for rate belief, but the process is expensive, time consuming, and will work only in truly extreme cases.
Railroads justify rate discrimination against captive shippers on the grounds that in the long run it reduces everyone's cost. If railroads charged all customers the same average rate, they argue, shippers who have the option of switching to trucks or other forms of transportation would do so, leaving remaining customers to shoulder the cost of keeping up the line. It's a theory to which many economists subscribe, but in practice it often leaves railroads in the position of determining which companies will flourish and which will fail. "Do we really want railroads to be the arbiters of who wins and who loses in the marketplace?" asks Martin Bercovici, a Washington lawyer who frequently represents shippers.
Many captive shippers also worry they will soon be hit with a round of huge rate increases. The railroad industry as a whole, despite its brightening fortunes, still does not earn enough to cover the cost of the capital it must invest to keep up with its surging traffic. Yet railroads continue to borrow billions m acquire one another, with Wall Street cheering them on. Consider the $10. 2 billion bid by Norfolk Southern and CSX to acquire Conrail this year. Conrail's net railway operating income in 1996 was just $ 427 million, less than half of the carrying cost of the transaction. Who's going to pay for the rest of the bill? Many captive shippers fear that they will, as Norfolk Southern and CSX increase their grip on the market.

52. According to those who support mergers, railway monopoly is unlikely because ______.
A) cost reduction is based on competition
B) services call for cross-trade coordination
C) outside competitors will continue to exist
D) shippers will have the railway by the throat
53. What is many captive shippers' attitude towards the consolidation in the railway industry?
A) Indifferent. B) Supportive.
C) Indignant. D) Worried.

54. It can be inferred from Paragraph 3 that ______.
A) shippers will be charged less without a rival railroad
B) all shippers are served by only one rail company
C) overcharged shippers are unlikely to appeal for rate relief
D) a government board ensures fair play in railway business
55. The word "arbiters" (Paragraph 4) most probably refers to those ______.
A) who work as coordination B) who function as judges
C) who supervises transactions D) who determine the price

56. According to the passage, the rate increase in the rail industry is caused by ______.
A) the continuing acquisition
B) the growing traffic
C) the cheering Wall street
D) the shrinking market

52.因果推斷題。第二段開篇就描述了鐵路合并支持者們認為合并有助于減少成本以及更好地合作服務，不用擔心壟斷，因為還有來自卡車等運輸方式的強烈競爭，即“...these mergers will allow for substantial cost reductions and better coordinated service.Any threat of monopoly，they argue，is removed by fierce competition from trucks。因此。正確答案為C項。
53.態度揣摩題。關于captive shipper文中提及很多次，多次表達了他們對鐵路合并的態度，如“i)many shippers complain that for heavy bulk commodities traveling long distances， trucking is too costly;ii)Shippers who feel that they are being overcharged...iii)Many captive shippers also worry they will soon be hit with a round of huge rate increases;iv)Many captive shippers fear that they will，as Norfolk Southern and CSX increase their grip on the market.”，總體而言，captive shippers是不滿、抱怨、擔憂和擔心的態度，因此正確答案為D項。
54.推斷題。由第三段“，..consolidation...means that most shippers are served by only one rail company...Shippers who feel that they are being overcharged have the right to appeal to the federal government...but the process is expensive，time consuming...”可見合并將會導致絕大部分shippers由一家rail company壟斷(但不是所有的)，挨宰的人有權申訴但這一過程會耗費大量時間和金錢，所以他們一般不會訴諸法律，因此正確答案為C項。
55.詞義推斷題。由“arbiters”所在句Do we really want railroads to be the arbiters of who wins and who loses in the marketplace.可以猜測出arbiters的意思，因為他/她可以決定誰贏誰輸，懂體育的人就很容易猜出大概是“裁判”的意思。
56.因果推斷題。文章最后一段提到shippers擔心會有新一輪rate增加，因為鐵路運輸盡管賺錢，但還不足以挽回所有合并成本以及投資成本來滿足運輸需求的大幅度增長。他們仍在不斷借錢去合并，業務收入是運營成本的一半不到。這中間的赤字誰來買單呢? shippers。是什么原因導致rate增加呢?追根究底，還是合并惹的禍，故正確答案為A項。
52--56 CDCBA