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1、2000Passage1 Ahistoryoflongandeffortlesssuccesscanbeadreadfulhandicap,but,ifproperlyhandled,itmaybecomeadrivingforce.WhentheUnitedStatesenteredjustsuchaglowingperiodaftertheendoftheSecondWorldWar,ithadamarketeighttimeslargerthananycompetitor,givingitsi
2、ndustriesunparalleledeconomiesofscale.Itsscientistsweretheworld'sbest,itsworkersthemostskilled.AmericaandAmericanswereprosperousbeyondthedreamsoftheEuropeansandAsianswhoseeconomiesthewarhaddestroyed. Itwasinevitablethatthisprimacyshouldhavenarrowedaso
3、thercountriesgrewricher.Justasinevitably,theretreatfrompredominanceprovedpainful.Bythemid-1980sAmericanshadfoundthemselvesatalossovertheirfadingindustrialcompetitiveness.SomehugeAmericanindustries,suchasconsumerelectronics,hadshrunkorvanishedinthefaceof
4、foreigncompetition.By1987therewasonlyoneAmericantelevisionmakerleft,Zenith.(Nowthereisnone:ZenithwasboughtbySouthKorea'sLGElectronicsinJuly.)Foreign-madecarsandtextilesweresweepingintothedomesticmarket.America'smachine-toolindustrywasontheropes.Forawhil
5、eitlookedasthoughthemakingofsemiconductors,whichAmericahadinventedandwhichsatattheheartofthenewcomputerage,wasgoingtobethenextcasualty. Allofthiscausedacrisisofconfidence.Americansstoppedtakingprosperityforgranted.Theybegantobelievethattheirwayofdoingb
6、usinesswasfailing,andthattheirincomeswouldthereforeshortlybegintofallaswell.Themid-1980sbroughtoneinquiryafteranotherintothecausesofAmerica'sindustrialdecline.Theirsometimessensationalfindingswerefilledwithwarningsaboutthegrowingcompetitionfromoverseas.
7、 Howthingshavechanged!In1995theUnitedStatescanlookbackonfiveyearsofsolidgrowthwhileJapanhasbeenstruggling.FewAmericansattributethissolelytosuchobviouscausesasadevalueddollarortheturningofthebusinesscycle.Self-doubthasyieldedtoblindpride."Americanindust
8、ryhaschangeditsstructure,hasgoneonadiet,haslearnttobemorequick-witted,"accordingtoRichardCavanaugh,executivedeanofHarvard'sKennedySchoolofGovernment."ItmakesmeproudtobeanAmericanjusttoseehowourbusinessesareimprovingtheirproductiv
