B

　　Many United States companies have made the search for legal protection from import competition into a major line of work. Since 1980, the United States International Trade Commission(ITC) has received about 280 complaints alleging damage from imports that benefit from subsidies(补贴) by foreign governments. Another 340 charge that foreign companies "dumped" their products in the United States at "less than fair value". Even when no unfair practices are claimed, the simple claim that an industry has been injured by imports is sufficient grounds to seek relief(救济).

　　Contrary to the general impression, this request for import relief has hurt more companies than it has helped. As corporations begin to function globally, they develop a complicated web of marketing, production, and research relationships. The complexity of these relationships makes it unlikely that a system of import relief laws will meet the strategic needs of all the units under the same parent company. Internationalization increases the danger that foreign companies will use import relief laws against the very companies the laws were designed to protect. Suppose a United States-owned company establishes an overseas plant to manufacture a product while its competitor makes the same product in the United States. If the competitor can prove injury from the imports-and that the United States company received a subsidy from a foreign government to build its plant abroad-the United States company's products will be uncompetitive in the United States, since they would be subject to duties.

　　Perhaps the most shameful case occurred when the ITC investigated allegations(控诉) that Canadian companies were injuring the United States salt industry by dumping rock salt, used to deice roads. The bizarre aspect of the complaint was that a foreign conglomerate(联合企业) with United States operations was crying for help against a United States company with foreign operations. The "United States" company claiming injury was a unit of a Dutch conglomerate, while the "Canadian" companies included a unit of a Chicago firm that was the second-largest domestic producer of rock salt.

　　25. The passage is chiefly concerned with ________.

　　A. arguing against the increased internationalization of US corporations

　　B. recommending a uniform method for handling claims of unfair trade practices

　　C. warning that the application of laws affecting trade frequently has unintended consequences

　　D. advocating the use of trade restrictions for "dumped" products but not for other imports

　　26. What can be inferred about the minimal basis for a complaint to the ITC?

　　A. A foreign competitor is selling products in the US at less than fair market value.

　　B. A foreign competitor has greatly increased the volume of products shipped to the US.

　　C. The company requesting import relief has been banned from exporting products.

　　D. The company requesting import relief has been injured by the sale of imports in the US.

　　27. Which of the following is most likely to be true of US trade laws?

　　A. They will eliminate the practice of "dumping" products in the US.

　　B. Those applied to international companies will help to gain more profits.

　　C. They will affect US trade with Canada more negatively than trade with other nations.

　　D. Those helping one unit within a parent company won't necessarily help other units.

　　Maru is a popular international star. Every day, millions of people watch his videos on the Internet. But there is something about Maru that may surprise you. He is a cat.

　　There are many famous Internet cats. Some cats are famous for their videos like Maru. The woman who owns Maru puts new videos on Youtube often. People love to see what Maru is doing. Another famous cat is called "Grumpy Cat". Grumpy Cat looks as if she is angry all the time and she usually appears in pictures.

　　Pictures are a popular way cats exist (存在) on the Internet. Some are memes (an idea, behavior, or style that spreads from person to person within a culture), like Grumpy Cat. These cat picture memes often include funny words. They use wrong words as if the cat is speaking in a strange form of English.

　　One of the most famous cat memes is called "I can has cheezburger". The picture was the first on a website about cat memes. This website is even called "I can has cheezburger". Ben Huh bought the small website in 2007. And today, it is part of a group of sites. He earns millions of dollars every year managing them.

　　But why do people on the Internet like cats so much? How can websites like these be successful? Some experts believe that cats amaze us. Often, it is very difficult to train a cat. So, when people see a cat do something amazing, they know it did the trick without training.

　　Or maybe people just love seeing cats on the Internet because cats are cute. We may never know the answer. But we do know one thing. Cats will be on the Internet for a long time. Matt Smith, who produces videos and pictures for the Internet, explains, "There will always be more cats on the Internet because so many people have cats. That means there is a lot of basic material for meme creation."

　　28. What do Maru and Grumpy Cat have in common?

　　A. They are Internet stars.

　　B. They seem to be always angry.

　　C. They belong to the same owner.

D. They usually appear in pictures.