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¡¡Recent years have brought minority-ownedbusinesses in the United States unprecedentedopportunities-as well as new and significant risks.Civil rights activists have long argued that one of£¨5£©£ the principal reasons why Blacks£¬ Hispanics£¬ andother minority groups have difficulty establishingthemselves in business is that they lack access tothe sizable orders and subcontracts that are gener-ated by large companies. Now ConGREss£¬ in appar-£¨10£© ent agreement£¬ has required by law that businessesawarded federal contracts of more than $500£¬000do their best to find minority subcontractors andrecord their efforts to do so on forms filed with thegovernment. Indeed£¬ some federal and local agen-£¨15£© cies have gone so far as to set specific percentagegoals for apportioning parts of public works con-tracts to minority enterprises.
¡¡¡¡Corporate response appears to have been sub-stantial. According to figures collected in 1977£¬£¨20£© the total of corporate contracts with minority busi-nesses rose from $77 million in 1972 to $1. lbillionin 1977. The projected total of corporate contractswith minority businesses for the early 1980¡®s isestimated to be over 53 billion per year with no£¨25£© letup anticipated in the next decade.£ Promising as it is for minority businesses£¬ thisincreased patronage poses dangers for them£¬ too.First£¬ minority firms risk expanding too fast andoverextending themselves financially£¬ since most£¨30£© are small concerns and£¬ unlike large businesses£¬they often need to make substantial investments innew plants£¬ staff£¬ equipment£¬ and the like in orderto perform work subcontracted to them. If£¬ there-after£¬ their subcontracts are for some reason£¨35£© reduced£¬ such firms can face potentially cripplingfixed expenses. The world of corporate purchasingcan be frustrating for small entrepreneurs who getrequests for elaborate formal estimates and bids.Both consume valuable time and resources£¬ and a£¨40£©£ small company¡¯s efforts must soon result inorders£¬ or both the morale and the financial healthof the business will suffer.
¡¡¡¡A second risk is that White-owned companiesmay seek to cash in on the increasing apportion-£¨45£© ments through formation of joint ventures withminority-owned concerns. Of course£¬ in manyinstances there are legitimate reasons for jointventures£» clearly£¬ White and minority enterprisescan team up to acquire business that neither could£¨50£© acquire alone. But civil rights groups and minoritybusiness owners have complained to ConGREss aboutminorities being set up as ¡°fronts¡± with White back-ing£¬ rather than being accepted as full partners inlegitimate joint ventures.£¨55£©£ £ £ Third£¬ a minority enterprise that secures thebusiness of one large corporate customer often runthe danger of becoming¡ª¡ªand remaining-dependent.Even in the best of circumstances£¬ fierce compe-tition from larger£¬ more established companies£¨60£© makes it difficult for small concerns to broadentheir customer bases£º when such firms have nearlyguaranteed orders from a single corporate bene-factor£¬ they may truly have to struggle againstcomplacency arising from their current success.

1. The primary purpose of the passage is to
¡¡£¨A£© present a commonplace idea and its inaccuracies
¡¡£¨B£© describe a situation and its potential drawbacks
¡¡£¨C£© propose a temporary solution to a problem
¡¡£¨D£© analyze a frequent source of disaGREement
¡¡£¨E£© explore the implications of a finding

2. The passage supplies information that would answer£ which of the following questions£¿
¡¡£¨A£© What federal agencies have set percentage goals for the use of minority-owned businesses in public works contracts£¿
¡¡£¨B£© To which government agencies must£ businesses awarded federal contracts report their£ efforts to find minority subcontractors£¿
¡¡£¨C£© How widespread is the use of minority-owned£ concerns as ¡°fronts¡± by White backers seeking to£ obtain subcontracts£¿
¡¡£¨D£© How many more minority-owned businesses were£ there in 1977 than in 1972£¿
¡¡£¨E£© What is one set of conditions under which a£ small business might find itself financially over-extended£¿£ 

3. According to the passage£¬ civil rights activists£ maintain that one disadvantage under which£ minority- owned businesses have traditionally had£ to labor is that they have
¡¡£¨A£© been especially vulnerable to governmental£ mismanagement of the economy
¡¡£¨B£© been denied bank loans at rates comparable to£ those afforded larger competitors
¡¡£¨C£© not had sufficient opportunity to secure business£ created by large corporations
¡¡£¨D£© not been able to advertise in those media that£ reach large numbers of potential customers
¡¡£¨E£© not had adequate representation in the centers of government power

4. The passage suggests that the failure of a large£ business to have its bids for subcontracts result£ quickly in orders might cause it to
¡¡£¨A£© experience frustration but not serious financial£ harm
¡¡£¨B£© face potentially crippling fixed expenses
¡¡£¨C£© have to record its efforts on forms filed with the£ government
¡¡£¨D£© increase its spending with minority£ subcontractors
¡¡£¨E£© revise its procedure for making bids for federal£ contracts and subcontracts

5. The author implies that a minority-owned concern£ that does the GREater part of its business with one£ large corporate customer should
¡¡£¨A£© avoid competition with larger£¬ more established£ £  concerns by not expanding£ 
¡¡£¨B£© concentrate on securing even more business from that corporation£ 
¡¡£¨C£© try to expand its customer base to avoid£ £  becoming dependent on the corporation£ 
¡¡£¨D£© pass on some of the work to be done for the£ £  corporation to other minority-owned concerns
¡¡£¨E£© use its influence with the corporation to promote£ £  subcontracting with other minority concerns

6. It can be inferred from the passage that£¬compared£ with the requirements of law£¬the percentage goals£ set by ¡°some federal and local agencies ¡±£¨lines 14-£  15£© are
¡¡£¨A£© more popular with large corporations
¡¡£¨B£© more specific
¡¡£¨C£© less controversial
¡¡£¨D£© less expensive to enforce
¡¡£¨E£© easier to comply with

7. Which of the following£¬ if true£¬ would most weaken the£ author¡®s assertion that£¬ in the 1970¡¯s£¬ corporate£ response to federal requirements £¨lines 18-19£© was£ substantial
¡¡£¨A£© Corporate contracts with minority-owned¡¡businesses totaled $2 billion in 1979.
¡¡£¨B£© Between 1970 and 1972£¬ corporate contracts with£ minority-owned businesses declined by 25¡¡percent.
¡¡£¨C£© The figures collected in 1977 underrepresented¡¡the extent of corporate contracts with minority-owned businesses.
¡¡£¨D£© The estimate of corporate spending with¡¡minority-owned businesses in 1980 is¡¡approximately $10 million too high.
¡¡£¨E£© The $1.1 billion represented the same¡¡percentage of total corporate spending in 1977¡¡as did $77 million in 1972.

8. The author would most likely aGREe with which of the following statements about corporate response to¡¡working with minority subcontractors£¿
¡¡£¨A£© Annoyed by the proliferation of ¡°front¡± organizations£¬corporations are likely to reduce¡¡their efforts to work with minority-owned¡¡ subcontractors in the near future.
¡¡£¨B£© Although corporations showed considerable¡¡interest in working with minority businesses in the 1970¡®s£¬ their aversion to government¡¡paperwork made them reluctant to pursue many government contracts.£ 
¡¡£¨C£© The significant response of corporations in the 1970¡®s is likely to be sustained and conceivably be increased throughout the 1980¡¯s.
¡¡£¨D£© Although corporations are eager to cooperate¡¡with minority-owned businesses£¬ a shortage of¡¡capital in the 1970¡®s made substantial response¡¡impossible.
¡¡£¨E£© The enormous corporate response has all but¡¡eliminated the dangers of overexpansion that¡¡used to plague small minority-owned businesses.