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A Smuggling Syndicate
The smuggler in many ways is just another international businessman and his turnover would do credit to many international corporations. His business happens to be illegal and risky, but look at the stakes involved: $5 billion worth of heroin smuggled into the United States each year, and $1.5 billion in gold passing annually along smuggling pipelines to India and Indonesia, to France and Morocco, to Brazil and Turkey. Perhaps half of all the watches made in Switzerland reach their eventual wearers by some back door. Most of this illicit trade is carried on with all the efficiency of any multinational company. Entirely legitimate businesses, such as a travel bureau or an import-export agency, are also often fronts for smuggling organizations. One of the world’s largest gold smugglers also owned and operated the franchise for a leading make of British cars in a small Middle Eastern country. He made a good profit from both activities.
A smuggling syndicate operates much like any other business. The boss is really a chief executive. He makes all the plans, establishes international contacts, and thinks up the smuggling routes and method but remains aloof from actual operations. He is aided by a handful of managers looking after such specialties as financing, travel (one reason why many smuggling syndicates find it handy to have their own travel agency), the bribing of airline or customs officials, and recruitment of couriers, or mules as they are called. There may also be someone in charge of local arrangements in the countries to which the smuggled goods is going.
Another similarity between legitimate business and its illegal counterpart is price fluctuation. Just as the prices of products traded legally vary with quality and market conditions such as supply and demand, so do the prices of goods go up and down in the smuggling trade. Consider the price of drugs. Heroin , in whatever form or by whatever name, cone in several grades, each with a going price. The wholesale price at which big dealers sell to big dealers is less than the street price. When the authorities are successful in reducing the supply buy seizures, the price of all grades rises.
1. The main idea for this passage is
[A] The Comparison between Legitimate Business and Its Illegal Counterpart.
[B] The similarities between Legitimate Business and Smuggling.
[C] Smugglers May Make Great Profit from Both Activities.
[D] The Boss in Smuggling Syndicate is a Chief Executive.
2. When is the price going down?
[A] The quality of the foods and market condition are not very well.
[B] The quality of goods and market condition vary.
[C] Unbalance between supply and demand.
[D] The price of other goods fluctuates.
3. It can be inferred that a smuggler
[A] may make plan and establish international contacts.
[B] is a real boss.
[C] may make money in different ways .
[D] may sell other goods.
4. One of the best ways smugglers usually take is
[A] to set up multinational companies.
[B] to engage in illegal businesses only.
[C] to make legitimate businesses as fronts for smuggling organizations.
[D] to make good profits from both activities.
答案詳解：
1. B. 合法商業和私運的相似性。是這篇文章的中心思想。它是通過對比方法說明這種相似性。並不是兩者對比得出結論。所以
A. 合法商業和非法商業比較。不對。 C. 私運者可以從兩種活動中謀取利潤 和 D. 私運集團中的老闆是董事長，只是對比中提到個別具體事實。不是中心思想。
2. A. 貨物質量和市場情況不好。第三段第二句“正如合法商業按質論價和按市場供需價一樣，私運商品也是按這兩者調節價格的上升和下降。”所以當質量和市場情況不好價格就跌。
B. 貨物質量和市場變化。這並不一定跌價，也可能上升。 C. 供需不平衡。並沒有說明供大於求，和跌價無關。 D. 其它商品價波動。這不一定下跌。所以B,C,D都不對。
3. D. 可能會賣其他貨品。題目是推斷，(infer)。從第一段最後一句“世界上最大私運黃金商之買賣，可推斷出私運商照樣可以經營其他商品。至於
A. 制定計劃，簽定合同。 B. 私運商是真正的老闆。 C. 以不同的方式賺錢，都是文章中直抒，不是推斷出來的結論。
4. C. 以合法商業掩護他們私運是私運商經常採用，也是最佳的方法之一。
A. 多國公司。 B. 只從事非法商貿，這並不是最佳方法。 D. 從兩方面賺錢，並不是方法，而是有了掩護所後，多一份收入而已。
詞彙：
1. turnover 營業額
2. do credit to 增光於某人/某物
3. stake 下在投機生意上的股本，賭注
4. smuggling pipeline 私運線路
5. speciality 專業部門，公司
6. recruit 招募，添補(新兵)
難句譯註：
1. The smuggler in many ways is just another international businessman and his turnover would do credit to many international corporations.
[結構簡析] 並列句
[參考譯文] 私運者在許多方面就像一個國際商人，而他的.營業額確爲許多國際公司增光。
寫作方法與文章大意：
這是一篇介紹私運集團的文章，採用對比寫法——正常(合法)的商業和私運(非法)集團的對比。第一段第一句就點明宗旨：私運者在許多方面就像一個國際商人，而他的營業額確爲許多國際公司增光。不僅如此，有的也經營合法商業，如旅遊，進出口公司等，這些往往是非法私運組織的前哨陣地。
第二段介紹了私運辛迪加的經營情況非常類似其他商業。老闆就是真正的(執行)董事長。他制定計劃，簽定國際合同，確定私運路線和方法但不參與具體執行行動。有一批經理助他管理各個專業部門，如財政，旅行，賄賂海關或航空公司官員等，還有當地接應私運貨品的負責人。
第三段敘述了合法和非法貿易另一個相似點——價格波動，價格隨市場供需和商品質量而有所差異。
