阅读理解A
题干：“Theword‘protection’isnolongertaboo(禁忌语).”Thisshortsentence,utteredbyFrenchPresidentNicolasSarkozylatelastmonth,mayhavelaunchedaneweraineconomichistory.Why?Fordecades，Westernleadershavebelievedthatloweringtradebarriersandtariffswasanaturalgood.Doingso,theyreasoned,wouldleadtogreatereconomicefficiencyandproductivity,whichinturnwouldimprovehumanwelfare.Championingfreetradethusbecameamoral,notjustaneconomic,cause.Theseleaders,ofcourse,weren’tactingoutofunselfishness.Theyknewtheireconomieswerethemostcompetitive，sothey'dprofitmostfromliberalization.AnddevelopingcountriesfearedthattheireconomieswouldbeswampedbysuperiorWesternproductivity.Today,however,thetableshaveturned-thoughfewacknowledgeit.TheWestcontinuestopreachfreetrade,butpracticesitlessandless.Asian,meanwhile,continuestopleadforspecialprotectionbutpracticesmoreandmorefreetrade.That’swhySarkozy’swordsweresoimportant：hefinallyinjectedsomehonestyintothetradedebates.ThetruthisthatlargepartsoftheWestarelosingfaithintreetrade,thoughfewleadersadmitit.Someeconomistsaremorehonest.PaulKrugmanisoneofthefewwillingtoacknowledgethatprotectionistargumentsarereturning.Intheshortrun’therewillbewinnersandlosersunderfreetrade.This,ofcourse,iswhatcapitalismisallabout.ButmoreandmoreoftheseloserswillbeintheWest.EconomistsinthedevelopedworldusedtolovequotingJosephSchumpeter，whosaidthat“creativedestruction”wasanessentialpartofcapitalistgrowth.Buttheyalwaysassumedthatdestructionwouldhappenoverthere.WhenWesternworkersbeganlosingjobs,suddenlytheirleadersbegantolosefaithintheirprinciples.Thingshaveyettoreversecompletely.Butthere’sclearlyanegativetrendinaWesterntheoryandpractice.Alittlehypocrisy(虚伪)isnotinitselfaseriousproblem.TherealproblemisthatWesterngovernmentscontinuetoinsistthattheyretaincontrolofthekeyglobaleconomicandfinancialinstitutionswhiledriftingawayfromgloballiberalization.Lookatwhat’shappeningattheIMF(InternationalMonetaryFund).TheEuropeanshavedemandedthattheykeepthepostofmanagingdirector.Butalltoooften，Westernofficialsputtheirowninterestsaboveeveryoneelse,swhentheydominatetheseglobalinstitutions.ThetimehasthereforecomefortheAsians-whoareclearlythenewwinnersintoday'sglobaleconomy-toprovidemoreintellectualleadershipinsupportingfreetrade：Sadly,theyhaveyettodoso.UnlessAsiansspeakout,however,there'sarealdangerthatAdamSmith'sprinciples,whichhavebroughtsomuchgoodtotheworld，couldgraduallydie.Andthatwouldleaveallofusworseoff,inonewayoranother.
题目：The Western economies used to like the idea of “creative destruction” because it_____·
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