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1、ContemporaryCollegeEnglishBookFour《现代大学英语》精读Lesson8Gloabalization’sDualPowerPartOneBackgroundInformationENTERGlobalizationisatrendywordtoday.Moreandmorepeoplenowbelievethattheworldisbecomingmoreintegrated.Indeed,peoplenowthinkthatitisbecomingasmallglobalvillage.Globalization.Theysay.isnotjustanirr
2、esistibletrend.Itisalreadyafact.Actually,initsbroadestsense,globalizationstartedalongtimeeago,onecouldtraceittothecurlycaravansacrosstheSaharaDesertandalongtheSilkRoad;thetradearoundtheMediterraneanorinthewakeoftheCrusaders,oracrosstheAt-lacticafterColumbusdiscoveredAmerica.TheprocessTobecontinued
3、onthenextpage.IntroductiontothetextTheprocessreacheditsfirstpeakaroundtheendofthenineteenthcentury,andalthoughitwastemporarilysuspendedbywidespreadprotectionism,whichledtothetwoworldwarsinthefirsthalfofthetwentiethcentury,thetidereturnedinthelatterhalfwithmoretranquilinter-nationalrelationssupport
4、edbytheUnitedNations,GATT(todaytheWTO,theWorldBankandIMF.Thepaceofinternationaleconomicintegrationacceleratedinthe1980sand1990s,especiallyaftertheColdWarended.Tobecontinuedonthenextpage.Manypoliticalbarriersthathamperedinternationaltradewerereducedorremoved,andgreattechnologicaldevelopmentfacilita
5、tedeasytransportationandcommunication.ThemostdramaticexampleofthismewroundofglobalizationisnodoubttheopeningupofChina.ButChinaisnottheonlycountrycaughtupinthisprocess.TodayeventhemostsecludedandisolatedcountriesaretakingtheirfirstcautiousstepsinthisdirectionTobecontinuedonthenextpage.However,thisi
6、sonlyonesideofthestory.Therealsoexiststheoppositetendency,thetendencyofprotectionism,regionalism,unilateralist,separatism,anti-globalization.Thereasonforthisissimple.Astheauthorputsit,globalizationisadouble-edgedsword.Itcutsbothways.Ontheonehand,itcanbringnewproductsandservices;newinvestmentandmar
7、kets;newtechnologiesandmanagementskillsandgenerallyhigherlivingstandards.Butitcanalsobringmoredebt,moreinstability,agreatergapbetweentherichandpoor,farworseenvironmentaldegradationandthelossofnationalandculturali
