题目
The U.S. Postal Service （USPS） continues to bleed red ink. It reported a net loss of ＄5.6 billion for fiscal 2016， the 10th straight year its expenses have exceeded revenue. Meanwhile， mostly for employee health and retirement costs. There are many bankruptcies. Fundamentally， the USPS is in a historic squeeze between technological change that has permanently decreased demand for its bread﹣and﹣butter product， and a regulatory structure that denies management the flexibility to adjust its operations to the new reality. And interest groups ranging from postal unions to greeting﹣card makers exert self﹣interested pressure on the USPS's ultimate overseer﹣Congress﹣insisting that whatever else happens to the Postal Service， aspects of the status quo they depend on get protected. This is why repeated attempts at reform legislation have failed in recent years， leaving the Postal Service unable to pay its bills except by deferring vital modernization. Now comes word that everyone involved﹣﹣Democrats， Republicans， the Postal Service， which could help pay for new vehicles， among other survival measures. Most of the money would come from a penny﹣per﹣letter permanent rate increase and from shifting postal retirees into Medicare. The latter step would largely offset the financial burden of annually pre﹣funding retiree health care If it clears the House，this measure would still have to get through the Senate ﹣ where someone is bound to point out that it amounts to the bare，bare minimum necessary to keep the Postal Service afloat， a major omission considering that personnel accounts for 80 percent of the agency's costs. Also missing is any discussion of eliminating Saturday letter delivery. That common﹣sense change enjoys wide public support and would save the USPS ＄2 billion per year. But postal special﹣interest groups seem to have killed it，at least in the House. The emerging consensus around the bill is a sign that legislators are getting frightened about a politically embarrassing short﹣term collapse at the USPS. It is not， a sign that they're getting serious about transforming the postal system for the 21st century.The financial problem with the USPS is caused partly by .A. its unbalanced budgetB. its rigid managementC. the cost for technical upgradingD. the withdrawal of bank support
The U.S. Postal Service （USPS） continues to bleed red ink. It reported a net loss of ＄5.6 billion for fiscal 2016， the 10th straight year its expenses have exceeded revenue. Meanwhile， mostly for employee health and retirement costs. There are many bankruptcies. Fundamentally， the USPS is in a historic squeeze between technological change that has permanently decreased demand for its bread﹣and﹣butter product， and a regulatory structure that denies management the flexibility to adjust its operations to the new reality.
And interest groups ranging from postal unions to greeting﹣card makers exert self﹣interested pressure on the USPS's ultimate overseer﹣Congress﹣insisting that whatever else happens to the Postal Service， aspects of the status quo they depend on get protected. This is why repeated attempts at reform legislation have failed in recent years， leaving the Postal Service unable to pay its bills except by deferring vital modernization.
Now comes word that everyone involved﹣﹣Democrats， Republicans， the Postal Service， which could help pay for new vehicles， among other survival measures. Most of the money would come from a penny﹣per﹣letter permanent rate increase and from shifting postal retirees into Medicare. The latter step would largely offset the financial burden of annually pre﹣funding retiree health care
If it clears the House，this measure would still have to get through the Senate ﹣ where someone is bound to point out that it amounts to the bare，bare minimum necessary to keep the Postal Service afloat， a major omission considering that personnel accounts for 80 percent of the agency's costs. Also missing is any discussion of eliminating Saturday letter delivery. That common﹣sense change enjoys wide public support and would save the USPS ＄2 billion per year. But postal special﹣interest groups seem to have killed it，at least in the House. The emerging consensus around the bill is a sign that legislators are getting frightened about a politically embarrassing short﹣term collapse at the USPS. It is not， a sign that they're getting serious about transforming the postal system for the 21st century.The financial problem with the USPS is caused partly by .
- A. its unbalanced budget
- B. its rigid management
- C. the cost for technical upgrading
- D. the withdrawal of bank support
题目解答
答案
B
解析
步骤 1：理解问题背景
文章提到USPS（美国邮政服务）面临财务困境，连续10年支出超过收入，净亏损56亿美元。问题指出USPS的财务问题部分是由其刚性管理造成的。文章中提到USPS在技术变革和监管结构之间面临压力，监管结构不允许管理层调整运营以适应新现实。此外，邮政工会和贺卡制造商等利益集团对USPS的最终监管机构——国会施加了自我利益的压力，要求保护他们依赖的现状。
步骤 2：分析选项
A. 其不均衡的预算：文章没有提到USPS的预算不均衡。
B. 其刚性管理：文章提到USPS面临监管结构的限制，不允许管理层调整运营，这表明管理是刚性的。
C. 技术升级的成本：文章没有提到技术升级的成本是USPS财务问题的原因。
D. 银行支持的撤回：文章没有提到银行支持的撤回是USPS财务问题的原因。
步骤 3：选择正确答案
根据文章内容，USPS的财务问题部分是由其刚性管理造成的，因为监管结构不允许管理层调整运营以适应新现实。
文章提到USPS（美国邮政服务）面临财务困境，连续10年支出超过收入，净亏损56亿美元。问题指出USPS的财务问题部分是由其刚性管理造成的。文章中提到USPS在技术变革和监管结构之间面临压力，监管结构不允许管理层调整运营以适应新现实。此外，邮政工会和贺卡制造商等利益集团对USPS的最终监管机构——国会施加了自我利益的压力，要求保护他们依赖的现状。
步骤 2：分析选项
A. 其不均衡的预算：文章没有提到USPS的预算不均衡。
B. 其刚性管理：文章提到USPS面临监管结构的限制，不允许管理层调整运营，这表明管理是刚性的。
C. 技术升级的成本：文章没有提到技术升级的成本是USPS财务问题的原因。
D. 银行支持的撤回：文章没有提到银行支持的撤回是USPS财务问题的原因。
步骤 3：选择正确答案
根据文章内容，USPS的财务问题部分是由其刚性管理造成的，因为监管结构不允许管理层调整运营以适应新现实。