سؤال قراءة ستيب محلول — فهم التفاصيل (تدريب 5142)

(1) Although the global economy continued to grow robustly until 2007, economic performance was not equal: growth in the advanced economies slowed and then stopped in 2009, whereas emerging and developing economies continued to grow. Looking ahead, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), an international bank with 186 member nations, expected growth to continue until 2020 in both advanced and emerging developing economies. (2) Although the U.S. economy had been growing steadily since 2000 and recorded the longest peacetime expansion in the nation’s history, the worldwide recession which began in December 2007 slowed the rate of growth. The IMF estimated that the U.S. economy grew by less than half of 1 percent in 2008 and, because of subprime mortgage lending and other global financial problems, declined 2.5 percent in 2009. International experts recorded global economic growth of 3.9 percent in 2010 and 4.3 percent in 2011, despite the high oil prices. (3) Canada and Western Europe: America’s leading export partner, Canada, showed a growth rate of 2.6 percent in 2010 and 3.6 percent in 2011. The euro area which declined by 3.9 percent in 2009, grew by 1.0 percent in 2010, and by 1.6 percent in 2011. The United Kingdom and smalher European countries such as Austria, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Switzerland, experienced a recession. (4) Mexico and Latin America: America’s second largest export customer, Mexico, suffered its sharpest recession ever in 1995, and experienced another major setback in 2009. However, its growth rate in 2010 and 2011 was 4.0 percent and 4.7 percent. respectively. Brazil escaped the recent global economic crisis with only minor setbacks: its growth in 2008 was more than 5 percent, and in 2009 it declined only 0.4 percent. In general, the Latin American and the Caribbean economies are recovering at a robust pace. (5) Japan: Japan’s economy is regaining momentum. Stronger consumer demand and business investment make Japan less reliant on exports for growth. The IMF puts the growth for Japan at 1.7 percent in 2010 and 2.2 percent in 2011. (6) Other Asian Countries: The economic growth in Asia remained strong in 2008 and 2009 despite the global recession. Growth was led by China, where its economy expanded by 8.7 percent in 2009, and by at 10 percent and 9.7 percent in 2010 and 2011. respectively. Growth in India slowed modestly to 5.6 percent in 2009. Growth in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam was as expected at 4.7 percent and 5.3 percent in 2010 and 2011, respectively. In short, the key emerging economies in Asia are leading the global recovery. China’s emergence as a global economic power has been among the most dramatic economic developments of recent decades. From 1980 to 2004, China’s economy averaged a real GDP growth rate of 9.5 percent and became the world’s sixth-largest economy. China’s total share in world trade expanded from 1 percent in 1980 to almost 6 percent in 2003. By 2004, China had become the third largest trading nation in dollar terms, behind the United States and Germany and just ahead of Japan. (7) Emerging Europe: The year 2007 marked the sixth consecutive year during which emerging Europe grew much faster than Western Europe, but growth in many countries was uneven. The global economic crisis that plagued this region finally came to an end in 2009, and most countries in the region saw positive growth in 2010 and 2011. (8) Commonwealth of Independent States. The growth in this region turned out to be the predicted 3.8 percent in 2010 and 4.0 percent in 2011. Strong growth is expected to continue in Azerbaijan and Armenia. whereas growth is projected to remain stable in Moldova, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. After World War II, trade between the United States and the communist nations of Central and Eastern Europe was minimal. The United States maintained high tariff barriers on imports from most of these countries and also restricted their exports. However, since the disintegration of the Soviet Union and the collapse of communism, trade between the United States and Central and Eastern Europe has expanded substantially. The countries that made the transition from communist to market economies quickly have recorded positive growth for several years. Among the nations that have enjoyed several years of positive economic growth are the member countries of the Central European Free Trade Association: Hungary, the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovenia and Slovakia.