Passage 1
Ford Motor Co., despite losing more than $26 billion over the last two years, still has no intention of asking for government assistance but will instead draw down 10.1 billion in existing credit lines. “It’s a very volatile market,” says Ford Chairman Alan Mulally. “It’s not in our plan at all to access federal funds,” he said even though “business conditions have deteriorated around the world more rapidly than expected.”
Ford reported it lost $5.9 billion, or $2.46 per share, in the fourth quarter of 2007 due to declining domestic demand, restructuring charges and losses at its overseas subsidiaries. For the full year Ford lost $14.6 billion as it revenues shrank by 36 percent. The latest losses, Ford’s already steep mountain of debt—some $26 billion —and the industry’s shaky financial condition are all stirring anxiety among investors, lenders, and potential car buyers. Yet Mulally stresses that Ford is in a better strategic position than its struggling rivals.
GM and Chrysler are expected to present preliminary plans to the Treasury by Feb. 17 demonstrating their viability, and final plans in March, if either of those plans fails to convince the federal government, a bankruptcy filing could follow. Such a huge negative event might prompt Ford to reconsider its position, says Mulally, but otherwise it expects to avoid asking for emergency federal aid.
42.Ford is trying to tide through the economic downturn without asking for government’s assistance.
A、True
B、False
【正确答案】：A
【名师解析】:根据文章内容，福特汽车公司（Ford Motor Co.）在过去两年中亏损超过260亿美元，但并没有计划请求政府援助，而是打算动用其现有的101亿美元信贷额度。福特的董事长艾伦·穆拉利（Alan Mulally）表示，尽管全球商业环境的恶化速度超出了预期，但福特并没有计划使用联邦资金。此外，文章还提到，如果通用汽车（GM）和克莱斯勒（Chrysler）不能说服联邦政府他们的可行性计划，他们可能会提交破产申请，这可能会迫使福特重新考虑其立场。然而，除非这种情况发生，否则福特预计不会寻求紧急联邦援助。因此，选项A（True）是正确的，福特确实在努力不请求政府援助来度过经济低迷期。
