大学与体验英语视听说教程4-U8.pptVIP

第四册;UNIT 8; It has been said that arguing against globalization is like arguing against gravity. ;Background Information; Globalization is the objective trend of economic development in the world today, featured by free flow and optimized allocation of capital, technology, information and service in the global context. As a result, economic interdependence and interaction between countries are becoming ever stronger. In this unit, students will get to know about the impact of globalization on the automobile industry and foreign investment in China. Listening and speaking activities in this unit will inspire students to reflect on the benefits and problems brought by the trend of globalization. ;Background Information; 2. Globalization of the Automobile Industry Today, the modern global automotive industry encompasses the principal manufacturers, General Motors, Ford, Toyota, Honda, Volkswagen, and Daimler Chrysler, all of which operate in a global competitive marketplace. It is suggested that the globalization of the automotive industry has greatly accelerated during the last half of the 1990’s due to the construction of important overseas facilities and establishment of mergers between giant multinational automakers. Industry specialists indicate that the origins in the expansion of foreign commerce in the automobile industry date back to the technology transfer of Ford Motor Company’s mass-production model from the U.S. to Western Europe and Japan following both World Wars I and II. ; The advancements in industrialization led to significant increases in the growth and production of the Japanese and German markets, in particular. The second important trend in industrial globalization was the export of fuel efficient cars from Japan to the U.S. as a result of the oil embargo from 1973 to 1974. Increasing global trade has enabled the growth in world commercial distribution systems, which has also expanded globa